Every year I pick my favorite photos of the year. Looking back at my picks from past years, I usually picked the photographs that I considered most beautiful. They were not necessarily meaningful, just pretty.
Favorite Photos 2020
This year my picks were quite different. Technically they weren’t all my “best” photographs. But each of these images speaks to my experience during 2020. To say that it was a year like no other year in my life is not an exaggeration. There was so much about this year that was different, not just the pandemic. George Floyd’s death and the social unrest that followed, the election, politics, Ruth Vader Ginsburg’s death, and the way that our president totally failed our country during this deadly pandemic all contributed to my feeling of being in the center of the perfect storm.
I did pick a couple of photographs that I found beautiful and some of my photo/painting combinations as well. But most of my images have to do with how this year felt to me.
So without further ado, here they are.
Despite all of the pain and suffering that many experienced during 2020, I reminded myself regularly of how blessed I am. And I reminded myself to choose joy.
My cat Gracie and me. We sit in this chair in the corner by the window every morning for meditation. When I finish meditating I quietly tell her, “Time to go,” and she slowly gets up and jumps down from my lap. I have needed my mindfulness practice more than ever this year.
After an April snowstorm covered everyone’s yards with snow I discovered that one of our neighbors had created her own springtime beauty despite the snow. Seeing these plastic flowers “planted” in her front yard as I took my daily walk in the neighborhood brought me the biggest smile!
When a warm spring day finally arrived and I could sit on the deck in my shorts with bare feet soaking up the sun, I shot this photo with my iPhone. It expressed my joy at being outdoors once again. This year because of the pandemic I spent more time than ever on the deck and wandering in the backyard. This place is my sanctuary.
I created this composite photograph when so many people refused to wear masks in public. It was my way of saying, “How we handle this pandemic is in your hands.”
Early spring at the West Medicine Lake beach. At the time I wondered if the beaches would even open during the summer because of the pandemic. This empty lifeguard chair symbolized that thought.
For a long time the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum only allowed people to drive around the three-mile drive. No walking on the grounds was allowed. When they finally opened up a few walking paths for visitors I was so happy. This is a photograph of one of my favorite spots at the Arboretum.
A foggy morning at East Medicine Lake Park and empty chaise lounges looking into the nothingness of the fog expressed the isolation that so many are feeling during the pandemic.
I spent a lot of time walking nature trails in our neighborhood. This crack in the path reminded me of Leonard Cohen’s song lyrics, “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”
Even the crows took walks in the neighborhood.
This image is a combination of a watercolor painting of tulips with the photograph that inspired me to make the painting.
An image that I made (with Jon’s help) that expressed how this pandemic sometimes feels to me.
And finally, here is an image I made in response to the prompt, “The Year 2020.”
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