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.
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.
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.
27th Avenue Beachfront Park, New Smyrna Beach, Florida
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Metrocon 2023, Tampa Convention Center, Tampa, Florida
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.
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.
Washington Park, Albany, New York
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.
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.