2019 Recap
As 2019 draws to a close, I’d like to take some time to reflect on one of the most productive years I have had in terms of photography. I stayed on track creating photo tutorial content and started a whole new body of work, which will be announced after the new year. Somewhere in all that I found time to wrap shooting of, print and debut two other new bodies of work. It has been a whirlwind of a year on so many fronts for my photography. All of this and I spent the better part of the month of December completing the images for a six-month exhibition of my Landscapes of the Body at the Lighthouse for the Blind gallery in San Francisco.
Tutorials and photography education content
I had grand plans to expand my photography tutorial content generation even further than 2018 but starting a new project (more on that in a bit) and two major gallery shows took a lot more time than I anticipated.
I always love to hear from my readers about articles they want to see, so if you have an aspect of photography that you would like me to explore here on the blog, please feel free to reach out on social media and I can add that to the list for next year.
I will be starting a new tutorial series focused on teaching new photographers the basics of the craft. Beginning early next year, expect to see many articles focused on learning the basics, as well as the more advanced content you have come to expect from this blog.
Denver Month of Photography
February is the Denver Month of Photography, and this year I debuted a collection of images featuring my guide dog. The collection is called Fauna’s Adventures, and the work was created with the support of Hilton hotels and United Airlines, as well as some great Denver based hotels. The project aims to promote legitimate service animal use in the travel and hospitality industry. Fauna’s Adventures was shown at Access Gallery located in the Santa Fe Art District here in Denver. I cannot thank Access Gallery enough for their support of my work and for allowing me to debut this important work during the month of photography.
Shooting the Special Olympics
In March I was invited to shoot the Special Olympics Winter Games held at Eldora ski resort here in Colorado. This was such an amazing experience for me. My guide dog Fauna and I had a great time hanging out with and getting to know all the kids, and I look forward to shooting more for the Special Olympics in 2020.
Taking Amtrak to California from Denver
In May, my guide dog Fauna and I took a 33-hour train ride from Denver to California. This was my first solo journey since the accident which robbed me of my vision. I documented the ride on my travel and review blog Blind Travels, which can be found at http://www.blindtravels.com/ During the trip, Fauna did her job in style and made some new friends along the way.
Taking a train trip to Nebraska
We had so much fun on the train to California that we decided to take another trip on Amtrak. This time, we ventured east from Denver to Nebraska to visit a friend and fellow guide dog user who was getting married. Fauna traveled with her best friend Toby on this trip and though it was short, she had a great time and appreciated being able to spend time with her good friend.
Historic Colorado Debut
Throughout 2019, with the helps of friends I traveled to numerous historic locations here in Colorado to prepare for the October gallery show and debut of my second major body of work for this year, Historic Colorado. I researched the project throughout 2018 and in January of 2019 I began visiting and shooting locations such as silver mines and abandoned mining cabins which were in operation between 1840 and 1900. I took photos at each location, the using an 1850’s method, printed the images in Cyanotype. The resulting images are low-fidelity monochrome images which are similar to black and white, but instead of values of grey, the color of the images range in the cyan color spectrum. The images were well received and I appreciated the opportunity to share some historic photography information with the public. I look forward to expanding this project as I visit more areas of Colorado.
This project would not have been completed (to a showable state) without the help of my good friends Gail Adams, and Mark and Angie Mares. They accompanied my wife Carrie and I on many of the adventures throughout the year and made this project a reality Thank you all so much!
Shooting for a new cause
Any of my regular readers know that my work is not for sale, and that I only donate images for auctions to raise funds for charitable organizations like Guide Dogs for the blind and Lighthouse for the Blind. This year I began a new body of work which is scheduled to be announced after the new year. This work celebrates diversity in age, body type ethnicity and sexual orientation, and strives to normalize these aspects of daily life. I look forward to sharing more about this project in the coming months!
The next big show!
Beginning in early January, my Landscapes of the Body collection will be exhibited at the Lighthouse for the Blind gallery located on 1155 Market street in San Francisco Ca. The work will be exhibited through June 2020, and I hope that if you find yourself in California that you can stop by and see the collection. There will be prints as well as tactile (touchable) versions of the images on display. Fauna, and I will be there for the opening on January 30th from 5-7pm, come joins us and I hope to see you there!
What’s next?
Starting off 2020 with a big exhibition is amazing. I can’t thank the folks at Lighthouse for the Blind for letting me show my work in their gallery. I’m excited to be able to share the Landscapes of the Body with everyone, this will be the first time this work has been exhibited in California. This project is a unique and abstract view of the human form and even though the images are of the nude human form, the work is non-explicit and suitable for all viewers. What else will happen in 2020? stay tuned to find out!
Thank you to all my readers for the fantastic feedback this year. Your kind words keep me motivated to post new and interesting content. Feel free to reach out on any of my social media links below, and Happy New Year!
My Photography site: http://www.tahquechi.com/
My Bodyscapes project: http://www.bodyscapes.photography/
My travel site: http://www.blindtravels.com/
Instagram and Twitter: @nedskee