Another year has come and gone and all of us are left with memories of the last 12 months. As a photographer, I am fortunate that my art-form allows me to capture many of these moments and share them with the world. 2012 was a year of growth, travel and experiences I will never forget. I taught photography workshops in Death Valley NP, Zion NP, Nicaragua, Peru, Cambodia and Jordan. I also had adventures in Iceland, Bolivia and Alaska as I scouted locations for future trips and workshops. My wife and I were also able to watch my son, Jack, grow up (he is now 15 months old), which has continued to shape and reshape my view of the world and my place in it.
As I look back at these memories and experiences, I can’t help but reflect on the perspective they bring to my life. In choosing these 12 images to share, I am giving you some insight into the personal nature of my work as a photographer. While I love sharing my photography with the world, I try not to judge the value of my images based on how you respond to them. A favorite image of mine is still my favorite no matter if it goes viral on Google+ with hundreds of thousands of views or gets 5 likes on Facebook. In fact, many of these images have never been released to the public.
When you are choosing your favorite images of 2012 (or any year in the future), I hope that you aren’t swayed too much by public opinion. Too many photographers try to place a tangible quantifiable value on their work based solely off of social media interaction. Maybe I am out on left field on this one, but art has always spoken to me because of its personal nature. If the number of people that “Liked” images equated to their true value, then animated cat GIFs would be in museums and nearly all photographers would need to look for new jobs 😉
Regardless, I wish you all the best in 2013 and if you see me out in the field or on a plane heading somewhere, please don’t’ hesitate to stop and introduce yourself. I love meeting new people!
*click on the images below to view larger versions…
Over the next two weeks, I will share each of these images individually on Facebook and Google+ to tell you more them and give you some insight behind their significance.
