Best of: 2023


February 1st

This was in the Keys. I had a lot of weird feelings about the Keys. I felt that they represented one little microcosm of my experiences in Florida; not in a good way. It was often beautiful, though, and I do miss it. I took this shot halfway over a bridge, between two islands, with lucky timing. I decided at some point that I didn't like this lens--it's 24mm--so I made myself take it out by itself. I started liking it a little more after that. What sticks out to me in this image now are the strong diagonals leading to the focal point--the men on jetskis--and the variation of tones in the water.

View over Strait
Plantation Key, Islamorada, Florida

February 5th

I really debated whether to include a picture of my cat in this list or not. Everyone takes pictures of their cats. This is a really good picture, though.

My Cat
Home, Florida

February 26th

I don't even know where to begin here. I love Mango Melody. Follow them on Instagram, please. They're the sweetest.

Promotion for Mango Melody
27th Avenue Beachfront Park, New Smyrna Beach, Florida
@mangomelodylive

March 20th

I'm not sure if I took many beach photographs after this. This image, to me, is evocative of my time in Florida coming to an end. It's melodramatic, I know, but I like it. I remember this day in particular--I had a habit of driving out to the beach to catch sunsets, on days when it was clear, but on this day, I left a little too late, and barely had any light to use by the time I got there. I snapped a few half-hearted pictures and went back home. I don't think I expected much out of this image, but it really stuck with me once I sat down and looked at it.

Sunset over Seafoam
Melbourne Beach, Indialantic, Florida

April 5th

These are my favorite little birds. Do you know how many cute, tiny sparrows and warblers there are? But I love moorhens, and their weird, big spider-feet. I don't know what it is about them.

Moorhen (Common Gallinule) in Lilypads
Three Forks Marsh, Brevard County, Florida

April 13th

Wow, this one was actually really important to me. I'm going to come back to this.

Roseate Spoonbills Building Nests
T.M. Goodwin Waterfowl Management Area, Brevard County, Florida

July 14th

This was Metrocon, again. I didn't sleep at all the first night I was there. I got out of bed just before sunrise to clear my head. It was so humid that I couldn't even take clear pictures for the first fifteen minutes I was outside.

Sunrise on Bayfront
Tampa Riverwalk, Tampa, Florida

July 15th

I wasn't planning on shooting this show. I was just there to enjoy it. Then these two showed up.

Performance by Uki Uki Code
Metrocon 2023, Tampa Convention Center, Tampa, Florida
@ukiukicode

September 11th

This is another interesting one that I'm not sure how to talk about. This was my first week in Albany--playing around with photography just to play around with it. I still really like this image, though.

Streetlight at Dusk
Albany, New York

November 5th

This is my partner. They were not terribly happy this day. We have a lot of chances to socialize up here, and I don't think they had experienced the feeling of too much of that yet. It was lonely where we came from.

Metamorphose Coat at Lantern Festival
Washington Park, Albany, New York
@prince.fraise

December 6th

This is one my new favorite views. It's a nice spot. It was a nice day. I'd like for there to be something more important to say about it, but I'm not sure there is, yet.

Light Snow over Lake
Washington Park, Albany, New York

It's actually quite hard to write about this year. I left Florida. It wasn't the first time. It might be the last time. It's a lot to figure out.

See also: 2022.