The image from 2015 that means the most to me

[rtbaum]

2015 was a year of recovery for my wife and I. We had to say farewell to a close friend and pair of cherished pets, work had been stressful for both of us. We work different shifts and literally had become two ships passing. A enjoyable Caribbean enabled us to reconnect and enabled us to visit places we had not experienced before. I took the opportunity to move out of my comfort zone and try different genre


Good Hope Estate, Jamaica



Although we were unable to communicate due to linguistic differences, the little boy and I were able to communicate through the lens....Mom was clueless at the time . After showing her the image, she seemed quite pleased.

[tbob]

Living in the north I had always wanted to get an image of the Aurora. The weather was too cold, I was in a rush to get to a call , no camera or too late at night to stay and wait for a good display ( had to get up at 6 am so missing a nights sleep was not an option; miss too much sleep at the best of times).

This display was on a warm night before 10 pm Perfect. My first good shot of the northern lights

[davidedric]

Very nice, Trevor. I decided to look up Dawson Creek. My word you are a long way up!

Dave

[Urbanflyer]

Many photos were meaningful for many different reasons. I chose this one because it was featured in Flickr Explore--and the interest it evoked helped me to decide to spend 2016 more focused on my photography and pp.

Powerful Lines by urbanflyer, on Flickr

[rpcrowe]

Of course, my image would be one of a dog. In this case it is two dogs: Pepsi and Cola who were rescued from under 14 Lanes of Los Angeles Freeway

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWkc5-1kNhY



We have been working very hard to get these two darling dogs socialized and ready for adoption. At first, our intention was to have them adopted together. However, Pepsi was overly protective of his sister Cola and she would hide behind him, just like she did in the tunnel from which they were rescued.

We have done some intensive training over a four week period with a trainer to get these dogs socialized. Our training consisted of clicker training which is a super way to train a dog. Our trainer suggested that it would be in the dog's interest to separate Pepsi and Cola.

Cola is now happily living in a furever home where she is a cherished member of the family and we are continuing Pepsi's training with the aim of making him ready for a new home.

[James G]

I've thought long and hard about responding to this thread, but I've been thinking quite a lot about another thread that Max started about Annual review and goal setting Time to reflect - annual reviews and goal setting

The following three images in some way sum up the last year and if I'd taken no others, I think I would be content I had these:-

1) Janet (my wife) and her best friend Sue.... 24 months ago, Janet developed arthritis which in 14 days seriously damaged her lungs. She has now been waiting for a lung transplant for 12 months. Despite everything she stays bright, lives in hope, is interested in everyone and everything around her, and refuses to see the dark side.



2) Wood Gnat, Chironomidae sp.... For reasons relating to the image above, I've needed to stay within a couple of hrs drive of home (Birmingham UK). Wandering the local green areas this last Spring and Summer, honing my 'macro' photography has been deeply satisfying, and this capture still makes me feel good!



3) Watching.... I am a poor artist, and I rarely display my 'flights of fancy'. This is a mashup of a couple of images I took at Blundell Sands , Liverpool (apologies to Anthony Gormley!) For reasons I find quite difficult to articulate, it sums up my feelings about the last year.



A happy New Year to everyone, and all you would wish for yourselves in 2016!

[tbob]

Very nice, Trevor. I decided to look up Dawson Creek. My word you are a long way up!

Dave

You forget just how far north the British Isles are.

Chester is 53 degrees 12 minutes 19.88 seconds North latitude. Edinburgh is at 56 degrees North. I am at 55 degrees 20 minutes N. So I am smack dab between you and Donald. Without the Gulf Stream you would be subarctic cold in winter.

[davidedric]

You forget just how far north the British Isles are.

Oh yes, I know. a few years ago, we went up the BC coast to Knight Inlet - just a different (and beautiful) world.

Happy new year, in an hour or three

Dave

[DEAN01]

Not a flattering portrait, but one with deep meaning. My wife had surgery to remove a cancerous mass and had to have five of her vertebra fused with titanium pins and screws. She wore this brace, she dubbed her "Klingon Battle Gear," for about three months. Here she is walking along our driveway building up her back and leg muscles. Along with radiation and chemotherapy she continues to improve--no walker by the end of January 2016.

[flashback]

"This is my helmet. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
My helmet is my best friend. It is my life. "
(adapted from the Rifleman's Creed)

My helmet has been with me for 15 years. It's funny, turn out gear (also referred to as PPE, Bunkers, etc) gets changed out. Boots get replaced. Friends come and go. Engines get replaced and stations (and sometimes departments) are changed, but the one constant is a fireman's helmet. It's yours, it's personal, personalized and, baring any unforeseen events (or promotions) stays with you your whole career.

So one rainy, crappy day out, it was quiet and I happen to have my camera with me and so I putzed around in the bay taking some shots on a windowsill. With a little bit of luck and some PP I was able to come up with a somewhat decent shot.

So why is it important to me? Well, besides the obvious importance (protection) it was me producing what I guess could be called a 'studio' shot. After which I soon realized that I don't like studio work. But the reason I do like the image is because I achieved what I set out to do, produce an 'artistic' shot of something rather mundane. It shows some of the wear and tear and dirt that's to be expected, the front piece (shield) is sufficiently shadowed and cropped to maintain a certain degree of anonymity and to be somewhat generic. (The brass eagle has been squashed down quite a bit, the result of bumps and drops but mostly, from an incident where my helmet (with me in it) intercepted a falling tool. Which is why I will always wear protective head gear from the moment I get off the engine until I get back on. S**t happens.)

It's one of the few shots I've taken this year I'm happy with and it ended up with the honor of being the first image of mine to ever get printed, framed and hung.

[James G]

Jack, that is one serious shot.... congratulations

[Mike Buckley]

I have been participating daily here at CiC for over three years. If there has ever been a thread that has impacted me so much, I don't remember it. Every single post is so touching.

[Ndukes]

Not a flattering portrait, but one with deep meaning. My wife had surgery to remove a cancerous mass and had to have five of her vertebra fused with titanium pins and screws. She wore this brace, she dubbed her "Klingon Battle Gear," for about three months. Here she is walking along our driveway building up her back and leg muscles. Along with radiation and chemotherapy she continues to improve--no walker by the end of January 2016.

That is one courageous lady. May you both have a great new year.

[drjuice]

I'm glad to be back and to come on this as the first forum where I can contribute.

Since I have neither a significant other or live pets, I've looked at all my images from last year and decided this is the most important to me. It's the entrance to City of Hope National Medical Center all dressed up for the Lunar New Year 12 months ago. That's the hospital where I was an inpatient for 4 weeks and 5 minutes. Being an inpatient was how I got high dose chemotherapy with stem cells following the chemo to restore my immune system. In another month, it will be 25 years since I got a cancer diagnosis and one of the first messages my doctor delivered was that I was likely to die from the disease or the result (officially called sequelae) from the treatment. So, seeing the lanterns hanging in front of the entrance every year about this time makes Lunar New Year a special time because I'm still around to check them out.

Thanks for the opportunity.

virginia

[Marie Hass]

My mom's hands.

She was on her last journey and was soon to meet the man who was her husband of 65 years.

I took this with my cell phone - and I am crying as I post this.

Marie

[mknittle]

I'm glad to be back and to come on this as the first forum where I can contribute.

Since I have neither a significant other or live pets, I've looked at all my images from last year and decided this is the most important to me. It's the entrance to City of Hope National Medical Center all dressed up for the Lunar New Year 12 months ago. That's the hospital where I was an inpatient for 4 weeks and 5 minutes. Being an inpatient was how I got high dose chemotherapy with stem cells following the chemo to restore my immune system. In another month, it will be 25 years since I got a cancer diagnosis and one of the first messages my doctor delivered was that I was likely to die from the disease or the result (officially called sequelae) from the treatment. So, seeing the lanterns hanging in front of the entrance every year about this time makes Lunar New Year a special time because I'm still around to check them out.

Thanks for the opportunity.

virginia

glad you are still here Virginia. I too had a bout with cancer.

[Jeff S]

This is the most meaningful photograph that I made last year because of the circumstances and what I learned. This is the top of Haleakala (House of the Sun) on Maui. I had one afternoon free while visiting the island and decided to use what available time I had driving up the mountain. It was a sunny day until I reached the 10,000 foot mark when I ran into a large storm with 40 - 60 mile-an-hour winds that blew the rain sideways. I drove the rest of the way in near zero visibility and stood under the eaves of a small building for about two hours without a break in the weather and clouds so dense they defied photography. Then for the space of less than three minutes (measured by the time of my first and last photos) a complete break in the clouds occurred and I fired off a rapid series of photographs before the leading edge of another cloud bank poured up and over the right side of the crater, bringing more sideways rain. The clouds in the photo literally filled the crater within a matter of seconds because the wind was so strong. I beat a hasty retreat in the rain, back to my car, having learned the value of patience when it comes to photography.

[scully]

Hi all, I am new here.

My brother got married in 2015 and this photo is of him and his future wife releasing birds as an offering to Buddha. It is taken in Chiang Mai in Thailand. The Thais are a beautiful people and life is all about making family happy. Pete got married in the Buddhist tradition in Thailand and six months later got married with papers in Australia.

[skitterbug]

It is hard to pin down one pic that is most meaningful since a lot of mine are of family, but one I am glad I have is of Max, our beloved Miniature Schnauzer. It is one of the last that I captured of him. He was only 8 when he passed away. He used to come out to the family room when I was up late, and stand there and look at me as if to say, "When are you planning on going to bed?" Yep! I miss him!

Max