My Favorite Shots of the Year (July-September)
With the calendar turning from early summertime to the dog days of summer and, eventually, the first hints of fall, my subject matter continued to change as well. With doing a lot of photography work for my goalie coaching partner (shoutout Cam Gray!) and to prep for my art fair booths, June was a grind of a month. Couple that with a rollercoaster of a breakup, and it's safe to say that my artistic inspiration was lacking and not exactly a top priority.
However, I knew that I had an amazing opportunity to shoot an INDYCAR race coming up and that I needed to get back on the proverbial horse somehow. I didn't particularly feel like leaving my house to go out and shoot, but Indiana summers never disappoint with sunsets, so I knew that I would have good lighting. Now I needed a subject.
My mom's grandmother (my great grandmother) lived in North Carolina and had a huge garden in which she bred day lilies. I was never able to visit due to our disparity in age, but those flowers meant a lot to my family, particularly my mom. The fate of the original garden where the flowers were bred is unkown; the farm where it was has since changed hands to owners that we don't know. But, every summer, my home's flower beds become alight with vibrant and colorful flowers: the last remnants of that fabled garden.
So, combine a gorgeous sunset and a beautiful flower, and surely it will make a good picture. Right? Well, see for yourself.
Generations (taken with a nikon z6 & nikon 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm, 1/500 sec, f/2.8)
Given the difficult month that I had had beforehand, this picture was something of an inspiration for me. I believe that it rejuvinated my creative spirit, and that was absolutely a good thing. Although I didn't choose them as my favorite, I have hundreds of pictures (669 fully edited pictures, to be exact) from this trimester that I had to sift through of INDYCAR racing, tropical Floridian nature, summertime hoosier wildlife, and lots of Michigan State athletics. Despite that quantity, though, nothing was able to match this shot for its history and personal meaning, or its inarguable beauty. On top of that, this shot kick started the creativity that allowed for all of the others to be what they are.
I'll be back next week with my favorite picture from the final trimester of 2025! As always, let me know if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions.
