Image of 2022

The dithering started just after Christmas this year, starting with a review of the several thousand 3 star photos. What complicated life is that I'd classed a bunch this way for complicated reasons involving the community association photos, which are not eligible. Still, I can cope. A few got moved to 4 stars, and that's the group under consideration. I also specifically consider each Image of the Month, regardless of how many stars.

I like to see if my thoughts on any had changed, and a few got bumped back to 3 stars. Out of 28,781 photos last year, 101 ended up with 4 stars (0.35%, and 16 with 5 stars (0.055%). This is where things get complicated. Taken as individuals several photos might be given 4 or 5 stars, but when I look at the group I start to think about which is the best in comparison to the others. So out of 5 great photos of a wet peony, I'll probably pick just one for serious consideration. In this selection, I dropped one really similar to number 8. Dealing with the many similar Tombstone Park photos was tough. After a bit of dithering to get to 15 photos, mainly because that fits a preview screen shot really well, here's the selections I'm working with. 

But to get new readers caught up, I like to periodically look over my images and think about which are good, and more importantly, why they are good. Yearly seems like a good time frame. I started doing this when I started to get serious about photography, and you can, if you wish, read over the Image of the Year blogs for 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. I've just gone back to read them over so I don't repeat myself too much. 

The actual writing for the post started on Jan 1, though there has already been much image dithering. The big change this year has been film. Regular readers will recall I bought 2 film cameras during 2022, and exposed about 40 rolls of film. For the purposes of image review, I don't distinguish between film and digital, though I have to admit, many of the film photos have been better than the digital ones because the process is a bit slower, and I tend to think about it a bit more. And before you say it, some are much worse. Of the 15 photos above, 7 are film (6 are 120, and 1 is 35mm).

By Jan 3 I think I've got 2 of the finalists picked, but don't ask about order. I'm trying to think of 'better' in terms that Sean has used, photos with heart or that are about something not just of something. Something I read somewhere along the way is that the best photos are of an idea, not just a thing. Photos that make you feel something.

Which, as I look over those 15 images, puts me in a tough spot. Most of them are are 'there I was and this is what I saw'. Some are good examples of that, crisp and clear, with some nice reflections to add interest. One of the flower images offers an idea of life, going from a blossom in waiting to a beautifully expanded bloom, with water drops adding interest. One was technically tricky, merging two film images into a digital one. One of them has something very different happening than what I perceived when I captured and edited the image. One of them is all about the potential. Any of the Tombstone photos takes me back there, revelling in the wild open spaces, feeling the trepidation of working with film, hoping they would turn out.

So here I am, drinking coffee on Jan 4. Struggling. Dithering.

Jan 5, down to 5. Stuck. Down to 3, after much pondering and wincing. Now for the order.  

This selection was a real struggle this year. I'd have been pleased with any of the 15 I think, starting right from the stairwell black and white in May. As soon as I saw it I was happy I had a contender for image of the year. 

I cannot understate how pleased I am with the photos from Tombstone, especially the film ones! 

Second Runner up.

This was the runner up for September. I still love the painterly quality of the image

First runner up.

Those reflections! The clarity of the image! Finding and composing to capture the letter K. Nailing the exposure so as to need almost no editing.

Image of the Year

This was actually taken during a walk in early October, but not developed till late December due to complications in film processing. It is ever so slightly different than what I posted as December image of the month. 

We didn't spend a lot of time on the photo. I asked MC to stand in that patch of light and contemplate life for a moment. She is so good at projecting a mood, even if it wasn't what she was actually feeling. This is as far from 'there I was and this is what I saw' as I've got this year. What do you feel when you look at this image?