There’s always a bit of discord that comes along with the end of each year.  In my opinion, this has to do with the way that we draw arbitrary lines that tend to try to force us to close the book on one span of time, body of work, or chapter in our lives.  I’ve always felt like these lines are a little unruly and don’t lend themselves to the slower things that are more germane to the human experience.  In short, life –just like photography –doesn’t really give a damn about the boundaries we try to impose on it.  

That said, I’m also conscious that the world isn’t structured by my own opinions and that most people watch the days of the week with a different perspective.  Friday signifies something different than Monday, noon is different than five in the evening, and so on.  Consequently, those of us that are less concerned about hours still have to play by the rules of the majority.  We have to watch years, weeks, days, hours, and put brackets around each subdivision as a measure of progress.

As 2011 draws near, each LUCEO photographer has been tasked with compiling their own short retrospective for the outgoing year.  Brackets to define progress (or something along those lines).  It’s a measure that, after taking a moment to look it over, has really left me humbled.  It makes me conscious of the fact that giving oneself the space to breath is pretty important when it comes to managing one’s own internal monologue, the voices that drive self-doubt, perfectionism, and, ultimately, stress.  After all, it’s the long-run that defines what will last and what gets shuffled aside and, perhaps, this annual event isn’t really such a bad way to keep that perspective.

Since the start of 2010, I’ve shot assignments and been published in a number of magazines including Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, TIME, AARP Bulletin, Mother Jones, Fortune, Fortune China, Fortune India, CEA Visions, MHS Profiles, Fraction J Magazine, 5280 Magazine, Days Japan, BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, Smithsonian Magazine, NRC Magazine, HHMI Bulletin, and PDN.  In addition to this very important staple to my craft, I’ve landed some very fun (and, often, relevant) work for a series of commercial clients, including the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, Ya Es Hora, Department of Defense, Bureau of Land Management, National Interagency Fire Center, Motorola, Booz Allen Hamilton, and VSA Partners.  My work has been shown, donated, or sold at the following venues: Fotofest Slovakia, Docu-Club Gallery, Newspace Center for Photography, LOOKBetween, 25 CPW, DRIVEIN 24 Studios, Kopeikin Gallery.  My work has received the Center Director’s Choice Award, been featured in the Communication Arts Photography Annual 51, American Photo 26, and PDN’s Photo Annual.  Matt Eich and I even share a space on Mother Jones’ masthead as contributing photographers.  

That list, however, is just an arbitrary measure and not really something that personally defines my 2010.  This year, I’m particularly grateful for the uncanny teaching abilities of my very accidental professor and mentor, Kevin Moloney.  Without his early interest in my photography and patient, measured lessons, I would be on an entirely different (and probably less fulfilling) career path.  It was a great honor to return to his classroom this year to lecture at the University of Colorado and is probably my proudest moment of 2010.

Also, this year, I’m incredibly grateful for the support, feedback, patience, friendship, and, um, patience (did I say that one twice?) of each of LUCEO’s photographers.  The last few years have been an interesting trip for us all and I’m exceptionally proud of each of their individual accomplishments as well as the progress of our entire cooperative.  Each December marks another year separating us from our first meeting, locked-in and stuffed into a one-bedroom apartment in Atlanta, hashing out the preliminary steps that lead to where we are today.  It’s nice to keep an eye on our growth and makes me proud to say that we’ve managed to do it and keep true to the principles that we set down at our first meeting.  An organization needs a conscience and it’s a relief to say that LUCEO has six of them to keep us on track.

Last, before I post the rest of this year’s photographic retrospective, I’d like to thank a few friends and clients for making 2010 rise above the mundane.  I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Michael Witchita of AARP Bulletin for the vision, openness, and flexibility to take a couple of ordinary assignments and turn them into extraordinary final products.  He has a rare enthusiasm for our craft and its something that I sincerely value.  I also owe a debt of gratitude to Avi Gupta of U.S. News & World Report.  He’s been a friend longer than he’s been my editor and his candid feedback and honesty is something that I’ve come to find is important to have when it comes to making big decisions.  TIME Magazine –particularly Kira Pollack, Paul Moakley, and Sabine Meyer  –have been instrumental in helping me continue to develop meaningful bodies of work.  Laura Pressley, David Bram, Jonathan Blaustein, and the rest of the New Mexico Center(ish) crew have provided a nice, regional sounding board for me.  It’s nice to have people in your court in your own back yard –especially when your backyard spans the entire west.  Kim Shively and Chris Bagley of Eyeosaur Productions –I’m glad I found both of you this year.  The non-weirdos will all keep marching along their well-trod path; its good to have creative counterparts who also respect and pursue the strange.   I also owe (well, all of LUCEO owes) Gina Martin, Andrew Owen, Jenna Pirog, and everyone involved in the LOOK3 and LOOKBetween family a huge thank you for supporting our mission and engaging us in this summer’s event.  We’re looking forward to 2011′s festival.  Mark Murrmann at Mother Jones has been a regular and enthusiastic person on my list of daily transactions.  The magazine has no shortage of good, meaningful stories and Mark has been instrumental in finding assignments that have really fit the broader trajectory of the work I’m trying to accomplish.  Last, to James Estrin and The New York Times Lens Blog, I was speechless after reading his review of our organization.  It made the last few years of hard work feel justified.  Thank you.  

And now on to the rest of the pictures…

There's always a bit of discord that comes along with the end of each year.  In my opinion, this has to do with the way that we draw arbitrary lines that tend to try to force us to close the book on one span of time, body of work, or chapter in our lives. ...