The year 2020, by a host of measures, will undoubtedly go down in history as a period of time not worth revisiting. Finding the words for blog posts about photography while the world was going up in flames felt insignificant at best but browsing through all the photos captured this year, it became clear I took images that fill me with pride for transforming a difficult year into beautiful memories. Instead of amassing an archive of just work photos, I documented my life and the love I have for photography. Let’s escape the noise of this past year and take a journey through some of my favorite photos of 2020.

JulianBraceroPhoto — Londonderry, New Hampshire

2020 put me in a position to spend a lot of time with my loved ones and I didn’t want to only look back at this year with sadness but capture those moments of joy. This first photo, one I look back on often, was taken at the peak of COVID here in the states, snapped while on one of the numerous walks with my girlfriend in pursuit of sanity. I really love the contrasting colors of the sky and the power lines, the blue of the sky is really punchy and the clouds fill in the negative space on the top third of the image. I'm really proud of the emotion conveyed, a timeless photo full of fun and joy.

Upstate NY -9767-2.jpg — Woodstock, New York

I really don’t know why don’t I shoot in black and white more often. It’s photography at its purest, there isn’t color to mask mistakes or subpar composition. It really let’s the story and structure of the image shine. When I saw the scene unfold before me I knew it was going to be captured in black and white. I really enjoy the way the man in his canoe shows the scale of the mountains behind him and how he left a trail behind him in the still water. After editing this image I went back to some of the photos I was struggling to edit from that day, switching my approach to black and white, and was really surprised at how well they transformed. The image of the cliff, in black and white, framed the subject properly and enhanced the texture of the scene. I’m very proud of capturing the photo of the bird. While eating lunch on a mountain top, a group of birds flew over me and I was excited to get a photo framing the birds in the foreground and the landscape in the background. Numerous lenses and attempts were made but eventually I gave up, thinking the moment had flown past. To my surprise, when I imported the photos, I discovered not only had I indeed accomplished my goal but I captured one of my favorite photos. The photo was well worth me almost dropping my lunch off a mountain top.

You know that feeling when you’re driving, the lighting looks just right, a perfect song is playing, and for a brief moment it feels like you’re in a movie? Is it just me? Sometimes it’s within the silent moments we realize we’re living a romanticized life. Taking a sip of good coffee, wearing your favorite shirt, feeling a warm breeze. It may just be me but that feeling is evoked when I think of drone photography. I don’t fly my drone often but in spending a lot of time upstate this past year provided a few of those moments, resulting in these two photos. A sky full of blues, purples, and pinks in the first image feel mythical and the range of blue adds so much depth as the mountains go further in the background of the image. I love the sky’s purple reflection in the lake, accompanied by the trees clinging to the last bit of sunlight, capturing what dusk feels like up north. The colors and textures in the second image craft a calming feeling, capturing the sentiment of a road trip through the mountains. It was one of the last photos I captured before driving back to the city, a perfect bookend to a fall trip upstate.

This year, as a result of the pandemic, I spent a lot more time in nature since it was safer than going to the city. With a view this stunning, you would think capturing this photo wouldn’t have been difficult but my camera wasn’t doing the spectacle view justice. Full disclosure, I snapped it after a full morning hiking one of the more challenging hikes I’ve endured, not to mention battling the harsh, direct lighting. A personal goal of mine was to work on framing, especially when it comes to objects in the foreground like the rocks in the bottom left of the photo above. Despite the challenges of the experience, I’m really happy with the photo and I was reminded New York is much more than just a city.

Color grading has become one of my favorite parts of the photo editing process. In the beginning of 2020, I spent a lot of time studying the vast different concepts of color theory and experimenting with new editing methods. The outcome of this education and experimentation is found in these two images above and boy am I in love with the tones and colors. They also represent the day they were photographed so well, both taken in Sleepy Hollow, New York, at the end of fall.

Sometimes it takes a wrong turn to get to the right place. While driving home, I made a wrong turn in Bethpage, New York and came across this view. Perhaps it was the charm of getting lost but I really love this photo and I’m not entirely sure why. There was something about the texture, the way all the trees and grass leaned right due to the strong wind, that caught my attention. I was excited to pull over and snap a few photos, this one my favorite of the bunch.

2020 was a strange year but through the tribulations, my love of photography definitely found new depths. In the pursuit of documenting my everyday life my camera started to feel like an extension of myself and the way I thought. It was a pretty rad feeling to look back on such a rough year and still have some moments of joy and memories that still make me smile.

2020, What a Year