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Best Photos of 2022

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.

Hazel Eden, October 2022

Hazel Eden, October 2022

Hazel Eden, October 2022

Hazel Eden, October 2022

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.

AND NOW…THE BEST PHOTOS OF 2022

Without further ado, here are some of my favorite photos from 2022:

“Fly Lanes” Nice, Frace. June, 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 14mm, f/8, 1/1000, ISO 200

In Old Nice, the streets are so narrow you could stand in the center of the road, reach out your arms and open two front doors at once.

I was fascinated by the jagged shapes the buildings made out of the sky. I spent a long time using my Jedi mind tricks to try to convince a bird to fly into one of my shots. This pigeon finally cooperated.

“Foothills” Upper East Side, New York, November, 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 23mm, f/11, 1/210, ISO 200

For my wife’s birthday gift, she wanted to pick out a ring from a local jewelry designer. As luck would have it, the designer ran her studio out of her apartment on the 33rd floor. This was the view from the balcony. We both left with a gift.

“Little Amal arrives in New York” Grand Central Station, September 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/125, ISO 3200

When I got off the train to go to the office one day, I was greeted by a gospel chorus and a now-famous 12-foot-tall puppet named Little Amal. She had just arrived in the city a few moments before I did.

“Paying Tribute” World Trade Center reflecting pools, New York. September 11th 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 23mm, f/8, 0.5 sec, ISO 3200

I’ve been documenting the September 11th Tribute in Light every year since 2012. This was the first time it rained.

“Tiny March for Democracy” Midtown, New York, November 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 23mm, f/8, 1/240, ISO 200

“The photo-bombers” Nice, France, June 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200, f/11, 1/1000, ISO 2000

They had no idea.

“Ballerina” Rye, New York, February 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200mm, f/5.6, 1/350, ISO 200

This is our next-door neighbor’s tree and it’s my favorite one. Which is what happens when you get old and move to the suburbs. You develop tree preferences.

“Choreography” Savannah, Georgia. July, 2022.
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200mm, f/8, 1/125, ISO 640

I like these trees too.

“Sky on fire” Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, July 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200mm, f/4.8, 1/25, ISO 200

“Sunrise wave” Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, July 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 14mm, f/10, 1/1250, ISO 200

This is the same beach as above, three days earlier.

“In the spotlight” Downtown Los Angeles, March 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 23mm f/16, 1/125, ISO 4000

“Walking through a Mondrian” Chelsea, New York, October 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200mm, f/8, 1/125, ISO 400

“NYC OCT 02” Midtown, New York, November, 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, f/5.6, 1/125, ISO 1600

An image from my new project, Post No Bills

“Taxi, yellow and red”, New York, NY May, 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200mm, f/11, 1/500, ISO 200

“Yellow bands” Downtown Los Angeles, March 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 23mm, f/8, 1/800, ISO 200

Again with the yellow.

“Scribbles” Detroit, Michigan, September 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200mm, f/5.6, 1/2900, ISO 200

“Wall of taxis” Midtown, New York, November 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200mm, f/16, 1/125, ISO 2000

“Lobby in Violet” Midtwon, New York. November 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 23mm, f/2, 1/125, ISO 1000

When I saw this colorful scene in midtown, it reminded me of a great photo by Jay Maisel from his book Light, Gesture & Color.

When I went back to look it up in his book I discovered this was the exact same building. Here’s Jay’s version.

Also worth noting: purple is the complementary color to yellow.

A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY REPEATING

A few shots from this year had “echoes” - similar scenes and elements from much different times and places. Click on any of them to see them bigger:

“Efficiency” Chelsea, New York, October, 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 23mm, f/8, 1/125, ISO 3200

“Wheelie” Downtown Los Angeles, March 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 23mm, f/9, 1/400, ISO 200

“42nd Street” New York, NY May, 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200, f/11, 1/4400, ISO 200

“Shine on” Nice, France, June 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200mm, f/16, 1/900, ISO 200

“Sea full of stars” Chelsea, New York. October, 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200, f/16, 1/2700, ISO 200

“Seeing spots” Chelsea, New York, October 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200mm, f/9, 1/420, ISO 200


I’ve taken a lot of photos of this Frank Gehry building over the years. But on this day, it stopped me in my tracks. The light reflecting off the windows of the building across the street transformed the facade into a school of luminous jellyfish.

“Mediterranean abstract” Nice, France, June, 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200, f/16, 1/800, ISO 1600

On the beaches of Nice, the beach is made of smooth stones instead of sand. I was mesmerized by the shapes and patterns they created in the shallow water. The light created these wobbly rainbows across the surface that appeared and disappeared in fractions of a second.

“LAX” Los Angeles, March 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 35mm, f/6.4, 1/1000, ISO 1250

I took this shot from the back seat of an Uber on the way to my hotel from LAX airport. It’s out of focus, the composition is weird, but there’s something that I love about it. It feels like LA.

The two-tone sky effect is created by the window of the car, rolled halfway down.

“Le Palais” Cannes, France, June 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 14mm, f/7.1, 1/125, ISO 1000

“Frost Study 1” Rye, New York, December 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, Legacy Nikon Micro-Nikkor 55mm f3.5 lens, 1/125, ISO 5000

I went to take the recycling to the curb early one morning in December and noticed the frost covering the car. I ran back inside to get my camera. I have no idea the science behind all the different intricate shapes and patterns the ice crystals created on the surface of my car, but I could have spent all day out there shooting them.

“Frost Study 2” Rye, New York, December 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, Legacy Nikon Micro-Nikkor 55mm f3.5 lens, 1/125, ISO 1000

“Frost Study 3” Rye, New York, December 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, Legacy Nikon Micro-Nikkor 55mm f3.5 lens, 1/90, ISO 6400

“Between giants” Rye, New York, February 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200mm, f/8, 1/160, ISO 200

I took this image during a snowstorm at Marshlands Conservancy in Rye. I was drawn to the single snowy evergreen, dwarfed by its much taller neighbors.

“Geometry” Cannes, France, June 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 23mm, f/8, 1/350, ISO 800

I took a lot of beautiful, traditional streetscapes in Cannes. But this geometric shot one is one of my favorites. There’s something about the messy imperfection of it all that’s just perfect.

“Rue Haute” Cannes, France. June, 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 23mm, f/16, 1/125, ISO 1000

While I admire that the pigeons pooped on the “no pooping” sign, I love it even more that the street name translates to the High Road.

Apparently, Pigeons have a brilliant sense of humor.

“Flatiron Building” Nice, France. June, 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 23mm, f/8, 1/180, ISO 200

“Carl and friends” Downtown Los Angeles, March, 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 35mm, f/5.6, 1/250, ISO 200

I liked the way it looks like the men and the scooters are all waiting patiently for Carl’s to open.

“Side eye pig” Gratiot Central Meat Market, Detroit, Michigan, September, 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 23mm, f/8, 1/125, ISO 2000

“Breakfast” Southampton, New York, November 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200, f/8, 1/125, ISO 2500

I took this shot at a diner in Southampton, Long Island. I was drawn to the way the Breakfast sign reflected correctly in the picture frames along the diner wall. I took a few other shots of this scene. The others were “cleaner” compositions, but I like the imperfection of the messy foreground and the sense of place the salt and pepper shakers give it.

“Wash day” Nice, France, June 2022
Fujifilm x100s, 23mm, f/16, 1/100, ISO 2500

“THUNK!” La Croisette, Cannes, France, June 2022
Fujifilm x100s, 23mm, f/8, 1/100 ISO 250

I saw this exclamation point shape in the tree trunk and got lucky with the blurred motorcyclist heading right for it. I didn’t realize until I was editing it that the relationship between them created a real-life cartoon.

“Elegant hats” Nice, France, June 2022
Fujifilm x100s, 23mm, f/11, 1/100, ISO 1250

I love the way the man in the sign for the Elegant Hats store is judging the tourists with the decidedly not elegant hats.

“Yellow corner” Cannes, France. June, 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 23mm, f/11, 1/400, ISO 200

Much like pigeons, French bicycles and motorcycles also have a blatant disregard for rules.

“Tightrope” Midtown, New York, November, 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200mm, f/16, 1/125, ISO 500

This is another shot that I’m not entirely sure why I like it. It just feels like New York.

“DINER” Chelsea, New York, October, 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, f/11, 1/210, ISO 200

Messy. Graphic. Yellow.

“Above millions” New York, NY. March 2022
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200mm, f/8, 1/1000, ISO 200

I hope you enjoyed this year’s Year in Review.  Thanks for reading! And if you want to see more, you can check out the other years 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.


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Happy New Year, all!