Sitting Backwards on My Horse
Posted by latoga | Filed under Musings, Photos
Every now and then you need to take some time to sit on your horse backwards to both appreciate and learn from where you have come.
This was a favorite expression of a good friend and mentor of mine from the business world. This statement holds true for every aspect of life. This is exactly what the new year is all about, looking back on the year that has passed while considering the year ahead. Between the Christmas and New Year holidays I spent a lot of time looking back on 2008 photographically. Then the first business week of the year sort of exploded on me before I could share some of my 2008 thoughts, but here they are without further delay.
One way of looking back is through the photos that I have taken. A year ago I posted my favorite photos of 2007 (it was actually a collaborative retrospective, I picked out my 10 favorites and then my wife corrected a few of my mistaken favorites 
). This year here are my 10 favorite photos from 2008 in order in which they were taken:
 |
Back in January I did a business trip to Boston. While not my preferred time of the year to visit, I was lucky enough to be given some extra time in Boston for photography. I love this early photo of downtown Boston as seen through the fog across the Inner Harbor, the gritty-ness from all the noise gives it a very unique feeling. (more from Boston) |
| The great thing about having pets in your family is the way they can create a memorable moment during an otherwise forgettable day. In this case it was Napoleon giving me those sad pug eyes because he would rather be in my lap than the laptop! |  |
 |
It was so nice of Chicago to through a party for my wife and I when we visited this summer! And all the wonderful food that they brought in just for us. (And the other million people who visit downtown during the Taste of Chicago. Here is a rather unique look down on the crowd from atop of the ferris wheel. There is something about the framing and elements that always pulls me into this photo.) (more from Chicago) |
| Sometimes, the best impetus to get out and explore your own back yard is when you have family visiting. I discovered this unique view of San Francisco on a perfectly clear day this past August while out playing tourist with my brother and his family. The way that San Francisco peaks out from behind the Marin Headlands as well as the ability to see the south east side of the San Francisco Bay make this a very unique photo. (more from San Francisco) |  |
 |
One thing that I have trained my eye to see is strange combinations of signs. While out on a photo walk through San Francisco this fall, I was drawn into this store front at first because of the way the sunset was casting shadows into the building, then because of all this stuff that was strewn about the entrance. It wasn’t until I took the entire image into consideration that I naturally perceived the interesting confluences of the name of the office along with the unique view of a sign resting in entrance. A very Miksang Moment. Every time I see this image I smile. (more Signs) |
| There is beauty in simplicity. The lone tree. My wife has had me on the search for the perfect lone tree for about 3 years yet…she’s a very tough client to please. With this goal in the back of mind, I spotted this lone cypress along the bay in Eureka, California while up for an early morning photo excursion. While it doesn’t seem to meet her needs, I have fallen in love this photo. The pre-dawn sky and it’s gradient of color, the fog rising in the distance off the bay. The silhouette of the tree. Beauty in Simplicity. |  |
 |
Taken less than an hour after the previous photo of the cypress, on the other side of the bay I discovered this wonderful statue erected in honor of the fishermen of Eureka. I just loved how this image came together with the barely visible smoke stacks of a power plant across the bay and this statue. Something about the combination of the old industry of fishing and of new industry requiring the constructions of a huge power plant that strikes me each time I see it. (more from Humboldt County) |
| Another Miksang Moment while walking to a San Francisco office one morning. I had spotted this worker who was planting plants in the multi-tiered planters along the side of a building. Originally I wanted to just capture the unexpectedness of him floating off the side of a building. But my timing was such that these two girls who were walking by lined up perfectly with the worker and the support wires of the planters. I almost didn’t capture this image as I was so focused on making it to my meeting, however I’m glad I turned back to capture this daily moment. After all, that’s why I purchased a special backpack at the beginning of the year…so I am always caring my camera with me to capture these moments. |  |
 |
It’s a rare combination of weather conditions that gives you a warm evening and crystal clear skies along the coast of Northern California. Yet that is exactly what we were given this year during the annual lighting of the Pigeon Point Lighthouse. With this being the last planned lighting for the foreseeable future, myself and a couple hundred of my fellow photographers showed up to take advantage of the event. |
| With the drama of the US Presidential elections this year, there was a surge of patriotic energy across the country as we came up to election day. It was the coattails of this energy that I think led me to this image of Pier 1 along the San Francisco Embarcadero. There was something about the lighting and framing for this image that just jumps out at me every time I see it. |  |
Another way of looking back is to gauge progress on projects and goals set for oneself. In this case, there are a number of photo projects that I have been working on for a while that I’m planning on finishing and releasing in 2009. The photo archive has continued to grow (privately faster than publicly). And, as longer term readers will know, I was able to align all my photography related sites under a single domain, look, and feel. 2008 was full of changes, and if a recent fortune cookie I chose is any indicator, 2009 will be as well.
So, what else does 2009 have in store besides more change? I already have plans for a few limited edition fine art prints of some of my most favored photos. The afore mentioned photo projects…the first of which will be a unique perspective of the Bodie ghost town from the Sierra Nevada high desert. And look for a rather interesting photography blog project. All while trying not to participate in the current recession by being innovative and creative so that my clients will choose not to participate either.
To those who have been visiting and commenting through out 2008, thanks for all your support.
For those who have just stopped by, please subscribe to the blog feed and stay a while. Say hi through a comment or email.
And for everyone, let’s make 2009 a great year!
Tags: 2008, 2009 Plans, Favorite Photo
22 Responses to “Sitting Backwards on My Horse”
-
g dan mitchell Says:
January 10th, 2009 at 5:06 pmQuite a nice set!
Dan
[Reply]
-
Jim Goldstein Says:
January 10th, 2009 at 7:01 pmGreat photos Greg. The pug looking over the laptop is a classic and your pigeon point lighthouse photo is beautiful. Glad you were able to take part in the Best of 2008 blog project.
[Reply]
-
Best Photos of 2008 by JMG-Galleries Blog Reader’s | JMG-Galleries - Jim M. Goldstein Photography: travel, landscape, and nature pictures - stock photos and fine art prints Says:
January 13th, 2009 at 2:17 am[...] Sitting Backwards on My Horse – latoga photography By Greg Lato [...]
-
920 Best Photos of 2008 | latoga photography Says:
January 13th, 2009 at 7:44 am[...] published blog project Best Photographs of 2008. 92 of his readers participated in his contents (myself included) which should give us about 920 photographs to appreciate (roughly 10 per photographer). [...]
-
Jim Goldstein’s invitation to present your best shot of 2008 has borne fruit! | View from the Little Red Tent Says:
January 13th, 2009 at 9:06 am[...] Sitting Backwards on My Horse – latoga photography By Greg Lato [...]
-
Best Photos of 2008 | LucaFiligheddu.com Says:
January 13th, 2009 at 10:13 am[...] Sitting Backwards on My Horse – latoga photography By Greg Lato [...]
-
Best Photos of 2008 – xgray vision Says:
January 13th, 2009 at 10:41 am[...] Sitting Backwards on My Horse – latoga photography By Greg Lato [...]
-
Jeremy Brooks » Best Photos by JMG-Galleries Blog Readers Says:
January 13th, 2009 at 11:05 am[...] Sitting Backwards on My Horse – latoga photography By Greg Lato [...]
-
SierraVisions.com » Jim Goldsein’s List Says:
January 13th, 2009 at 11:05 am[...] Sitting Backwards on My Horse – latoga photography By Greg Lato [...]
-
TrevorCarpenter.com » Everyone else’s Best of 2008 Says:
January 13th, 2009 at 11:22 am[...] Sitting Backwards on My Horse – latoga photography By Greg Lato [...]
-
plαdys » Best Photos of 2008 blog project on JMG-Galleries.com Says:
January 13th, 2009 at 12:51 pm[...] Sitting Backwards on My Horse – latoga photography By Greg Lato [...]
-
Best photos from 2008 by JMG-Galleries blog readers - All Narfed Up Says:
January 13th, 2009 at 1:02 pm[...] Sitting Backwards on My Horse – latoga photography By Greg Lato [...]
-
93 photographers share their best photos of 2008 — Lilahpops :: Plunging into Photography Says:
January 13th, 2009 at 2:48 pm[...] Sitting Backwards on My Horse – latoga photography By Greg Lato [...]
-
Best Images of 2008 by All the Photographers who submitted | jay goodrich photographer inc. Says:
January 13th, 2009 at 8:59 pm[...] Sitting Backwards on My Horse – latoga photography By Greg Lato [...]
-
Best of 2008 for 93 photographers | All Day I Dream About Photography Says:
January 14th, 2009 at 2:37 pm[...] Sitting Backwards on My Horse – latoga photography By Greg Lato [...]
-
Best of 2008 from 93 photographers | The Taelemans´ Blog Says:
January 14th, 2009 at 9:02 pm[...] Sitting Backwards on My Horse – latoga photography By Greg Lato [...]
-
Best of 2008 Blog Projekt Auswertung | visuelleGedanken.de - Fotografie und Gezeichnetes Says:
January 15th, 2009 at 11:37 pm[...] Sitting Backwards on My Horse – latoga photography By Greg Lato [...]
-
Always Breaking » Blog Archive » Best of 2008 - The Complete List - Mostly photos, but some other random stuff Says:
January 17th, 2009 at 10:31 am[...] Sitting Backwards on My Horse – latoga photography By Greg Lato [...]
-
Best Photos from 2008 Project - News and Views Says:
February 4th, 2009 at 9:48 pm[...] Sitting Backwards on My Horse – latoga photography By Greg Lato [...]
-
93 Photographers From Around The World Share Their Best From 2008 | Korn on the Blog by Justin Korn Says:
May 29th, 2009 at 6:04 pm[...] Sitting Backwards on My Horse – latoga photography By Greg Lato [...]
-
Best of 2008 Photo Results on JMG-Galleries.com on Phill Price | Photography – A daily photograph from London, England Says:
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:12 am[...] Sitting Backwards on My Horse – latoga photography By Greg Lato [...]
-
latoga photography | My Favorite Photos of 2009 Says:
January 9th, 2010 at 2:02 am[...] favorites helped rekindle my memories of the year just past (just like when I chose my favorites of 2008). Below are twelve favorites from the past year in order of the dates they were [...]
