Sparkography

At the start of the year I noticed a flurry of web activity as photographers from around the globe threw out links to their top ten shots of the year. I thought this must be the done thing if you’re a photographer and so I set about doing the same. Ok, we’re now a quarter of the way through 2010 but that’s given me plenty of time to have a proper retrospective of my first year as a working pro.

A year goes by pretty quickly these days (is that another effect of climate change?) and at first I thought I’d struggle to find ten images that I’d proudly mount on pedestals. But a trawl through my library reminded me just how many shoots, jobs and photos came out of those 12 months! So the problem was then drawing up a shortlist of the best ten.

And then there’s the subjective part: what defines a top photo? Should it be a personal favourite of mine or others? Should it feature a person or place that’s dear to me? Should it have captured a unique event or moment in time? Should it be technically well executed? Or all/some/none of the above?

Well after careful consideration I’ve selected my top ten images. Some of them I honestly didn’t expect to make the final cut, but for some of the reasons mentioned above, I felt that they deserved a place. Please have a browse and let me know which is your favourite.

Here we go, in no particular order (as that would take another three months!):

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Trippy Trip Hop Shot: ISO 3200

Monday nights are generally pretty relaxed right? It’s the start of the week so most people want to take things easy and stay dry until the inevitable crescendo towards the frenzy of drinking, partying and debauchery that is the weekend. Or is that just me? But if that also happens to be the case for the masses, is a Monday the best night to stage a concert? Well, possibly not if you’re a full on dance DJ or Marilyn Manson. But for British trip-hop legends Massive Attack, a Monday evening seems perfect, and the serene setting of the Opera House Forecourt would almost make you think you’re out for a Sunday evening of sophistication.

So this week I headed to Circular Quay with a few friends, all of us looking forward to reliving more youthful days circa 20 years ago. Our years of all night illegal warehouse raves are now distant memories (although some of us are still deluded convinced we can handle one more big night!) so the prospect of a chilled evening sitting on the Opera House steps was something we were quietly savouring. It was a perfect autumn evening: warm, clear and just a slight breeze coming off the harbour to keep us cool.

However, when we arrived the steps were already full so we headed into the standing section in front of the stage which had been erected a couple of days before, facing the iconic Opera House. This was actually the better option as the stage looked a bit distant from the steps and for this type of music you want to be as close as possible to the source to feel the dark, womb-like intimacy and comfort of the soothing beats. And so you can take good photos of course!

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59 days or 0.16 of the year are now in the bag. Or in other words February has just joined January in the Project 365 vault.

After the honeymoon of January when I was all excited and tried to take 365 photos per day, February slowed down from a gallop to a more leisurely trot.  Highlights included a Nova launch party, a shoot with two models, a trip to Noosa, and a tsunami. Almost.

Please take a look for yourself and let me know your thoughts:

Project 365: February

As for my pic of the month? Well I can never resist a good sunset and this pano with my iPhone from the balcony of the North Bondi RSL conveyed the spectacular light show as well as an SLR could have.

15th Feb: perfect sunset pano from the Rats