My Year in Review

As usual for 2018, I have procrastinated to the very last minute. Sitting here writing this post I realize I should have started before now, i.e., 7:15pm on December 31st. I have never been one for the New Year’s Eve party scene so maybe this is for the best. A quiet time to reflect on the past year and look toward the next.

There were some changes in 2018. My daughter was accepted at West Virginia University as a Graduate Research Assistant in Environmental Engineering. It happened in a matter of weeks and by the second week of January she was off to school. A great new adventure for her and a house to myself with our three cats for me. Happy to report that all of us have adjusted well.

In the Spring I made a drastic decision to switch jobs. Although I had a lot of friends at work, the work itself did not satisfy me (or so I thought). I had let a few incidents/situations fester and I thought a change is what I needed. The new opportunity did not work out and four months after leaving I rejoined my friends at the job I left. I now realize that who I work with is as important as the work I do. I returned with a better attitude/outlook and the last quarter of the year has been great.

Looking over the images I captured throughout the year I realize I explored with the camera more than I originally thought. Yes, there were a few slow times when other parts of my life took precedent, but for the most part I got my butt off the couch and viewed my corner of the world through the lens of my camera.

It is time to review what I saw each month…

January – As always this month was all about exploring the new winter coat of snow. I made quite a few excursions at both ends of the day. I have a fascination with the light around sunrise and sunset. I found that I like the colors before sunrise and right after sunset. Both times of day offer fantastic opportunities when the conditions are right. I stopped into my favorite, neighborhood state park for this sunset image. Original Post: Winter View

  

 

February – Although this month was another one full of outdoor excursions, my favorite image is a Black & White still life. As I had mentioned in my 2017 year in review post I had planned to return to my Game Pieces project but my kids had surprised me with a couple of cool gas lanterns for Christmas. It took me until February to figure out a setup for the one my son found because it was almost too large for my space. Original Post: Dietz #80

 

 

March – Winter returned and trips out into the cold did not diminish. Plenty of opportunities and a bounty of beautiful images. This one sticks out for me not because it is any better than the others but due to how it came to be. When I started this photographic journey I saw more images because I did not have a developed “eye”. Some days I truly miss the forest while I concentrate on a tree. The day I captured this image I was focusing on the sunset and concentrating my attention toward the West. When I stopped and turned around I realized I was missing the better show Mother Nature was putting on in the East. Original Post: Twilight

 

 

April – I attempted to work on a few of my photography projects in the first part of April. I was photographing some toys for the Game Pieces project and working on more images for the Oil Can project. But when I finally ventured back outside I found this image at Delta Lake. A little sand bar near the shore as the sun was dropping toward the horizon. Original Post: The Bar

 

 

May – I probably should name this flower month. I generally capture the most images of flowers during May, but once again my favorite image is not of a flower. As it happened, this was the month I ventured down to Ithaca to trek through the gorges. I had a very busy Saturday near the end of the month, stopping at four different parks. This image was captured at Taughannock Falls State Park and although I never posted this until November, I did capture it in May. Original Post: The End at the Beginning

 

 

June – Another month of flowers and state parks. Another month full of great images. It was hard for me to decide which image was my favorite this month. I had some great ones from Letchworth State Park. The reason I selected this image was the light. The sunset light was almost magical in the way it illuminated the trees. Also, it reminds me that you can visit a place a hundred times but there are always opportunities for great images. Original Post: When Water is Low

 

 

July – Landscapes, flowers, a trip to Nashville and a new toy for my photography. This was one of my busiest months photographically. I managed to capture a lot of images and a lot of variety. What truly caught my eye was a new toy/tool. I purchased a Lensball, a solid glass sphere that adds a new layer to an image. And boy did I play with this toy in July. Once I figured out how to utilize it best in my images I captured this pre-sunrise image at Hinckley Reservoir. Original Post: Sunrise Through the Glass

 

 

August – Water. Moving water. Flowing water. Long exposure photography of water. The rains in August brought the water flow in the West Canada Creek to a fun level. Readers know I have a thing for water, especially capturing the turbulence with long exposures. Original Post: Optimistic

 

 

September – This image was another of opportunity. I went over to Delta Lake State Park for the sunset. When I got to the edge of the water I found a pair of swimming goggles left on the beach. I couldn’t pass up an image that summed up how I was feeling. The title drives home the story in the image. Original Post: Summer Lost

 

 

October – A month with very little photography. I can’t recall why. I do remember going to Delta Lake for a sunset and finding the water level in the lake had risen. It presented some unique images. This one was of a stack of rocks that was now in the water. I was intrigued by the ability of the reflection to allow a look into the lake bottom. The colors in the sky didn’t hurt either. Original Post: Short Stack

 

 

November – This was the worse month for local images. It didn’t help that I had a trip to California for work and my annual fall pilgrimage to Walt Disney World crammed into this month. I thought about including one of my Disney pics for this month but I always add those at the end, so I went with the only image posted that was actually captured in November. Original Post: Full Yard

 

 

December – What can I say? I went to Florida to enjoy the holidays and had amazing weather and near perfect photography conditions. I was lucky to capture amazing images at both ends of the days. My favorite was at Cocoa Beach. I drove up to the pier to experience the sunrise and Mother Nature did not let me down. A part of the appeal of this image is the effort required to time the exposure with the waves. I wanted to capture the water receding from the shore so there would be a reflection of the pier in the wet sand. Not ashamed to admit it took quite a few exposures to get the image I wanted. Original Post: Cocoa Beach Morning

 

 

Walt Disney World – I generally make two trips to Walt Disney World. I enjoy the flowers in the Spring when Epcot has the Flower & Garden Festival and then return in the Fall for Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival. I decided to change things up a little this year. I pushed my Fall trip to after Thanksgiving in order to visit during the Christmas holiday season. I had a desire to see the decorations in the Magic Kingdom and experience the storytellers in Epcot. So in keeping with the theme of one picture each month, I’ll share one picture from each trip.

During my Spring trip I arrived at the Animal Kingdom very early. I always enjoy exploring the park in the morning. This is the time when most guests are racing to all the attractions and I can casually walk the trails photographing the views unblocked. There are also a lot of areas available without any other guests and on this particular morning I was capturing images in the food area of the Africa section. Light and shadows everywhere but this view through an arch really caught my eye. Original Post: Guest House

 

 

There are a lot of images still to process from my late Fall trip and a different favorite might emerge, but seeing how I went for the holiday decorations, I’ll end with a festive image. I waited for the tree lighting at Hollywood Studios and it did not disappoint. This image is one that has me longing for a lens with a wider field of view. It is the one lens I am lacking in my current setup. Original Post: Hollywood Holidays

 

 

Another year has passed us by and I am excited for the new one. As I stated last year in my review, I will refrain from making any predictions for the coming year but I will be working on my wish list… 😉

Once again I will plagiarize from myself…

I would like to thank everyone for their continued support. Your comments and encouragement are always welcomed and appreciated. I value the friendships I have developed with a lot of my regular readers. Although we have not met in person, your presence in my life has meant a lot to me. Thanks!

Happy New Year and best wishes for a fun and entertaining 2019!