So, uh... 2020 huh? That was... something. First of all, I'm going to pat myself on the back for doing a wrap-up in a timely fashion (apologies to 2019, I'm very sorry for taking you for granted). Aside from that, I struggled - am still struggling - with gathering a collection of images that sums up this year in a way that is representative of the crazy roller-coaster dumpster fire we just went through. I spent much of the year in a frothing rage (well, okay, maybe more of a low-simmering despair that mostly manifested itself on [Twitter][1]) at failed steak salesman and one-term president, Donald Trump, and his colossal ineptitude and [callous mishandling][1] of the pandemic. But the truth is, I've been extremely fortunate, and don't have much to complain about in my personal life. Although I personally know at least 5 or 6 people that were killed by the virus (and I never want to attend another Zoom funeral), most of my immediate family and friends have managed to either avoid COVID-19 entirely, or not become seriously ill with it. I've been lucky enough to keep my job, keep my apartment, and never run out of toilet paper during this whole thing. I have a lot to be grateful for. [1]: https://twitter.com/flysi Anyway, here are a couple of collections of images that sum up this wild and crazy year. Here's hoping 2021 brings brigther days, and at least some of the familiar, but sorely missed things we all took for granted in the Beforetime. [1]: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/31/us/politics/trump-coronavirus.html
BC: Before COVID
Ah, we were so innocent then - I was just living my life, doing regular stuff, like going to karate, riding my bike, riding the subway, hanging out in Chinatown, and working at an office. I even made some portraits of my coworkers, all in a room together!
Just before the quarantine kicked in, my wife and I took a trip to San Antonio to see our niece graduate from Air Force bootcamp, with a little detour for me to visit a friend in Austin. As a couple that usually takes at least one fairly big vacation every year, we could never have imagined that that would be our last trip for the unforeseeable future.
the new normal
Just before shit went sideways, a friend of mine loaned me his road bike, to try and coax me into yet another expensive hobby, and I had started riding a little more frequently, and farther afield. So naturally, when the lockdown started, knowing that there wouldn't be any traffic, I decided to bike into Manhattan to get some exercise.
I've lived in Brooklyn for 24 years. Up until the last 2 of those, I commuted into Manhattan for work every week. Nothing - not even seeing other people's videos or photos of it - could have prepared me for the sensation of being in The City during those early days of the initial shelter in place orders; of being in Chinatown, or in front of City Hall, or on the Brooklyn Bridge pedestrian walkway by myself. It was shocking, saddening, depressing, scary, surreal - it was like the desolation that Will Smith's character in I Am Legend lived in, before the plants and deer (and zombies) took over.
And yet, it was kind of exciting. I felt like I was experiencing something exclusive; I felt possessive and selfish of that experience, and I also felt a little sad that I knew the emptiness and quiet was going to go away, and that I'd probably - hopefully - never see the city that way again. It was deeply conflicting, and I felt somewhat guilty about it. But I got to make some photographs I could never have made in any other circumstance, and I'm grateful, too.
Aside from that, once we realized that face coverings were easy and smart to wear (and asinine to make part of the culture war), my wife busted out her sewing machine, and after a few practice runs, she made our first cloth masks from some patterns she found online.
cooking
I like cooking, and consider myself to be pretty good at it, and quarantine life drove me to cook even more. One of the best uses of video conferencing I experienced during the whole pandemic was a couple of cooking classes I took from The Brooklyn Kitchen. Our virtual office holiday party also took the form of us breaking into groups and cooking together over a video call, and it was one of the most fun video call experiences I've had.
I expanded my range, making things like quesadillas, fried rice, chow-mein, homemade pasta and cast-iron skillet pizza, but I also went the other way and fell back on easy packaged things like spicy instant ramen. At Christmas, as I've done for the past couple of years, I made a traditional Guyanese dish called Pepperpot; and also did a simple roasted chicken and a few sides.
nature and macro
Being locked down could have been much, much worse, if not for Prospect Park, which I'm fortunate to live across the street from. Coincidentally, my wife was getting an urban naturalist certification from the New York Botanical Garden, meaning she was now super interested in identifying the plants, birds and bugs that are native to the park. So we spent a ton of time going on walks, getting fresh air, and photographing what we saw.
As an aside, my burgeoning interest in birding happened to coincide with the very high-profile case of Central Park birder Christian Cooper having the cops called on him by a racist lady, so the incident struck a nerve with me in several ways.
Anyway, I was continually amazed at the quality of images I was able to make with my iPhone 11 Pro and Moment Macro lens (*affiliate link) - so much so that I wrote a whole blog post about it.
Portraits
Pandemic aside, I managed to make some portraits that I'm really proud of. As mentioned before, I shot a few of my co-workers at the beginning of the year; and I also got out there and shot several family portrait sessions, which is something I've dabbled in for years now, always threatening to pull the trigger and make it a more substantial part of generating income with my photography. I also got out of my comfort zone and photographed a few strangers in the park; and at the prompting of some good friends of mine, I started submitting to 52frames, which is a weekly photography assignment. It's challenging, full of talented, creative people, and it motivates me to shoot even when I don't really feel like it. I recommend it.
protest
No wrap-up of 2020 can ignore the long-suppressed turmoil that finally - inevitably - spilled out with the murder of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor (among many) this spring. I won't claim to have been out there in the streets with the rest of the activists fighting for justice (I know my lane; I donated where I was able, to causes I believe in), but I did make a point of capturing some of the powerful - and peaceful - response I saw in my neighborhood.
I also went out to try to capture the sense elation that many of us felt when the election was called in favor of President-Elect Joe Biden, and when Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris made history in so many ways this fall. I'm still disappointed that so many people opted in for more of the objectively apalling shit that we've experienced for the past four years, but I'm also cautiously optimistic about the future.
aerial
One thing I did this year, which was really hard, and I'm incredibly proud of, was to pass my FAA Part 107 remote pilot certification. It means I can fly a drone commercially, so that's another avenue for expanding my photography earning. It's also fun, and the perspective from up there never gets old.
So, that was my 2020, I guess. Difficult times; loss, frustration, sacrifice; but also growth, creativity, potential, new opportunities.
I sincerely hope that my optimism for the incoming administration isn't misplaced - though the bar is low, so unless Biden is paying adult entertainers hush-money, or telling white supremacists to "stand by", I think we have the capacity to move forward as a country.
I'm also looking forward to moving forward as a husband, a son, a brother, a friend; and as a photographer, a developer, a creative person, and in all the other areas of my life. And I wish the same for you as well.
🥂