Well here it is folks.  We made it.  All the way through 2014.  I’ve been around the block (a few times) in 2014 and only hope that I can do the same in 2015.  Met some awesome folks all over too.  Where have I been exactly this year?  Let’s take a look.

I shot some basketball…
My first post from 2014 was about shooting photos of the Eric Gordon as a NBA player, as well as a High Schooler.  I shot quite a bit more basketball this year than previous years, and I enjoyed it. Only one football game though, which is too bad since I love shooting football.  Maybe more in 2015 yea?  Lets cross our fingers.

I shot some magazine…

The shot above was for Cleaner Magazine out of Wisconsin.  I wasn’t slated to have the cover of the magazine, but ended up with it anyway which was incredibly cool.  I’m actually working on a project for Cleaner again as I type this (kind of a carry over project from the end of 2014).  Excited to see how it all turns out, and learn the ins and outs of Hydroblasting!  I shot for several different magazines this year, and I’ve loved all of it.  I’ve got a really great project that I’m working on for Indiana Univesrity right now that I wish I could post photos from.  Alas, the magazine doesn’t come out until March.  Guess we’ll all have to wait till then.

I got a new camera…

I actually got two new cameras this year, but that’s beside the point.  The one specifically I’m talking about here though is the new Nikon D4s, which has been and remains my primary camera.  The other camera I am referring to is my Nikon D800 (Not the D810).  Despite the Nikon D800’s 36+ megapixel resolution, the D4s is still my weapon of choice.  16 megapixels have proven over and over again to be more than enough when you shoot your photos correctly.  I’ve seen the images printed 20″ long in magazine with no trouble.  The D4s has been my workhorse since I got it in March, and I’ve put 40,000 frames on it since then. It will absolutely continue to be my workhorse camera well into 2015 if not longer.  The D800 has also gotten quite a bit of use since I bought it and it’s not in any danger of being sold, but not enough for me to bump up to the D810 right away like I’ll do when the D5 comes out.

I retired from Roller Derby…

It’s been a lot of fun over the years, but it was time.  If you want to know more, you can check it all out HERE.

(Can’t see the 20′ softbox but it’s there… Click to ultra biggify)

Did quite a bit with Roberts Camera this year…

I love the folks over at Roberts Camera.  Not only do I buy almost all of my gear from them, in some occasions I even hang out with them!  From time to time they also call to have me do something either too unsafe to do on the work clock, or just generallyh goofy.  The panoramic above is from the Automotive Softbox I shot with for their blog.  You can read more about that HERE.  It was really cool having never shot with a softbox so large before (20 feet long!!).  Wish I had the money, or the space to use one more regularly, but it looks like that’ll be left to the Automotive Pro’s.  Hoping to continue to bring a Plethora of neat content and workshops through Roberts Camera in 2015!

I started a personal project…

Which hasn’t gotten very far thanks to any one of eleventy thousand excuses.  I feel like I need to feel the project out more before I can say much more than this, but at least now the internet knows that it exists I suppose.  Maybe it’ll give me a little bit of a guilt trip effect for 2015 to get a little further.  I’ve already lined up some of the “talent” that I want.  You can take that as you will considering the content above….

I migrated my archive…

This is a big one, which is also why it made it into the year in review.  I was a long time supporter of DROBO until about a month ago.  I now have all of my photos archived on a 8 Bay Synology.  It was a tough call as to whether or not to stick with Drobo, and why I went with synology but that’s a much MUCH longer blog that has already been written for the beginning of 2015.  Needless to say it was a painless transition and my life’s work is in a nice safe place.

Lastly, I’ve shot a lot more corporate and commercial work this year than years past. It’s been an interesting adjustment this year in regards to corporate and commercial.  Not in shooting style, but in the aftermath honestly.  I shot a lot of things like this while working at the Indianapolis Star.  Problem is that I didn’t do a lot of the back end, or the discussion about the projects ahead of time like I do now.  It’s been a whole new world, and I greatly enjoy it.  I really look forward to the possibilities I am already working on for 2015.

It’s been a fun year in terms of Photography.  Life has been tough  in general, not just as a freelancer, but I like the challenge.  I’m incredibly thankful for Shannon who has stood by me and faced all sorts of adversity thanks to my freelance photography career.  Being gone on nights, weekends, and all sorts of random hours hasn’t been easy.  Without her though I’m not sure I could do it at all.

What are some things we can look forward to in 2015?  Well gosh.  I am hoping to make progress on my personal project as mentioned above.  I’ve also been working on booking projects for January and February for the last two months or so, which means I’m not going away any time soon.  I was just asked about being featured in a Indianapolis Photography magazine which is pretty cool, and I”m really looking forward to seeing how that unfolds.  I also have been asked to do a write up about a new photography product on Kickstarer called the CamsFormer.  I don’t have a whole lot of details yet, but I look forward to the possibility as it looks like a really neat device.  I also have a few ideas for Workshops in 2015 that I think quite a few people will enjoy.  All in all it looks like it’s going to start out at least to be a fun year.

Thanks everybody for sticking with me here on the Blog.  I hope you all have a very happy and safe new year, and I look forward to seeing you all on the other side.  More Soon.