At the end of every month, I do my “monthly photo recap” where I pick out 10 “favorite” photos.
It’s a way to appreciate and reflect on I created, and to creatively regroup for the next month.
I took A LOT of photos this past month, and many that I’m proud of. Whittling it down to 10 was difficult. But here goes for October 2024.
1. Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
Before this month, I’d never photographed a comet before. When Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS made its closest approach to Earth in 80,000 years, I knew I had to see it (and capture it) for myself. Not having the time to get out to dark skies, I hiked up a nearby hill here in suburban Phoenix and hoped the light pollution wasn’t too much.
Sure enough, once if got dark enough, there she was, head as bright as a faint star and tail glowing in the twilight. After quite a bit of walking about the hillside to find the right angle, I captured the comet through the arms of an iconic Saguaro.
2. Aurora Borealis & the Joshua Trees
The other major nighttime event of the month was the appearance of the Aurora Borealis on October 10th. It is not often that the Aurora makes its way far enough south to see it in Arizona, and I was fortunate enough to see it twice this year as the sun is in a period of high activity. For this event, I chose to go to the Joshua Tree forest northwest of Wickenburg, Arizona.
Like the comet, I only had to wait until it was dark enough and the pinkish purple glow broke through the twilight on the northern horizon. To my naked eye it wasn’t quite as vibrant as the photo shows, but I create art, not strict documentaries.
3. Framing Cathedral Rock
One stormy Saturday I headed up to northern Arizona hoping to catch fall colors and dramatic weather. The fall colors didn’t pan out so well but the dramatic weather sure did. I arrived at this famous viewpoint just before noon under cloudy skies. I hoped for lightning but it wasn’t in the cards.
Instead, I decided to wait until the sun broke through the clouds to illuminate Cathedral Rock. It only took about 45 minutes, just a blink of an eye in the grand scheme of things. I was fortunate to get the sun-splashed Cathedral framed through the arms of this little old juniper tree.
4. Hanging Over The Water
My big trip in October was a visit to New England. We were a few weeks to early for the “peak” fall colors where we were staying in Masschusetts, but we did manage to track down some nice ones on this rainy day visit to the Wayside Inn Historic District. This photo of a sugar maple reaching its branches out over the mill pond is perhaps my favorite autumn photo I’ve taken this year.
5. Salem Demon Brusker
This was from my first ever visit to Salem, Masschusetts. I don’t do street photography often and I’m pretty green at it, so I gravitated toward photographing bruskers, who are out on the street with the intent to be noticed and photographed (and hopefully earn tips). I was enamored by the creepy mask on this brusker, and shot it with my telephoto lens from down the street to get it framed by the the oblivious bypassers. A type of photo I’ve never taken before.
6. eat
Another Salem brusker, this man appears to be homeless and has a look of pain in his eyes. Before sitting down at this table to offer water to his little kitten, he was standing along the walkway in a strange mask. When an unsuspecting pedestrian would walk near him, he’d growl and jump out at them. I wish I would’ve gotten a photo of him in his mask to contrast with this tender moment.
7. Shoulder Kitten
The same man from the previous photo, I took this a few minutes prior but after he removed his mask. His kitten was small enough to rest on his shoulder and hide inside a hood. I wish I knew more of their story. Honored to have taken these two candid photos of this unlikely duo.
8. Idyllic Ducks
Another from the Wayside Inn mill pond, this is the type of photo that is hard to create where I live in the southwest, and I’ve only been able to dream of making until now. I have pinch myself to remind myself that its actually I photo I took and not a Bob Ross painting.
9. Power Walker & His Shadow
For those really into street photography, shooting a person from behind is looked down upon, but I’m happy to break the rule when it tells a story like this. I’m actually surprised I was able to see this unfolding, raise the camera, and snap the photo in time. The shadow was a fleeting moment, there only for a second or two. Can’t believe I got it.
10. Splash
So many more I’d like to include but I’m at 10 already. And I had to include one of these. We were staying with family in Middlesex County, and a few of us often found ourselves shooting hoops in the driveway…even if it was raining.
In the parlance of basketball, to say someone has a “wet” jumpshot is a way to say its a good one, because of the way the net appears to “splash” when the ball swishes through. Well, my buddy Dustin had an extra-wet jumpshot on this day.
Yep, October was good to me photographically. The End.
