It's time once again for my annual photography year-in-review. A chance to pause for reflection. To look back at an entire year's worth of fractions of seconds and discover what themes emerge.
Then take those random moments, psychoanalyze them like an armchair therapist, and try to conflate their meaning into something profound.
This year's selection does not disappoint.
They say photography holds up a mirror to both the photographer and the subject. Given the less-and-less-hinged state of 2023, it's fitting that this year's collection of images reflects that.
In January, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease—an autoimmune disorder that makes it dangerous to eat even trace amounts of gluten (wheat, barley or rye). And, therefore, dangerous to eat in most restaurants due to cross-contact.
As a man whose diet consisted mainly of gluten on gluten with a side of gluten, who arranges entire travel itineraries around rumor of a particularly promising bagel, this diagnosis was a very bitter gluten-free pill to swallow.
It would be melodramatic to say that it turned my life upside down. But it certainly turned my lifestyle.
Between this personal lifequake and the *waves-hand-at-the-state-of-the-world*, it's not a huge stretch to read meaning into this year's photographs:
Disorienting images that raise more questions than answers.
Photos that grasp for different angles, perspectives and ways of seeing to try to make sense of it all.
A search for tranquility.
Let’s break down the threads.
Late last year I started an ongoing New York project called Post No Bills. The images are unintentional artist collaborations between Advertisers and New Yorkers. The construction wall is their canvas and the layers of peeled-off posters create serendipitous art through reduction. A collage in reverse.
Looking at this year's photos, there are a lot of images that feel inspired by that project.
Last year also marked our ten-year anniversary of living in New York.
Having taken tens of thousands of images of the city, my goal now is to show New York differently.
No longer how it looks, but how it feels.
Chaos and Jazz. Beauty in disorder. A sensory smorgasbord.
(Fortunately, I haven't yet figured out a way to try to capture how New York smells. Although my ongoing Crud project comes close).
In July I converted one of my cameras to infrared. This lets you capture wavelengths of light that are invisible to the human eye. The raw files look like they've been taken through old-timey 3D movie glasses.
Once you have the image, you have to open it in Photoshop and tell Adobe that the sky is blue. That's when magic happens. On a sunny day, the light reflecting off foliage becomes gold or coral. The pictures are mystical.
Raw infrared file
“The Kennedy Center” Washington, D.C. August 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro1 590nm Infrared Conversion, 35mm, f11, 1/240 ISO 200
After color conversion
Are the infrared shots symbolic of the familiar world feeling more and more foreign? Or an attempt to make sense of it all by literally looking at things in a new light?
The disorienting and otherworldly work is balanced out by the macro nature photography of flowers and frost. There's a quiet tranquility in those images. A deep cleansing breath among the collection.
But more than anything, the theme that stood out most from this year is flying. Birds. Planes. Shots taken from higher vantage points.
Maybe it's because I traveled a lot for work this year and took more shots from airplane windows.
But in the spirit of this annual review being all about reading far too deeply into my photography, flight must be symbolic of something.
At first, I thought it might represent feeling distant. Far away from simpler times and a more familiar life.
But then I googled the symbolism of flying.
In literature and dreams, flight represents freedom from struggle and limitations. Rising above. Finding hope and peace.
That was a lightning bolt.
Like an infrared conversion, it made me go back and see this whole collection in a different light.
When I started putting this post together, I expected this Year in Review to represent conflict, turmoil, and a world, in some ways, that became unrecognizable.
Now I realize that’s not it at all.
This year’s collection is flight.
In the face of everything, it is a celebration of life, resilience, and optimism.
With AI images taking over the world in 2023, and the ability to create literally any of the images you’ll find on this website in just a matter of keystrokes (but with better lighting, sharpness, and composition) it got me thinking more fundamentally about photography and why I love it.
Jay Maisel said, "There are two kinds of photographers - those who like photographs and those who like photographing."
I've always thought the reason I love photography is the way I can capture memories. Time is fleeting, but photography can freeze it. It’s like a superpower.
You can hold onto moments, even if only for a hundredth of a second. To look at old photos is like stepping into a time machine. Some images immediately transport me back to a memory. I can hear the sounds. Feel the breeze. Taste the gluten. Photography is a living museum exhibition of my life and it lets me remember it with vivid fondness.
Capturing memories is why I love photographs.
But if I had to choose between Jay’s options, the truth is I love photographing.
This year I had an epiphany about why.
While listening to an interview on Simon Sinek's podcast, A Bit of Optimism, they said one of the most powerful ways to foster happiness and peace of mind is through acts of gratitude. If you practice gratitude and make it a habit to notice the good and beauty in the world, it forces you to be more present and creates joy.
I realized that's why I love photography.
Photography is an act of gratitude.
Every time I press the shutter, it's a gesture of appreciation for something remarkable on the other side of the lens.
Thanks for indulging me in this year's Year in Review.
I hope you enjoy all of the good that I've noticed.
“New Yorkers” Midtown Manhattan, September 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 56mm, f4, 1/35, ISO 6400
“Oops.” Hardeeville, South Carolina. July 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 14mm, f18, 1/125, ISO 250
My favorite street photography images are the ones that capture a single moment but make your mind fill in a much bigger story. This one plays out like a cartoon.
“Park and 125th” Harlem, New York. June 2023
iPhone 14 Pro
I shot this image from the window of a Metro North train while it was stopped at Harlem-125th Street Station. The elevated perspective made all of the elements line up perfectly in the composition. Lucky I chose this seat on the train and not the one behind it.
“LaGuardia Airport” Queens, New York. July 2023
iPhone 14 Pro
“I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn’t photograph them.” – Diane Arbus
“42nd Street Biker” Midtown Manhattan. March 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200mm, f/11, 1/125, ISO 640
I took this shot as part of my ongoing project called Literal Street Photography. A series that treats the roadway as a canvas for geometric abstract art. It’s similar in spirit to my Post No Bills series, but here the artwork is a collaboration between weather, traffic, and infrastructure repair crews.
The patchwork textures and road markings on this little section of 42nd Street made for a great addition to the Literal Street Photography Series. But then this cyclist rode into my frame and turned it into Just Regular Street Photography.
“Pink and confused” Midtown Manhattan. March 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 23mm, f/16, 1/125, ISO 5000
I took this image as part of my New York Chaos series, a project to try to capture the sensory overload feeling of New York by, technically speaking, getting as much crap in the frame as I can.
Objectively this is a bad picture. But as I sat with it, I kept coming back to it. There’s something interesting about all the incomplete body parts. Some hair here, half a face there, a floating head, an elbow, a bunch of legs, and Dwayne Johnson looking on, a bit confused by it all.
“Chrysler Building” 42nd St, New York, July 2023.
Fujifilm X-T5, 70-300mm, f/8, 1/950, ISO 125
“Brick and glass” 42nd St, New York. April 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 70-300mm, f/16, 1/125, ISO 400
“Zebra windows” 42nd St, New York. March 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200mm, f13, 1/125, ISO 640
In the spring my company moved offices from Chelsea to 42nd Street. On a sunny day, the light changes constantly, reflecting the most amazing patterns in all of the windows. That’s my office building in the first image, mirrored in the windows of the Chrysler building.
“Morning Rush” Grand Central Station, New York. March 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 23mm, f16, 1s, ISO 320
Everyone who visits Grand Central takes this same picture. I’ve taken this same picture dozens of times. If you go to Grand Central right this very moment, there will be at least five people standing on this same staircase taking this same picture.
But it will never stop being extraordinary.
It’s one of those iconic, timeless New York scenes that you just can’t help but stop and appreciate, no matter how many people have shot the same thing, or how fast AI could spin up something better.
Gratitude.
Here I used a slower shutter speed to capture the feeling of the morning rush.
Of the five photographers taking this photo right now, I bet only one or two of them did that.
"Traffic” 14th Street, New York. November 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 55-200mm, f16, 1/125, ISO 4000
As I was putting this collection together, I kept coming back to this picture. It might be my favorite shot from the whole year. I’m not sure why. Technically speaking it’s terrible - it’s not in focus, it’s crooked, there’s a weird pole sticking out of the wall that leads the eye out of frame.
I have a few other shots from this series that are in focus and have better compositions, but this is the only one that stopped me in my tracks. It’s just visceral.
It feels like you’re flying with them.
I didn’t notice it until I was putting this post together, but the molding above the windows mirrors the shape of the pigeons.
“Wabash Avenue” Chicago, Illinois. October 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 55-200mm, f4.5, 1/125, ISO 160
I created this bizarre in-camera collage from the window of my hotel room along the Chicago River. I noticed the Marina City buildings reflected in the glass top of the hotel room coffee table. When I kneeled down, I could line the reflection up with the Wabash Avenue Bridge.
“Reflection collage” 34th Street, New York. March 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 70-300mm, f11, 1/125, ISO 2500
This is another of my favorite images from the year. It’s so weird and disorienting. There are so many details in the reflections.
This image especially feels inspired by the Post No Bills project
“Construction Zone” 42nd Street, New York. March 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200mm, f13, 1/125, ISO 1000
I love the contrast between the chaos of the construction zone and this guy seemingly lost in thought, unfazed by it all.
“Cleaners” Beacon, New York. May 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 70-300mm, f16, 1/125, ISO 320
“Models over Houston Street” SoHo, New York. February 2023.
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 35mm, f2.5, 1/125, ISO 1000
Apparently, I was drawn to the shapes, angles, and perspective of this composition in 2023—the next two images share the same visual structure.
“Government Place” Cincinnati, Ohio. October 2023
iPhone 14 Pro
This street corner in Cincinnati is a study in lines. So very, very, very, many lines.
“To New Jersey” West Side Highway, New York. August, 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro1 Infrared conversion (590nm), 35mm, f11, 1/200, ISO 200
I took this image of the GW Bridge while driving. For once I was happy to be stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
“Chrysler Building Spire” 42nd Street, New York. April 2023.
Fujifilm X-T5, 70-300mm, f8, 1/2200, ISO 125
“It’s corn!” Chicago, Illinois, October 2023.
Fujifilm X-T5, 55-200mm, f 5.6, 1/300, ISO 800
“Central Park” New York, New York. October 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 55-200mm, f6.4, 1/450, ISO 125
I was on the fence about whether this image would be better if I cropped out the airplane wing, but I decided to keep it in. The city grid and buildings were all so crisp and perfect, there’s something I like about including the imperfection.
“Chance of rainbows” Washington, D.C. August 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 55-200mm, f5.6, 1/750, ISO 125
“Bouquet” Oakland Beach. Rye, New York. July 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 35mm, f/11, 5s, ISO 125
“Japanese Andromeda.” Brookside Gardens. Wheaton, Maryland. April 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 70-300mm, f5.6, 1/125, ISO 640
“Yellow Frittilary” Brookside Gardens. Wheaton, Maryland. April 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 70-300mm, f5.6, 1/240, ISO 125
“Daffodils” Brookside Gardens. Wheaton, Maryland. April 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 70-300mm, f18, 1/4, ISO 125
On this windy morning at Brookside Gardens, the daffodils were getting whipped around in the breeze. I left the shutter open longer to try to capture the motion. I think it feels like an impressionist painting.
“Coming attractions” New York Botanical Gardens. Bronx, New York. April 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 70-300mm, f5.6, 1/125, ISO 125
“Gentle touch” New York Botanical Gardens. Bronx, New York. April 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 70-300mm, f13, 1/125, ISO 3200
I love the gesture of these fern leaves. It feels like they’re comforting one another.
“Dahlia” Rye, New York. May 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, vintage Helios 44mm lens
Sometimes you don’t have to look far for a beautiful photo. This dahlia was in a flower pot on my front step.
“Panama Pacific Waterlily” NY Botanical Gardens. Bronx, New York. April 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 70-300mm, f5.6, 1/125, ISO 250
Don’t be fooled by the botanical name. This flower is Italian. 🤌
“American Goldfinch” Rye, New York, June 2023.
Fujifilm X-T5, 70-300mm, f5.6 ISO 400
This female Goldfinch stopped on a stem of Russian Sage in our front garden to snack on the flowers. The dreamy look is from shooting it through the window screen in my home office.
“No Picknicking” Rye, New York. October 2023.
iPhone 14 Pro
Tree, 1. Picnic Police, 0.
“Frost on windshield” Rye, New York. February 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200, f16, 1/125, ISO 2000
During winter, the morning frost creates some incredible patterns on our car. Depending on the conditions overnight, the ice formations always look a bit different. This particular morning was spectacular. This is the windshield.
“Ring of fire” Grand Central Station, New York. March 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200mm, f5.6, 1/500, ISO 1000
I took this image of the underbelly of a chandelier hanging from the ceiling of Grand Central Station. The filigree looks a bit like the frost in the previous image.
“Snowflakes” Rye, New York. February 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro2, Legacy Nikon Micro-Nikkor 55mm f3.5 lens
Different morning. Different frost.
“Sea Pines sunrise” Hilton Head, South Carolina. July 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 14mm, f11, 1/70, ISO 200
When I noticed the reflection of this stunning sunrise in the water, I crouched down and took a bunch of shots.
I looked down at the 2nd camera hanging from my shoulder and realized my brand new 70-300mm telephoto lens had been half-submerged underwater the entire time.
Very Expensive Facepalm.
R.I.P. 70-300 lens.
“Harbour Town Sunset” Hilton Head, South Carolina. July 2023
iPhone 14 Pro
It’s a photography cliche that “the best camera is the one you have with you.”
This is the first year that the iPhone camera quality has gotten so good that sometimes I left my Fujis home on the shelf. The ultra-wide lens is something special, as you can see in these three images.
“Fish Haul Beach” Hilton Head, South Carolina. July 2023
iPhone 14 Pro
I loved the way the clouds created a mirror image of the shoreline. Just a bit further up the beach, we came across a newborn baby sea turtle making its way to the ocean.
“Gilder Center” American Museum of Natural History, New York September 2023.
iPhone 14 Pro
This is the atrium of the newly opened Gilder Center at New York’s Natural History Museum. I realized while putting this collection together that this composition and the previous one from Hilton Head mirror one another. The shapes are almost identical.
“Sunrise jog” Hilton Head, South Carolina. July 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 23mm, f7.1, 1/5, ISO 125
The storm clouds rolling in on this morning in Hilton Head made for a dramatic sunrise. A few minutes after taking this photo, everyone pictured here got very, very wet.
“Constellation” Upper East Side, New York. February 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 35mm, f8, 1/480, ISO 200
“Above Below Canal Street” Lower Manhattan, New York. July 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro1 590nm Infrared Conversion, 35mm, f8, 1/500 ISO 200
“LaGuardia Airport” Queens, New York July 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro1 590nm Infrared Conversion, 35mm, f8, 1/680 ISO 200
“Three Boroughs, One Photo” New York City, October 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, f6.4, 1/550, ISO 125
“Central Park” New York, July 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro1 590nm Infrared Conversion, 70-300mm, f5, 1/1900 ISO 200
This shot of Central Park is one of the first infrared images I took. When I converted the file in Photoshop, my jaw hit the desk.
“George Washington Bridge” New York, July 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro1 590nm Infrared Conversion, 70-300mm, f5, 1/1600 ISO 200
“Talmadge Memorial Bridge” Savannah, Georgia. July 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro1 590nm Infrared Conversion, 70-300mm, f8, 1/850, ISO 200
“American” Reagan National Airport, Washington, DC. August 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, f3.5, 1/50, ISO 6400
This shot was lucky timing. My flight was taxiing to the gate and I just managed to get off two shots of this American Airlines jet with the Washington Monument as we drove past. The red signal lights came on for just a moment, illuminating the tarmac.
“18 Holes” Somewhere over Westchester, New York.
Fujifilm X-Pro1 590nm Infrared Conversion, 55-200mm, f3.5, 1/2000 ISO 200
“Arlington National Cemetery” Arlington, Virginia. August 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, f4.4, 1/1000, ISO 800
“Spanish Moss” Hilton Head, South Carolina. July 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro1 590nm Infrared Conversion, 14mm, f5.6, 1/240, ISO 200
“Coral & blue” Westchester, New York, August 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro1 590nm Infrared Conversion, 55-200mm, f3.9, 1/2000, ISO 200
I took this infrared shot near Westchester County Airport. I think it’s Kenisco Reservoir.
“Lowcountry in gold” South Carolina. July 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro1 590nm Infrared Conversion, 70-300mm, f8, 1/640, ISO 200
“Lowcountry in coral” South Carolina. July 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro1 590nm Infrared Conversion, 70-300mm, f8, 1/480, ISO 200
“Edith Read Wildlife Preserve” Rye, New York. August 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro1 590nm Infrared Conversion, 14mm, f14, 1/500, ISO 200
“Hilton Head Sunrise” South Carolina. July 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro1 590nm Infrared Conversion, 23mm, f2.8, 1/80, ISO 200
“Stuytown Sunrise” Lower East Side, Manhattan. February 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200mm, f5.6, 1/140, ISO 200
“Good morning New York” Lower East Side, Manhattan. February 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 23mm, f11, 1/2, ISO 200
Sometimes at sunrise in New York, the angle is just right for individual buildings to light up while the rest of the city is still in darkness.
“Shine bright” Lower Manhattan. February 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 23mm, f16, 15s, ISO 200
“Tribute in Light 2023” Hudson Yards, Manhattan. September 11, 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 35mm, f4, 1.9s, ISO 400
I’ve been documenting the September 11th Tribute in light every year since moving to New York in 2012. Having shot the lights from so many different angles around the city, it’s getting more and more challenging to find new perspectives.
Thankfully they built a new 100-story tall observation deck in Hudson Yards called The Edge that gave me a new angle for this year. The detail of all the lights across the city was mind-blowing. If you look closely, you can see the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Verrazano Bridges as well as tens of thousands of pizza slices.
I hope you enjoyed this year’s Year in Review. Thanks for reading!
If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating to Beyond Celiac to help find a cure for Celiac Disease.
And if you want to see more, you can check out the other years in review:
2022’s Year in Review
2020’s Year in Review
2019’s Year in Review
2018’s Year in Review
2017’s Year in Review
2016's Year in Review
2105's Year in Review
2014's Year in Review.
