Favorites of 2008

To round of the 2008 photographic year (PY08) and get the 2009 ball rolling, I put together a little retrospective of some my favorite photos taken during 2008. At least these were my favorite images of 2008 as of when I chose them. (Sometimes it’s hard to decide.) I did, however, manage to limit myself to 20 photos. Of course, if you’d like to see more, you can check my 2008 retrospective book, XGRAY VISION 2008. (preview on Flickr)

The listing is just in date order (oldest to newest), since I found ranking them to be even harder than choosing them. –Enjoy!

above

Back in 2007, I was lucky enough to catch this photo. So this year I wanted to be sure catch them again. Unfortunately, the weather was pretty bad that week (as I recall), so this was really the only good photo I ended up with before the blooms began to fall. Still, I love this image. One doesn’t have to spend much time with my photos to figure out that I’m obsessed with (among other things) minimalism and blue skies.

in profile

I’m not known for taking photos of people, and certainly not public candids, but some shots are just too good to pass up. The way the fountain acts as a backlight, creating an almost perfect silhouette as people walked by really caught my attention. I have another photo in this series that received more attention, but this one is my personal choice. The line of rim light on her front side really makes it.

loitering

This is one of those “stop the car!” photos that you just have to jump out for. It’s a minimal composition of an odd out-of-place object on its own which is common to my work, but there’s something about it that really sticks with me.

pink life

This one is a true favorite of mine. The product of combing some of the local alleys on a regular basis looking for new/interesting graffiti and street art. For me personally it’s a very optimistic photo, it’s also a reminder of the impermanence of all things. When I went back few days later to get another shot of it, it had already been painted over.

interlocking

One of the biggest photographic changes for me in 2008 was that I started shooting film. I had been working purely digital up until then, but wanted to branch out and try something “new”. Shooting film has of course been a different experience. With film I seem to end up with fewer photos that I like, but the ones I like–I love. This one for instance.

red carpet treatment

Another product of my film work. Chairs were always a familiar subject for my DSLR, so why not the “plain” SLR as well? Composition, DoF, and the carpet–definitely the carpet–sum up my love for this shot.

dj

At a Memorial Day blow-out in my backyard. Fading light, Portra 800, and an 85mm f/1,8 all add up to this photo. The shallow depth of field makes this one magical. When I took this one, I really had no idea what I’d done. I was just trying not to lose by balance as I leaned over all the sound equipment.

wet floor

The silent sentry–always on duty. Who says “Wet Floor” markers don’t have personality? The color contrast really grabs me as well.

have a seat

The life of an inanimate object is mostly spent in waiting. A wonderfully minimal composition. I like it when I get it right.

behind the sun

Every spring and summer a crop of sunflower photos seem to pop up on the internet–some of which are mine. But it’s pretty rare than anyone bothers to walk around to the other side of the sunflower, so I just had to do it myself.

light

One of my true obsessions of 2008 was this light fixture found in the stairwell of a building where I work. I set about photographing it with every combination of camera, lens, and film, I had. I might just have gotten it out of my system. Although, we’ll see, the year’s still young. This was one of the harder choices for this list. I better move on, before I change my mind again.

chair on carpet

Another chair, but not the usual. Different perspective and more subtle light made this one stand out. Also, the carpet.

four

More blue sky minimalism. It’s an obsession. I admit it freely.

orange tree

Another obsession from 2008. (There’s a theme emerging here, isn’t there?) As with the bloom photo at the top, this shot also came from a desire to re-visit a photo I’d taken back in 2007. (And in the interest of full-disclosure, this isn’t my only tree shadow related obsession from 2008.)

yellow with ring

There used to be this used furniture store near my house, then this military surplus store took over and painted the entire building bright yellow. do I need to say more here? And of course, if you look at the full set, you’ll see that this is another re-visitation of a photo from 2007. Hmm….

chair

I limited myself to three chair photos for this lineup, so of course one had to have the third slot. (Although, this one gave it a run for its money.) A rare not-in-front-of-a-wall chair photo, the color and depth of field really made this one stand out for me.

meanwhile in mustang ridge, texas

love this photo. not my usual fare, but makes me wish i had more time and opportunity to explore outside my daily zone. The horizon and big sky give it a real sense of space. there’s also a story behind it as well.

amanda

Including this photo of my wife, Amanda, was an easy choice. It was a completely lucky shot, but well worth the hassle that surrounded its making. Plus it totally looks like a still taken from an 80s era Sisters of Mercy video.

slight imperfection

When a photo works, it works. The colors really came out strong (can’t remember if I used a circular polarizer or not) and the composition gives it a great abstract look. I should really do a large print of this one.

sign down

The only photo in this list taken with the new camera and lens combination. Of course, you’ll be seeing much more from this pair in 2009. The photo itself is what I would call a “environmental minimalism”. I would also call it “quiet”.

So that’s it. I hope you enjoyed a little insight into what I think of my photos. Look for even more to come in 2009.