2023 Wrap-up

Simon Abrams January 5, 2024

Well, first things first - looks like I skipped 2022. I have no excuses, but here's two of my favorites from then, and we'll call it good.

I was pretty darn close to skipping my 2023 wrap-up too - every time I looked at my favorite photos from the year, I'd find myself thinking "Really? That is one of your favorite photos from 2023?" One of the things I'm trying to do is be kinder to myself, and to remember that the perfect is the enemy of the good... but it's hard. Brains are jerks, and will tell you terrible things about yourself if you let them.

I couldn't find any overarching themes for the year, but there were a couple of notable images, and a few paid portrait gigs. I flew my drone a bit less this year, but I did make some aerial images that I reall like. And in November, I went on an epic backpacking trip to Santa Rosa Island in the Channel Islands National Park. I heard once on a podcast that it's important to experience the feeling of awe - that is, to be in a surrounding that dwarfs you, that is beautiful, but at the same time a little threatening. I thought about that a lot during that Santa Rosa trip.

So here, in no particular order are some of my favorite photos from 2023.

I did a few portrait sessions this year. Not as many as I’d like to; in fact one of my 2024 goals is to book 2-3 portrait or headshot or family sessions per quarter. Feel free to reach out to set up a session! Anyway; here are some images from those sessions; a portrait of some random strangers on the street; and a self-portrait with dramatic lighting that I keep coming back to.

I love flying my drone and making images from a different perspective than we’re used to. In addition to some images at the beach, and in Prospect Park, I also dipped my toe into aerial real estate photography, which is also something I’d like to do more of.

Who doesn’t love the outdoors? I spend a lot of time in Prospect Park, as I have the good fortune to live across the street, so most of these images were taken there.

I got a some cool random shots around the city, but some standouts for me are Damon the JĒSISM guy; the orange air pollution sky, and that cool not-quite-Manhattanhenge sunset. I also love the roller coaster image.

This backpacking trip with two of my oldest friends was transformative. Hard backcountry hiking, with 40 pound packs filled with food, water and supplies for four days. The sound of sparring juvenile male elephant seals were the constant soundtrack (fortunately, our camp was removed enough from them that we couldn’t smell them, cuz boy do they stink). I was absolutely outside of my element, (I suck at sleeping in tents), but it was a fantastic way to reconnect with each other without the distractions of our ever-connected society.

Bonus

These two images don’t fit anywhere, but they’re calming to me, and I like how they look juxtaposed with each other. I shot these from the window of a flight to Copenhagen (which was an amazing city, and I’d love to go back again).

2021 and Done

Simon Abrams December 31, 2021

When I wrote last year's wrap up of what a garbage year that was, little did I know I'd be sitting down a year later to say that 2021 was a dumpster fire too. I guess the attempted coup right in the beginning should have tipped us all off, though.

Anyway. The truth is, I have to once again say with deep gratitude that it wasn't all bad for me and my immediate family. Everyone's safe and healthy and has gainful employment, and I hope that continues into 2022.

A Latinx woman poses with assorted fruits and vegetables in front of a pink backdrop — side hustle

My photography side hustle definitely picked up - I got paid more in 2021 from my photography than in any previous year. Not only did I get more gigs, I branched out and did a little videography - handheld and aerial! - which was one of my goals. And I did one of the most elaborate studio shoots I've ever done for my friend Damaris, aka Summer Baby's upcoming single, and I'm so proud of the resulting images. I also shot the album art for my niece Gigi's first single as well, so music-related photography seems to be a growing trend for me.

I also started contributing more images to Adobe Stock, in an effort to start making some passive income. I only made a few sales this year, but the meager couple of bucks was still more than those images would have made just from sitting on my hard drive, collecting digital dust. The plan is to ramp that up this year as well.

A new car!

A silver Honda Insight parked in front of a cabin in Fleishmanns, New York — 2021 Honda Insight, in Lunar Silver!

One other significant life change this year was that at the ripe old age of 47, my wife and I bought a car for the very first time in either of our lives. After many stressful hours spent researching, and one attempt to take a test drive at the ridiculous Plaza Auto Mall in Brooklyn, we ended up with a brand new 2021 Honda Insight, and we love it.

Unfortunately, almost exactly six months later, that jerk Ida pulled through and devastated the Northeast, leaving us with a flooded parking garage. Womp-womp. So much for that new car smell. At least there are no electrical problems… yet.

A Honda Insight in a flooded parking garage — 2021 Honda Insight, in dirty hurricane water

We actually got to travel a little this year. Having the car allowed for a couple of quick trips to see family in Virginia and New Hampshire; as well as a couple of little jaunts to the Catskills and Greenport, Long Island.

Santa Rosa Island

The one major trip I took was out California to go backpacking on Santa Rosa Island, in Channel Islands National Park. It was an epic adventure with my childhood friend Matt, and some of his good friends. It was my first time backpacking - like, proper backpacking: carrying forty-plus pounds of gear and food; paying close attention to the weather and potable water sources; having absolutely zero cell service - that kind of backpacking.

We did about 10 miles of hiking each day for three days, and it was fun, but it was also really hard. I learned something about myself, though: that I was capable of doing this hard thing, and of having fun along the way. Also, Matt and his friends are more on the conservative side of the political spectrum, and spending time in close quarters with them for several days reinforced something I've always believed, which is that despite what Twitter says, it's possible to have ideological differences with people and still enjoy their company, and to learn from them.

Of course, I also roamed around NYC on my bike a bit; spent time in Prospect Park, and during that sliver of time when it seemed like we had Covid beat, I hung out with friends and family and did all those types of things that we hadn't been able do at the height of the pandemic. I also shot a bunch of random cool pictures for various reasons, or for no real reason at all.

Conclusion

So, that’s about it. 2021 is a wrap; 2022 is brand new and full of promise…here’s hoping I’m not back here in a year complaining about 2020: The Sequel.

Elise Studio Session

Simon Abrams June 7, 2021

This was a fun one - and a personally satisfying one, too. This is my amazing and talented niece, Gigi (recording as Elise), and I was lucky enough to be there to record her very first studio recording session. I have exactly zero musical talent, but being in a studio watching the process of finessing and refining a song is something I enjoy a great deal.

It's even more amazing when it's someone I've known as a baby becoming a mature and talented artist learning to express herself and develop her craft.

On our way from her last day of recording, we passed by a 24-hour adult video store, and just knew we had to go make some portraits in front of those neon lights.

I can't wait for you all to hear her music. Her first single, SINS, should be out soon on all streaming platforms.

2020 Wrap-Up

Simon Abrams January 2, 2021

So, uh... 2020 huh? That was... something. First of all, I'm going to pat myself on the back for doing a wrap-up in a timely fashion (apologies to 2019, I'm very sorry for taking you for granted). Aside from that, I struggled - am still struggling - with gathering a collection of images that sums up this year in a way that is representative of the crazy roller-coaster dumpster fire we just went through. I spent much of the year in a frothing rage (well, okay, maybe more of a low-simmering despair that mostly manifested itself on [Twitter][1]) at failed steak salesman and one-term president, Donald Trump, and his colossal ineptitude and [callous mishandling][1] of the pandemic. But the truth is, I've been extremely fortunate, and don't have much to complain about in my personal life. Although I personally know at least 5 or 6 people that were killed by the virus (and I never want to attend another Zoom funeral), most of my immediate family and friends have managed to either avoid COVID-19 entirely, or not become seriously ill with it. I've been lucky enough to keep my job, keep my apartment, and never run out of toilet paper during this whole thing. I have a lot to be grateful for. [1]: https://twitter.com/flysi Anyway, here are a couple of collections of images that sum up this wild and crazy year. Here's hoping 2021 brings brigther days, and at least some of the familiar, but sorely missed things we all took for granted in the Beforetime. [1]: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/31/us/politics/trump-coronavirus.html

BC: Before COVID

Ah, we were so innocent then - I was just living my life, doing regular stuff, like going to karate, riding my bike, riding the subway, hanging out in Chinatown, and working at an office. I even made some portraits of my coworkers, all in a room together!

Just before the quarantine kicked in, my wife and I took a trip to San Antonio to see our niece graduate from Air Force bootcamp, with a little detour for me to visit a friend in Austin. As a couple that usually takes at least one fairly big vacation every year, we could never have imagined that that would be our last trip for the unforeseeable future.

Just before shit went sideways, a friend of mine loaned me his road bike, to try and coax me into yet another expensive hobby, and I had started riding a little more frequently, and farther afield. So naturally, when the lockdown started, knowing that there wouldn't be any traffic, I decided to bike into Manhattan to get some exercise.

I've lived in Brooklyn for 24 years. Up until the last 2 of those, I commuted into Manhattan for work every week. Nothing - not even seeing other people's videos or photos of it - could have prepared me for the sensation of being in The City during those early days of the initial shelter in place orders; of being in Chinatown, or in front of City Hall, or on the Brooklyn Bridge pedestrian walkway by myself. It was shocking, saddening, depressing, scary, surreal - it was like the desolation that Will Smith's character in I Am Legend lived in, before the plants and deer (and zombies) took over.

And yet, it was kind of exciting. I felt like I was experiencing something exclusive; I felt possessive and selfish of that experience, and I also felt a little sad that I knew the emptiness and quiet was going to go away, and that I'd probably - hopefully - never see the city that way again. It was deeply conflicting, and I felt somewhat guilty about it. But I got to make some photographs I could never have made in any other circumstance, and I'm grateful, too.

Aside from that, once we realized that face coverings were easy and smart to wear (and asinine to make part of the culture war), my wife busted out her sewing machine, and after a few practice runs, she made our first cloth masks from some patterns she found online.

I like cooking, and consider myself to be pretty good at it, and quarantine life drove me to cook even more. One of the best uses of video conferencing I experienced during the whole pandemic was a couple of cooking classes I took from The Brooklyn Kitchen. Our virtual office holiday party also took the form of us breaking into groups and cooking together over a video call, and it was one of the most fun video call experiences I've had.

I expanded my range, making things like quesadillas, fried rice, chow-mein, homemade pasta and cast-iron skillet pizza, but I also went the other way and fell back on easy packaged things like spicy instant ramen. At Christmas, as I've done for the past couple of years, I made a traditional Guyanese dish called Pepperpot; and also did a simple roasted chicken and a few sides.

Being locked down could have been much, much worse, if not for Prospect Park, which I'm fortunate to live across the street from. Coincidentally, my wife was getting an urban naturalist certification from the New York Botanical Garden, meaning she was now super interested in identifying the plants, birds and bugs that are native to the park. So we spent a ton of time going on walks, getting fresh air, and photographing what we saw.

As an aside, my burgeoning interest in birding happened to coincide with the very high-profile case of Central Park birder Christian Cooper having the cops called on him by a racist lady, so the incident struck a nerve with me in several ways.

Anyway, I was continually amazed at the quality of images I was able to make with my iPhone 11 Pro and Moment Macro lens (*affiliate link) - so much so that I wrote a whole blog post about it.

Pandemic aside, I managed to make some portraits that I'm really proud of. As mentioned before, I shot a few of my co-workers at the beginning of the year; and I also got out there and shot several family portrait sessions, which is something I've dabbled in for years now, always threatening to pull the trigger and make it a more substantial part of generating income with my photography. I also got out of my comfort zone and photographed a few strangers in the park; and at the prompting of some good friends of mine, I started submitting to 52frames, which is a weekly photography assignment. It's challenging, full of talented, creative people, and it motivates me to shoot even when I don't really feel like it. I recommend it.

No wrap-up of 2020 can ignore the long-suppressed turmoil that finally - inevitably - spilled out with the murder of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor (among many) this spring. I won't claim to have been out there in the streets with the rest of the activists fighting for justice (I know my lane; I donated where I was able, to causes I believe in), but I did make a point of capturing some of the powerful - and peaceful - response I saw in my neighborhood.

I also went out to try to capture the sense elation that many of us felt when the election was called in favor of President-Elect Joe Biden, and when Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris made history in so many ways this fall. I'm still disappointed that so many people opted in for more of the objectively apalling shit that we've experienced for the past four years, but I'm also cautiously optimistic about the future.

One thing I did this year, which was really hard, and I'm incredibly proud of, was to pass my FAA Part 107 remote pilot certification. It means I can fly a drone commercially, so that's another avenue for expanding my photography earning. It's also fun, and the perspective from up there never gets old.

So, that was my 2020, I guess. Difficult times; loss, frustration, sacrifice; but also growth, creativity, potential, new opportunities.

I sincerely hope that my optimism for the incoming administration isn't misplaced - though the bar is low, so unless Biden is paying adult entertainers hush-money, or telling white supremacists to "stand by", I think we have the capacity to move forward as a country.

I'm also looking forward to moving forward as a husband, a son, a brother, a friend; and as a photographer, a developer, a creative person, and in all the other areas of my life. And I wish the same for you as well.

🥂

2018 Favorite Photos

Simon Abrams October 22, 2019

I think this has to be a record for the most out-of-date year-in-review photo retrospective, but...#yolo?

In defense of myself, I had actually collected these images sometime in January-ish, and kind of forgotten about posting them; then I remembered, but then I abandoned them because it was too late for a year-end-recap post. Now, I've come back around to them, and have decided they're worth posting anyway, because they are some of my very favorite images, and I think they look nice as a collection. So damn the arbitrary cultural constraints of whatever time of year one is supposed to do this sort of thing, and enjoy.

I promise I'll try to have the 2019 collection up in a much more timely fashion (but who's kidding who - maybe see you in 2021?).

Food & Family

Simon Abrams June 27, 2019

This weekend, I took the train to New Brunswick, NJ, where my sister Sarah lives, to hang out for the afternoon. My other sister Andrea had driven up from Virginia the day before, and I was looking forward to just lounging around and hanging out with them. We didn't make any specific plans beforehand, but the baseline expectation when one or more of my sisters get together is that there's guaranteed to be a ridiculous amount of eating of delicious food going on. And drinks. Lots of drinks. This time was no different.

My sisters can cook their asses off. They're the kinds of chefs that can look at a recipe, and improvise, subsitute, remix it, and make it their own, on pure instinct.

Back in the day, when I first moved to Brooklyn and was making $4.63 an hour working at the Gap (where was Bernie Sanders back then?), Andrea and I would pick up a half chicken and fried rice meal from the bulletproof Chinese restaurant, and she'd throw some watercress and a handful of other fresh veggies and hot peppers in there, and elevate that shitty takeout into a meal.

After a quick recon of what was in the freezer, followed by a brief run to the Asian grocery store for some fresh ingredients, the girls whipped up a lavish seafood noodle dish full of lobster, shrimp, crabs, squid, with crisp bok choi, scallions and a delicous spicy soy glaze.

I don’t know if these pictures do justice to the amount of food that Andrea and Sarah whipped up. But it was delicious, and we thoroughly enjoyed sitting around crunching through various types of seafood shells with gusto. And you better believe I brought home enough for several sets of leftovers (some of which I enjoyed at work today). Let’s do it again soon.

2017 Year in Review

Simon Abrams December 30, 2017

2017 is almost over—what a year, huh? As a country we learned some hard truths about ourselves, but we also learned that we're more resilient than we thought. I think that might apply to me individually as well.

Over the years, at the suggestion of just about every self-help lifehack and prodicutvity blog in existence, I have made many half-hearted attempts at developing a daily journaling habit, but it never seems to stick. But when I look back at my photography, I realize that this has been my form of journaling all along—it's my one daily habit that happens virtually unconsciously, and that I have the itch to do almost no matter what. So ths collection of images is like a look back at my journal over the past year.

With that in mind, for this year's recap, I decided that rather than restrict myself to a specific number of images for the year, or picking a certain number of images per month, I thought I'd just go back and try to pick out the broader themes in my life that materialized through my photography.

Trump's America

Love him or hate him, Donald Trump and his ridiculous politics dominated this year. I'm not shy about saying I loathe the guy from the depths of my being. Because of that, and the renewed sense of civic duty that I know many of us felt as a result of his election, there was no question about whether I would attend the Women's March in January. The experience was reassuring and helped me to realize that, after having felt let down by a good portion of this country, there were others that were not going to be apathetic, and would fight every day against the indecency of Donald Trump's presidency.

Prospect Park

I feel so fortunate to have Prospect Park as my front yard. When I'm stressed, or need a workout, or want to move slowly for a long time (as the Primal folks would say), the park is my go-to spot.

The Oculus

This didn't happen on purpose, but as I looked back over my photos from this year, I realized that I really spent a lot of time wandering around the Oculus at the World Trade Center. Some people really hate this building (and the fact that from the inside, it kind of feels like you got swallowed by a whale, and it cost billions of dollars), but I really love this space, and find myself compelled to try and take a unique photograph of it every time I'm there.

Everyday Surroundings

Although I try to shoot every day, I have my moments when I don't feel particularly motivated, especially when I'm caught in the day-to-day grind of going to work and coming back home for an extended, uninterrupted period.

I try to pull myself out of that by switching up my commute; by taking a longer route to or from work; by going out for a walk at lunch, even if I brown-bagged it. During those times, I make a point of consciously looking for the light, shapes, colors and designs that surround me. I guess this year, I had a thing for silhouettes and dramatic lighting.

Night

I've always loved night photography. It takes a little more effort, forces you to slow down, and is definitely helped by better gear (wider apertures, sensors that are more light-sensitive). But there results are always so worth it. I didn't do as much of it this year as I could have, but going over some of my night photos from this year made me remember how much I enjoy it.

Being Active

As far as being active and moving a lot, this was a good year. I lost around 14 pounds in April with my second round of the Whole 30 plan. I realized that I do really well with sticking to a workout when I sign up for something, like the Nike+ Run Club or Nike Training Club's coaching plans. Aside from that, for a good part of the spring, I developed a routine of going to karate twice a week, and had lots of fun getting beat up by Dante in sparring class. I also spent a lot of time on my bike, commuting to and from work a total of 38 times, (roughly 266 miles). My wife Stephanie and I even decided that we wanted to start doing more outdoors activities together, so we started with an easy hike at Franny Reese State Park this fall.

I'll admit that I got a bit lazy later in the year, and have been in full-on hibernation mode for the last few weeks, especially since it got dramatically colder here in New York. I even ended up gaining back some of the weight I had lost, but I'm ready to get back to it for 2018.

Wedding Photography

I went way outside my photography comfort zone this year. A friend approached me about shooting her wedding, and even though it gave me the jitters almost immediately, I decided to say yes. I was nervous for weeks leading up to the wedding, and had all sorts of doubts about my ability to do justice to Amanda and Alex's special day, but I had an amazing time doing it. I ended up feeling challenged, but also energized and creative in all sorts of new ways. The lesson for me was, it's true what they say: get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Music and Culture

Concert photography is one of my favorite things to do. Aside from my usual pilgrimage to the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, I managed to go to a couple of events this year, including the Afropunk Battle of the Bands in Williamsburg and 2 Chainz' performance closing Advertising Week in New York. I also decided to challenge myself to document the West Indian American Day Children's Parade, which is one of the more "low-key" events surrounding the main Parade on Labor Day. We also went up to the New York Botanical Garden's incredible Chilhuly Nights exhibit.

Friends and Family

Some of my favorite pictures this year (most years, for obvious reasons) were of the people close to me. Some of the highlights: we celebrated my father-in-law's 70th birthday at a gorgeous Airbnb rental up in Maine; I photographed my aunt Rose and cousin Claudia, along with her adorable new daughter Danai; I spent time with my cool, funny niece Alexandra; celebrated my sister Sarah's birthday; and I took advantage of a short trip to San Francisco for Afrotech, to reconnect with one of my life-long friends and his family. Finally, I capped off the year with a trip to Virginia to see my mom for her birthday.

2017 certainly had its moments. Politics and the moment we're having as a nation, as well as my own insecurities about myself and my professional growth were probably the most stressful things for me this year. But I think I learned a lot, and got to spend time with the people I care about the most. I don't really do the New Year's resolution thing, but I'm looking forward to continuing to work on myself as a person and as a photographer; and to nurture my relationships with my wife and friends and our families.

Here's to growth, health, and positivity for 2018.

I’m Friends With Some of My Favorite Photographers

Simon Abrams August 7, 2017

Ask any photographer who they’re influenced by, or who their favorite photographers are, and chances are pretty good that they’ll list some of the titans of the genre: Henri Cartier-Bresson, William Eggleston, Ansel Adams, Bruce Davidson, Diane Arbus. Makes total sense; there’s a reason these photographers are seen as the epitome of the form.

Typically, people lavish praise on their favorite artists when they’re dead (just to be clear, Bruce Davidson is not dead). I decided that I want to acknowledge some of my favorite photographers, who are not only living, but who I also have the good fortune to know personally, even if only as acquaintances. I’m not trying to be too effusive or fawning here; just stating out loud to some photographers I respect greatly that I’m a fan.

Also, I was thinking about the way we consume photography today. Because of the sheer volume of photography being created, it has inevitably become a really thoughtless exercise in swiping and double-tapping to show surface-level appreciation for an image, so I’m doing this as an exercise in forcing myself to slow down and articulate why I consider these photographers some of my favorites.

Clay Enos

@gal_gadot is THE #WonderWoman

A post shared by Clay Enos (@clayenos) on Apr 7, 2017 at 8:37pm PDT

A post shared by Clay Enos (@clayenos) on Jun 16, 2017 at 12:10pm PDT

Website | Twitter | IG

If you’ve seen a poster for a superhero movie in the last 5-10 years, there’s a strong possibility that Clay Enos shot it. But that’s not all he does. I met Clay when we both worked at AOL’s internal media group way back in the early 2000s. I first fell in love with his work through his Street Studio project: a brutally simple idea, consisting of a white backdrop on a street corner, and an invitation to passersby to pose for a photo. That’s it. This project is inspired by the work of Richard Avedon, one of Clay’s favorite photographers. The project initially started in the five boroughs of New York City, but Clay eventually brought it across the country and the world. Taken as a whole, it connects the viewer instantly, and intimately to a huge cross-section of humans. One of the reasons I love this project so much, is because of my own shyness and inability to approach strangers on the street, much less connect with them the way Clay does.

Other things you should know about Clay: he's one of the least gear-obsessed photographers I've ever met. He once rode a Vespa from New York City to Vancouver, and then to Central America, documenting the state of sustainable food production along the way. And When not working as a still photographer on the set of a major film, he spends much of his time photographing and sharing the stories of coffee farmers in places like Eastern Congo, Rwanda and Guatemala.

Scott Witt

@migos at @lollapalooza day 1 // #leica #concertphotography

A post shared by Scott Witt (@scottwitt) on Aug 3, 2017 at 9:49pm PDT

Kyan. Rocking. Everything. // #leica #makeportraits #kids

A post shared by Scott Witt (@scottwitt) on Dec 20, 2016 at 9:44pm PST

Website | Twitter | IG

When I think of Scott’s work, I think of impeccable technical execution coexisting with a kind of loose, artistic spontaneity that shouldn’t be possible. Scott’s also a perfectionist, and has impossibly high standards (whether we’re talking about his mixologist tendencies, or his love of Spanish jamón, or his preference of camera gear), and it’s clear that this also applies to his photography. He works relentlessly towards honing his craft. Aside from the high profile stuff he shoots at events like the iTunes Festival (some of which you’ve seen without realizing it, if you’re an Apple Music user), some of my favorite of his work is the spontaneous moments he captures in the streets of various cities late at night, and, of course, the fantastic images he makes with his family.

Lev Kuperman

A post shared by LEV KUPERMAN WEDDINGS (@levkupermanweddings) on Jan 3, 2017 at 8:30am PST

A post shared by LEV KUPERMAN WEDDINGS (@levkupermanweddings) on Jun 19, 2017 at 5:17am PDT

Website | Facebook | IG

I worked with Lev when he was still working a 9-to-5 in the world of advertising, and I’ll always remember the day he came over and announced that he was quitting to go and be a wedding photographer. The idea of doing something like that still strikes fear deep into my core (I have some issues I need to work out), but I was really happy for him, and it has certainly worked out in his favor. His work stands out in a crowded field of me-too wedding photographers, whose work all seems based on the same playbook (and the same batch of Photoshop filters). It’s clear from his work that he connects intimately with the people he photographs; that he’s genuinely invested in helping them make lasting memories of one of the most important days of their lives. I really hate the generic, watered-down meaning the word “curate” has taken on in our modern usage, but Lev really does curate everything that’s included in (and excluded from) each frame he shoots — the framing, the shadows, the light — everything there is totally intentional.

These are a few of my favorite contemporary photographers that I also call friends (I picked three, but there are many more.) Who are some of yours? Go beyond double-tapping or liking, and let them know you dig their work.

The crowd reacts to the Roots' performance during Advertising Week at Webster Hall.

2016 Year in Review

Simon Abrams January 1, 2017

2016 was a remarkable year, to say the very least. Not only on a national and global level, with events like Trump's unprecedented election victory, Russian hacks, and the Syrian war, but it was remarkable for me personally.

My wife was diagnosed with cancer late last year, so much of the early part of this year was dedicated to her recovery. Happily, she's healthy and cancer-free now, and she'll just have to be vigilant about getting checkups regularly to make sure she stays that way.

Aside from that, we took quite a few trips this year—some smaller trips to visit family and friends in Concord, New Hampshire and Atlanta; and some bigger trips like the one we took to China to celebrate our 10th anniversary. We also did an epic 9-day road trip through Upstate New York and Niagara falls with our nieces Gigi and Leila. It was a great way to experience New York (although I still have much of the state to see), as well as a fun way to spend time with our nieces as they grow into young ladies.

Overall, I'd say it was a good year for me. Professionally, I think I need to get really introspective and answer some questions about where my career development should be headed. As a photographer, I think I need to continue to push myself to make better images, and to keep working to refine my creative voice.

I had fun looking back over the past year while making my selects for this post, and in spite of the challenges that we face with Trump's administration, I feel optimistic about the year ahead.

Happy New Year!

Winter Storm Jonas

During winter storm Jonas, the first major snowstorm of 2016, I wandered around the Prospect-Lefferts area a little. It was a little surreal walking down the middle of Flatbush Avenue, which is ordinarily jammed full of dollar vans and other traffic, and is generally pretty perilous for pedestrians.

Parade Grounds

I was riding my bike home, and just had to stop to make a few shots of the West Indian guys playing soccer at the Parade Grounds, right next to Prospect Park. I ended up not being exactly thrilled with the shots, but decided to post this one on Flickr anyway. Wouldn't you know, Apple's media agency contacted me, and expressed interest in using this image for a campaign. This was the second time I've been contacted by them–and for the second time, I didn't have a model release for my image. Lesson learned.

Boozy Selfie

I was having a few drinks with friends, and decided to do a series that captured the bar scene. I wanted the images to have a sort of sloppy, mysterious feel to them - like we are voyeurs, catching a glimpse of something we shouldn't be seeing.

Eva!

We took a drive up to visit Stephanie's sister and her husband in New Hampshire so that Eva - short for Evangeline - could her Auntie Stephanie for the first time.

Beijing Sunset

Our first views of the skies over Beijing after 13-plus hours of flying

Dancers at Xingqinggong Park

Our itinerary in China included a stop that sounded really boring, but turned out to be one of our favorite expreiences of the whole trip. We stopped to hang out with some retirees at a park in Xi'an as they exercised, practiced tai-chi, danced and socialized with friends. Everything is sponsored by the Chinese Government, and it made us wonder why on earth we don't encourage the same sorts of activities for our senior citizens here in the US.

Shanghai

Shanghai was my favorite of the cities we visited in China, and I wish I had had more time to explore on my own. This image is from a short cruise we took on the Huangpu River, along The Bund.

Charging Bull

There's a Charging Bull sculpture on The Bund that's made by the same artist as the one that's on Wall Street.

Seldon

I've taken many portraits of my old friend Seldon, mostly as part of the work I've been doing with Finer Fields (fka FortyTwo). This one is one of my favorites.

Red and Black

Serendiptiy at play in this image, for sure.

Commute

I keep hearing about our crumbling infrastructure. I think people must be talking about the subway, because I really feel like I experienced more delays, service disruptions, and crowded trains this year.

DUMBO

I was by the Brooklyn waterfront in DUMBO, which is always a photogenic place to be. The lighting was on point for silhouettes of buildings and people.

Up and Over

I went for a bike ride, with no real destination in mind, and ended up at Coney Island. The sky was a perfect blue, which contrasts beautifully with the orange of the roller coaster tracks. I spent a good amount of time watching people ride this coaster to end up with this shot.

Gigi and Leila

We pulled up to Chimney Bluffs State Park, on the border of Lake Ontario, right as the sun was about to set. I love this image of my nieces Gigi and Leila running around being kids, because Gigi just turned 15, and I think spontaneous moments like this one are going to come to an end soon as she starts being more "grown-up".

Ghostface

From Droga5's epic 10th-anniversary bash on Governor's Island. I'm still mad at myself for not having gone up on stage to rock to Protect Ya Neck with him.

Dante

This was a brutally long night of fights (Dante's fight didn't start until almost 1am), but it was worth it. Go Dante.

Liberty

I think I found that perfect moment when the artfifical lights and ambient light balance each other out just right.

Tribute in Lights

I biked over to Louis Valentino Park for this shot of the Tribute in Lights. I like the juxtaposition of the beam of lights next to the new 1WTC building.

Adweek Wrap Party featuring The Roots

I love shooting at concerts and performances, and my little Fuji X100S handles the unpredictable lighting like a champ. I think this is a good image for a lot of reasons; the cherry on top is that Black Thought himself gave it a like on Instagram.

Webster Hall

After the Roots' performance at AdWeek, we went downstairs to the hip-hop room. I haven't been "in da club" in ages, but the vibe took me back to my old party days immediately. There's a lot going on here - a little sensuality, some testosterone, some boredom, maybe... this is a fun image.

Oculus

The building is controversial, but definitely photogenic.

We Love You

Black men in America had a rough 2016. Photographer Byron Summers' We Love You Project was a beautiful series of portraits in response to the images we have been bombarded with (mugshots, corpses, etc.), and I really enjoyed when he came to Droga5 to talk about his work, and do a little mini shoot. Castro (left) brought in his son to be a part of the shoot.

Green Light

I got myself an iPhone 7, and have been kind of obsessively putting its low-light performance to the test. So far, it hasn't disappointed me.

DeKalb Ave

I'm still deeply disappointed and shocked by the results of the election. This post at DeKalb avenue became kind of a bulletin board, gradually accumulating more and more expressions of peoples' thoughts in the weeks after the election. It's been painted over, last I saw.

Leaf

Another image in my series of low-light iPhone 7 experiments. Other than the black-and-white conversion, I didn't do anything to this - no sharpening, nothing.

Between Two Bridges

I was riding my bike home from work and stopped to shoot a couple of long-exposure images along the FDR Drive bike path. Coincidentally, it's shot from almost the same location as the one from last year's wrap-up.

Mom

I made this image while I was visiting my mom and sister in the DC area. We took a little drive to check out the National Christmas Tree, and take one last peek at the White House before its new occupant moves in.

Do the Right Thing

This seemed like a good image to end my 2016 wrap-up with.

Year in Review

Simon Abrams December 31, 2014

I decided to do my own Year in Review - one that I think is a little more personal than the one that the Facebook algorithm generated for me - by selecting 24 images (two for each month) that represent my 2014.

I started off the year with a teaching gig at Miami Ad School's Brooklyn outpost, which gave me a good excuse to roam around DUMBO with my then-new Fuji X100S. In February, I went on an absolutely fantastic trip to Morocco with my wife. This trip was one of the highlights of the year for me (another great opportunity to road-test my new camera), and I can't believe it's already been almost a year.

I spent Memorial Day with my family at my sister's place in Virgina. It was right around that time that I noticed a funny, squishy bump on my elbow that turned out to be bursitis. It eventually led to me needing surgery, and being stuck in a pretty gnarly brace for a total of five weeks this summer.

I made my annual pilgrimage to the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival, which, to my chagrin, moved to Williamsburg this year. It was co-headlined by Jay Electronica and Raekwon, and featured a very special guest named Jay-Z.

In the fall, a group of us rented a place upstate via Airbnb, and went ziplining at Hunter Mountain to celebrate my good friend's 40th birthday. I was also lucky enough to take not one, but two trips to California -- one for the ADCOLOR conference, and one to reunite with my two closest friends from high school.

Overall it's been a good year, and it has ended with some promising developments (more on those later) which should start 2015 off on a strong note.

With that said, here are 24 images that recap my 2014.

With Shihan Alfred DiGrazia after the Black Belt Test

Shodan

Simon Abrams February 10, 2014

Well, it's done. Those weeks of anxiety are over, the black belt test has come and gone, and I did it. And it was absolutely the hardest thing I've ever done. The physical aspect was grueling and unimaginably hard - I don't think I've ever sprinted, kicked, punched, burpeed, or done so many push-ups in my life. I have no idea if it's possible, but I think I might have sprained my diaphragm, I was gasping for air so hard. But the hardest part — by far — was not quitting. 20 minutes in, every part of my body was screaming for me to just sit down on the mat and stop. My head was spinning, I was panting for air, everything hurt like hell, it took all of my concentration to keep my balance and not fall over during kicking drills and kata… Every time Shihan said run, I wanted to flop down on the mat and tap out. During the kumite, I got knocked over (I tripped or lost my balance — really, I swear!) and lying there, even just for a few seconds, felt so damn good. But I got up.

Now, in retrospect, I'm kind of sad I didn't look stronger, and I couldn't have been more impressive in my fights. By the end I was just flailing and getting hit. But I know that's just the vain part of me thinking that. The whole point was for me to be utterly beyond running on empty by the time the fights came around, and that my real test was whether I'd quit or keep going.

I'm really proud that I didn't quit. I have a pretty strong competitive drive sometimes, especially against myself. But I couldn't have done it without the constant encouragement of Shihan Al, Sensei Allison, my fellow classmates, and the presence of both my former* senseis Brian and Edwin, and my wife Stephanie.

People have been asking me what's next. I'm going to keep training - I want to refine my technique, improve my form and my stamina, and maybe even start teaching. And I want to improve my fighting. I still get a little freaked out when sparring, so I need to be more relaxed and comfortable with that. The next level of black belt is a long road and many years away, though - I'm nowhere near being ready to even think about that at this point.

Most importantly, though, I want to remember exactly how every minute of that test felt, so I can remind myself that when things get hard, and my brain is yelling at me to give up, I can overcome that need to quit and that I can do anything I decide I want to do.

*Brian and Edwin will always be my teachers, so "former" probably isn't the right word - it's just that I don't currently train with them on a regular basis.

The Hardest Thing I Will Have Done

Simon Abrams February 2, 2014

Just over six years of martial arts training will culminate one week from today, when I will be testing for my black belt (shodan) at Midwood Martial Arts and Family Fitness Center.

When I was a kid I wanted to take karate lessons, but I never bothered to ask my dad about it - I just assumed he'd say no (looking back, I honestly don't know why I assumed that). I happened to mention that childhood desire off-handedly to my boss one day, and in a case of pure coincidence (aka serendipity), her husband had just opened a karate school in Brooklyn. He gave me one free class (it was a slow day, so it was just me and him), and from then, I've been hooked.

You a fan, a phony, a fake, a pussy, a Stan I still whip your ass, you thirty-six in a karate class You Tae-bo ho, tryna work it out, you tryna get brolic Ask me if I'm tryna kick knowledge - Nas, Ether

There's a recurring joke in our culture about grown men taking karate classes - I don't really get it. It's such a good workout, no matter how old you are, and beats hanging around waiting for some gym rat to get finished with the dumbells. Plus, you learn some usable self-defence skills. I won't claim to be the toughest guy in the world, but at least I know I can get punched - hard - and it won't shock me into paralysis. I'll hit back.

Back to my black belt test: I'm terrified. I keep having little minor panic attacks about every possible aspect of the test. Will I get enough sleep? What should I eat beforehand? I hope I don't get a nervous stomach and have to run to the bathroom before the test. Will I be able to make it through the conditioning portion of the test? What about the fights (kumite)? There are black belts coming in from at least two other states to help with my test. I will have to fight all of them, multiple times, over the three-hour duration of the test.

The reality of it is I know my teacher, Shihan Alfred, wouldn't even have me test if he didn't think I was ready. The noise I'm hearing in my brain is just that - noise. And a big part of what we learn in karate is how to face our challenges, and to have faith in ourselves and our abilities. In fact, it's all right there in our dojo kun (mantra):

You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.

That quote comes from the great philosopher Winnie the Pooh.

I'll check in again in a week or so to record my post-test thoughts. By then, if all goes well, I'll be sporting the black belt, and will have completed the most difficult thing I've ever done in my life.