Photos of 2015

Warning: Navel-gazing ahead. Feel free to skip straight to the pictures.

2015 was a fun year for me, photographically-speaking. I was lucky enough to travel to two (2!) places in the country I’ve never been to: Cape Breton and Newfoundland. I lived in Cape Breton briefly as a very young kid and went on a trip with family a little later, but didn’t really remember it. It’s a beautiful place. I’d never been to Newfoundland at all and it was one of those bucket-list trips. Absolutely spectacular landscapes unlike anyplace I’ve ever been. The highways, while considerably-improved in the last decade or two, will still try to kill you. We only saw one moose, despite the road signs warning about them. It was a juvenile that had been hit by a car or truck. He didn’t make it.

I traded in my Nikon gear for more of the Olympus Pro lenses. It was a tough decision, but I hadn’t been using my D800 nearly enough and it was stupid letting it sit around in its bag. The trip to Newfoundland was kind of an unwritten test to see if I could still justify keeping it. Unfortunately, after a heroic struggle up and back down Gros Morne, without a single lens change and only a couple of 35mm shots taken, I was done with it. The Olympus OM-D is a great system and I’m in love with the lenses I have for it. We still have one D800 in the house if I ever really need the extra megapixels.

This year I sold some prints for the first time thanks to Deb’s Etsy shop. This is when I finally realized that there’s very little difference between 16 and 36 megapixels unless you’re printing very very large. I’m looking forward to making some more prints this year and if you see anything you like, drop Deb or I a line and we’ll set you up. Custom sizing available.

My other big decision, photographically, was sticking with Flickr, despite the sense that it’s getting a little rickety around the edges. The truth is, I still haven’t found a platform I like better. 500px feels cold to me, the photos they showcase all have a very similar aesthetic. Some great photographers on there, to be sure, but it’s just not for me. Instagram is a mess as a photography platform and I don’t understand the community there. Facebook or Google? No.

Anyway, enough ruminating. I’m going to celebrate the beginning of 2016 by watching the Canadiens and Bruins duke it out on the ice in Boston. Happy New Year! 🙂

(go Habs!)