Capturing Time: A Year in Photos

A Journey in Frames: What Our Top Picks Say About Us.

Reflecting on Our Photographic Journey

As the year folds into memory, we photographers find ourselves reflecting on our visual narratives. Our top shots not only showcase our technical and creative growth but also highlight the subjects that moved us to capture those moments. It’s an introspective practice that celebrates our achievements and sets the stage for future aspirations.

Echidna

Shot on the beach near the town of 1770. The camera rested on the beach with the screen flipped upwards so that I could get that very low angle and the water in the background. 600mm lens, 1/1000sec shutter speed over-exposed by 2/3 stop because of all the light background. Such a rare animal to see, let alone shoot on the beach, we got lucky.

The Power of Reflection: Learning from a Year’s Worth of Shots

Why It Matters

Reflection: It’s about recognizing our evolution, acknowledging how our vision has sharpened, and pinpointing future directions.
Inspiration: Our best shots serve as muses for future projects, revealing successful techniques and themes.
Connection: Sharing our favourites connects us with our community, offering a window into our artistic soul.
Growth: This review is a checkpoint, marking our strengths and areas for improvement.
Style Evolution: Observing our collection helps us understand the natural progression of our photographic style.

Identifying Your Pinnacle Works

Choosing your year’s best works involves introspection and critique. Look for shots that resonate personally, display technical prowess, and tell a compelling story. Feedback from peers, such as those in the Photo BootCamp Academy, can offer invaluable insights. Leveraging editing software to rate your work and considering the narrative strength of your images also helps in curating your top picks.

Embracing Our Photographic Journey

Reviewing our year’s best photographs is more than a ritual; it’s a vital step in our ongoing journey as photographers. This retrospective not only celebrates our past year’s accomplishments but also sharpens our focus for the future, encouraging us to continue capturing the world through our unique lenses.

Photo BootCamp Magazine

Let’s have a look at what our BootCamp members have chosen for their top shots for 2023.

And be sure to check out how you can join BootCamp at the end of the magazine!

Download BootCamp Magazine

Below is a small sample of what’s in this magazine…

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Inside BootCamp Magazine

Featured Artist

Let’s take a look at this month’s magazine. Here is our featured artist of the month, John Sullivan, from Australia.

The photo he would like to share is of the SS Maheno which has been lying on 75-mile beach K’gari (Frazer Island) since 1935. He liked the photo for the contrast in colour between the ocean, sky, sand and rusted metal.

Comment: Peter Brody – ” John, your composition is perfect, with the water on the beach in the lower left corner leading me to the boat, then to the horizon in the distance. The complimentary colors of the blues and oranges really make this a powerful photo”

Cover Images

This month’s featured magazine cover image is from Laura Griffiths from South Africa. So here is one of her favourites of the leopardess she posted in B/W previously. The leopardess gave them a viewing that every safari visitor can only dream of in that she was sitting in the golden early morning sun, surveying the scene. After several poses she got up and walked and then stopped again, then got up and walked right past their vehicle so close Laura could have leaned out and touched her, by which time she had to stop shooting as she had a prime lens on and was too close. They must have sat with the leopard for about 10 minutes in all, but for her, time stood still. That morning they saw 3 different leopards one of which was her grown cub, and she forgot how many lions. What a magical time.

Comment: Romy Villanueva – “Beautiful shot and perfectly framed. Congratulations Laura for such a great capture of this beautiful creature. Well done!”

Active Members

Let’s take a look at some of the top images of our BootCamp members for the year 2022.

We’ll start with Richard Hutson from the United States. This photograph is part of his ‘Viewing Art’ series shot last May at the Legion of Honor. The portrait of Cecil Harrison is by J.S. Sargent. He has no idea who the viewers are, but he waited for them to step in front of the painting to complete the tableau for his photograph. Their shadows on the floor are a nice bonus. He got the idea for this series several years ago when he was trying to get a shot of a painting, and suddenly, a woman stepped in front of it, “spoiling” the shot. After further study, he realized it was a much better, more interesting photograph. The essential elements of the painting were still visible, and the woman’s admiration of it brought his photograph to life. He posted it here in the early days of Boot Camp.

Comment: Valerie Worthen – “This photo really tells a story and creates some mystery as well. The black and white is definitely a good choice. Nice composition and good detail with the focus on the woman in the photo.”

Next, we have Dave Koh from Singapore. He managed to get a shot of the Common Kingfisher with a catch after a couple of hours of waiting. Action shots can be challenging with changing lighting conditions and not knowing where it will dive. It has the tendency of coming back to the same branch after each dive, so it is much easier to preset the focus point. Denoised with Topaz.

Comment: Sara O’Brien – “Dave, I love the water droplets! Great patience on your part in waiting and capturing the amazing shot!”

Peter Brody from the United States is next. This was a photograph he took at their local zoo. He was trying out his telephoto zoom lens. This is a sleepy leopard taken through a glass window. He was practising with the lens in preparation for the BootCamp Safari in May 2024.

Comment: Laura Griffiths – “Beautiful animal Peter and so well photographed through glass, never easy. You managed no reflections and the glass must have been very clean or you used some wizardry in post. Well done. I think the wild might be easier.”

Then we have Paul Fuller from Australia. He went to Hexham Swam to look for Black-necked Stork. Spotted a young fox, this is not what you want to see as the foxes raid the nests..[ high ISO because he has a long lens and converter on as most birds are a long distance away].

Comment: Dave Koh – “The fox is on the alert, as can be seen through the grass. It’s amazing to see the furry details on the animal as well. Nice shot, Paul.”

And next we have Nick Ellis from Australia. Late September – early October they went to Namibia, and while there he took one or two photos of sand dunes. Big Mama, in the Sossusvlei region. Why the high shutter speed? he’s been taking photos from a moving vehicle and wanted to freeze the action.

Comment: Eugene Brannan – “Hi Nick, sand dunes are always awesome to me! Love the capture. I liked the contextual approach you took in the original post, but the adjusted post with the POI being the sand dunes only does create a stronger image, peer pressure or not. The wider feel of the scene makes me want to see what’s on the left and right of this massive dune.”

And last, we have Keri Down from Australia. This was taken on June 25th 2023. She went down to Wellington Point with her headphones to quietly see the day go down on her sister’s 4th year of leaving them. She just felt that the wind, the sun and the colour all played out beautifully for a memorable moment..

Comment: Eugene Brannan – “A wonderful capture! You can add this to your fond memories of your sister, as you reminisce on the shared times in the future. The warm colors and the silhouettes in front of the hazy mountain background add to the serenity of the moment.”

Summary

Reviewing your best photographs from the past year is a valuable exercise for photographers.
It allows you to reflect on your progress, see your growth as a photographer, and set goals for the future.
Reviewing your best photographs can also provide inspiration and allow you to share your work with others.
Identifying your best photographs can be done by looking for those that stand out to you, those with technical excellence, or those that tell a compelling story.
You can also seek feedback from friends, family or fellow photographers, or use photo editing software to rate or tag your photographs.
The best photographs are subjective and depend on personal goals and style as a photographer.
By reviewing your best photographs, you can appreciate your own progress and accomplishments.
It helps in personal growth by identifying areas of excellence and areas for improvement.
Reviewing best photographs also allows you to see how your style has evolved.
Ultimately, being honest with yourself and considering which photos truly represent your best work is important.

Do This Now

Please leave me a comment below – I’d love to know what you think. Brent