January

It doesn't get much more January than this. I snapped this photo at the Bath Nature preserve in a pretty hefty flurry. I thought it would be fun to go out and test the weather-proofing of my new Canon 7D. (Buy Print)

TheChiefSource.com night at Studio Akron. Andrew McCallister invited the whole Chief Source crew to his new studio in downtown Akron to have a few beers, play with cameras, and check the place out.  We nerded out on photography-talk and had a fun night.

February

My beautiful girlfriend and I, a bit of fancy Photoshop trickery, and some pretty decent lighting(if I do say so myself) makes this one of my favorite photos of the month.

A friend of mine, Justin Seeker, needed some shots of himself recording at the studio in Tri-C. I brought two flashes with me and did my thing. I was proud of most of the shots I got that day - this being one of the best.

March

I considered Blue Hen Falls my photographic nemesis - I had tried to capture the falls on a few different occasions and always came away disappointed. With this shot I felt I could finally bury my burden and hike away happy. Now this year I need to walk down the trail and capture a good shot of Buttermilk Falls....(Buy Print)

This is musician Brian Wenner. I teamed up with fellow ChiefSourcer, Kyle, for this shot. Brian brought his lights and we brought ours. I think we sang a photographic harmony together.

April

I shot this photo of two-piece band Beta War behind the Matinee(a Highland Square Bar). I used a remote flash to light the shot.  Its awesome, right?

These are some tulips in my yard shot at night using a tripod and long-exposure.  I love the strange feeling the nighttime, moonlight gives it. (Buy Print)

May

My Dad emptying a beer at sunset on Memorial Day. Timing was everything in shooting this silhouette - its possibly my favorite shot of the year. We were at a horse boarding farm where my Dad's friend lives and I was shooting like crazy during the 'magic hour' - when my Dad tipped this bottle back I happened to catch it. (Buy Print)

I went to Kent State University on May 4th to hear the speeches during the 40th anniversary commemoration of the shootings.  This photo is of the crowds in front of Taylor Hall (Buy Print).

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June

Me and a few friends decided to go to an Indians game before the farm season began to consume all of our time. I took this photo of my crew walking from the car to Progressive Field. (Buy Print)

I really liked this shot - much more than I liked the Indians batting line-up.

I took this photo sitting at a traffic light on West Market Street. It is intentionally out of focus and kind of reminds me of a lomography shot. There is just something about it that I like. (Buy Print)

July

I nearly blinded myself staring through my view-finder as I snapped about ten of these shots. I thought this one turned out perfect - the spacing of the tassels and the way the sun was just starting to burn off the river fog. I have 14x11 metallic print of this matted and framed hanging above my mantle - its beautiful! (Buy Now)

Even my personal, year-in-photos review is not immune from the biggest news in the Akron/Cleveland area and the sport's world this year. This was my photo on the day of 'The Decision'.
Mark Price 4eva!

August

This year I kept my Canon Rebel XT with me in the tractor most of the time.  It was great to have on hand for those few moments when I could sneak a quick shot.  This photo should be titled "Employee Meeting @ Szalay's". -I think we were planning our critter control for the day....(Buy Print)

It would be dishonest of me to post anything but a picture of sweet corn for one of my August photos. I took this at sunrise in the 'Back of John's House' field - I thought the morning colors looked really cool.(Buy Print)

September

These are the historic Cranz/Hammond barns on Ira Rd. I was out closing our gates at the Cranz field(to keep the deer out) and the sunset was perfect on the barns - when I went out at the same time the next day I made sure I had my camera with me. (Buy Print)

September was a busy month on the farm so when I got off early one day I decided to do a little exploring and get a few shots. This is a photo of the canal-era Yellow Creek Culvert. It was built in the 1820's to carry the Ohio and Erie Canal over Yellow Creek - now it carries Riverview Road over the creek. (Buy Print)

October

After sweet corn season ends on the farm we start coming in a little bit later - I decided to head in at the same time and use the opportunity to get some of the shots I thought about all summer. I love the dreamy look the morning light gives the Everett Road Covered Bridge in this photo. (Buy Print)

We were organizing and sweeping up the old red barn one afternoon when we noticed the way the light was filtering through the dust and the cracks of the 1840's structure. Johnny Szalay told me I should go get my camera - I'm glad I did. (Buy Print)

November

Its hard to choose just two photos from the month of November - finally having some free time(with the farm closing) I went out and shot everything I could. The above photo is of a machine that was left as a reminder of the Jaite Paper Mill north of Boston(in the Cuyahoga Valley). (Buy Print)

Again, hard to choose...but I love this photo of Laura bringing us the beers at the Browns' game. Since I miss most of the early season Browns' games it was great to be able to see one in person.

December

The Indigo Lake stop on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway line. I like the shallow depth-of-field technique in this shot. (Buy Print)

Tis the season....my reflection in an ornament on our Christmas Tree. A reflection of me with my camera seems to be the perfect way to wrap up this year's photographic review. (Buy Print)

Here's to the next year being even better. Happy New Year's!

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Last year's review can be viewed here.