I always enjoy reliving family events, the places I have been, and the people I have met. Every year I review all the photos I captured and select my favorite ten. Like every year, this exercise also gives me some great ideas for photography goals in the new year. My top ten photos this year reflect travels, family gatherings, or just a unique photo opportunity while navigating everyday life. So here they are, in no particular order. . .  my top ten favorite images of 2023 and the stories behind them.

Contrasts. . . Life is full of contrasts. Night and Day, happy and sad, old and new. I could go on and on. My Dad was a photographer who taught me a great deal about photography as a young boy. One day while cleaning an old camera of his, I realized the marked difference in technology between his old camera and a mirrorless digital camera I own. It was fun capturing the contrast between old and new cameras. I wonder what the contrast will look like 50 years from now.

Monkey the Dog – Rockledge, FL – While on a portrait photo shoot, I noticed a beam of window light illuminating a little dog one of the participants brought along with her. His name was Monkey. His curious stare at the camera made the photo even more special. The iconic photographer, Joe McNally, suggests that the play of light and dark on the human face is essential to explore if you want to shoot a good portrait. It seems that holds true for little dogs too.

Dressed for success – Fernandina Beach, FL – One of my favorite things to do is to photo walk a location looking for interesting people to capture with my camera. Your camera can open doors to people’s lives you will never know about unless you ask them if you can take their picture. Your reward is a new friend, and a great portrait. This handsomely dressed gentleman in the little town of Fernandina Beach gladly accepted my request for a portrait. I especially enjoy his confident expression and smile. I get the feeling he knows something I don’t.

Shipwreck Point Lighthouse – PEI, Canada – There is something about visiting a lighthouse that gives you a sense of safety and strength. It never gets old for my wife and me. A lighthouse serves as a beacon of hope and safety, guiding boats and ships to a safe harbor. Perhaps we all should be more like lighthouses in 2024, providing hope and safe harbor for others who are struggling with storms in their life.

Reflections – Charlottetown, PEI, Canada – One of my favorite things to photograph are reflections. A skilled photographer often looks for reflections to add an element of interest to a landscape, or architecture photo. However, I find reflections all by themselves are the most interesting. . . especially water reflections. I noticed the reflection of these boats in the water near our outside table as we ate lunch at a restaurant near the marina. Although the photo was originally captured upside down, I think flipping the image right side up adds another element of interest to the story.

Tourists at the Fortaleza de Sagres – Portugal – Every once in a while, a graphic scene appears before you that you just must capture. Touring an old fortress in Portugal with my wife, I first noticed the color contrast of the old fort walls against the dark blue skies of an approaching storm. Then, as luck would have it, two tourists walk into the photo, peering through the old fort wall to the scene below. I think the graphic nature of the photo makes it unique and interesting.

Porto, Portugal – Porto is the second largest city in Portugal, full of old-world charm. Red-tiled roof houses line the Douro riverbank, mosaic stones construct the walks and streets, while flat-bottom boats navigate the lazy river. Travel photographers are always looking for that one shot that best describes the location you are visiting. For me, this photo best describes our visit to Porto.

A perfect lunch – Shediac, New Brunswick, Canada – Sometimes that perfect shot that best captures your travel story is not a cityscape. In the case of Shediac, New Brunswick capturing the delicious food we experienced during our visit reflects our travel experience. Photos of the best seafood chowders we have ever had tells the story of Shediac. . . who will be celebrating the 75^th anniversary of their famous Lobster Festival in 2024.

Dad Palmer celebrates his 96^th birthday – Loxahatchee, FL – We have been blessed to celebrate so many birthdays with my father. This year we celebrated his 96^th. So many good memories to relive through our conversations. This cell phone photo is one of those memories we will not soon forget.

Just the two of us – Lisbon, Portugal – Speaking of being blessed. . . my wife, Nancy and I celebrated our 46^th wedding anniversary this year. So we decided we would begin celebrating our 50^th by knocking a couple of travel destinations off our bucket list in the next few years. Cell phone selfies are an excellent way to capture those special travel moments, so we make sure we do it often when we travel. A photo like this one will likely be the most meaningful to us for years to come. In the new year may I suggest you capture those meaningful moments with your loved ones too.

I hope your 2024 is healthy and happy. And as always, may only the most remarkable photos be yours.

Chuck