I doubt that many of us will look back fondly on 2020, with lives turned upside down due to COVID. Despite having to cancel over a half-dozen workshops, I count myself lucky. My wife and I, our kids and extended family, have been able to stay healthy and avoid financial ruin. If there was anything good to come out of it for me, personally, it was that it gave me a reason – and time – to develop some classes I could teach online. I also took advantage of the extended time at home to explore more of the area near me, and found some nice photo opportunities there.
Each year, around this time, I like to go back through my favorite photos of the previous year to pick about a dozen that I particularly like. I then post them, along with the story behind each one. Here are those from last year:
2020 started on a bright note here in Kansas City as Tyrann Mathieu (R) and Patrick Mahomes (C) admire the Lamar Hunt trophy, which they won after beating the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship game in January. Nikon D5, Preset white balance, Manual exposure, ISO 2000, 1/640 at f/4.5, Nikkor 200-400mm f/4 lens at 400mm.
In February I led two workshops to Cuba, and it was every bit as fascinating as people say. I chose to bring along my infrared converted camera, and that resulted in this photo amongst the tobacco fields west of Havana. Nikon D7000, Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/250 at f/8 in Matrix metering, Nikkor 12-24mm f/4 lens at 24mm.
We came across a photo shoot in the town of Matanzas, in Cuba, and the photographer was happy to let us shoot around him. I loved the contrast between the man recycling soda cans and the portrait session going on next to him. Nikon Z 50, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 400, 1/400 at f/5.6 in Matrix metering, -0.3 EV, Nikkor VR Zoom 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 lens at 120mm.
On the second Cuba workshop, our driver, Oscar, asked if we’d like to visit his family’s farm. Once there, his brother gave us a tour of the fields, ending in a treat of some fresh sugar cane. On international trips, I always try to get the guide to use his personal connections to give us some unique experiences. Nikon Z 7, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 100, 1/400 at f/5.6 in Matrix metering, -1.3 EV, Nikkor AF Zoom 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G lens at 18mm.
After everything shut down in mid-March, I started looking for things to shoot around home. While rinsing out a soap container, I noticed the bubbles inside and took it downstairs for a session in my little home studio. Nikon D780, Manual exposure, Preset white balance, ISO 320, 1/50 at f/9 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor VR 105mm f/2.8G lens.
As spring took hold, I started exploring local parks I could visit at night (fewer people, easier social distancing). An old friend suggested a location he knew of with a small waterfall. I used three Lume Cubes to light this scene. Nikon Z 50, Manual exposure, Sunny white balance, ISO 1000, 15-seconds at f/9 in Matrix metering, -1.0 EV, Nikkor AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED lens at 12mm.
Comet Neowise gave me an excuse to make about a half-dozen trips to photograph it, mostly in the dark sky country west of Kansas City. On one of those excursions I found a bison statue on a knoll, which made for a great foreground subject. Nikon Z 6, Manual exposure, 3800K white balance, ISO 10,000, 13-seconds at f/2.8, Nikkor AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II lens at 145mm.
One of my few sports assignments over the summer resulted in this photo of Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Trevor Williams tossing a grounder he snagged to the plate. With COVID rules in effect, photographers were moved from the field to the stands, so I was shooting with a 500mm lens and this was the full width of my framing. I was impressed the autofocus stuck so well at this close distance. Nikon D780, Manual exposure, ISO 2500, 1/1600 at f/4, Preset white balance, Nikkor 500mm f/4 lens.
The one good thing that came of having to cancel almost all my workshops last fall was being being able to accept an assignment to shoot the season’s Kansas City Chiefs home games for AP Images. Here, Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman is tackled by Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore during a Monday Night Football game. Nikon D500, Manual exposure, Preset white balance, ISO 1250, 1/1600 at f/2.8 with a Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 lens at 200mm.
I did more night shoots around Kansas City in 2020 than ever before, as I continued to look for interesting things to photograph near home. A friend invited me to meet her at an airplane parts place west of Kansas City that she’d arranged permission to visit. Near the end of the evening’s shoots I decided to do a multiple image star trails photo. This was the result of 186 25-second exposures over about 1.5 hrs. Nikon D780, ISO 2000, 25-second exposures at f/2.8, Nikkor 20mm f/1.8 lens.
The one workshop that I did manage to run during COVID was in November, in Moab, UT. I had five people who volunteered to drive themselves, and then arranged the workshop so that we were only together while outside, and masked if close. While the classic photos are all large landscape scenes, I found this frozen still life at my feet during one of our morning outings. Nikon Z 6, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 100, 1/80 at f/8 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor NIKKOR Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens at 130mm.
About two hours north of Kansas City is the Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge. I made a number of trips up there in the fall, and the best picture came when I found this eagle checking out its reflection on the ice early one cold morning. Nikon Z 6 II, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 1250, 1/2500 at f/8 in Matrix metering, -0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 lens with Nikkor TC-14e III teleconverter for 700mm.
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Great images Reed & a great read on what can be done closer to home…with that being said…can’t wait to travel again!
Thanks Norm. I agree, we’re all eager to be able to travel again!