2019 wasn’t my best year for photography. I wasn’t idle. I just didn’t get to generate the numbers of images to choose from for a Top Ten for the year. See the story at the end of my Best of 2019!
AMSTERDAM TULIPS
The Rhine Getaway River Cruise ended in Amsterdam, not too late for tulip season. But there wasn’t enough time at end of cruise to see all the Holland tulips, but they were at airport! This was captured April 2019.
iPhone 7, 1/25sec at f/1.8
BOSC PEAR
Captured at the “In the Footsteps of Edward Weston” Workshop using a tabletop studio, January 2019. I chose black and white with a platinum gradient effect. It gives the feel of film but it was all digital!
Nikon D800, 56mm, ISO 100, 1.6 sec, f/11, 28-300 mm f/3.5-5.6 lens
DRAWN TO SUNRISE
When I visit my Dad in Michigan, the sunrises on the lake draw me. This abstract of lake with sunrise reflection was captured during the “30 Days of Perception” Workshop with Kim Manley Ort in November 2019.
Sony 7RM3, 105mm, ISO 250, 1/200 sec at f/5, 24-105mm f4G OSS lens
HEIDELBERG SCENIC VIEW
Taken from the heights of Heidelberg Castle on the Rhine Getaway Cruise in April 2019. Editing was done in Digital Tools and Technique class at College of DuPage.
Sony 7RM3, 105mm, ISO 250, 1/500 sec at f/8, 24-105mm f4G OSS lens
NAUTILUS DIPTYCH
This was captures at the “In the Footsteps of Edward Weston“ Workshop using a tabletop studio in January 2019. I chose black and white with a platinum gradient effect. I’ve always wanted to capture a nautilus. It seemed natural to me to create a diptych of the front and back.
Nikon D800, 65mm, ISO 200, 6 sec at f/16, 28-300mm f3.5-5.6 lens
RIVER DREAMS
This Impressionism image used intentional camera movement. It was a sunny day in March 2019 on the Fox River when I noticed the light shining on the tree trunks.
Sony 7RM3, 105mm, ISO 100, 1/10 sec at f/22, 24-105mm f4G OSS lens
STRASBOURG DOM DETAIL
Strasbourg Dom (Cathedral) detail of buttresses captured in April 2019 on the Rhine Getaway Cruise. I have so many images of the cathedrals in Europe, and now on the Rhine River. The architecture is amazing to me. But black and white seemed to bring out the details and depth better than the color version.
Sony 7RM3, 105mm, ISO 250, 1/500 sec at f/11, 24-105mm f4G OSS lens
STRASBOURG WINDOW DETAIL
This image is part of a shadows project. This Strasbourg window detail was captured on the Rhine Getaway Cruise in April 2019.
Sony 7RM3, 105mm, ISO 250, 1/250 sec at f/8, 24-105mm f4G OSS lens
SUNSET RIVER REFLECTIONS
Reflections of trees on rippled river captured near my home in January 2019. The river is in my backyard and the walk I take takes me to the bridge where I can get a better perspective. It was a special sunset lighting that day.
Nikon D800, 160mm, ISO 400, 1/60 sec at f/11, 28-300mm f3.5-5.6 lens
TREE WISPS
This Impressionism image used intentional camera movement, and was captured near my home in November 2019. It was dusk, not far from my home, and the colors in the sky were beautiful. These trees along the river gave a perfect setting for an impressionism view.
Sony 7RM3, 105mm, ISO 250, 1/15 sec at f/10, 24-105mm f4G OSS lens
These are my favorite and best images of 2019. They have been sorted by title, because it is hard to pick which images should go first and last. 2020 is already promising to be a full year, with many photographic opportunities.
More About 2019
Three to four months in the summer I had knee replacement surgery, then physical therapy, and then gaining strength and endurance. Carrying a camera, walking on uneven ground, or even standing still to wait for the right moment, were beyond me.
Because of wrist, knee and hip issues, I stopped using the Nikon D800 and started using a mirrorless camera. I bought a Sony aIIIr (7RM3) with just one lens and started learning and capturing on a Viking River Cruise, Rhine Getaway.
I continue to capture photo Impressionism using intentional camera movement because I am drawn to the that type of abstraction. You can see my first project at Arborescence.
In the winter of 2019 I took a workshop, “In the Footsteps of Edward Weston” and created some amazing images. During a one day Macro Workshop, I captured practice images to learn more about focus point and depth of field. I took a photography class, Digital Tools and Techniques where I learned to use Photoshop in all new ways. You can see the full work at In the Footsteps of Edward Weston.
In November I did an online workshop with Kim Manley Ort, “30 Days of Perception” and one of the images made it to my “best of 2019” You can see the book I made for myself at this link: 30 Days of Perception by Becky Jane Davis
The Shadows project is almost ready to go online. A preview of my images can be found on my Blog: Shadows