Daily Challenge Cameraderie Photo Challenge #44: Best photo of 2020 - Winner announced

serhan

Hall of Famer
Location
NYC
Start Date
Jan 30, 2021
End Date
Feb 14, 2021
The Cameraderie 44th Challenge theme is: Best photo of 2020

2020 was a challenging year for everybody. We all changed how we lived our lives. The same applied to my photography. So I left the challenge open as your best photo of 2020... It is very hard to choose one, but please post one of your best from last year...

This one was my last photo of 2020 with my iPhone which summarized by my whole year of my photography as it was couple miles from our home:

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As usual, this challenge will consider originality, technical merit, and artistic vision.

No change to the tried and trusted rules, which are as follows:

1. Either take pictures that match the nominated theme or select some from your portfolio. You must be the photographer that created the images in order to enter it.

2. Only one entry per challenge, please. If you want to withdraw an entry and replace it with another, that is OK, but you must make it clear in the post containing your replacement pictures that this is what you've done. You can add or change the title and add to the edit line to let everyone know.

3. The decision of the curator at the end of the challenge is final - don't give him/her a hard time about it: this is just a friendly photo-challenge, after all!

4. The winner will assume the responsibility of curator for the next Challenge, and as soon as possible post a message in a new thread in the Cameraderie Photo Challenges forum, with details of the new theme. Don't forget - that opening message must include a copy of these instructions, which also double as the rules.

5. The curator cannot enter in his or her own challenge.
 
This image is technically flawed, but one of my favorites. Tasha was showing off for me, and with the slow shutter speed, she was not in focus. But the image shows clearly her personality. We said goodbye to Tasha far too early on August 28, and I miss her badly. This was one of the last images I got of her.

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On September 8, 2020, the small town of Talent, Oregon - which has been my adopted home for nearly two decades - was partially burned down by a wildfire driven by unseasonable heat (global warming) and unusually strong winds. Almost all of the residents had to evacuate the entire town for nearly a week; I was camping out with generous friends, but for literally days one didn't know if one's house or home or neighborhood had been spared. Fortunately the results were slightly less apocalyptic than many had feared - but nonetheless, nearly a quarter of the town burned to ashes, within hours. I was among the fortunate in that my old farmhouse survived intact and unscathed, although the fire came literally within a few blocks of it.

Large portions of both downtown and the residential streets adjacent to it were totally destroyed and looked like scenes from the aftermath of a deadly war. Emergency crews worked for days and weeks to close gas lines and turn off dangerous live electrical lines. It was difficult for me to walk back and see places I was familiar with... reduced to the kinds of rubble one sees in photos of Hiroshima after the bombing, or Dresden in WWII. I took a handful of photographs both to document what had happened and because I needed to - though at times it was difficult to keep shooting, since I felt I was invading what had been private spaces of homes that now no longer existed.

Of the many pictures I took, one is my favorite - simply because it documents the fact that many residents lost pets which they had been unable to evacuate or find when they had to literally run for their lives, earlier. And I noticed, in what remained of what had once been a house - someone had put out food and water, either for homeless animals - or in the hopes that a missing pet might have survived, and might return - and if or when they did, they would need nourishment.

This photo sums up my year better than any other - a combination of difficulty, sadness, horrors and, still, somehow, hope.

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My 2020 was mostly spent either enjoying the garden or walking around my rural part of England. I was pleased with many of the attempts I made to capture a bumblebee on a flower, but this is one of my favourite little views, it sums up a large part of my life in the last year, and yes, I took it on my phone.
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On September 8, 2020, the small town of Talent, Oregon - which has been my adopted home for nearly two decades - was partially burned down by a wildfire driven by unseasonable heat (global warming) and unusually strong winds. Almost all of the residents had to evacuate the entire town for nearly a week; I was camping out with generous friends, but for literally days one didn't know if one's house or home or neighborhood had been spared. Fortunately the results were slightly less apocalyptic than many had feared - but nonetheless, nearly a quarter of the town burned to ashes, within hours. I was among the fortunate in that my old farmhouse survived intact and unscathed, although the fire came literally within a few blocks of it.

Large portions of both downtown and the residential streets adjacent to it were totally destroyed and looked like scenes from the aftermath of a deadly war. Emergency crews worked for days and weeks to close gas lines and turn off dangerous live electrical lines. It was difficult for me to walk back and see places I was familiar with... reduced to the kinds of rubble one sees in photos of Hiroshima after the bombing, or Dresden in WWII. I took a handful of photographs both to document what had happened and because I needed to - though at times it was difficult to keep shooting, since I felt I was invading what had been private spaces of homes that now no longer existed.

Of the many pictures I took, one is my favorite - simply because it documents the fact that many residents lost pets which they had been unable to evacuate or find when they had to literally run for their lives, earlier. And I noticed, in what remained of what had once been a house - someone had put out food and water, either for homeless animals - or in the hopes that a missing pet might have survived, and might return - and if or when they did, they would need nourishment.

This photo sums up my year better than any other - a combination of difficulty, sadness, horrors and, still, somehow, hope.

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What a year
 
I kind of believe this one is my best from last year - for the color punch, timing of the figure and overlapping with light sources and for the overall impact. I could be wrong, of course, it wasn't easy to decide on just one. And it is not necessarily my dearest, but it seems to me it stands out from last years keepers. I got it on the 25th day of our January month-long challenge, which seems to confirm that regular and active effort gives the opportunity to raise the bar and surpass oneself.
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From dpreview, inspirational shots:
Winners and finalists of Travel Photographer of the Year 2020
"The annual Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) competition recently announced its winners and runners-up for 2020. Heading into its 19th year, there was a shift in the subject matter for the imagery received, this time around, due to the pandemic. Many entrants got more creative with being confined to their neighborhoods, while others made the best of being temporarily detained in other countries on account of sudden travel restrictions."

Interestingly cell phone shots and dji shot as winners show the shift in photography also...

So pick one of your shots from last year!
 
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This shot in the Cairngorms National Park was taken on one of the very few days that we were allowed to travel outwith our own county/district due to the Covid-19 travel restrictions in place in Scotland. Our own area has struggled with high numbers of infections (I live in the central belt) so we've spent most of the year under the highest level of restrictions. I love being in the hills and mountains but there are none in the area I live, so this was the only time last year I was able to get a good stomp in the mountains. It was a beautiful day.
 
Taken at Lake Livingston in the national forest when we drove there in November. A really nice state park, about two hours drive from home. It was a beautiful day with very some light rain that cleared out near sunset producing this partial rainbow. That is the furtherest away from home I have been since January 2020. It was hard choosing 1 image from many that I felt were contenders. This one stands out as I felt the rainbow as a sign of hope.
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This shot in the Cairngorms National Park was taken on one of the very few days that we were allowed to travel outwith our own county/district due to the Covid-19 travel restrictions in place in Scotland. Our own area has struggled with high numbers of infections (I live in the central belt) so we've spent most of the year under the highest level of restrictions. I love being in the hills and mountains but there are none in the area I live, so this was the only time last year I was able to get a good stomp in the mountains. It was a beautiful day.

This picture feels so right in black and white, Karen. Looking at the Cairngorms, through your lens, I almost have the feeling I'm going back in time. It made me remember some of the words of a poem by Robert Burns - My Heart's in the Highlands - which I have not read or heard for too long.

My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here,
My heart's in the Highlands, a-chasing the deer;
Chasing the wild-deer, and following the roe,
My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go.


The poem was also set to music - this rather lovely version was recorded by the Scottish singer, songwriter and musician, Karine Polwart --


I remember hearing that in some parts of the highlands, there are bothies where hardy walkers or hikers can spend the night, I imagine there must be a few in or near the Cairngorms... have you ever stayed in one?
 
This picture feels so right in black and white, Karen. Looking at the Cairngorms, through your lens, I almost have the feeling I'm going back in time. It made me remember some of the words of a poem by Robert Burns - My Heart's in the Highlands - which I have not read or heard for too long.

My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here,
My heart's in the Highlands, a-chasing the deer;
Chasing the wild-deer, and following the roe,
My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go.


The poem was also set to music - this rather lovely version was recorded by the Scottish singer, songwriter and musician, Karine Polwart --


I remember hearing that in some parts of the highlands, there are bothies where hardy walkers or hikers can spend the night, I imagine there must be a few in or near the Cairngorms... have you ever stayed in one?
There are and I've not. I've found it is usually too long a walk there and back from the pub, and you can't get a taxi! :drinks:
 
I probably have photos I've shot this year which would be considered better on their own. But, what my pal Tom Roller, the person in this photo wrote to me about it. Makes this my best work of 2020 to me. Shot just before everything covid hit the U.S. This portrait was recreation of how his father played this very guitar.

"Thank you for this picture Bobby Tingle! This guitar was indeed my father’s. It accompanied him to Japan where he was stationed as a medic during the Korean War. While in a Japan, he studied classical guitar with a prominent Japanese instructor, Shun Ogura. When he returned stateside, he pursued music and received his Master’s Degree in music from U of Iowa.
The guitar is dated somewhere in the late 1930s. It is a Regal Custom Built. Regal was mainly known for their student level instruments. However, during the late thirties and early forties had a division that built professional level instruments. My father was friends with the owner of Regal, then based in Chicago. This guitar was built specifically for my father.

After finishing his education, he took a job in the music department at Shimer College in Illinois. It’s now closed. After me and my siblings were born, he took a job in the business world, to make a better living. He gave up any serious aspirations of classical guitar; he and my mother played folk music as we grew up. She was a marvelous singer, still is.

This guitar went into a closet where it remained for the better part of sixty years. When he gave it to me just prior to his passing, it was in very rough condition, unplayable. I held onto it for several years before deciding to have it repaired.
On the recommendation of several friends, I took it to a local luthier, Gary Cornett. He turned out to be a wizard. The instrument was completely rebuilt, every inch of it. It’s made out of East Indian Rosewood, Mahogany, and Spruce. It’s light as a feather and has the most beautiful tone. When cradled, against my body, it resonates wonderfully.

Though I have a few other guitars from my father, they are mainly wall hangers. This one is among my most cherished possessions. My father often played with his head resting on the guitar, as do I when the music transports me somewhere else."

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Why I Love Photography


This Short Film is a Reminder to Simply Love the Craft of Photography

"Fouche isn’t a photographer you’ve likely heard of. His work isn’t featured prominently in galleries around the world, his images don’t grace the covers of magazines, books, or pop culture. He doesn’t pursue photography as a means to putting food on the table nor does he seem like the kind to argue over which camera is best. Fouche is just an artist, and a person who happens to choose photography as his medium.

This video is a welcome reminder that photography is and always has been about something deeper than that. Art isn’t about pleasing everyone, it’s not about being the most beloved, and it certainly isn’t about making money. Art is about creating something meaningful to the artist. Yes, messages are meant to be conveyed by art, but the fact it is art is not dependent on that message being popular. Art is about saying something even if no one is listening.

The best part about this film is that it features a photographer who is just like the rest of us. He could be you, he could be your neighbor, he could be anyone. That in itself is an inspiration."
 
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