It's been two years since my last photo year-in-review.

In 2021, photography took a back seat to life. We bought a house. We moved. I left my job and started a new one. We successfully (mostly) parented two tiny humans during a global pandemic. Though I did manage to take some pictures in between, editing them was a different story. There are entire folders of photos that I've never touched. Hopefully, someday I'll get around to editing them. Until then, 2021 was The Lost Year.

2022 was a return to form. Or at least form-ish.

My favorite thing about these recaps is discovering what they reveal. Themes emerge. Deep insights are gleaned. I get to find out if I’m getting any better at photography or if I’m getting worse. (It’s debatable!) Sometimes, as in 2020, these collections are a surprisingly good reflection of the state of the world and my place in it.

So what grand lesson did I learn from this year’s recap?

To be honest, I don't know.

This group of images has me a bit stumped.

While I’m proud of this collection, it definitely feels a little less cohesive.

This year, I was drawn to busier, more chaotic, less perfect scenes. In reviewing my contact sheets, some of my favorite images are objectively the worst in the series. But there's something I like better about them, in all their imperfection. They do a better job capturing not just how things look, but how they feel. They have more soul.

Overall, my photos this year tended to be more graphic. The compositions were more about the individual elements than the subject itself – shapes and patterns. Light and shadow. Color. And one color specifically: yellow. So much yellow!

Maybe there’s deeper meaning in that?

I decided to look it up. Here’s what The Internet says about the symbolism of yellow: caution, fear, sensationalism, happiness, optimism, positivity, innocence, cheer, sunshine, enlightenment, creativity, sickness, anxiety, betrayal, impatience, warmth, wisdom, wealth, faith, joy, and mourning.

That's not terribly insightful. But also, pretty accurate.

This fall my 7-year-old daughter Hazel started taking an interest in photography. During a trip to the city she discovered that if she moves fast while taking a picture, the result is something unexpectedly abstract and painterly. In photography, this is a technique called ICM (Intentional Camera Movement). Hazel calls them "blurry-on-purpose-pictures."

Looking back on this year in review, maybe my photography was a little blurry-on-purpose too.

PET PROJECTS:

Before I get into the best-of images, it’s worth calling out some longer-term projects. This year I added a lot of photos to some of my ongoing Fine Art projects. I also started a few new ones. You can click the images below to visit the galleries for each one.

PET PROJECT: UNMOORED

I started “Unmoored” with my flower photography in 2020, but I've never shared it.

By removing the stems in Photoshop, flowers become gravity-defying otherworldly creatures, full of movement. It's impossible to look at them without your mind trying to fill in the gaps of how they're floating. Some blooms become spinning helicopters. Others pulse like jellyfish. It's a fascinating mind trick.

PET PROJECT: CHAOS

The more I add to this project, the more I come to love it. This collection feels like New York. My approach for these photos is the exact opposite of what I’m usually trying to do. Instead of removing elements to give an image a focal point, this series is about making the frame as full, random, and frenetic as possible.

PET PROJECT: POST NO BILLS

I started this new project this year, featuring images of tattered construction wall wild postings.

It's like creating a collage. But instead of deliberately adding layers, these images are created serendipitously, by what someone has torn away.

PET PROJECT: LITERAL STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

This is one of my oldest ongoing projects, where the street itself is the subject. I love how the textures and color blocking create energy and modern-art-inspired compositions.