My Best Images From 2020

Once again, Brent Huntley has invited photographers to participated in his yearly “Top Images from the Photography and Travel Community” project.

Once again, Brent Huntley has invited photographers to participate in his yearly Top Images from the Photography and Travel Community photograph project. It's a year in review project, and photographers are encouraged to choose their top "10(ish)" images, publish them to a website, and submit the link to Brent for inclusion in a photography blogroll. You can see the submissions for 2018 and the submissions for 2019. I think it's a fun way to review the year in pictures with far away (and near) photography enthusiasts, and each year I discover interesting photography blogs to add to my RSS reader.

Each year Jim Goldstein hosts a similar project. This year would have marked my fifth year of participation, but it seems that Brent and Jim's calendars did not match up, or perhaps Jim has decided not to host this year. If Jim does host, I will update this post with a link.

Selecting just ten photographs from the thousands I made each year is always challenging, and a challenge made even more so by the advent of COVID-19. The office where I worked is located right across the street from Pier 11. The office has a break room with an excellent view of Governor's Island, a helicopter pad and the water traffic on the lower Hudson River. Up until March 10 of 2020, I rode the very crowded New Jersey Transit and PATH trains to Exchange Place in Jersey City to catch the NY Waterway Ferry to Wall Street. I don't usually pay much attention to the news, but I started to hear something about a new, highly contagious virus spreading throughout the city. That night, Bhavna suggested that I work from home.

Everything changed when the New York governor issued "stay at home" executive orders. I knew New Jersey's governor would follow that lead and by the following Monday, all of us were "sheltered in place". The world had changed. Our travel plans were on indefinite hold. I cried. I had struggled with my health in 2019 so much that I didn't even attend my father's funeral. After my last surgery in December 2019, Bhavna and I looked forward to travelling and entertaining. The kids would be off to college and university—the kitchen renovation project would be complete. I had wanted to host craft beer tasting parties with my close friends for the longest time. At the same time, I was dealing with my health challenges, I had stocked the beer fridge with ales from some of the best craft micro-breweries from around the United States. I had also started to get into street photography and wanted to do more of that. We talked about returning to the finger lakes and visiting my family in Bequia for the first time since 1998. I had plans to go out of state for some wildlife photography.

But that's not how things worked out.

Just weeks after COVID-19 had a name, it savaged the nursing homes in our area. Bhavna lost her dad to COVID in April, just a year and a few days after my dad passed away. Then a few weeks after that, a close friend called to tell me her mother had also passed away from COVID. We helped our children pack their things and find desks for "remote college”, another disaster in the making. We would spend the rest of the year living in fear of other people.

The shelter-in-place orders allowed us to leave our homes for essentials-food, medicine, and exercise. The neighbourhood streets became full of people looking to escape their home offices. Work from home isn’t much fun if you can’t get out with friends for lunch or dinner or a pint of ale.

For a while, every other day, I escaped to the woods of Hunterdon County and Mercer County with Bhavna. The virus continued to ravage New York and New Jersey. The executive orders became more stringent, and all state, county and township parks were closed. I am thankful that the local conservation societies kept their open spaces open. The woods provide a change of scenery, a place to contemplate the "new normal", and a place to sit alone and cry. The woods and the forests helped me survive the summer.

Several northeastern states formed a COVID coalition, restricting the movement and setting quarantine rules for out-of-state visitors. Travelling had potential health risks and additional consequences. We had to adapt.

While many were protesting bad policing or systemic racism and inequality, the streets, restaurants and shops in the local area were empty. We were all in this together, except unequally.

We added to our family. Bhavna adopted a rescue cat, Sir Alphonso Mango, Alfie, from Kiran's adopted Camilla last year. Alfie is gentle and loving but mischievous.

We learned that dining outdoors was less risky when the tables (and other guests) were socially distanced and our waitstaff masked up. We developed a weekly habit of dining at the Brick Farm Tavern in Hopewell; every week since May. Except for this week when the outdoor temperatures dropped below 0ºC.

To keep me from boredom, I bought a few 1970's and 1980's 35mm film cameras and lenses, bought several rolls of film and rediscovered the joys and agony of film photography. My favourite film camera is my Minolta X-700. I bought adapters and adapted some of the long lenses to my Fuji X-T2, and photographed the wildlife in my backyard.

I completed the iPhone 11 Pro 365 day project I started last fall but abandoned the 52 Week Smartphone project. I participated in Jeff Sinon's Isolation Photo Project for as long as possible. My motivation for photography dropped off near the end of the summer.

All of that is a backdrop to the challenges in choosing images for this year. What criteria should I use to determine which images are posted below, technical or emotional? Should my best images also tell the story of the year? How do I choose? I think the photos below are selected for a combination of reasons that I may not even know, but they are a mixture of both. And it's more than ten.

I wish all of you a Happy Healthy New Year.

Sign of the times. | Wednesday 18 March, 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
Aunt Molly Trail, St. Michaels Farm Preserve | Monday 6 April, 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
Zion Crossing Park | Saturday 11 April, 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF80mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro
Outdoor dining at Brick Farm Tavern | Saturday 16 May, 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
The Office | Tuesday 26 May, 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
Sunday 31 May, 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
Saturday 13 June, 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
Mimi aka Camilla | Wednesday 15 July, 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF27mmF2.8
Movie night. | Saturday 25 July, 2020 | Apple iPhone 11 Pro | iPhone 11 Pro back triple camera 4.25mm f/1.8
Avalon Beach | Wednesday 26 August, 2020 | Minolta X-700 | Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm F1.7 | Kodak Ektachrome E100 35mm Colour Reversal Film
Avalon Beach | Wednesday, 26 August, 2020 | Minolta X-700 | Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.7 | Kodak Ektachrome E100 35mm Colour Reversal Film
AMA Pizza e Cucina at Flounder Brewing's Beer Garden | Saturday 10 October, 2020 | Minolta X-700 | 45mm f/2 MD Rokkor-X
We adopted a rescue cat, Sir Alphonso Mango, aka Alfie | Friday 2 October, 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR
Brick Farm Tavern's Outdoor Bar | Friday 23 October, 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF27mmF2.8
Saturday 7 November, 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF27mmF2.8
Japanese Maple | Wednesday 11 November, 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | Vivitar 135mm f/2.8 MC Telephoto M42

My Best Images From 2019

Every year Jim Goldstein invites his readers to his blog project, Your Best Photos From 2019. This is my fourth time participating in his project. I am appreciative to Jim Goldstein for continuing to support these end-of-year efforts.

From a health and emotional perspective, 2019 was a challenging year for me and this is reflected in the number and types of images reflected in my Adobe Lightroom Catalog. I battled Graves Eye Disease and the loss of my father. With regular daily and monthly trips into Philadelphia, and the need to walk from one treatment centre to another, I had many opportunities to practice street photography but less time, and with the stress of the treatments, less energy for landscape photography. Not all my trips into Philadelphia were health-related. Bhavna and I discovered that Philadelphia has excellent restaurants and parks.

2019 was also brought health challenges for my youngest who left for college in September. We made an emergency trip to Ohio just days after my surgery and brought her back home to heal. An emotional support animal, Camilla the cat, was recommended to help with recovery so we brought home Camilla, a rescue cat. She has brought joy to the whole family.

I tried something new, attending a few Warbler photography workshops with Ray Hennessey. Being out in the forests and woods of South Jersey, listening to the winds in the trees and the cacophony of birds call was excellent therapy for what was happening in my life. I’m happy that 2019 is over and eager to do a bit more wildlife photography in 2020.

Having an intense dislike of cold, I normally hibernate for the winter, but this year I endeavoured to embrace the opportunities that cold weather bring. I still dislike cold, but layers of Patagonia winter wear helped keep Jack Frost from doing damage.

In 2019, instead of purchasing a Fujifilm X100F which has been on my want list for a few years, I upgraded from a three-year-old iPhone 7 to the new iPhone 11 Pro. I immediately kicked off an iPhone Photography Project 365 to learn how to use my new gear.

The images below are captured on either my FujiFilm X-T2 or Apple iPhone 11 Pro.

Red Mill Museum and Main Street Bridge, Clinton Township, New Jersey | 26 Jan, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
4 Mar, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
Historic St George's United Methodist Church | 17 Apr, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
Love Park | 21 Apr, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
Blue-winged Warbler | 27 Apr, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR
Prothonotary Warbler | 19 May, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR
My wife and kids took me out for Father’s Day Lunch at The Dandelion | 16 Jun, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
Camilla | 22 Sep, 2019 | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
three amigos | 12 Oct, 2019 | Apple iPhone 11 Pro | iPhone 11 Pro back triple camera 6mm f/2
14 Dec, 2019 | Apple iPhone 11 Pro | iPhone 11 Pro back camera 6mm f/2

My Best Images From 2018

Every year, Jim Goldstein invites his readers to his blog project. This is my third time participating in his project.

I’m proud to say that hundreds of photographers have participated (see Best Photos of 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008 and 2007). It’s great to see the photographers' community that has developed around this blog project.

Brent Huntley runs Photography and Travel, and for the first time this year, I will submit to his project.

I was more organised this year, but due to a job change, the breakage of my camera, and a new challenging chronic illness. I was not with a camera as often as I wanted. But this summer, I finally replaced my broken Nikon and decided to jump to the Fujifilm X interchangeable lens camera system.

Some images are from my iPhone, a Canon 5D Mk III that I borrowed from a friend until I bought my Fujifilm X-T2 a few months ago.

Bhavna and I realised that our kids are older (the last one turned 18 last month) and don’t need us to be just a few minutes from home. I convinced her to do something we both wanted: take a hot-air balloon ride. Many of the images are from the Finger Lakes area of New York.

View from the 17th Floor of the Hilton at Penn's Landing, Philadelphia | Apple iPhone 7 | Apple iPhone 7 back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 @ 3.99 mm | f/1.8 | ISO20
Waiting for the ferry at the Paulus Hook Terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Waiting for the ferry at the Paulus Hook Terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey. · Saturday 28 July 2018 · Canon EOS 5D Mark III · EF24-70mm f/4L IS USM
Van Horne Park Trail, Skillman, New Jersey | Fujifilm X-T2 | Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 55 mm | f/5.6 | ISO250
Bhavna enjoying the sunset on Seneca Lake at Two Goats Brewing in Hector, Nw York. | Fujifilm X-T2 | Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 25.7 mm | f/5.6 | ISO200
Upper Buttermilk Falls Gorge Trail, Ithaca, New York | Fujifilm X-T2 | Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 16 mm | f/10 | ISO200
Upper Buttermilk Falls Gorge Trail, Ithaca, New York | Saturday 22 September, 2018 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
Portage Railroad Bridge and Upper Falls
Portage Railroad Bridge and Upper Falls · Saturday 22 September 2018 · FujiFilm X-T2 · XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
Watkins Glen State Park
Watkins Glen State Park · Sunday 23 September 2018 · FujiFilm X-T2 · XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
Mile Point Bridge, Watkins Glen State Park
Mile Point Bridge · Sunday 23 September 2018 · FujiFilm X-T2 · XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
Rainbow Falls, Watkins Glenn State Park
Rainbow Falls, Watkins Glenn State Park · Sunday 23 September 2018 · FujiFilm X-T2 · XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR