Top Ten 2010 #1

Six of the pictures that made my top ten of 2010 I loved the minute I took. I remember knowing they were contenders for a spot on the list as soon as I saw the result, six miracles that perfectly captured what I was feeling and seeing in that exact moment. The other four…well choosing them from the 4,567 images that remained was a bit more of a debate, and only time can tell if I got them correct. What I notice when I scan all the images is my instinct. Every time I reached for my camera I was experiencing a feeling, object, person, place, food or landscape that I loved so much I wanted to put it in my pocket and take it home. Exploring a years worth of pictures does underline the cliché fact that time moves faster as I get older. It also gives me a pictorial view of the moments that mattered.

#1 - Great Dining

This picture was my number one right after I took it. It is so perfect it shocked me when I first saw it. I’ve never created a cover worthy photo but this table, set to impress, is ready for its moment in the spotlight. I had many great meals in 2010 and I’d like to think that this image represents them all. The simple perfection of great food, great company and adventure feeds the perfect composition for art.

Top Ten 2010 #2

Six of the pictures that made my top ten of 2010 I loved the minute I took. I remember knowing they were contenders for a spot on the list as soon as I saw the result, six miracles that perfectly captured what I was feeling and seeing in that exact moment. The other four…well choosing them from the 4,567 images that remained was a bit more of a debate, and only time can tell if I got them correct. What I notice when I scan all the images is my instinct. Every time I reached for my camera I was experiencing a feeling, object, person, place, food or landscape that I loved so much I wanted to put it in my pocket and take it home. Exploring a years worth of pictures does underline the cliché fact that time moves faster as I get older. It also gives me a pictorial view of the moments that mattered.

#2 – Single Source

I remember working at a TV station and a very well known media figure would not come to the set unless her lighting was fixed. She refused to be seen without “her lighting.” Why? Because she does not look in person, the way she looks on TV. On TV she looks younger and it was because of the lighting. That was a big lesson for me and I have never forgotten it – light is power. In the theatre, it is common knowledge that if you can’t afford a set designer and a lighting designer you should always put your money in the light. This year I tried to learn about light – this picture, I love because it tells the story of light. All natural, and from the same source direction, but so many different details are presented. Maybe this picture is a bit too technical to be great, but I was patting myself on the back after I took it. I found an element of technique and I found the light.

Top Ten 2010 #3

Six of the pictures that made my top ten of 2010 I loved the minute I took. I remember knowing they were contenders for a spot on the list as soon as I saw the result, six miracles that perfectly captured what I was feeling and seeing in that exact moment. The other four…well choosing them from the 4,567 images that remained was a bit more of a debate, and only time can tell if I got them correct. What I notice when I scan all the images is my instinct. Every time I reached for my camera I was experiencing a feeling, object, person, place, food or landscape that I loved so much I wanted to put it in my pocket and take it home. Exploring a years worth of pictures does underline the cliché fact that time moves faster as I get older. It also gives me a pictorial view of the moments that mattered.

#3 – They were two…

There are so many characters walking around this town if I stopped to photograph every one I would never arrive anyplace. With that in mind, there are also people so utterly fantastic that my destination doesn’t seem so important - these two lead that pack this year. I couldn’t decide if they were more Dickensian or Cohen Brothers, but either way I had to take them with me. Maybe they are a bit Steinbeck – no matter - I think there should be a novel about them and I can’t wait to read it.

Top Ten 2010 #4

Six of the pictures that made my top ten of 2010 I loved the minute I took. I remember knowing they were contenders for a spot on the list as soon as I saw the result, six miracles that perfectly captured what I was feeling and seeing in that exact moment. The other four…well choosing them from the 4,567 images that remained was a bit more of a debate, and only time can tell if I got them correct. What I notice when I scan all the images is my instinct. Every time I reached for my camera I was experiencing a feeling, object, person, place, food or landscape that I loved so much I wanted to put it in my pocket and take it home. Exploring a years worth of pictures does underline the cliché fact that time moves faster as I get older. It also gives me a pictorial view of the moments that mattered.

#4 – Like Audrey

Choosing one flower picture for the list was the hardest decision. I have hundreds of pictures of flowers and trees and grass (only a New Yorker would need to capture this much nature on film) but these small white blossoms made the final cut despite American Idol level competition. I like flower pictures that are not too calendar ready. I like them to have a bit of an edge. It needs to be pretty without being cheesy (not an easy task, I have lots of cheesy). Photographing flowers is easy, really easy. They are already beautiful. Or it is almost impossible. Flowers have a personality, as does everything in nature. I find it is very easy to slip into school picture mode and just quickly snap the “pretty” vs. looking for the personality. This photo worked for me because I think it’s beautiful and full of interpreted personality.

Top Ten 2010 #5

Six of the pictures that made my top ten of 2010 I loved the minute I took. I remember knowing they were contenders for a spot on the list as soon as I saw the result, six miracles that perfectly captured what I was feeling and seeing in that exact moment. The other four…well choosing them from the 4,567 images that remained was a bit more of a debate, and only time can tell if I got them correct. What I notice when I scan all the images is my instinct. Every time I reached for my camera I was experiencing a feeling, object, person, place, food or landscape that I loved so much I wanted to put it in my pocket and take it home. Exploring a years worth of pictures does underline the cliché fact that time moves faster as I get older. It also gives me a pictorial view of the moments that mattered.

#5 - Not Quite Midnight

Taken on no particular evening of importance and capturing nothing monumental, except a pleasant walk home, I found this picture beautiful for its ordinariness. New York may not sleep, but it does slow down. Noticing the beauty of the city when it’s slower is why I loved this moment.

Top Ten 2010 #6

Six of the pictures that made my top ten of 2010 I loved the minute I took. I remember knowing they were contenders for a spot on the list as soon as I saw the result, six miracles that perfectly captured what I was feeling and seeing in that exact moment. The other four...well choosing them from the 4,567 images that remained was a bit more of a debate, and only time can tell if I got them correct. What I notice when I scan all the images is my instinct. Every time I reached for my camera I was experiencing a feeling, object, person, place, food or landscape that I loved so much I wanted to put it in my pocket and take it home. Exploring a years worth of pictures does underline the cliche fact that time moves faster as I get older. It also gives me a pictorial view of the moments that mattered.

#6 - Ode du Martha

If I ever had a chance to get into any Martha Stewart publication I thought this photo was it. The color palette, the light, the properly placed chipped paint on the wall, this scene looked so styled it was hard to believe it wasn't. I love random perfection. I don't want to have to make perfection, because I can't, but to stumble on perfection and notice it - that is this moment and this photo.

Top Ten 2010 #7

Six of the pictures that made my top ten of 2010 I loved the minute I took. I remember knowing they were contenders for a spot on the list as soon as I saw the result, six miracles that perfectly captured what I was feeling and seeing in that exact moment. The other four...well choosing them from the 4,567 images that remained was a bit more of a debate, and only time can tell if I got them correct. What I notice when I scan all the images is my instinct. Every time I reached for my camera I was experiencing a feeling, object, person, place, food or landscape that I love so much I wanted to put it in my pocket and take it home. Exploring a years worth of pictures does underline the cliche fact that time moves faster as I get older. It also gives me a pictorial view of the moments that mattered.

#7 - A Museum of The People

One of the best places to take candid pictures of people are museums because no one thinks they are the subject of a photo when there is Pollock on the wall. Wandering around MoMA, one night after work, I concentrated on capturing the process of viewing art, not the art itself, and I thought this image said it all. Yes, the MoMA, MET and all the other mega museums are cultural amusement parks with snack bars, gift shops and commemorative t-shirts. Most the time people are there to check Starry Night off of a to-do list. This fact upsets many art snobs, but not me. I don't care why you go to any cultural activity, as long as you do. As long as you are curious to see what could be...that's all that matters. I own museum t-shirts, and not every work of art on a museum wall is good, but what matters to the art world, past and present, are the people experiencing it.