Best of 2022 | Bang Images | Photographer

2022 feels like the fastest year of my life, and according to an article published by Harvard University, it’s scientifically true. Let’s nerd out for a second, shall we? Our perception of time changes as our brains’ aging networks of neurons becomes more complex, and yes, consequently our processing time slows down. We perceive fewer ‘frames-per-second’, “more actual time passes between the perception of each new mental image,” which makes time seem to pass more quickly. “When we are young, each second of actual time is packed with many more mental images. Like a slow-motion camera that captures thousands of images per second, time appears to pass more slowly.” – Professor Adrian Bejan

So when you begin to wonder how in the hell we got “here”, like at the end of yet another year, there’s your answer!

Not only was 2022 a little bit of a blur, it was also quite wonderful in many ways! Business was incredibly rewarding. I continued to create portraits of individuals, families, and couples, including Micro Weddings. I was invited into people’s homes for family sessions, asked to document engagements and weddings, to commemorate birthdays of little ones and adults, to photograph large families as they gathered together during the holidays, to document graduations and baptisms, to create photographs for models’ portfolios, to create moody portraits, happy portraits, and downright beautiful portraits. I even photographed The Moth at Red Mountain Theater and Governor Kay Ivey at a Charter Communications event. It was quite a variety-just the way I like it! I honestly can’t ask for much more.

This is the “tooting my own horn” section of the post, so scroll right past if you think it’s boastful. One reason I decided to include this info is so that you know what you’re paying for. I know my prices may be on the high end of average and I want you to understand why. I’m not a new photographer. I’ve been honing my craft for close to thirty years.

As the owner of my own business and someone who doesn’t have a “boss” per say, I challenge myself by entering contests and submitting to blogs and magazines. Upon my second attempt and the evaluation of 150 of what I considered to be my best photographs at the time of my application, I was accepted as a Click Pro at the beginning of this year! Click Pro is affiliated with Click Community, an inclusive photography organization made up of over 16,000 photographers worldwide.

Then, in conjunction with the celebration of International Women’s Day in March, I was named as one of the Top 100 Photographers to Watch by Click Community. In their words, it’s a way “to celebrate the visual voices of women and non-binary photographers all across the globe.” Also in the summer issue of Click magazine one of my photographs was featured in an article titled, Why It Works. And finally, I received notice in the fall that I have a 3rd Place winning photograph in the Voice Competition, an annual international photography competition; over 45,000 images were submitted! I’m over the moon!

I also found time for personal shoots. I’ve had a love affair with photography for a lot longer than I’ve actually had a photography career, and to avoid burnout, it’s really important to create art for my own personal fulfillment. It gives me a chance to experiment and those personal shoots almost always end up influencing my business in some way. If my camera is in my hands, I’m learning, and if I’m photographing someone, I’m forming a connection.

One personal project I started in January of this year is called 2022 Diptychs and Double Exposures. I had the best intentions of making it a 52-week project, but it ended up as more of a 13-week project. I don’t get hung up about these sorts of shortcomings though because there are 13 new images as a result; and a few of those are actually favorites of mine from this year. It’s hard to see it as a failure when I’ve created work that I like that I wouldn’t have created had I not attempted the project in the first place.

Another personal project from 2022 is Unusual Pets and Fairly Odd People. If you scroll through, you’ll be able to spot several images from this project. So far I’ve photographed a black hen, several rats, and a hairless cat with “their people”. This is something I’m considering carrying into 2023.

One last reflection of 2022 is this- the absolute best compliment as clients you can give me is to return after we’ve worked together. I took inventory of my contracts this fall, and at one point, over 60% of my portrait sessions were scheduled with established Bang Images clients. It means a lot to me to get to work with the same people again and again. I want nothing more than to create meaningful, artistic work for you, my clients, and for you to be so satisfied that the next time you need a photographer, I’m the one you hire. Without all of you, life as I know it wouldn’t exist. Thank you! Let’s do it again sometime! If you’re reading this as someone who’s not reached out before, I hope you feel encouraged to do so. Scheduling your portrait session or Micro Wedding with Bang Images is as easy as following this link.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post and scroll through what I consider to be the Best of 2022 by Bang Images, photographer.