Last year, I did a blog post of my top 100 personal images of 2016. I really enjoyed looking back through the year to make that post, and I also made a coffee table book for our family out of the images, so I decided to do it again for 2017.
I cannot even explain how much it means to me to look back over these images. Like last year, I chose based purely on personal meaning, and not necessarily technical expertise, and they include photos shot with my “big girl camera’ (a Nikon D750 for those of you so inclined to ask what I shoot with), my Olympus Tg-4 point and shoot, and even some phone selfies. For our family, the images include birthdays (9 and 11!!), holidays, Fifth grade promotion, Megan’s second hockey season, Kayla’s star role in the school play, and the birth of my beautiful baby niece, Laurel. There is a beach vacation and everyday moments in the backyard, the best freaking Nashville Predators season ever and even a total eclipse of the sun!
One thing that has always inspired me about photography, is the way it forces me to step beyond myself and identify the beauty in even the simplest moments. I truly believe that the key to happiness is recognizing this every day beauty. It is so easy to get caught up in the everyday treadmill of life, and to overlook all the amazing things we have in our lives. In our world in general, 2017 was pretty rough. I don’t think many would deny that. But even still….there is SOOOOO much good. Looking back at these photos helps me see that more clearly than I would without them. I am thankful that I am able to view the world through this lens.
What about you? What good did you experience in 2017? I’d love to hear about them in the comments. How do you plan to recognize those moments in 2018?
