A new decade is only days away, so it's time to celebrate the creativity of the past and get ready for the future by sharing your favorite photo of 2019.
2020 always seemed like a date from science fiction novels to me, and here we are about to be living in it. No flying cars, unfortunately, but we have had advances in image making and editing that have made the photographic arts more accessible and varied than ever before. As a result, the definition of what makes a photograph, or a photographer, has become increasingly blurry around the edges. Personally, I'm a big fan of the changes, because it's opened up worlds of creativity. What I have to ask myself now is: What will the next ten years look like? What changes can we expect to see, what new obstacles will we have to navigate, what opportunities will arise for us to take advantage of? As we get ready to head into this new decade, this is a great time to look back and the awesome stuff we've created and consider what the next ten years might hold for photography.
To that end, I put out the word on Facebook and asked Fstoppers community members to show me their favorite photograph of 2019, and I want you to do the same. It doesn't have to be your best technical image, or your highest paid image, though it's certainly fine if that's the case! Sometimes it's a favorite because it captured a special moment, or the instant you learned something that will forever change how you work, or the shot you've been trying to pull off for months.
This is a personal favorite of mine from 2019. I love the image itself, but it's also my favorite for another reason. In a way, it's a symbol of where my photography is headed now that I have a dedicated space to work in. It's also the culmination of finally having the time and the focus to get creative after having kiddos in the house for 16 years. I know more about who I am and what I want as an artist, and I've finally arrived at a time when I have both the skill, the equipment, and the time to create it. For me, 2020 will be the start of a new era in my personal work, and I'm incredibly excited to see what it brings.
Model Jason Klein with props by Gryndel Ghoulderson
What about you? What was your favorite creation of 2019, and does the new decade represent a change in direction for you, or maybe just the hope of new beginnings and bigger and better things to come? Share your photo in the comments and let the community, and the world, know what you've got in store for us in the new decade! Let's end 2019 with a photographic bang and inspire one another to new heights for the new year.
To motivate you, I asked Fstoppers community members to share some of their favorite photos of 2019. Join the fun!
Lead image shared with permission of Kate Woodman
Were suffering from total image overload.
My favourite photo I took myself is also just a studio portrait of a local musician. She hasn't shared any of the photos yet because her album hasn't been released. But it was a headshot of her purposely messy hair. My favourite shot by someone else is October rain by Marc Wells, I just love it's quirkiness. In fact it matches the song title of my musician friends new album so I suggested the concept to her (without the nakedness)
https://fstoppers.com/photo/427236
This was perhaps mine. Whilst the subject is rather clichéd, I've been trying to get an interesting shot of St Hubert's hunting chapel in Hampshire UK for almost 28 years. It was only when I saw the poppies this year that I realised I've always been attempting to capture it from the wrong angle. Perhaps there's one more shot next year, shooting a couple of weeks earlier to get the poppies at their best. Then I can put it to bed once and for all.
Having a young daughter means that this year simultaneously went by lightning fast while also managing to feel like January was hundred years ago. Going back through some of the photos I took this year, I can't believe how many of my favorites were taken in just the last calendar year. I feel like I haven't gotten out as much as I had in previous years, but the quality of my work has definitely gone up. I know this might come across as narcissistic, but it's hard to choose just one "favorite". However, if I had to choose one, I guess I'd go with this one, because it took me months to finally get, and 3 failed trips before the weather finally played nice.
https://fstoppers.com/photo/396803
This was definitely the image of 2019 for me, as I explore more into fantastical composite / digital art space. Still exploring and figuring things out. Also this was the first piece of mine accepted into an exhibition, which I'm pretty thrilled about.
Congratulations on the exhibition!
How did you get the hair moving?
It's a straight-on portrait with Ali's beautiful curly hair, composited with a mess of hair flips.
That's amazing. I was looking and thinking... no outward signs of a fan on her face, but the sense of motion is still there. Thank you for the behind-the-magic reveal.:)
Congratulations! Here eyes are really something!
My first frozen waterfall in Jan 2019. Worth every slippery moment of the icy climb. :)
This is probably my favorite of the year. Taken in Lviv, The Ukraine in October
I always love shots where the light is just "kissing" the subject.
This pretty much sums up my 2019.
Aaaaaaaack! So creepy, haha! Well done.
Yacoba-Model living with autism
What a beautiful girl
I was in the markets testing a beautiful 50mm vintage super takumar lens and got this I love the colours and depth of field and was very luck y to have it !
Takumar's are among the best . Have Tak's for my Pentax 6X7. The Takumar 6X7 165mm 1:2.8 LS is my go portrait lens. Added bonus it is even radioactive . Lol.
I have really enjoyed chasing fog in forests this year!
Oh man, I would have loved to be there. Makes me think of my home state.
I am not sure this is a favorite... it certainly is not on par with the images posted in this thread... but for me personally it helped me deal with a Demon in our family. So to me only it is the most meaningful of my year.
Going on record . I like it . It most certainly belongs here.
Oh man. It definitely belongs, and there is a lot of power in this shot.
Slash ft. Miles Kennedy at The Warfield in SF.
Nice!
Waited over a year to get a good clear night during peak MilkyWay season = hurricane cloudy season in FL. Finally got a clear night during new moon and took the 3 hour trip to one of the darkest spots in the SE and was rewarded with this 150 degree vertical panorama (and some other images). It is 6 panels at 70mm each with Canon 6Da, tracked and stacked for each panel. The full size tiff was over 2GB : ) someday I’ll print it big
https://www.astrobin.com/full/49yfu5/B/?nc=huerbsch&real=&mod=
wowzers! You guys have patience I just cannot match.
Yeah, you have to make a huge print of this.
I had this idea stuck in my head for months, so one night I grabbed my friend (Dj) and we did it
While this has certainly been manipulated there is less photoshop here than you might think... It was something the model, Wendy, very much wanted to do.
my favorite