2024 was crazy

I found myself saying several times this year something like "You have to get older, you have to spend your time. The only choice you have is how to spend it." It's something someone who's getting older would say, but as I look back on how I spent this year, I don't mind another increment on my number one bit.

I covered our year at VSCO in a video here and a blog here, so I'll just cover my own life in this crazy blog.

Camera Stuff

Gear-wise, my trustee Fujifilm X-Pro 3 handled the bulk of the load, and the XF18 and XF33 remain my favorites. But, the iPhone 15 Pro Max definitely got more serious use than any phone before it. (See September) I added the X-S20 to the mix for video work, and used it for a few photo trips as well where the IBIS was needed. It’s a wonderful camera, but not as fun as the XP3. I spent some good time with the Voigtlander 90mm after giving up on the XF90 which was too big and heavy. It was great, but hard to focus, and I ultimately switched to the Samyang 75mm, which I really like. The Sigma 10-18mm also joined the mix, mainly for video, but I found it super useful, especially to document my family in tight quarters.

January

The year started with a trip to the Getty Museum in LA with my wife, where we enjoyed tea, art, and a beautiful sunset. I could spend all day shooting this place, and I got some of my favorite shots of the year here right away.

Next, I spent 2 weeks with my son while my wife and daughter took a trip together. We explored San Diego, skate parks, and ended with a pilgrimage to Woodward West.

February

February was full of day trips to San Diego, and one to Anza Borrego.

March

We saw our first Space X launch of the year (by accident), I had a very productive photo walk in Newport Beach, and I took a trip to San Francisco that was both great for photos, and the start of my new role at VSCO as Evangelist.

April

I started my time with the Voigtlander 90mm on Fuji with a photo walk in San Diego. We saw Another another Space X launch (I swear we're not trying at all). The big event though was a trip to Portland to celebrate a graduation and visit friends. At the end of the month, my son & I went on a whale-watching trip in Newport Beach.

May

This was a slower month, filled with a lot of family shots. Graduations, board games, trips to the beach, playing piano, etc. Nevertheless, I still made some interesting shots that I liked. We made a few trips around San Diego, and had fun failing to see the Northern Lights in the desert.

June

A bike ride, a funeral, heavy winds, a massive craft project for church, trips to the pool begin, I desperately tried to find something interesting to shoot while waiting for my kid's music lessons. (Very much inspired by Jason Hunter, since I was working on the WE Presets around then) I discovered Joseph Bellow Gallery. I finally caught the El Cortez sign turned on and took way too many photos of it.

July

We thought the year was full... and then July happened. While on a trip to the Bay Area, we made the call to send my wife and son on a trip to England with my mother-in-law for 3 weeks... leaving the following week. My daughter and I partied hard and went to Disneyland 3 times. There's a lot of great photos, but it's all of my daughter and I, so here's a few mediocre shots to prove I was there.

August

Summer is the season of California that I suffer through. I hate being hot. Nevertheless, it was a great month for photos. We hit pools and skate parks, but the highlight of the month was taking some friends who moved back to the area around to some of our favorite spots. (They were the flower girls in our wedding and now they're in college... crazy).

September

Pretty much the "when will it stop being hot" month, and the perfect time to leave. I took a long bike ride in San Diego, my wife and I got away to Redondo Beach, a friend got married, we saw Hamilton in LA, and then we visited family in Washington for 2 weeks. Washington is among my favorite places on Earth, so this was a good month.

Took my nephew to a Mariner's game, which also turned out to be the last Oakland A's game, and took more photos with my phone than I ever have before (since the stadium doesn't allow cameras).

October

The Washington tripped continued into this month. We saw real Northern Lights in Southern California, I captured the passing comet, we went to the Lightbox Expo, I saw the Gary Winogrand exhibit at the San Diego Museum of Art.

November

The biggest of them all - the Japan trip! I'm still working through these, but here's some highlights. A few days after getting back, my son and I went and saw Kiasmos in LA. It ended with a trip to the Bay Area for a huge Thanksgiving and some of my favorite family photos of the whole year.

December

I'm always like 2 months behind on editing photos, so this is really rough, but this month has been another VSCO trip to San Francisco, straight into Christmas, and ending with a trip to Minnesota to visit family. Photo-wise, it's been a kind of weak month, but given the year I've had, I'm ok with that.

If you're still here, wow, thanks for reading all this. The next 3 months are designated "no travel, eat healthy" months, so you'll just be seeing me catch up on Japan and the last few months in my social posts mostly. But I can't wait for 2025, it's already looking like a great one.