Last year, I put together my 10 favorite photos of the year. I want to make this a yearly thing to track how my interests and styles change. For me this was a rough year in a lot of ways, which kept me from shooting as many photographs either by ability or desire. Even with a rough year, it was my best year professionally shooting photography, I did more events and jobs than ever before. Despite having fewer photographs to choose from, I was able to find 10 (really 12) photos that I really like. In 2023 I shot 16,000 photos, in 2024 it was just 11,000 photos. I narrowed those down to the top 43 photos of which I picked 12. These twelve photos come from 4 different cameras and lenses. The photos are presented in the order that I took them this year.
I don't select these pictures because I necessarily agree with the message, I just like to capture the current state and feelings of society, to document as things are in the present.
Abstract Floors - Omaha, NE
This photo is not my typical personal photography style. I picked it because it was my favorite from a commercial shoot I did at start the year. I like the abstract nature of this shot because I tend to like to shoot square on when possible, despite that bringing along challenges if you aren't perfectly perpendicular to your subject.
This along with the other photos were featured in a trade magazine, and the project in part with the photos was able to win two awards including gold for "people's choice." The shoot was traditional commercial architectural shoot, and while it isn't my traditionally favorite photo, the knowledge that it helped win an award boosts it into the top 10 for me.
One funny thing about the shoot is that the facility and it's vendor's had a dispute over who was supposed to be responsible for cleaning the facility. Both side's thought was that the other was responsible, so no one had cleaned the facility since it was opened about a month prior to the shoot. No one was apparently aware of this, so when I arrived the place was filthy from construction dust, garbage, and salt from the students tracking in snow.
My contact for this shoot was so helpful, and helped clean up the space as best she could while I was setting up shots and preparing. In the end the photos came out great, and unless you really know, you would never know that the place was covered in a thin layer of mud and grit.
Closed for Business - Oshkonong, MO
I have always liked the square on shot capturing small town America. Much of small town life is disappearing, and one day these buildings will be gone too. I was really drawn by the muted cotton-candy trim of the building in front, which helps it stand out from buildings in a similar state of decay.
Jesus Loves You - Cameron, OK
This photo was taken on a back road in Cameron, Oklahoma. I was driving by and saw this bit of "graffiti" with ivy growing on it. I think everyone can interpret this in their own way, and it's a strong representation of rural America in one photo.
Eclipse 2025 - Broken Bow, OK
These are my three favorite photos of the eclipse that crossed the US from Texas through Maine. We watched it from the small sliver that hits Oklahoma. We arrived a few days early to scope out sites. I had looked up several sites before going down there, but for one reason or another, none of these locations were going to work.
We did have an invite to celebrate at an adult store with a bunch of hippies from out of state. While that may have been a blast, it would have resulted in very different photography. Also, many there felt that this was the coming of the end of the world, which presented its own challenges.
The day before the eclipse we drove by this old school. I talked to a neighbor across the street and asked if we could watch the eclipse from the parking lot. It worked out great for us as we were the only ones there. We were worried about clouds, but they cleared in time for the eclipse and everything worked out perfectly.
Champs - Omaha, NE
This is one of my favorite photos of the year (obviously because it's on this list). I loved the emotion from the winners and loser. Everyone's facial expressions are perfect and tell a complete story. Surprisingly, this is just one of two top photos shot on my Fujifilm X100V. I shot this with on-camera flash to give this photo its distinctive look. I'm not sure why I shot flash-on that day, I don't do it on my shots regularly, but it worked out in this case.
Martin Field - South Sioux City, NE
I was driving in northeast Nebraska and almost missed this airport. I caught the hangar in my rear view mirror, and decided I had to turn around. So I turned around and walked up to a man working in the hangar and asked him if I could take some pictures. His name is Gene Martin, and his family has run this airfield since 1958. Gene said that the airport was in the process of being sold, which went through in October, 2024.
I loved the symmetry of the hangar and the plane poking out of the shadows. I also have a picture with Gene front and center, but I liked this picture more.
Car Lineup - Central City, NE
I was walking around Central City Nebraska in the summer, and walked by this line of cars parked on the side of the building. The concrete block wall adding texture, and the stair-stepping roofline with vent helped balance this photo. I feel like this photo tells a story, one that is easy to miss when you walk by in person.
Gas Station Abstract - Seattle, WA
I kind of stumbled upon this shot, as I was walking by the gas station. Old gas stations always catch my eye, but between the truck, the dragon mural, and the buildings in the background, I was drawn to this photo. It's difficult to parse on the initial viewing of it with so many distinct elements.
Amphitrite Point Lighthouse - Ucluelet, BC
Lighthouses are nearly irresistible photography subjects. I had three lighthouse photographs that technically qualify as my 10 favorite shots of the year, but I only wanted one to make the list. This one was my favorite. I like to shoot buildings straight on when possible. The Amphitrite Point Lighthouse isn't really in a position to be shot straight on with a tree in the way. But I liked the concept of shooting straight through the tree from the trunk and framing/obscuring it with the branches of the tree. I think this photo is more interesting than the other technically superior shots.
Ripples - Straight of Georgia, BC
For this photo I was on an early morning ferry from Departure Bay on Vancouver Island to North Vancouver, BC. It was a rainy and chilly morning, so basically everyone stayed indoors on the ferry, with not much better to do, I ventured out in the cold rainy wind to see what was out there. Looking to the south I saw this shiny patch of water, I waited until it looked like the shiny patch was leading your eyes to the distant ships. I liked how the low sun helped define the ripples in the water, and the low clouds frame the top of the photo.
