2020, Best of... (Photos)

In previous years, by best photographs of the year have centred on the quality of the image and in some cases the moments they captured.  This year, I've created 20 categories for the collection for 20 photographs taken in 2020.  Most of the categories represent common types of photography, but I've added a few to the mix that allow for some tailoring to my joys of photography, people and places.

There's a hint at an order of the photos, but the first one is the the photo I submitted to Flickr as my best of 2020.  The full resolution images are published on Flickr.  My photographs on this web site are protected by Creative Common licensing and cannot be used for commercial purposes without permission.

#1 Cityscape.

“Layers of sunset and light as the city moves on”.  Hard to not include the CN tower in our local cityscape but this one shows the evolved TO skyline.  Taken from Riverdale East it includes the traffic on Bayview Ave - surprisingly quite heavy in these pandemic times.  Dusk creates the purple and orange hues which contrasts with the darker foreground.  It’s almost like two worlds - the distant promise of a beautiful future and the dark messiness of today.  Secondary category is sunset.

#2 Landscape

“Waimea Canyon State Park.  So many tempting views along the long drive up and along the canyon rim. The parking lot had a little line up, but we got a spot and took in the stunning canyon views from the small lookout area. Along with deep valleys, strata of rock formations, streams and lush forest, there was a magical waterfall in the distance.”

Unspoiled, magical.   You can’t imagine a place like this - with a friggin’ waterfall. This was our first to the Hawaiian Islands - we were so lucky to get this trip in before the pandemic truly hit North America.  There is just so much variety in Hawaii and we loved exploring the islands and appreciating the natural unspoiled landscapes.  Secondary category is place.

#3 iPhone

“Hockley Valley morning serenity”.  This proves the best camera is the one that you have with you.  Beautiful golf course and a magnificent morning with my son - just take a look around.  Secondary categories are reflection, landscape, place and sunrise.

#4 Artistic

“Come this way Elora...”.   This was on my detour home from dropping my daughter off in Waterloo and is an early shot with my new camera.  This shot was with a super wide angle and I like the composition and the blend of natural and manufactured landscapes.  I wouldn’t include this as a true landscape because of the unnatural stairs and railing features.

#5 Sunset / Sunrise

“Wailua sunrise.  We were up early to catch the sunrise from the hotel beach. Although there was quite a lot of cloud cover, the sunrise was dramatic with the rocky and treed shore.”  Always worth getting up in the dark to witness a sunrise, and if you’re in one of the most beautiful places in the world, there’s no excuse - and the two people framed by the tree I’m sure would agree.  Secondary category is landscape.

#6 Event / Story

“Happiest of memories”.  This is a special story about my wife’s solo trip to the 2010 Olympic Games and her return for the 10th anniversary - this time with me.  Although our visit was planned for the exact anniversary date, we weren’t certain they’d relight the cauldron on that particular day.  We struck gold and it was so special to see her pure joy reliving a very special place and time.  

#7 Pandemic

“Dreams in pandemic times”.  This shot taken early in April as the reality of the pandemic was sinking in and wearing a mask still seemed quite an extreme health measure.  I had a few extra N95 masks in the basement from past handyman projects and ventured out into the new world.  The original published description is “Waking up from dreams where I was chatting with old friends and ultimate players - unsettling to think my dreams are more normal than my waking hours #pandemic #lockdown #art #history”.   And the hat!  I can’t remember why I thought the Banksy flower thrower hat was appropriate at the time (6 weeks before the mass protests from George Floyd’s death) - in retrospect, it was perhaps foreshadowing of the stressful year and my chill.    Secondary categories are story, humour and selfie.

#8 Family

We had quite a few social distancing visits with my sister-in-law and family this pandemic year.  This shot was also an early test with my new flash and I’m very pleased with the wide coverage and red eye reduction setting.  Earlier in the day while walking my dog I spotted a B&W concert photo and immediately thought of my brother-in-law's appreciation of classic rock - when I got it home and flipped it over it was a numbered print from a Led Zeppelin concert in the early 70's.  I knew he'd love it.  Secondary categories are pandemic and story.

#9 Humour

“Cozy heated front porch”.  These are two of my oldest friends from university years and they have always been fun to be around, very witty and punny.  They jumped on the front porch heater thing and invited us for a socially distancing visit - they live just 3 blocks away.  I can’t remember her punch line but the photo captures the joy of her delivery.  Secondary categories are pandemic and friends.

#10 Friends

This was the only time I saw these two dear friends in 2020.  We met up in Waterloo and took casual walk around their local park.  I had some new camera gear with me and I snapped a few shots along the way.  I’ve known them many years and there’s just a level of familiarity and comfort some of us are lucky to have around old friends.  And I think you can see in their eyes the reciprocal feelings.  Secondary categories are pandemic and portrait.

#11 Portrait

"My eldest".  Seeing new things in my son’s mature eyes.  I took this shot from my front porch as we were of course distancing for this and most of our visits this year.  At first pass, the shot didn’t immediately stand out, but once I cropped in by about 200% and saw his eyes and the neutral and relaxed closed mouth (vs the typical big smile) I was transfixed.  It’s one of those moments when you’ve known someone their whole life and then you see something new with so much complexity - beauty of the human expression.  Although it wasn’t set up from a true portrait shot, I’ve chosen this as my best portrait photo within by best of 2020.

#12 Reflection

“The dangerous frozen fingers photo on the chairlift shot.  Approx. -17c with windchill.”  Extremely cold and rather risky but worth the shot in my mind.  I like the symmetry of the trees lining the chair lift path up the hill.  The reflective convex googles work well and hep capture enough width to include me, ours skis and the surroundings.  My wife’s eye’s help bring a human element into focus.  The glimpse of the snowflakes and frost on the balaclava complete the winter sports scene.  I photograph a lot of reflections.

#13 Night

“Yes we're still enjoying the cabana - blankets for a beautiful peaceful night”.  We got a lot of use from our back yard cabana for 3 seasons this year.  In a year of limited travel it became our urban oasis.  It was the scene of many celebrations, video creations and our place to enjoy the nature of the city,  I even liked the Cabana prep morning routine.  This was the only photo of in this collection where I used a tripod.  The exposure is 20s and helped create the creamy sky.  

#14 Animal

“Feathered friend company very early on a Sunday morning”.  I enjoyed the peacefulness of early mornings on my front porch this summer.  On this morning it was just me and this beautiful bird perched on the power line crossing the street - it was clearly looking for its breakfast.  I managed to take a few other shots but missed him in flight - I’ve seen him or a few others like him in the neighbourhood this past year - quite the site seeing their wingspan as he flies down the centre of the street.  

#15 Stranger

“I spotted a tent in the park and wondered who was camped out. I noticed Gordon relaxing in his chair with binoculars at his face. Gordon is homeless but not any trouble to the park staff so he's happy to enjoy his place in the city. He was keeping an eye on another homeless person who was a perhaps a little less resourceful than Gordon - a caring man but very independent and worldly. Then he told me about the UFO he'd spotted the night before and then the other UFO sightings he'd experienced, including his first sighting in the Himalayas. He was quite knowledgeable and can easily differentiate between potential space stations (from the previous night) to shape shifters. I shared my UFO story from a drunken post-pub night in the English countryside. Gordon will be moving to a shelter when the weather gets cold. Be safe mate."  Although I completed my 100 Stranger project a long time ago and continue to enjoy the challenge and the photographic results.

#16 Photojournalism

“Mask off for a message.”  Not the biggest news story of the year, but Shelters YES Criminals NO was local news worth photographing.  I have to admit I did not interview this woman but I’m including it because I like how I’ve captured her raw emotion - right or wrong.

#17 Street

“Waikiki sunset and surfer pose”.  Among the hundreds of tourists crowding Waikiki beach for the sunset there were a lot of surfers (I’m assuming many of which were locals) that were making sure they got every minute of their surf time and some began to come ashore as the sun set.  It was hard to miss this young lady coming out of the waves with her massive white surf board.  I’m actually borrowed her pose from her friend that was taking her photo at the same time - but to me it feels like a local enjoying her beautiful world.  Clearly not on the street, but a candid snap worth sharing.  Secondary category is sunset.

#18 Selfie

“A simple delivery puts in wide angle smile on my face.  My K&F Nikon (lens) to Fuji X (body) adapter arrived this morning.  Pleased with a quick test of my Bower 8mm fisheye with my XT-1 (all manual baby).”  Along with the wonders of camera and lens technology that this photo focuses on, it also includes the sub-plot of 2020 clearly being the year of home delivery.  Let’s hope we can once again enjoy some shopping in-person in 2021.  Secondary categories and technology and photojournalism.

#19 Place

“Hanalei Bay pier, waterfalls, mountains, surf and surfer thoughts”.  One of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen; those magical and can’t-quite-get-there distant waterfalls; and the people on the beach are just at ease in this paradise. Secondary category is landscape.

#20 Decisive Moment

“Lie back and enjoy a moment in the late afternoon”.  This was taken with a new fast telephoto lens and helped me capture this moment from afar as the lady enjoys a cigarette and awaits the sunset. I feel this fits this classic category due to its dreamlike possibilities.  The narrow f2.8 depth-of-field works wonders with foreground and background layers of grass and leaves the subject and her bike nice and sharp. Secondary category is street.

Looking at the collection now, there are many overlaps subject in style, categories and even places:  

• 6 photos included friends and family
• 3 included me
• 5 included strangers and candids

• 4 were taken in the Hawaiian Islands (we were so lucky to take this magical trip just a few weeks before the pandemic lockdowns happened)
• 4 were taken from my front porch
• 8 were taken in the neighbourhood

• 5 included visual clues of the pandemic
• 9 could be considered landscapes
• 14 included people

• They all tell a story

Cross reference coincidence with wanting

Just posted a very long piece on my main PJMixer blog called Ramblings of the wanting. It was regarding controlling my desires for things like new cars and cameras.   The evening after I completed the post I got a ride to my ultimate game in my friend's brand new Audi A5 (pow) and got to play a little with another friend's Nikon D600 (umpf).

Ramblings of the wanting

Originally, started in the Spring of 2011.  Updated in the fall of 2011 and completed in the Spring of 2013.

The problem: I want new and expensive things but I can't afford them.  I suspect that many people have this problem but "expensive" and "affordability" are relative to your wealth and how you manage your money and debt.  I'm envious of people that are satisfied with what they have or have more modest desires.  I can't help myself researching new versions and dreaming of higher quality products.  I can get quite low thinking of all the wonderful places in the world that I'll never get to experience.  I'm sad to say that I am often pre-occupied with thoughts of my wish list and oftentimes don't realize how lucky I am to have everything I already own or have experienced in my life.

I'm not certain of my wants are something I can easily control.  Is it in my DNA to want more than I have ?  I know I have family members who have the same flaw.  However, I do think that I can control envy when it raises its ugly head and I'm working on ways to cope with this annoying and distracting affliction.

The solution: Recognize that I'll never be satisfied, enjoy the wonderful things I do have and have already experienced.  New products are always going to be available and they'll always be something better.  There's a never ending list of beautiful places in the world and your favourite places will always have new things to offer.  The joy of a vacation or buying something new is a temporary high and often fades surprisingly quickly.  Your life is unlikely to have a sustained improvement by simply acquiring a better version of something you already have or spending a week in an exotic location.  I'm lucky to have almost everything I need and I live a very comfortable life today.  What is really missing from my life ?

The idea started back in the Spring of 2011...

I've often considered the value of vacations, or more pointedly, the value of not taking vacations.  Much of the excitement of a vacation is the anticipation and the planning (maybe we can package that aspect for its own value; I read somewhere this is why people like Fridays more than Sundays).  But once you return from your vacation, life returns to normal so quickly. For me, vacations are truly valuable when they provide you with some new experiences, things that you will always remember for the rest of your life.  Unfortunately, this mind game is a actually a self-servicing way of making me feel better as a real vacation* has eluded me for many years.

So as I was walking Kooper today and passing by some beautiful cars as I do almost every day, I thought about a similar approach about how I could make myself feel a little better about not having the latest and greatest things in life.  Of course, as a hot blooded middle aged male I want all the new toys, but our family priorities are not leaving a lot of room in that category these today.

Perhaps coincidently, these thoughts come to me the same week as the release of the second version of Apple's iPad.  Sleek, fast, powerful, the latest in entertainment and connectivity in your hands, iPad 2 is likely on many people's wish list and perhaps on my top 10.

But what are all those people thinking that have the initial version of the iPad ?  Perhaps they feel cheated that the Apple release cycles are way too frequent for tech-leading gadgetry; or perhaps they now feel less enamored with their "early adopter" version; or worst, they feel they need to buy the new version and toss the old one.

Many producers of consumer goods are very good at designing products for obsolesence and the appeal of the new and improved.

Well, I started this post back in the Spring of 2011, but the topic is still on my mind and relevant these days (Fall of 2011)...

So let me continue.  Cars.  I've had some decent cars over the years, some bordering on luxurious, a couple that were exciting to drive, no lemons, and all quite stylish.  I grew up with a family who's life revolved around cars (my Dad being a Jaguar designer in the UK) and when we get together, the topic of cars makes a regular appearance.  So it's in my blood and it doesn't take much for me to get excited about the possibility of a new, small sporty 2nd car or "investing" in some solid German engineering.

Home and personal electronics.  I've got a lot of them for sure and happy to say since I started this blog, that I have a wonderful new 27" iMac (our 20th anniversary gift) as well as an iPhone4 that work has supplied.  I've always had good hi-fi gear (do kids actually know what a hi-fi is these days?) and have to admit I was an early adopter of HD TV, spending a large chunk of my paycheque for what is now about 3x the cost of today's better version.  Luckily, I enjoy the functionality and quality of these electronic devices and I'm not too tempted by the likes of 3D LED TVs and MacBook Airs.

I've been reading The Wealthy Barber Returns which raises the value of experiences rather than things.  But Chilton makes references to typical experiences like vacations and going out with friends.  But what about the experience of watching a movie (in HD) or playing a video game.  Are those worthy experiences over buying stuff ?  But hold on, you need some amount of stuff to realy enjoy these experiences.  And if you're creating a virtual experience at home, the experience can be heightened with the right gear.

We made a choice this year to buy an iMac over an experience.  We didn't really think we could have a truly memorable adventure holiday for the same price is an iMac.  How many things do you own, that you use every day - appliances, well our iMac is our internet and computer alliance that has been used every day we've been home.

Flash forward to the Spring of 2013 and these thoughts continue to plague my mind.

Walking my dog around the neighbourhood continually feeds my desire for a new car.  However, I've found that my tendencies towards cars actually creates an interesting counter-position today.  See, I'm a fan of station wagons (estate cars in Europe), but they are a dying breed here in North America.  My choices dwindle every year (e.g. Audi's A4 Avant and Passat Wagon are no longer imported into Canada), so I've actually thought that I may need to buy one before availability (new or used) completely disappears.

As you perhaps know, I'm a avid amateur photographer who takes photos daily and thousands a year.  My primarily camera is actually my wife's Nikon D80.  The camera was released in 2006 and we purchased one in 2008 (sadly, just before the D90 was released).  It's a fantastic camera but almost a relic besides today's line of DSLRs.  So, this year Nikon have released there latest DX format DSLR - the D7100 - perhaps the bext DX camera they have ever built.  However, if you're a Nikon shooter and read things like Nike Rumors you may understand that the choice of the D7100 isn't as simple as it seems.  See, Nikon may still release a better DX DLSR shortly to continue their premier line of DX cameras which is stalled with the D300S.

Sorry for the tangent, but it does exemplify my point, i.e I feel I can delay buying a new camera,  not just because I can't afford it, but because I can say to myself, as soon as I buy it, Nikon will announce a newer and better model.

Another interesting example to contemplate is sports and recreation.  Many people can easily justify spending lots of money on sports and athletic pursuits because they can perhaps help to improve your health (physical and mental).  I enjoy playing golf on occasion, but my skill level has a direct impact on how much I enjoy playing (and vice-versa).  A little while ago, I played as much as 20 times one year, but last year I only played twice.  If I play more, it'll help my game, but golf is quite expensive and takes a lot of time to play.  Similarly, I like downhill skiing.  I often compare skiing and golf - quite different in their athletic profiles, but similar in cost and time.  And the cost isn't just the lift and green fees, it's the equipment.  For me, I think I prefer skiing as it's a reason to get out in the winter and enjoy a little bit of outdoor landscape.  And here we get back to the problem of new and improved.  Luckily I still use my old ski boots and I'm not aching to buy new golf clubs. And don't forget the fashion aspects of both sports.  Tennis is also something my family enjoys, but once again we're debating the value of joining a local club - which provides better courts and availability.  But with our busy schedules, we're not certain if we'll actually get enough value out of the membership.  As it turns out, I'm lucky to be fit enough to play team sports which gets me out and playing ultimate a couple of times a week.  Yes, there is quite a cost, but far from the costs of more exotic and expensive sports like golf and skiing.  Not to mention, I can play ultimate year round (indoor in the winter) and it is a highly social activity.  A good example of money well spent.

So are there purchases that are not susceptible to the ever-enhancing gears of technical innovation and consumerism.  Luckily for me, as a middle aged man I can perhaps but clothing into this category.  I was once very fashion conscious and looking back, probably spent far too much money on clothing that I didn't wear very often.  A little embarrassingly, my wardrobe has a good amount of items older than my teenage kids.  I still do suffer from expensive taste, but many of my purchases today on sensibly utilitarian.

And what do I have that I actually wear out ?  I have no problem with the necessity of replacing good footwear when they leak, or dress shirts that have frayed collars.  But when do cars and cameras actually wear out ?  Our Mazda 6 wagon is almost 7 years old, although we've only driven it just over 100,000 kms.  I really dislike the uncertainty of the large repair bill and the unreliability of an older car on a long road trip.  But I'm pretty sure we've got a long way to go before our car becomes more expensive than purchasing a new car.   The Nikon D80 has taken over 54,000 shots (shutter actuations) and is rated for 100,000 shots.  As many people report, it's a workhorse and I feel it has many more years left in it.

So I need to wrap this thing up.  One example I like to consider that suitably fits the argument and potentially creates a beautiful iconic for this story is the wristwatch.  I was close to buying an expensive watch for our 20th wedding anniversary.  I've always been drawn to the design and imagery of a watch.  The challenge was that I couldn't find the perfect one for me.  I had a pretty healthy budget, but it needed to be perfect.  I couldn't settle on something that wasn't perfect for such a special gift.  But I feel watches can be timeless, a choice of a good watch today will likely last me for the rest of my life and maybe handed down to my son (if trends change and the next generation actually wear watches when they grow up).  Watch design doesn't change very often and if you look at the premier brands, they are not continually updating their marque watches every few years.  It seems the industry is comfortable in creating a product that will last a long time, one that isn't susceptible to computing power advances, technology efficiencies and improvements or fickle modern styles.  A watch: a permanent statement about your style, your steadfast reluctance to cave into every-changing consumerism and a constant reminder just a glance way to the beauty of the finer things in life.  But until I can afford the perfect one...the story will continue.



*If case you're wondering what I define as a real vacation.  To me, that means escaping the familiar things around you and enjoying new experiences, preferably, visiting new places in the world.

Camera quick clicks - categorization & recommendations

As a photographer, friends ask me on occasion for camera recommendations.  There are many online camera reviews (of which I'll link you to a few), but for those people who'd like my personal comments, I thought I'd collect my thoughts here.  This first post is an intro, to collect a few salient points after visiting with a out-of-town friend who's interested in a new camera.

I own 3 digital cameras and an iPhone 4S that subs in for candids and in-the-moment shots very frequently.  My primary camera is a Nikon D80 which I've had since 2008 and its shutter has fired over 47,000 times. (I have to say, the D80 is actually my wife's camera, which is a perfect excuse to say I'm due for an SLR of my own !).  

As a business person who presents technology to customers, I like to start by reviewing the customer's (your) requirements.  What are you looking for in a camera ?  I'll go out on a limb here, and group cameras in the following categories.

1. Capturing everyday moments
2. Capturing everyday moments but may find yourself in non-ideal lighting situations
3. Capturing everyday moments but like sports and nature photography
4. You know what an f-stop / aperture is and/or don't mind carrying around a camera bag
5. You want to make money as a photographer

As you can image, along with price, the cameras that typically align with these categories increase in size from 1 to 5.  I'd consider myself a 4 who wants to be a 5, and carry a 1-3 when space as at a premium or camera restrictions are in effect (e.g. SLRs are not normally allowed for concerts in arena venues).

You may have noticed that I'm preferring the acronym SLR, rather than DSLR.  I read a while back that we should now be ok dropping the D since close to 99% of photography is digital these days.

So, if you're #1 - you're probably not reading this article.  For me, the golden rule of photography is always have a camera with you and today that is as simple as having your mobile phone with you.  Otherwise, any camera will do.  My #1 camera is my iPhone 4S.

The vast majority of the photography market is for people in category #2.  The key here is that the cameras have a flash and are able to automatically (or manually) adjust exposure (usually thru variable ISO settings).  Some smart phones fall into this category, but the vast majority are what I call compact point-and-shoot cameras.  My #2 camera is a Fuji Finepix and I would consider Panasonic, Nikon and Canon as a potential replacement in the future.  If you're looking for a camera in this category you have hundreds of choices.  My simple recommendation is to pick a name brand and read the online reviews.  If you're in this category you're wanting good quality, but you still want the camera to be easy to use, so things like menu navigation would be important.  If you can play with a working version of the camera or ask a sales person to show you the basics it should help you make a decision.  A few other features to consider, optical zoom range, ISO range and startup time (a spec that may be hard to find, but easy to see if you're holding a working camera).

CNET is a decent starting spot for consumer reviews, but their categorization didn't align too well with mine, but I think CNET write some good material, incl. videos: CNET's best compact digital cameras and CNET's best budget digital cameras.

Google also returned the following interesting charts from TopTenReviews.  I haven't used this web site before, but there's lots of info and nice side-by-side specs: TopTenREVIEWS' point and shoot camera comparisons and reviews and TopTenREVIEWS' compare best compact digital cameras.

Category #3 is probably the most confusing category and covers quite a wide range of cameras, some of which may be classified as point-and-shoot cameras.  The difference here is primarily the amount of control you have with the settings, good optical zoom range and perhaps even interchangeable lenses.  These last two features get you into superzoom and compact camera system sub-categories of cameras. These cameras can get as costly as SLR camera, which confuses the decision even more.  The difference is normally size, a camera in this category will for the most part be smaller and lighter than an SLR.  I'd put my first digital camera, a Canon Powershot in this category as it has quite a few manual controls, a decent zoom and a very convenient flip out LCD screen (which I'd call an advanced feature).  There are some very good cameras in this category and the highly innovative Nikon 1 would be high on my potential replacement list.

SLRs are my 4th category.  What I'd say distinguishes these cameras is the size, cost and the wide variety of interchangeable lenses.  Nikon and Canon share a huge part of this market and owner loyalties to one or the other run deep.  Therefore, I'd say it's quite difficult to find an accurate, unbiased side by side review of these types of cameras.  I have a D80 and in the past, I had a Nikon film SLR camera, therefore I'm biased toward Nikon SLRs.  I can pick up the cheapest or the most expensive Nikon SLR and I'd know how to use it because the controls are almost identical thru the entire product set.  So for me, an easy recommendation for someone about to buy their first digital SLR, would be the Nikon D5100.  If you're upgrading, then the D7000 is a superb camera (and fills by dream hours).  I also keep close eyes on a blog called Nikon Rumors for news on what Nikon treats are coming (e.g. a new entry level SLR has just been released called the D3200).  For me I like quick access to common controls and a nice feature that I'd really like would be quickly switching between a couple of user presets.  The other big thing to get excited about in this category is high ISO performance.  Who needs a flash or a f1.8 lens when you can comfortably shoot at ISO 6400.

It's only fair that I should make some mention of Canon SLRs at this point.  I did a little research and I have to say that the EOS 60D would be high on my list if I could rewire my brain and exchange all my Nikon mount lenses.  Like my D80 it features an LCD for setting on the top side of the camera which is my preference when adjusting settings.  Canon also has the more robust 7D - these two Canons are compared to the Nikon D7000 here.

Which leaves the 5th category, one set aside for professionals, aspiring semi-professionals or for people with a lot of money.  Interestingly Nikon have two top models that differ by thousands of dollars, but are very close in performance.  The lower priced Nikon D800 is the one getting all the attention and may be the best SLR for the money.

DPS have a few handy lists of favourites, incl lenses at : Digital Photography School - popular digital cameras and gear.

Another site I go to a lot for SLR and lens reviews is Ken Rockwell (mostly Nikon, but I've learnt from his deep analysis).