I typically like to post a little recap at the end of each year highlighting my favorite moments/strides/projects in photography. Each year since covid hit has felt off in its own way, where it was not only physically but also mentally difficult or near impossible at times to perform photoshoots let alone find the motivation. Looking back at my old posts I just realized I didn't even do a recap for 2021, so I guess I'm getting back into it. I'm not sure how many others feel this way, but for me the last year of life "returning" to its "new normal"🤮 has brought a lot of feelings of apathy around producing work and putting it out there into the world. Instagram is dying, Tik Tok doesn't really feel like a space for me, and even if that is all fine and good I just don't care about social media in the ways I used to. With those feelings looming over me for the past two years I have been leaning away from the performative aspects of photography and leaning in towards my photography goals in more personal, tangible ways.
My most proud accomplishment in photography from 2022 in terms of the actual work I produced was leaning back into my environmental work and finding a new style and inspiration in collage work. In the past I have struggled to connect the different aspects of what I shoot in a cohesive way. The polaroid project I shot in 2021 gave me a new perspective in how I was shooting and allowed me to feel more comfortable documenting life in the moment. Balancing that with my more thought out environmental photography has created a sort of story-telling element in my work and has helped me to develop a stronger personal attachment to it across the board. I've also really enjoyed the process of creating the collages as I spend a lot more time with a body of work vs just releasing photos individually into the abyss. Here are a few collages I made last year that I really loved:
The other aspect of my photography that I've been the most proud of in 2022 was all the work I've put in on my new studio space! This was an unexpected project as it kind of fell into my lap. I've been renting shared studio spaces for years, but back in July had the opportunity to take over a full space on my own and it's been an amazing journey. I'd like to do a full blog post more dedicated to the details of the renovations so far, but for now I'll just show a little before and "after."
Entryway - Before and Today
A Side - Before and Today
B Side - Before and Today
When I inherited the space it needed a lot of work to get it photo-studio-ready. Much of that was clearing out the old things left behind, and after that were the real renovations. I (along with much help from other studio members Tim and Kyle) completely refinished the floors on the photography side, repainted the walls, ripped down all the plastic from the ceiling that had been there for years, and more. It's still a work in progress but I'm so proud of the space and everything we've accomplished so far. The studio has incredible potential and I'm very excited to see what it has in store for this year!
I'm feeling good about the road ahead for 2023. 💛