I am honored once again to have another of my photographs chosen as a winner for a contest by Photographer’s Adventure Club. The theme for this contest was “Best of 2013.” I submitted this photograph because I do feel it represents one of my strongest and most compelling images from last year.
One of the things I often face as a photographer is that I lose excitement about images shortly after I take them. I look at them over and again during the editing process, and then again as I push them out to various social media platforms. By the time a photo goes public I’ve repeatedly critiqued the heck out of it, grown tired of looking at it, and am ready to do something else. With this particular photograph I never went through that stage; every time I come back to look at this photograph it still impacts me in a fresh way.
Since this image was made, I’ve had the pleasure of working with this young woman again for her senior high school photos and we made some more beautiful images together. It also gave me the opportunity to visit with her wonderful family who recently moved away, and who I miss dearly. One of the most wonderful things about being a photographer is doing a session with someone you know and having the privilege to show them through your images the beauty you see in them. Every time I’ve shot with Natalie, she radiates her wonderful personality and spirit through the images and is therefore just as much a part of making the art as I am. I’m truly grateful for these experiences.
5D Mk III with Macro 100mm f/2.8L IS USM lens. ISO 100, f/4, 1/4,000 sec.