The end of the year is fast approaching, and (partly inspired by Jason’s article a couple of days ago) I figured it was a good time to reflect on my photography for the year. I decided to look back and pick my five favorite images from the year. When I say favorite, I don’t mean my five best images – only one of the five below would make that list – but rather the ones I look back on the most fondly, usually because of the story behind them or the people I was with when I took them.
Table of Contents
#1 – Africa
As you may have read in my Safari articles (part 1 and part 2), I had the opportunity to go to Africa for the first time, and it was an incredible experience. It’s difficult to select one image from the trip, but this one is probably my favorite because of the storytelling components to it, and the amazing light certainly helps too! I loved the way the monkeys are looking out onto the sunset watching the elephants in the distance, just like we were.
#2 – Mexico
I photograph a lot of weddings, but living in a landlocked state (Colorado), I don’t get to go to beach weddings as often as I’d like. An amazing couple had me come to Mexico to document their weekend, and it was a perfect way to start the wedding season this year! There were a lot of photos I like from this wedding, but I decided to go with a more abstract one because I loved the way the light hit the bride’s veil.
#3 – Fall Colors
Ok, so I cheated a bit on this and picked three. These photos were taken during Photography Life’s annual fall colors workshop. Although I like the photos, it was the participants of the workshop that really make these special to me. A group of people exploring, learning photography together, and just enjoying the beautiful surroundings made it a great trip!
In particular, I liked the light in the first one (backlit with dust kicked up), the simplicity and almost abstract nature of the second one, and we had an awesome time with the Milky Way at a lake at night for the third one!
#4 – Musicians
Photo #2 was my first wedding this year, and this was my last one. The bride and groom are both professional musicians, so being able to capture a unique element of their lives made the day that much more memorable.
#5 – Film
This is not a great photograph, but I started experimenting with large format film lately (and will be writing more about it soon), and this was the first photograph I took on film. Mostly, I was just really happy that there was an image at all when I took it out of the developing tank! Starting large format with a nighttime, long exposure may not have been the safest choice, but this photo will always have a special place for me given it was the first one.
I hope you are able to take some time and reflect on your own photos from 2024, and I’m looking forward to what 2025 will bring!
I loved your idea of a year end review of our best photos. I really enjoyed doing it but couldn’t keep it to 20. Got to 28 and couldn’t see any to eliminate. It was a good exercise to reflect on why a photo I like but didn’t make the cut.
Very interesting process, Adam. In your first photo, I enjoyed the fragments of elephants that give just enough environment around the monkeys. Almost has a wedding-style vibe to it — and I like the way you handle the highlights when you have direct sun in your photos.
Overall, very nice shots and I wish you success on your film journey!
Some very nice photos in your set, Adam – thanks for sharing!
My favorite is the first one from group #3 – sun through the forrest trees.
Nice photos Adam, particularly the Milky Way one and the African one.