This year really had its ups and downs. Overall I’ve been very busy, getting to do fun things and accomplishing a lot. On the upside I’ve done more 1-on-1 photoshoots than I could have imagined in a year, even after having to cancel 3 for different reasons for the first time ever. I also had a great trip to a new country (Spain) and a new area of a country I’ve visited a number of times, visiting Tulum, Mexico. This year I also tried to broaden my artistic scope by shooting with a male model on one of my tours. It has been great meeting and working with new collaborators, but I am now embarrassingly behind in my editing.
It’s the first year that I’ve ever had to had to cancel photoshoots, and pay the price$. The first big kink in my plans for the year happened with getting chosen for jury duty, which consumed almost the entire month of April. It was challenging and stressful but it was important to have done it. But it also forced me to cancel out on a couple of photo shoots I had already booked in advance. Then on my tour in Utah, I developed a back problem which became so sever I had to cancel out on almost half of the planned shooting locations. The last kink was having booked 4 photoshoots in the first 3 weeks after returning from Spain, only to get Covid on my return forcing me to cancel one.
In addition to fun stuff, I finally managed the “Herculean” task of painting and reorganizing my office, which has been a disaster for a decade. I also got a major refresh to the outside of my house, which although unplanned at this time it managed to accomplish major things on my ToDo list that realistically would have taken me years to finish. So I guess I traded $$$ for time, never an easy thing for me to do, but I think the result is a good thing. As my age progresses that seems like a more intelligent tradeoff.
I took more than 32k pictures in 3 different countries, on 2 different continents, working with 36 different models from 12 different nations. This year I had way more opportunities to do 1-on-1 shoots with models who were new to me, as a number of models I had never worked with before continued to reached out to me when they were visiting the area. Still, I need to learn to say no more often. I’m slowly still trying to improve the set design of my shooting spaces to allow for more interesting and varied photos. I still have a goal to continue to have pictures published in the coming year.
The theater side of my activities fell off of a cliff this year. I only saw one play locally, and I didn’t make any Shakespeare related trips to Oregon or Colorado this year. On a sad note, CalShakes which led to me to my love of Shakespeare and whose annual seasons I’ve attended for more than 35 years announced that they are dissolving. On the other hand, Bob dragged me along to see 3 classic operas this year which meant my culture didn’t completely snuff out.
The highlights of the fun parts of my year include
- Visited 1 new country (Spain)
- 26 1-on-1 photo shoots (20 at my house, 5 local area, 1 international)
- 1 US photography tour with 2 models (1 female, 1 male)
- 2 international photo retreats/tours, 1-on-1 shoots with 15 different models
- 1 local photo workshop with 2 models
- shot with 36 different models, 22 of whom were new subjects for me
- had a photoset published, and 1 photo included with a prestigious publication
- 1 live play (Shakespeare)
- 3 visits to the opera
The less-fun parts of the year included
- Jury Duty on a serious 1-month case
- Major downtime from pinched nerve in my back
- Getting Covid after returning from travel
- 4 front teeth crowned
Next year I already have some travel and photography plans on the books.
My battle to improve healthy aspects of my lifestyle continues. I’ve unfortunately bounced back in weight (initiated after the down time while sick), and I definitely need to redouble my efforts this year. It’s clear that as the years pile on, keeping a focus on health is a necessity. I’m grateful that I’m still able to be active and pursue my interests to the degree I have. I’m looking forward to a new year of interesting travels, creative opportunities and new friends.