As I point to the future that I hinted at in the last post calling out focus and direction, I am sharing a few of my favorite shots of 2015 with you along with a few words about each of them.  I am working to close out this season on a high note sharing my vision, clean up my social channels and search for some consistency in my work.

I won’t say this is my best work, as “best” is highly dependent on the final person viewing the images. These are just a handful of my best that represent something special, significant or meaningful to me. Hope you enjoy.

Rich 19 – I shot this on a hot Saturday afternoon in Taichung, Taiwan. I had a free day and I spent the day walking the city and taking pictures. I saw this out of the corner of my eye at the entry of an apartment/condo development. The light and contrast could not have been more perfect.

Looking Up – My wife and I spent our 16th wedding anniversary in Seattle this year. This was on our last day there. We exited the city and hiked up some falls north east of Seattle.  We love being in the woods together. I love the perspective of this shot.  What a great trip.

Twins in Tulum – I shared these images earlier in the year. I just love them and think they represent my two kids (they are twins) so perfectly. I have printed both of them in a 13×19 and have them hanging in my work area. The top picture shows the wonder in my daughters mind while the bottom shows my boy contemplating if he can jump in and splash his sister and not get mom wet while she is reading. This is my family. I love these two shots.

Whale Tail – It has been my life long dream to see and photograph whales….Or in our case a whale. While in Seattle, my wife and I spent the day on a boat in the rain and fog. We spent the whole day on the boat searching and finally we came upon this one whale. I got the shot. It was an incredible experience.

Pretty – This is my favorite portrait of the year shot at the starting line of Trans Iowa V11. I showed up almost an hour early and this guy was sitting on a park bench with his single speed waiting for the start. The whole shot is made for by the “pretty” on the bill of the cycling cap.

Levis Trow – I just shot this last weekend. I love the riders riding up to Plumbers Crack. I love the color, the detail, the lines, the body language. It also represents such an incredible weekend where I found both clarity and joy.

Red Red Wine – I shot this while in Las Vegas this year. I had an incredible meal with some good friends. The red reflecting off the table cloth caught my eye. I grabbed my cam and snapped a few pics. This shot wouldn’t work without the last drops of red wine in the glass. One cork would have worked, but we had two bottles and I think it shows that the evening was just so much fun. Three corks would have indicated a problem……

Like Father, Like Son – I love the symmetry and the symbolism of this shot. I was just watching them as they enjoyed their morning treat and explored the environment. It is meaningful to me both because of friendship but because I am a father.

Trans Iowa V11 – I stood in the pouring rain for what seemed like hours, it was actually minutes, to shoot the early morning riders. Brutal conditions prevailed and in the end, only 1 rider pressed on.

The student teaches the master – I have shot Cross Vegas for the last 3 years. This is the final lap where the dominating young Belgian rider shows his dominance of the race. This image only works for me because of the shadows of the spectators as the rider makes the final turn through the VIP area.

You can’t hold me back – This was my most popular photo on Tumblr this year. I am exiting Tumblr as it’s become the place with the most image theft as well as too many inappropriate images. Good bye Tumblr. You can’t hold me back.

One! My friend Ben H shouting out lap numbers during the women’s street crit at the All-City Championships. What an incredible night. This is honestly one of my favorite, personal shots of the year.

Magpie – I rode Maah Daah Hey again this year. This year I camped in the middle at Magpie campground along with some other folks riding horseback. I loved this evening shot. I intentionally aged the finish of this image to reflect how I feel when I am in the badlands. It brings me back in time, everytime.

The lonely road – This summer I rode in North Dakota while the smoke from the forest fires from Canada filled the air. It was a tough go but created some thick and layered images. This shot makes me dream.

Anyway, that is pretty much a wrap on 2015. It was a pretty good year for shooting. I shot about 1/3 of the number of images I shot in 2014 but still came out with about 100 that I am proud of.  I’ll probably post up one more time this year as I finish the month out on a shooting high for the year.

Thanks for following along this year. Hope you enjoyed at least an image or two along the way.