6th favorite image of 2024 is an image I made with my iPhone. In a rare event as an Ohioan I was able to see the Northern Lights and make a few pretty images. For me while this image displays the colors of the Northern Lights and is a good, pretty image it doesn’t have the wowing landscape to really make it a standout— this is more because of where I was located and the fact I didn’t believe we’d ever see the Northern Lights in Ohio.
My 7th favorite image of 2024 is an equine portrait taken of a 2 year old stud in Caldwell, OH. This guy was a personality and a pleasure to photograph. His portrait just gives that nice clean equine headshot look on a black backdrop and I really enjoyed making it.
My 8th favorite image of 2024 is of my niece. It is from Halloween when she wanted to be a spooky Ring Master. It is just a sassy portrait with a dark edit to show her personality and honestly I do not like it half as much as I like her angsty image taken through her glass door that she asked her mother to do.
My 9th favorite image of 2024 comes again from that very first Cattle Shorting Event at Grizzle Ridge Arena. This image is up there not for the horse and ride but for the calf that was leaping at the camera during this capture.
Picking my 10th favorite image was hard! I love this image I choose and would have loved to move it down the list, but the images that follow I love just as much if not for different reasons.
So my 11th top image of 2024 is a self portrait. No, I do not hire others to take photographs of myself, I have the equipment and ability to get nearly everything I need by myself. Back in February I needed an updated headshot for a by-line for a column I was writing for a local paper.
My 12th favorite image from 2024 comes the Longhorn Cattle Show. I wasn’t an event photographer but rather was in the crowd and took maybe 40 photos in total. In fact these images were rather we are in a barn with an arena rail around the show pen eh kinda vibe.
You may notice a trend with the images I selected from horsing events. Most of them in this top 15 are from Grizzle Ridge, not because I prefer them or was only at their events but because they had the most shows I was able to attend this year and further offered the ability for me to photograph new events.
My 14th top favorite image also comes from an event at Grizzle Ridge Arena. I have truly been blessed to photograph so many events there this year. Many of them a first for me.
Just like that we are in to the Top 5 images of 2024. Selecting my top 5 images of the year was exceedingly difficult and the ones that made it are the images that stick out in my mind. The ones that I see and think about often.