I hope you had a lovely Christmas, I cooked duck for the first time and it was delicious. As for film-related presents, I received a couple of medium-format films from friends and a book from my Emulsive Secret Santa. But more about all of that in my next post, this one is about my favourite photos from this year.
The first selection is the automated one from https://topnine.co/. They do all the hard work via algorithms. This is the selection they chose for Camera Go Camera’s Instagram feed.
I am pleased with the selection, though I was surprised by my self-portrait being in there. My friend Mandy was not surprised with her inclusion as she thinks that is the best photo I have ever taken 😉 so much so, that I have turned it into a cyanotype for her which, again, I will write about on about on another post.
As for my personal top ten for the year…here they are, in no particular order.
Ricoh ff-70, Kodak T-Max,
I love photos of sheep, simple as.
Mamiya C2, Ilford delta 400
This one is from a project on…how to annoy my dad. It is working 🙂 I have enough photos for a zine which I will produce in the new year.
Yashica 44, Expired Fuji Acros
I saw this dog approaching and, well, figured a dog would do what a dog does. So I waited for the decisive moment, it didn’t disappoint.
Minolta X-700, Expired Ilfocolor 400
I much prefer this photo of Mandy to the one selected previously. It looks like an album cover, very relaxed.
Olympus OM-10, Washi X
This was my first time using this film and I loved it. I also like how minimalistic this photo is, exactly what I was aiming for.
Mamiya C2, Ilford Delta 3200
I felt absolutely awful this day, exhausted and drained. I also had issues with using the camera, my brain just wasn’t working. But I still managed to capture this shot of Jacob. It basically shows exactly how I was feeling.
Samsung ECX1 Panorama, Ilford FP4
It’s not just the clouds in this photo I like, but the fact I managed to develop it in caffenol for the first time.
Samsung ECX1 Panorama, Ilford XP2
I love panoramics and hope to produce a zine next year with shots like this.
Mamiya RB67, Kentmere 400
At first, I was bothered by the light on Adam‘s eyebrow on the shadowed side, but then I burned it out and it bothered me more. So I left it as is and grew to like the imperfection. This was taken with a borrowed Mamiya RB67 which I have temporarily swapped for my Mamiya C2. I might have trouble swapping back though.
And finally……OK fine…
Mamiya RB67, Kodak Tri-X 400
I do like this photo and it is also in my own top ten of the year.
So there you go, my favourite photos from this year and a very brief glimpse at some things happening next year…but more about that in my next post.
Fabulous all, but I admit to having rooted for the *other* sheep for the winner’s podium, the one from a coupla posts back, cropping away at the grass and sedges on the hillcrest, with the valley and village below, and the cold skies; the one not deigning to even glance up at the photographer or the unsettling Samsung camera making his picture. This is a good sheep, mind, well-seen and shot; an excellent, foursquare, confident sheep, facing you eye-to-eye, parti-colo{u}red head erect with the full weight of all that wool upon him, right foot lifted and poised for the challenge of posing; ah, but it flames the longing heart for the other, more diffident browser.
(2023 has been a very good year for you; congratulations!)
I liked that sheep photo too, but this one was more challenging…as in, looking right at me as you said.
No doubt; that raised foot evokes a little … sheep attitude and stamps his presence. Ah, but the marvelous textures of this shot – you can feel the rough grasses, the thick wool of him (or her, as may be). I had immediately tried to click on and enlarge the shot to revel in those textures and their contrast with the smooth tones above.
Why thank you for the poetry of your comments
Your photo of Jacob reminds me of Patrick McGoohan in the opening titles for The Prisoner …. “I am not a number, I am a free man!”
I will have to youtube that one 🙂