2015::the year in photos

the radio stations are doing it.  the news is doing it.  it’s that time of year when everyone is doing their ‘year in review’.

personally i’m still in disbelief that we are in the final days of 2015.  but nevertheless, i’ve spent a fair amount of time these past few days trying to get all my photos organized.  a sort of nice, tidy bow to wrap up the year so to speak.

i had this idea that i would do a post with my ten favorite photos of the year.  but trying to narrow down a year’s worth of photos turned out to be a much more challenging project than i had anticipated.

it’s a little bit like trying to narrow down a list of my favorite flowers – just about the time i declare with any kind of certainty that tulips are my favorite flower, along come peonies.  then daylilies.  then hydrangeas.  then …  well you get the picture.

anyway, going back through my photos was a lovely way to revisit the year.  as i scrolled through my lightroom catalog, i remembered not only a time a place, but the feeling i had being present in that moment.

i love that about photography.

but just like in past years, a few photos always stand out to me.  sometimes it’s the color.  other times a photo will have a meaningful connection or invoke a particular emotion. they nearly always have a special quality to the light.

as i am sharing with my friends at focusing on life today, i am both looking back at 2015 and thinking ahead to 2016 in regards to my photography.  thinking about what i could have done a little better.  wondering how to keep it fresh and inspiring going forward.

whatever that looks like though, i find it helpful to keep in mind why i continue to take pictures…my mission statement i suppose.

and to start with, i like to think of photography as form of meditation – a soulful practice in my ongoing attempts to be present in my own life.  to stay grounded and mindful. but for me photography is also a spiritual practice.  a kind of praise and worship if you will.  a way to express my gratitude to God for the beauty and joy of my ordinary life.

so this week, while i ponder ideas for the coming year, i am going to hold onto 2015 just a wee bit longer.  revisit treasured memories.  because it was a good year.  because it is a good life.

thank you for letting me share it with you.

love, kelly