My Top 5 Photos of 2020 and Year In Review
2020 has been a crazy year for all of us. I think the word "crazy" is an understatement since there were so many things that happened this year around the world. The pandemic has changed all of our lives. We are continuing to adapt to live with a virus that has taken the lives of more than 1.8 million people as of this writing. We used our voices more than ever this year when it came to social activism. And as a result, we saw changes in our local communities, cities, and state governments. There is still work to be done in a lot of areas but slowly we are working towards a better future.
So how's 2020 been for me? This year I've only done 5 collab portrait shoots (the portraits that you see on my IG) which is the lowest number that I've done in a given year ever since I started taking portraits. All of the weddings that I had scheduled to shoot this year got postponed until next year. On the bright side, I'm grateful for all my clients that want to do a traditional wedding once things start to get better. I don’t get paranoid a lot but this year has really tested my tolerance. There were a few uncomfortable moments in my everyday life and on my travels where I could have potentially gotten COVID due to the negligence of the people around me. If you want to read more about a specific uncomfortable situation, check out My Experience Traveling By Plane and Car During COVID blog post. And lastly, COVID has put a damper on my travel plans this year. I was supposed to go to Japan with my family at the end of March but we had to cancel the trip. I'm sure a lot of you guys can relate to canceling your travel plans this year.
Although there were quite a few challenges this year with the pandemic and trying to adapt to it, there are some positive things that happened to me this year. In February, I had my first ever art gallery with a group of talented photographers. I've been wanting to do a pop-up art gallery for the longest time but I didn't know how to go about it. It wasn't until I met my friend Derek at a photo meetup that I had the opportunity to showcase my work alongside the LA Shooters team. I upgraded my photography gear by purchasing a 14-24mm f/2.8 and a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens for an amazing price. Those were two lenses that I’ve been wanting to add to my arsenal for a long time. Throughout this pandemic, I was able to re-connect with some old friends that I haven't talked to in years by checking up on them once in a while and them doing the same for me. I was also able to re-connect with old friends through photography as well! I crossed off three photography spots off my bucket list that I wanted to shoot for the longest time. Those spots were the keyhole arch at Pfeiffer Beach, Skylight Cave, and New England during autumn. I also had the opportunity to shoot for Honda alongside my photography friends. This is my biggest client shoot to this day and I want to thank Derek for inviting me on this wild weekend trip to Arizona. I had the trip of a lifetime when I went to go chase the autumn colors in New England. Ever since I saw photos on Instagram, I've wanted to capture the fall foliage in the east coast but never had the chance to do a trip. I find it funny that it took a global pandemic to finally allow me to go on a trip that I've been wanting to do for the longest time. If you want to hear more about my experience you can check out my New England and New York blog post. On the technical side of things, this year I wrote the most blog posts compared to my two previous years. I had the most unique visitors to my website thus far and I can thank one specific website for all that traffic. I completely redecorated my room and I finally have a desk setup/workspace that I'm proud of. I've been diving into this concept of "minimalism" both aesthetic-wise and lifestyle-wise. The aesthetic part is apparent when I show you guys my desk set up in a separate blog post but I'm still working on incorporating minimalism into my everyday life.
It may seem that I've done a lot based on the current situation of the world, but honestly, I've wanted to accomplish more. However, a part of me says that it's ok. I read an Instagram post a few weeks ago saying how once we get to the end of the year, you're going to see highlights from your friends about how much they accomplished this year. The post concludes by stating that "it's ok if you haven't done anything or didn't accomplish the goals that you wanted to this year. Making it to the end of the year alone is an achievement." I resonated with that post so much. As more people stay home, more problems arise such as domestic abuse or mental health issues. It's important to take care of yourself first, your physical and mental health before you set out to achieve your goals.
Here are my top 5 favorite photos that I’ve taken this year.
Note: These photos are not based on Instagram statistics; instead these are ranked based on personal preference. Although I loved every photoshoot I did this year, these are the ones that I would like to highlight. It was very difficult for me to choose which five photos I would include in this post as there were so many good ones to choose from.
>> Read: Here are some clever ways to display photos in your home
#5 Peaceful Moments at Fire Wave
This was the last location on our weekend trip to the Southwest. I've always wanted to shoot these wave-like textures in the Southwest. This particular spot is in Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada. It's one of the newer hikes and it's about 1.5 miles roundtrip. There were some steep parts on this trail but it's so worth it when you reach the end. My friend Grace guided us throughout this hike and we barely made it for sunset. This photo deserves to be in my top 5 because it's one of the coolest locations that I've been to!
#4 Autumn In Watkins Glen State Park
A few years ago, I came across a photo posted by @tiffpenguin of her friend standing on the bridge surrounded by a gorge and a waterfall. This is the photo that made me want to chase the autumn foliage in the east coast. Watkins Glen State Park is in Upstate New York about 4.5 hours from New York City. I've been to New York plenty of times but since the location is far away from the city and you need a rental car to get there, it made it very difficult to make the trek out there. However, during my recent trip to the east coast, we had a rental car for two weeks which gave us enough time to explore Upstate New York. The hike to this bridge is amazing! We stopped every 5 minutes or so because there were so many stunning views. Once we reached the bridge, it hit me. I couldn't believe that I was finally here. I took a few minutes to take it all in. I was reminded of this quote: Sometimes the journey is more important than the destination. What started as a photo on Instagram turned into a journey of meticulously planning and researching and finally getting an opportunity to go there this year.
#3 Let There Be Light
Another location that I wanted to photograph was Skylight Cave in Oregon. Similar to the photo of Watkins Glen, I came across this location while browsing through Instagram a few years ago (notice a pattern here?). Before making the trip out to this cave, I had to do a ton of research online. The dirt roads leading to this cave looked like a hot mess on Google Maps and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to find the exact location. Luckily, I found a great blog post online with detailed information on how to get there. Timing was also an important factor as the sun pierces through the cave at a certain time in the day. Weather conditions such as clouds also play a critical role in how much light the cave lets in. Considering all these factors, getting a perfect shot proves to be difficult. However, all of the research paid off as I was greeted with clear blue skies and had enough time to shoot the cave with sunlight piercing through. An important thing to note is that getting into the cave is a bit challenging. It requires you to climb down a long tree brand that doesn't seem too stable unless there was someone at the bottom holding it firmly. This is up there as one of the coolest spots that I ever got to photograph and deserves the number three spot this year.
#2 Snowliage
This is one of the moments where I had to pinch myself to see if I was dreaming. The day prior to shooting this photo, Yosemite was at peak autumn color. There was no snow on the trees and ground. It looked like your normal autumn scene. However overnight, snow began to fall in the valley. As we approached the park, everything was covered in snow! The valley must have gotten at least a foot of snow overnight. My photography friends and I were ecstatic throughout the whole day. It's very rare to get these kinds of conditions where the trees are at peak autumn color and covered in snow. According to locals, the window for seeing this phenomenon is short. Usually the colors of the leaves start to fade out at the beginning of November but this year, the leaves were particularly bright. The first snowfall happens around mid-November. The snowfall is usually light and melts within a few hours. I'd say we got extremely lucky witnessing autumn and winter on the same day. I couldn't have experienced such a once-in-a-lifetime moment without my amazing photography friends.
#1 The Trip of a Lifetime
This photo holds special significance to me because it encompasses a trip that I've been wanting to do for years. It's wild to think that if I haven't met certain people this year, I probably would not have gone to the east coast to chase fall colors. And with so much uncertainty in the world, who knows when I'll have this opportunity again. This trip to the east coast ranks at the top of my favorite trips that I have ever taken. From the friends that I went with, to all the beautiful places that we went to, and to all the new experiences, I couldn't have asked for a better trip. Another reason why I ranked this as my favorite photo I've taken this year is because of the journey to get to the top of this mountain to get this shot. The hike to and from this viewpoint is 11 miles. It's the longest hike that I've ever done. I was worried about how grueling of a hike it was going to be since I was out of shape. Before going on this trip, I decided to walk a few miles every day and did some indoor exercises to strengthen my legs. It's the most preparation that I've done for any hike in my entire life. The preparation paid off as I didn't feel that much soreness in my legs nor did I ever get tired from the steep climbs. The view up top was so rewarding as I can see autumn colors for miles on end. Add in a banger sunset shortly after taking this photo, and you get one heck of an amazing day.
Here are my Best Nine for 2020 according to Instagram statistics:
For those curious, here are my top 10 favorite songs of 2020 (ranked):
Even though we were in a pandemic for a majority of this year and were told to stay at home, I had the opportunity to get take out and was able to dine outdoors safely at these amazing restaurants. Here are some of my favorite restaurants and cafes that I tried for the first time this year:
Ichiran NY
Howlin’ Rays
Flapjack's Pancake House
Top of the Park Tapas
Camp
Pine and Crane
Lowkey Burrito
Celebrity Bagels
Cielito Mexican Restaurant
Picazzo's Healthy Italian Kitchen Sedona
Local Juicery
Gypsy Cafe
Mon Vert Cafe
Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company
Theodores' Booze, Blues, & BBQ
Sesame Grill
Joe's Pizza
ShenXian Hotpot
Sichuan Impression
Favorite apps that I've discovered this year:
Notion
Milanote
InShot
Discord
Dashlane
OfferUp
AlpenGlow
PhotoPills
I'm really curious how 2021 will pan out both for me and the world. There's still a lot of uncertainties like when things will get back to normal but I'm hopeful that 2021 will be a better year than 2020. Keep a lookout for more blog content as I have some photo sessions in the pipeline that I have yet to post as well as some guides to my favorite places that I've been. One blog post that I'm looking forward to sharing with you all is my desk setup. I'm hoping to have that posted early next year. I have a big project that I'm working on with a friend that I can't share with you guys yet. I'm hoping to get this out by the end of 2021 but we will see! I'm also planning to revamp my whole website since I've had this same design template since its inception in 2015. If you've been reading my blogs throughout the year, I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. It means a lot to me that you're following me along on this wild journey. I wish you and your family a happy and safe New Year and together we can get through this pandemic. See you guys on the flip side in 2021!
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