Best Photography 2022, a year of photography in review

As we wrap up 2022, I’m reflecting on my photographic journey. It was an incredible year as a professional freelance photographer. I’m grateful for the opportunities, accomplishments, and plethora of lessons. I’ve come so far…yet, still have so much to learn and experience. I’d like to recap some notable achievements and share some of my favorite images. The year started out with a Winter Bison project here in southern Colorado and finished off with my first gallery showing in Sidney, Australia.

Winter Bison

It was such a pleasure working with Sarah Gleason of Gleason Bison on a project…a vision I had. I learned how to photograph these magnificent beasts in a snowstorm and created my favorite image shown here. It is titled “Personality” and has become a fan favorite. The Winter Bison collection represents invaluable community and connections.

DSNGRR Night Train — The Night Train

Throughout my life, I’ve visited train museums and heard stories about different trains because of my father. He’s the train lover. So, when I heard there was an opportunity to make images of our beloved train (The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Train) and combine it with the long exposure expertise I use in landscapes, I jumped on it. Pieces of the “Night Train” collection are featured around the area and in people’s home. It was the spark that ignited the 2023 calendar.

White Pocket Fine Art Image — White Pocket

I attended the Outsider’s photography conference in Kanab, Utah. I never met so many talented photographers before. We went on morning and evening shoots into Bryce Canyon National Park and beyond. Afterward, I took a detour into the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument. What an incredible place! I look forward to going back and spending several days or even weeks there exploring. This image isn’t on my website and isn’t even named actually. It’s simply a reminder of spending time in a cool place with cool people.

Monument Valley Morning Totem Image — Monument Valley

For years, I’ve lived within hours of this iconic location, but never visited Monument Valley for no particular reason. There are favorite spots in Utah I camp with friends in which some of the notable spires are visible on the horizon. Last Spring, I hired a guide to take me around to some vantage points for sunrise, sunset, and midnight, milk way shots throughout the valley. By day, he told us stories of the people and community. By night, he kept us on our toes with ghost stories. This image is titled “Morning Totem.”

Great Sand Dunes National Park

The Great Sand Dunes are snuggled up against the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. In my younger years, I lived on the opposite side of that mountain range. My dad used to load the family into our old bronco and drive over the pass to the dunes and then drive back across in the afternoon. Adventures like these are what inspired so much love for the outdoors. Since then, I’ve driven across the San Luis Valley more than a hundred times from Durango to Westcliffe, Colorado and back. The dunes were always there in the distance, a reminder of treasured childhood memories. This year, I finally visited as an adult and created a collection of images. The image shown here is named “Heartbeat of the Dunes” and was featured by Nikon. I look forward to going back and exploring more.

Photography workshops and training — Teaching Photography

This year, I had such a blast teaching workshops and individual training sessions. It was the most satisfying thing I could do in photography short of making images. There were so many smiles and excited snappers. I’ve loved teaching since I was an instructor in the Air Force and a volleyball coach in different leagues. You may visit my site to learn more about photography education offered.

Fine Art Photography Booth — Fine Art Fair

I applied for my first curated art fair and was invited to participate. Man, what a hoot! You know those moments in your life when you work tirelessly to reach a goal and it works out?! This is one of those. I'm super proud of myself for sticking to it. It was an incredible weekend sharing my work, connecting with wonderful collectors, and sharing stories. I nearly cried when I received an award for my booth with more than 100 vendors. I am humbled by how many people choose my images to be a part of their home. These images and more may be found on my premium prints page.

Redwood Forest in California — West Coast - Gallery Display

Photographing the West Coast has been a dream of mine for a decade. This summer, I took a 2-week trip from Seattle, Washington to San Francisco, California with a friend. I was as enamored by the sites as I could have been. Some places greeted us with the most incredible light while others left me wanting. I look forward to going back to some locations and spending days exploring in 2023.
This image titled "Redwood Rays" created in the Redwoods National Park was selected to be a part of the very first In Focus Women Photo Exhibition. It was an entire gallery dedicated to featuring women in landscape photography and was such an honor to be included. It was displayed at the Prince Art Gallery, in Gladesville, Sydney, Australia and now resides on a wall in the entry way of my home.

Nature First Photography

I was selected to be an ambassador for an organization called Nature First Photography. My motivation came from visits to favorite place to find them destroyed. The LaPlata Canyon here in Durango, Colorado is one of those places. As teenagers, we’d spend beautiful summer afternoons wandering amongst the pines and talking about life. I was devastated when I returned here after more than 15 years to find a vantage point tagged with graffiti, toilet tissue was discarded along the dirt road, and gunshot rounds left behind. I searched for ways to use my photography to send a message about taking care of nature when I found Nature First. I look forward to digging deep and sharing a message, but also getting making a difference in my community.

WHAT DOES 2023 HAVE IN STORE

My first book - New projects - More teaching this craft I love - More adventures - More backpacking - More writing-magazine articles - Sharing my voice in reference to taking care of nature - Deeper personalization in my work - Artful images and abstracts - Art fairs - Gallery displays - Another marvelous year in photography!