Looking Back at 2014

2014...

...was the year I really tried to kick my photography up a notch by putting myself out there.

...was the year that I was in five exhibits at various galleries and organizations (Soulard Art Market, Sheldon Art Galleries, Circus Flora/Regional Arts Commission, MySLart.org/Old Orchard Gallery, and Third Degree Glass.)

...was the year that I applied on a whim to a city-wide contest and made it in the Top 100, the exhibit itself and the companion book! (City at 250: St Louis in Photographs)

...was the year I made my solo exhibition debut at Third Degree Glass Factory. What an amazing opportunity and experience that was. Incredibly grateful.

...was the year that I sold 7 pieces from one exhibit alone. THANK YOU!

...was the year that I won the Best Attendance Award from Photo Flood St. Louis - no small feat because it was also the busiest work season for me.

...was the year I was obsessed with sunrises and sunsets. This obsession did pay off for some wonderful images that I will treasure.

...was the year that I furthered my obsession and practice of capturing macro water droplets. So pleased with so many of the images taken.

...was the year that I started "Ann K Photography" page on Facebook. A further step towards doing this for real?

...was the year that one of my colleagues picked my photography as the major source of backdrops for our annual holiday show. So honored.

...was the year I finally took the STL skyline photos I've always wanted.

...was the year that I visited some great places that were on my list photographically speaking.

...was the year that I was allowed to take my tripod into the Garden Glow and have a slightly easier time getting the photos of the beautiful nighttime holiday display.

...was the year where I made some great connections with photographic and art colleagues.

...was the year I might've started considering myself an artist versus a hobbyist.


On more personal notes, 2014 was the year:

...that we lost our beloved Tommy. Still breaks my heart to this day. I miss him SO much.

...that I served my civic duty on a jury.

...that I saw DG for the first time in simply years and enjoyed catching up with him in March!

...that I made time for books (thanks Book Club!)

...that a show nearly killed me but it turned out to be worth it on opening night.

...that I finally braved the line and wait to see the Teahouse at the Missouri Botanical Garden.  Definitely worth it.

...that we added Rosie, a 3 year old mystery terrier mix to the family. She's so cuddly!

...that we added Sgt. Pepper, a 18 month old wheaten cairn terrier mix to the family! He's too cute for words.

...that I made my first very grown-up purchase - a new car! (Well, new-to-me - but STILL!)

...that I exercised my wedding coordinator/stage manager skills and had a wonderful time.

...that Pippin started having day camp at my place. Fun times for both involved.

Surely I am leaving things off (I actually reviewed all of this year's Happy Lists for reminders), but I think that this is a pretty good summary of my year.

What's in store for me in 2015? Only time will tell!

Looking back at 2013/Photography Update

In comparison to last year, it seems like I didn't do anything! Last year was just a good year for the list, which needs to be altered a little bit, I think. That's a post for another day.

I only crossed #8 off, and that's only if you're being technical… I kind of counted it last year but I think it qualifies much more this year.

I knocked off Washington state leaving only 17 left and no concrete plans for any of them. 

I knocked off three more national parks (North Cascades, Mt Rainier and Olympic), which leaves 18 left. Besides a TBD trip to Utah, I'm going to have to start getting super creative. 

However, photography really moved to the forefront this past year. I have many photographic accomplishments to share:

– I joined Photo Flood St Louis, a local photography group of likeminded individuals. Not only are these photographers my photographic peers, they are also around my age as well. I've made some great friends, and learned a lot about photography from all of them. We have a neighborhood which we 'flood' and take photos of it for approximately 2 hours. One of the things I really enjoy is that we often walk around in groups and I love seeing the different perspectives on the same things. Sometimes we take the same shot, and sometimes they are wildly different. I also enjoy learning more about and seeing neighborhoods that I wouldn't have necessarily gone to/knew about the history of before.

Since February, when I joined them in Ellendale, I have been to 19 of the 23 Floods/Mini-Floods which is not too bad considering my varied work schedule. The rounds are judged - by the founder and two guest judges. I have had the great honor of winning two of them so far, and placing close in a few others. I am most proud of my unique find in Tower Grove East and I had to leave that Flood after only one hour! I've also had the honor of being a guest judge as well, which is no easy feat. There are TONS of very talented folks in this group. 

– I was selected as part of the Flickr Friday Black and White Theme. I still can't believe I was selected. I haven't had much chance to enter since, but I plan to again. The premise of the concept is that we are handed a theme on Friday, and have the whole weekend to shoot the subject and submit it. 

– I entered into two juried exhibitions this year and was selected for both.

The first was at Soulard Art Market in the exhibition with the theme of Fear II.  

  

The first image at Soulard Art Market was also my first ever sale of my photography! 

The second was Studio Altius' SEEN 2013 exhibition:

– I have been hired multiple times by a local entertainment company to document their events for their website/Facebook page as well as my regular place of employment for the same thing. This makes me exceedingly happy and honored at the same time.

– I created http://www.annkphotography.com as a digital portfolio that is more curated than every photo I've ever taken and posted to Flickr. Someday, it may grow into more, but I'm in no rush.

– Through my explorations of St. Louis (both with and without Photo Flood St. Louis), I have documented some buildings that sadly no longer exist - mostly via demolition. 

A former funeral home, Powell Square, Cupples 7, along 4th Street, Servco Warehouse.

                  

I've also very much become aware of abandoned buildings and their pending demolitions. I'm a regular reader of St. Louis Patina and Vanishing St. Louis. You should be too if you're into that sort of thing. 

– I have become a more avid reader of Digital Photography School as well as an eBook reader from various places including DPS and Craft & Vision. I have TONS of downloads to reference on my now ancient iPad.

– I have also become the proud owner of a Canon 70D. My Canon Digital Rebel XSi was a trusty companion and will live the rest of its life as my secondary camera. After 5 years, changing skills/wants/needs had driven me to want to upgrade my camera. I had long promised myself that I wouldn't upgrade until I had better skills. I have worked on my skills enough for me to feel like I deserve a new camera. Because there are technical differences between the 70D and XSi, I feel like I have taken a tiny step backwards. Soon, that step back will be reversed! 

– I also purchased a great walk around lens to go with my new camera. In addition to having a pretty decent range (17-70mm), it is a F2.8 lens (which means it works well in low-light) and it is a macro (though not as good as my other macro lens). 

– I am honing my new photography wish list. Currently on it is a wide angle lens because I love landscapes (Tokina's 11-16 f 2.8 is the current leader) as well as purchasing a flash (looking at 430 EX II as the best suited to my current needs). 

What will 2014 bring? Continuing photographic education, broadening my photographic horizons and exploring more of St. Louis and perhaps other cities/states. And of course, honing my photographic skills. 

Flickr Blog (and other recent photographic accomplishments)!

There's a theme of the week group sanctioned by Flickr, called #Flickr Friday. They post a weekly theme on Fridays and we have the weekend (or so) to shoot it. I did the very first one, but have been a bit busy and have fallen off the wagon a little bit. But this last week's theme was Black and White - and on a whim, I converted some of my macro shots into B&W. And they picked mine to be in the blog!!

Check it out here!!

This is the winning photo:

It's 1 of 8 photos and there's about 4,000 people in the group (though I'm not sure how many actually submitted this week). The odds were not in my favor and I am really pleased as punch to have been recognized! And there are some stunning submissions to the pool.

Between that and recently winning back-to-back Photo Floods (best picture of the Flood) with Photo Flood St. Louis (Tower Grove East) and (Carondelet Park) - I'm kind of riding high on the fact that my peers and colleagues are liking my work!

I'm really honored by all of the 'wins' and it makes me want to work harder on continuously producing 'winning' results, at least in my book.

Here's to upcoming photographic adventures!