Reflections on 2024
“The past is in your head, the future is in your hands.”
-Unknown
As 2024 comes to a close I wanted to reflect on the past year. Mostly my favorite things, lessons learned or reminded of, and thoughts on what’s to come in 2025. I’ve heard from many others how they felt the year went by so quickly and I’m inclined to agree. 2024 was such a whirlwind for me personally. Lots of traveling, working on projects, greetings and partings, etc. But overall, I would say it was the single best year of my 30s as they too come to a close. In light of recent events, I feel like I’m closing a certain chapter in my life. Not sure exactly what I’d call it, but it feels like going from adolescence to adulthood if that makes sense.
I planned to post more on the blog in December, but after returning from Seoul, I decided to take a bit of a break from blogging as I worked on images and just enjoyed some downtime for the holidays. A more regular blog schedule will return beginning the first week of January and I think I’ll go back to a new post every Friday format. Don’t quote me on that, lol.
Anyway, without further ado, here are my reflections on the year:
Favorite Photo Camera
My workhorse. There is none better.
As I said last year and this year is no different, my favorite camera is the A7RV. It’s really all I could ask in a full-frame camera with only a couple of small things I would change. It has been my workhorse for everything from portraits to event photography. It’s fast, small, the image quality is fantastic, and the high-resolution gives me lots of flexibility in post. It’s easily one of the best gear purchases I’ve ever made and has recouped its expense a dozen times over. If I could change anything, it would be a faster sensor readout so silent shooting wouldn’t be so hit or miss with the rolling shutter at play. And maybe better high-iso performance. Otherwise, I still love this camera like the first day I got it. Bravo Sony!
Favorite Lens
The little lens that could. The Tamron 20-40 f/2.8 Di III VXD is legit.
The Tamron 20-40 f/2.8 Di III VXD easily. I’m not a fan of buying wide primes lower than 28mm. If I were a landscape shooter, I could justify the cost of an expensive 20mm or 24mm lens. If I did real estate photography, I could buy, say a 15mm lens, and it would be justifiable. I’m just not in enough situations where I need wider than 28mm. But when I do find myself in those settings, the Tamron 20-40 f/2.8 is my lens of choice. It’s small, fast, and I find the focal range extremely versatile. When paired with the A7RV and its APS-C crop mode, I can easily double my focal length at the push of a button turning my 20-40 into a 40-80mm. For event photography, it feels like cheating. I can shoot from the hip with confidence as I know the focusing will be accurate and land on the subjects I want it to. You’d think it would be expensive, but it’s a reasonably priced $699. Like my A7RV, it’s paid for itself many times over. If you don’t have one in your kit, I highly recommend it for both stills and video. My runner-up would be the Tamron 28-75. Also an incredible value. I can do practically all of my work with those two lenses. Brilliant stuff.
Favorite Video Camera
DJI Osmo Pocket 3. The perfect combination of form factor and fun factor.
I really should trademark that phrase.
The DJI Osmo Pocket 3. It’ll never use a full-frame camera again for travel vlogging. Yeah, yeah, I know the image quality is better, but the size trade-offs aren’t worth it. And the Osmo is just too fun to use. It goes everywhere with me. Dinners, concerts, walks in the park, rides in the countryside. I can hand it to someone and they can quickly figure out how to use it. I’ve even started using it to record personal vlogs as an alternative for traditional journaling. I love it and keep it in my camera bag.
Favorite Shoot
The phenomenal Sera Ryu. There will never be another. She deserves her own post.
Best shoot of the year(and my career). Forever thankful.
This one is tough because 2024 was a very active year for me creatively. I learned so much from others, about myself, and about what I want my images to ultimately be and be about. I’m very blessed to say I got to work with every single model I wished to work with this year. And the work we did felt like I moved the needle forward in a considerable way. I loved all of those shoots, even the ones that didn’t come out as strong as I’d hope. But ultimately, my favorite shoot was with Korean singer, Sera Ryu. I’m a HUGE fan of her and her music, so having the opportunity to shoot with her was a once in a lifetime event for me. Even thinking about it, it still feels surreal to me. I haven’t written about it at length on the blog yet, but it was a far better experience than I ever could have imagined. She was sooo cool to meet and work with. That one I’ll always cherish and it makes me thankful for choosing photography as a profession. I highly doubt our paths crossing if I chose to be a real estate agent haha. So easily that one is my favorite of the year. Probably all-time so far in my career.
Favorite Place
Lisbon was amazing. 12/10 would recommend.
I travelled a lot this year. Many times to Paris and across Europe. Seoul was fantastic, but I think my favorite place was Lisbon. I felt the spirit of God there. In the people I met, the places I went, the food I ate. It just felt spiritual for me. I would describe Portugal is like Spain and France had a baby. It’s like a unique blend of what makes those countries great with it’s own flavor added. The people were so nice and accommodating from the staff at my hotel to every Uber driver I met. I loved it there and will be returning at some point in the new year.
Favorite Film
Beautiful film. Gothic Horror is back? Yes, please.
This year was pretty sparse in terms of films. The entertainment industry is still reeling from the strikes of 2023 and a lagging economy/job market, so there wasn’t a ton of films to sift through this year. No Oppenheimer or Poor Things. Oscar season looks pretty light as a result. But one film that came out on Christmas Day and is recommended viewing even for the cinematography alone is Nosferatu. The atmosphere of that film is fantastic. At times it felt like watching a live action Resident Evil 4. Very dark, gothic, and gritty. The sound effects were chilling, the violence visceral, and the performances believable and gripping from the entire cast. Willem Dafoe is in it and every time he’s attached to a film it feels like a seal of quality. Oh Willem Dafoe’s in it? Sign me up. From the Lighthouse to Poor Things to Nosferatu, Dafoe has been in major, industry shaking films year over year in recent times. His resume just gets better and better as the years go by. Not to mention the air of sophistication and character he adds to the projects he’s in. Kudos to him. So yeah, Nosferatu is a recommended one.
Favorite Software
Not an ad. Canva is actually pretty awesome.
Canva. I’ve seen advertisements on social media and out in public, but it wasn’t until a stylist named Lola that I met in Prague, sent me a presentation she put together on the platform that it really piqued my interest. If I could describe it in one word, it would be “slick”. It really elevates your presentations and the entire interface is just a breeze to use. Very intuitive and structured in an easy to follow manner. It can even translate your presentations into different languages. I put together a moodboard for my shoot in Seoul and created a copy translated to Korean which was very helpful to my makeup artist who didn’t speak much English. I’d recommend it if you have an ongoing, month-to-month need for such a program.
Favorite Flop
Oh you beautiful disaster. And the nerve to release on Valentine’s Day.
This is an interesting category. Easily, Madame Web. Terrible film. Terrible writing. Terrible casting choices. But it was hilarious to sit through. How they can work on a film in production with so many glaring flaws and no one stops to course correct will always impress me. The incompetence on display even at the highest levels of society requires study. It’s fascinating as it is baffling. “He was in the Amazon with my mom when she was researching spiders just before she died…” is the Citizen Kane of bad movie lines. Jeez. Thankfully the cast won’t be impacted to much by it. It’s Sony’s fault for wanting to make a “Spiderman”-verse of films without having actual Spider-Man. Kraven The Hunter came out a few weeks ago and effectively killed Sony’s plans to produce more films in this universe. Their entire live action “Spiderman”-verse from Morbius to Venom was a disaster. But we’ll always have Madame Web to remind us of just how bad films got in the era of pandering, DEI, and agenda over narrative being the primary modus operandi for making a film.
Favorite Sporting Event
This year’s Super Bowl was fantastic and Patrick Ma-homeboy did his thing as usual. This would have been my pick, but I’m going with boxing. Boxing was fantastic this year. My pick is Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury I. The first undisputed heavyweight boxing event in over 20 years. Two top heavyweight champs putting it all on the line in Saudi Arabia. It could have easily been a dud, but from the entrances you knew you were in a for a special night of boxing. It was tense, it was dramatic, and it was without controversy. We had a clear winner and Oleksandr Usyk’s hand was raised proudly at the end of the night. He’s done both his country of Ukraine and the sport of boxing proud. A champion that carries himself with dignity, a sportsman who’s a shining example of what an athlete could become, and just a solid all-around guy, he has one of the best resumes and stories in boxing, all-time. Easily. Best moment for me is Tyson Fury coming to the ring to Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out For a Hero.” The pyrotechnics going off, the Fury family all standing in line supporting him, and Tyson shadowboxing with John 3:16 on his back as the music pumps gave me chills. He didn’t win, but damn if he didn’t entertain.
Favorite Sporting Moment
Lebron and the Lakers getting eliminated in the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets yet again. Probably the most divisive figure in all of basketball, Lebron has been the butt of jokes, memes, etc. for his antics and rabid, toxic, fanbase. The way the sports media mostly covers him and the Lakers despite their being numerous other interesting players/teams is one of the reasons the NBA’s ratings are in the gutter. But when he speaks in interviews or they talk about him, it’s almost as if they expect him to be champion every year. Like he’s entitled to it. It’s his right! So to see them go down in flames every year puts a smile on my face. Small market teams matter too, so it’s nice to see them make the media eat crow. And give Nikola Jokic his props you haters!
Lessons Learned
Learning from the maestro Richard Dumas. A single piece of advice went a long way. A big thank you to him.
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Photographer Richard Dumas gave me this nugget of advice during a conversation I had with him at his workshop. I asked how does he keep things fresh after so many years and does he feel like he’s repeating himself. He smiles knowingly and goes, “You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Jazz is composed of three notes. You don’t have to reinvent every time you shoot. If it’s good, people will to continue to like it.” I took that wisdom to heart and stopped futzing over if I was repeating myself or not and just did “my” work. I’ve been all the better for it.
Rock with the people that rock with you. This industry is full of fake, opportunistic people and posers. From the members of your team to the models/actors you work with. There’s a lot of posing and pretending to be interested in what you have going on, especially if they can somehow benefit from it. You have to weed those types out. Can’t tell you how many people popped back up in the past year when they felt maybe I had something to offer them. If there are people genuinely in your corner, showing you love, do the same for them. But stay away from the pretenders. They’ll waste your time and energy leaving you stressed and annoyed.
Shoot what you love. What is your creative passion as a photographer? Is it fashion? Nudes? Landscapes? Shoot that. Don’t waste time doing stuff you have no interest in. Even if that stuff makes money. Of course we all have to do what is necessary to survive, but all things being equal, if you can shoot what you enjoy, by all means do it. It’ll keep you motivated to keep working even when you’re tired, uninspired, etc. Life is too short to be spending your good years on stuff that doesn’t excite you. Make your career fun!
Build solid working relationships. I have people I work with on a consistent basis. From makeup artists to models. People I can trust for certain projects, especially when it involves a client. The later part of this year, I started refining my approach to working with models. Some shoots were good and some were downright bad. I casted poorly and that’s on me. Going forward, I’ll be much more discerning on who I work with from top to bottom. And if I really enjoyed working with someone, they’ll be on my trusted list of people I’ll work with again and again.
Subject matter > Gear. Gear is cool. It’s fun to talk about or drool over, but in photography, the gear is not the thing. Subject matter is. Doesn’t matter if you’re shooting on medium format if what you’re shooting is boring. If you have something or someone interesting in front of your camera, it doesn’t matter if it was taken on an iPhone, it will appeal to people. But if it’s shit, it doesn’t matter how much you spent on your camera and lenses. The subject matter is the thing.
Go around. If the industry puts up a wall and doesn’t want to let you in, go around. There’s always another way to approach something from. Gatekeepers will try to keep you at bay, but don’t let that deter you. Keep persisting, keep resisting, keep insisting, and you’ll get in.
Don’t forget your education. I’ve been a professional for almost 20 years now and I’m still learning. There are things I do well and many areas for improvement. It takes a willingness to be critical and a habit of self-reflection to improve as an artist. There’s still things I can learn from others. Workshops I can attend or tutorials I can watch. Or just experimenting with things on my own. What is most important is to not let ego and pride convince you that you’re so high and mighty, so good, that you know everything. Humble thyself and put your student cap on. You’ll be amazed at how it can impact your work.
Always make time for loved ones. No matter how big you get, how busy you get, what cool projects you work on, or what cool people you meet, don’t forget about the people in your life. Parents, friends, romantic partners, your dog, etc. We can’t only be our work. And life is fleeting. Spend time with the people that mean the most to you. Tomorrow isn’t promised ya know?!
Always make time for yourself. In addition to the previous point, take time off for you. Even if that’s just sitting at home doing nothing, give yourself time to reset, process, decompress, ruminate, and reflect. I’ve used the month of December for this and will return to a “full steam ahead” sort of schedule in January. Breaks are important and time to yourself even more so. It’s great if you have people in your life that understand and give you that space. If not, you may have to make some changes to your circle.
Don’t dwell on the nonsense. Be it personal or professional. Life’s too short (sensing a theme?) to worry about dumb stuff. Difficult, uncooperative people in your personal life. Jealous partners. Unsupportive family members. Cheapskate clients. Flakey “friends”. Bitter colleagues who never made it. The list goes on and on. Try your best to work things out, but it gets to a point where you must realize something just isn’t for you. Be it people, places, or things. That’s life. Focus on the positive, the supportive, the appreciative, the loving, and you’ll be much happier for it.
Be relentless in pursuit of your dream. Not even being hyperbolic. You must be unrelenting, unshakeable on your journey. Gotta sleep on the floor? No problem. Gotta sleep in the car? No problem. Have to work more hours than expected? Bring it on. Have to travel abroad for an opportunity? Let’s go! Friends whining because you can’t hang out all the time? Ah well. You often have a finite window to make something happen, don’t get distracted, don’t get complacent, keep going till you reach the goal. Double, triple, ten times your effort. Study, refine, improve. Don’t settle for good enough. Strive to be great. Great-er. Hell, the great-est. If you’re not giving it your all, then why the hell are you even doing it? That’s my own personal philosophy. You may not have the temperament or mindset for it, but much of the above I stated is the mindset of many of the world’s most successful people. And if you want to be successful, easiest way is to learn from people who’ve been there and done it. You’ll get there. Godspeed!
What’s next?
Where shall we venture off to next old boy?!
This year was amazing. Full stop. But now we must set our sights on what’s ahead. The nature of being an artist is that you’re often just going from project to project. You have to appreciate past successes and allow yourself time to celebrate, but then it’s off to the next thing. For me, there are several things I wish to get done in 2025. Quick list then we’re getting outta here till next year:
More traveling. I turn 40 in March and will spend most of that month traveling. To some places I’ve already been and some that are all new to me. Some to work and some just for leisure. Wherever I go, it’s motivated by the idea that I will never be landlocked in NYC. I can’t stand it for more than a few weeks these days. Going forward I plan to go to at least 2 places every 3 months throughout the year. I’m already in the midst of adjusting my schedule accordingly to accomodate this change and I’ll be careful to space things out appropriately. It got a bit crazy there in October hopping around Europe. And I ended up coming back feeling extremely depleted. I’ll be sure to avoid that in the future. You live and learn.
I’m buying a house. I’ve been saving pretty aggressively and have considered moving at different points over the past few years. Now, fully committed to the next chapter in my life, I’ve decided to buy my first house. Not sure where yet, but I’m getting one.
Finish and release my book. The first priority of 2025 is to finish up the book and put it out in the Spring. I was hoping to release it this year, but other things took priority. In retrospect it was for the best. I made a lot of notes in my spare time and when I compared it to some things I’ve already written, I felt there was room for improvement. So a lot of my free time will go to writing at the the beginning of the year.
Buy another medium format camera. Most likely the GFX 100S II. I’ve spoken about returning to medium format in the last post. I think it could be useful for the new direction of my work. And that sweet 3 x 4 format. The 100S II seems like the right camera, but the 100 II has that beautiful viewfinder. Is that worth $2500 extra? Oh decisions, decisions.
Put out a film project of some sort. Filmmaking is an undertaking so I decided to put on the back burner this year. I wanted to really hone in on photography. Next year, I’m excited to do more film related work. Be it short videos from shoots, a documentary, or short, I’ll put out something. Admittedly I sort of threw my hands up at filmmaking, but recently felt inspired and want to explore that feeling.
Shoot more swimwear. Like filmmaking, I took a bit of a break from shooting swim, but I miss working on the beach in Miami. To satiate my appetite, I’m planning a visit in the coming months to shoot some new work.
Set up shop in Miami. I’ve been eyeing Miami as a market for a few years now and will make some bigger steps in setting up a base of operations there by end of summer. I considered the west coast, but really have no interest in California, so Florida it is. No more winters in NYC!
Spend considerably more time with family. My parents are elderly with my mom turning 70 in February. I plan to spend much more time with them this year. Just hanging out, reminiscing, creating new memories, etc. I know all too well about the fragility of life, so I’ll be going home to Mississippi as often as I can throughout the year. Traveling somewhere fancy is cool and all, but you ain’t nothing if you can’t go home.
Live life. This one’s pretty broad I guess, but ultimately, I just want to take these happy emotions from this year and the type of moments that made them, and do more of that ya know? Just having fun, exploring places, working with people that are great to be around, grow my business, see my parents, fall in love, write, sing, dance, all of that. Less stress, more happy days. That’s all I ask for truly. For myself and for you too.
To everyone who made the year an amazing one, thank you. Here’s to the next one!
Goodbye 2024, I’ll never forget you!
Happy New Year folks! Remember…
