It is that time of year once again where all of us look back at the last 365 days and reflect on our experiences, adventures, challenges, and accomplishments. For me, 2016 was a year of both adventure and change. I was able to explore countless countries including Cuba, Iceland, Norway, Chile and Argentina while also taking much of the last half of the year off to be with my family as we moved from Boulder, Colorado to Eastern Pennsylvania. After years of extensive travel throughout each given 12 month cycle, it was nice to take a bit of a break and spend more time with those that matter most to me.
While some might think that all of this would have cut into the success and momentum of my various photography businesses, the truth is that my companies made more money in 2016 than any other year previously. It looks like my mantra of “working smarter….but not harder” is starting to pay off! 😉
As for life moving into 2017, I couldn’t be more excited about what is to come. I start off the year teaching a series of new classes on “Social Media for Photographers” with Creative Live (January 18th & 19th) before starting my busy photography workshop schedule: Iceland Winter Wonderland (Feb 15th – 21st), Lofoten Islands in Winter (Feb 25th – March 3rd), Cuba Alpha Universe Experience (March 12th – 19th), Wild Patagonia (April 5th – 14th), two Iceland Summer Adventures (June 24th – July 1st & July 2nd – 9th) and Myanmar (November 2017). In addition, I am working closely with ON1 Software on a number of great projects and I will be rounding out the year creating a number of new eBooks/Video Tutorials as well as working on a few large marketing campaigns for both tech and tourism based entities. I am also looking forward to adding a number of new locations to my passport in 2017, including Uganda, Ethiopia, India and Antarctica.
I am also excited to see my humanitarian photography company, The Giving Lens, continue to grow and see success. For those that do not know, TGL is an organization that blends photo education with support for sustainable development initiatives in developing countries around the world. We partner with local NGOs that are fighting for a variety of different causes, such as youth education, clean drinking water projects, species preservation, women’s rights and much more. Each trip acts as a fundraiser for the NGOs and communities we work in.
In 2017 TGL is offering once in a lifetime experiences to Peru, Thailand, Tanzania, Cuba, India, Morocco, Cambodia, Nicaragua and Jordan. For more information, be sure to check out The Giving Len’s Website/Instagram/Facebook.
Favorite Images of 2016
After looking back over the 25,000 images I took last near across 4 different continents and a variety of different countries, I was able to narrow down 16 of my favorite images of the year. These photos might not be my best images taken in 2016 nor the ones that brought in the most money via licenses…but I do love how they remind me of the experiences I had that made 2016 unique. I hope you enjoy!
Sony a7R II – Sony 16-35 f/4 FE – ISO 100 | f/11 | 1.6 Sec
Sony a7R II – Sony 70-200 f/2.8 GM – ISO 1600 | f/2.8 | 1/125th Sec
Sony a7R II – Sony 16-35 f/4 FE – ISO 100 | f/13 | Multi-image blend
Sony a7R II – Sony 24-70 f/2.8 GM – ISO 100 | f/5 | 30 Secs
Sony a7R II – Sony 16-35 f/4 FE – ISO 100 | f/11 | 1/6 Sec
Sony a7R II – Sony 24-70 f/2.8 GM – ISO 1000 | f/4 | 1/1000th Sec
Sony a7R II – Sony 24-70 f/2.8 GM – ISO 64 | f/16 | 2 Secs
Sony a6300 – Sony 70-200 f/4 FE – ISO 100 | f/5 | 1/500th Sec
Sony a7S II – Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 Loxia – ISO 1600 | f/2.8 | 20 Secs
Sony a7R II – Sony 16-35 f/4 FE – ISO 100 | f/11 | 2.5 Sec
Sony a7R II – Sony 24-70 f/2.8 GM – ISO 200 | f/4.5 | 1/1000 Sec
Sony a7S II – Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 Loxia – ISO 160 | f/11 | 1/5th Sec
Sony a7R II – Sony 16-35 f/4 FE – ISO 100 | f/11 | 1/3 Sec
Sony a7R II – Sony 16-35 f/4 FE – ISO 100 | f/16 | 13 Secs
Sony a7R II – Sony 16-35 f/4 FE – ISO 100 | f/14 | .5 Sec
Sony a7R II – Sony 24-70 f/2.8 GM – ISO 100 | f/11 | 1/160th Sec
Camera Gear Used
Here is a list of the gear I used to create all of the images in this blog post.
Cameras
Sony a7R II – Sony a7S II – Sony a6300
Lenses
Sony 16-35 f/4 FE – Sony 24-70 f/2.8 GM – Sony 70-200 f/4 FE
Sony 70-200 f/2.8 GM – Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 Loxia
Tripods
Induro CLT 304L – Induro CLT 104 – Induro BHL 2 Ballhead
Filters
Formatt Hitech 105 CPL – Formatt HiTech 6 Stop Firecrest ND – Formatt HiTech 2 Stop GND
Colby Brown Photography Landscape Edition Signature Filter Kit
Share Your Favorite Images of 2016
In the comments below, I would love to see some of your favorite images of 2016. Feel free to upload photos in the comments and or leave hyperlinks back to your own collection of 2016 images you are proud of![/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][/cs_content]
