Favorite Photos and Drone Video of 2022 across categories
For the first time in three years, I have brought back the Favorite Five photos of the year, well actually four photos and one drone video this time! My criteria for choosing my own personal favorite five of the year are that as much as possible, each photo/video must be from a different category. That means not just choosing five landscape photos. Then I give preference to choosing a photo/video that I have not made a similar one to before and that has pushed my ability forward as a photographer and drone pilot.
Which is your favorite?
Category: product photography
This powder explosion product photo was my favorite of the year. It was by far the most complicated photo I have ever made, and also the messiest! Pink powder ended up all over the front room of my house, which I use as my home studio space. It was a lot of effort to produce this photo, but I think the result was a very high impact image that really pushes my product photography to a whole new level. This image went right to the home page of my website, the highest honor I can give a photo! Check out the original blog post further detailing how I made this photo.
Category: personal branding
I had wanted to try this particular type of off camera lighting on location, but never had the exact right subject or space. This changed with photographing this yoga instructor in a large, empty yoga studio allowing me to put both 12x55 strip boxes in the exact right places to create the shadows I wanted on the subject, and controlling the ambient light in the background to make the overall look I had envisioned. This went right to the home page of my website too! Check out the original blog post about how I made this photo.
Category: drone video
To make this drone video required a lot of moving parts. The dentist had to practice the jump, bring the ramp, organize his staff to be there, and then lastly, look at the drone while jumping! On top of all this, I traveled 2 hours to Gallup and got to his practice at 7am in order to be at the dirt track in time to make this drone video. It was a huge team effort that resulted in a drone video that included fast moving action, creative establishing shots, and finally combination with regular video from inside the practice itself! Check out the original blog post about how I made this drone video.
Category: in studio
This was my first time working in a full sized professional photo studio that I rented specifically for a shoot. Actually, it was just me and my photography friend Tiffani making ourselves familiar with the space for when we would each like to rent it for actual clients, but nonetheless, this photo pushed my photography forward using the huge white seamless photo wall, using the chair prop, and putting an orange gel on the off camera light on the background. The result is a lot of orange, and a shot I could not make in the JCP Home Studio. I have since had several client shoots at this studio and look forward to many more! Check out the original blog post about how I made this photo.
Category: headshot
By volume, headshots are the type of photo I make the most per year by far. This is the headshot that stood out to me the most in 2022 because of Roy’s expression, pose, and the lighting all set over a dramatic black background. Nevermind the fact that this was Roy’s first ever professional photo shoot! He has an interest in becoming an actor and model. I would say he is a natural! Check out the original blog post about how I made this photo.