Who could have imagined a year like 2020? A global pandemic, shutdowns, quarantines, isolation, masks, social distancing, a dramatic US election, kindness, loss, creative solutions, stimulus packages, unemployment, food insecurity, furloughs, lay offs, working from home, remote learning, destabilized markets, hybrid learning, vaccines and much more.

I have read that "The year 2020 will be remembered as a turnaround point in human history". Most have not lived through such times, unlike an older generation that lived through World Wars, the 1918 flu pandemic or other equal global crisis.

During such times, individuals, relationships and society changes. We look for better ways forward, we learn from making difficult choices and find creative ways to reinvent our lives and our society.

A year ago when I was writing the blog "Patti's Nature Photography 2019 Favorites" I imagined that I would be writing about my favorites every year. However this year I am going to write about my journey with photography in 2020 and how the events of the year have inspired me to explore new artistic expression through photography, rather than talk about my favorites.

The Journey

2020 Photography Goals

Like most years I started 2020 off with some specifically photography goals. My goal was to create a "signature look" and "niche subject" and redo my photo website to feature only photos in that genre.

I was going to focus on sunsets, Puget Sound waterways and expand into sun stars, flowing water and water reflections and was starting to define a "style".

2020 started off with a trip to Plain Washington and finding a wonderful location for three of the subject matter, flowing water, water reflections and a sun star along the Chiwawa River. Little did I know I would return home to the beginning of a full blown pandemic.

Chiwawa River, WA

Chiwawa River Sun Star - This was an icy cold day yet the sun was out. The angle of the sun behind the patch of evergreen trees created a sun star with far reaching sun rays that touched the river below. Perhaps symbolic of what was to come in the year ahead.

Close to Home in Spring

In early spring 2020 the first wave of the  pandemic hit and stay at home orders were issued in Washington State and many other areas of the United States as well as other countries.

With state and county parks and trails temporarily closed I realized that that my original photography goals were going to have to change and a photography apprenticeship I had recently signed up for would look different without in-person  photo workshops. The most difficult adjustment for me was not having access to parks near the Puget Sound where I took sunset photos. I realized that I took for grated public access to the water front.

Several things lead me to rethink the way I would practice photography during the "shutdown". Even though the restlessness and anxiety of staying home in a pandemic was present, the signs of spring in my own yard cheered me up every day. I decided I would try to capture my bitter-sweet "close to home" moments in photographs while practicing and perfecting some of my newly learned post-processing skills, then share my photos online. My thought was that perhaps others would like to see the emerging spring and find joy in it as I did. As I shared my images and thoughts, I realized that although I was isolated at home, I wasn't alone in working though the daily challenges of living in a pandemic and discovering a new appreciation for things once taken for granted. These are some of the images I shared.

Tribute

Tribute - As I was walking one day I found this wilted bouquet that appeared to be either a tribute or remembrance. I  thought it illustrated the bitter-sweet atmosphere of the pandemic. The kindness of someone paying tribute with beautiful flowers, yet they were also wilting.

Sun on My Side

Sun on My Side - Right before the stay at home orders, my grandson and I chose several daffodil and tulip starts and planted them. They were a joy to watch bloom, especially on sunny mornings.

Well into Spring, I realized how much I missed taking photos of the Puget Sound. One night I laid awake racking my brain wondering how I was going to find a "body of water" while parks were closed. It finally dawned on me that almost every day I walk by this beautiful peaceful lake I just didn't stop. The next day I took my camera with me on my walk and so  I could capture the peace and beauty of sitting by the lake on a sunny spring day.

Serene Lake Serene Serene Lake Serene - I stood on the shore of this peaceful. beautiful, easily taken for granted lake, and felt such joy in looking at the blue sky reflected in the water and the patterns of the wind on the surface, observing the ecosystems that were in tact as nature intended them and bringing new life with them in the Spring.

By late Spring I came to the realization that their was a dualism in my feelings of sadness and inspiration and that even thought they were opposite, they emerged from the same realm.

Emerging LIght Emerging Light - As the pandemic continued through late Spring I began to understand that sadness and joy were two sides of the same coin.

In Taosim there is the concept of yin-yang in which there are complementary but opposite forces (dualism) - Yin: earth, darkness, passivity, absorption and Yang: heaven, light, activity, penetration.

With yin-yang forces there is a continual waxing and waning of both forces, although they are interconnected because they are created from a coherent fabric of nature which is exhibited in all of existence and part of the "Supreme Ultimate" (taiji).

In yin-yang, as one force increases, the other force decreases, working in harmony to give birth to new things.

I found I was living this dualism.

Sunset Warmth in the Summer

Spring moved into Summer and my Mother passed away in mid-July. Again, I saw the forces of yin-yang take shape. I tried to create images that would express my changing outlook on life, but most of these attempts failed. At this point I was able to re-entered my photography apprenticeship and adapt with a "remote learning" model, having my photos reviewed via electronic communication. This helped me learn why I was struggling to create the images I was envisioning.

In late Spring parks and trails opened up once again so I decided to go back to my original "niche" of sunsets and focused on sunset photography during the summer months applying the knowledge from my apprenticeship. Below are some of the sunset images I created during my Summer sunset period.

Red Ruby July Sunset - The red hot colors of the sunset matching the the hot weather we experienced in July 2020.

Swirling

Swirling - This swirling cloud is symbolic of the many thoughts and emotions swirling in my head surrounding the experiences of 2020.

Interisland Ferry at Night

Inter-Island Ferry at Night - A peaceful night, the ferries are running and things almost seem "normal". 

Sky on Fire

Sky on Fire - Remembering that the everlasting forces of nature continue to move on as the sun sets each evening.

Thin Veil of Rain

Thin Veil of Rain - A thin veil of rain between me and the sunset. Symbolic of the thin line that separates yin-yang.

Paint the Sky

Paint the Sky - Nature giving us the gift of joyful color.

Puget Sound in the Autumn

In the early Autumn months we benefited from a reduction in COVID cases following the summer months so I was able to participate in an in-person photo workshop.  I decided to switch to a Puget Sound theme. Below are some Puget Sound images I created in early Autumn:

Passing Through the Reflection - Still waters can create an almost perfect reflection until something disturbs the calm. A lone duck passes through the reflection unknowingly changing it. Symbolic of the pandemic passing through our society and changing everything in our lives.

Fall Colors in the Sky, Evertt Marina

Fall Colors in the Sky - Taken in October as Autumn ushers in and the sunset showing off some Fall colors.

Last Look

Last Look - I packed up my gear, called it done, then turned around for a last look and saw I had to return. Symbolic of looking back to summer and wanting to hold it tight, hoping that the predictions of a second wave in the Fall and Winter don't materialize (but they did).

In October I was able to go on a couple last minute outdoor adventures. I decided I would have no planned vision for my images and would look for a vision to "spontaneously emerge" from the experience. Below are the images from those adventures.

Foggy Path - Walking in Discovery Park in Seattle during a classic October day in Washington, fog horns and spider webs were part of this journey.

Blue Lake, North Cascades

Autumn Reflections - A visit to the North Cascades to see the golden Larches for the first time in my life. Conditions were perfect for a good reflection. The timing was perfect because it snowed the next day. Patience and luck prevailed on this trip. As soon as I saw the lake for the first time the vision for the image was clear.

Second Wave and Bare Trees in the Winter

As Winter approached so did a "second wave" of the pandemic. This was predicted, however many, including myself, were not mentally prepared for the "pandemic fatigue" that had set in. I admit I lost much of my inspiration for photography and as the dark days of November took over I was was feeling the yin side of yin-yang. At this point I was ready to set aside my photography for the Winter, until my mentor for my photography apprenticeship wrote a news letter addressing "Staying Inspired during the Winter Months" and his suggestions helped me remember that yin-yang are complementary forces and for all the darkness there is also light. He addressed finding new subject matter in the Winter months, as well as how to incorporate themes such as surprise and flow with these Winter time subjects.

I decided to abandon my comfortable photography genres and try a completely new subject for the Winter, bare trees. I combined bare trees, sunsets and sun stars and created the following bare tree images in November and December.

Last Leaves in the Trees

Last Leaves on the Trees - The trees are transitioning to Winter as the days get darker and sunset comes earlier.

Moon Rising

Moon Rise - In late November the full moon, the Beaver Full Moon, rises as the bare trees framing its path. This was an extremely cold Winter night as the wind was blowing off of the Puget Sound to the inland.

Sky on Fire

Sky on Fire - Bare trees frame a bright and beautiful long lasting sunset over the Olympic Mountains with the Puget Sound in the foreground.

Rainbow Sky in the Winter

Rainbow Sky in Winter - Another late November sunset with a variant of colors behind bare trees.

Sun Star in Bare Trees - In early December in the late afternoon the sun peeks through the bare trees at a perfect angle to create a sun star. This is almost full circle from the time I started last Winter's quest to add sun stars into my photos before the pandemic began and this one is right before the approval of the first vaccine.

Winter Solstice

As we experience the darkest day of the 2020 on the Winter Solstice, my thoughts are with my Father who is 92 years old and the many others so deeply affected by the isolation and restrictions during the pandemic. Below is a photo I dedicate to my Dad who is currently in hospice care. He has an adventurous spirit and I can see him sitting here admiring the view and planning his next trip.

With two vaccines now approved, light may be on the horizon for 2021.

Looking Beyond the Horizon Looking Beyond the Horizon - Look beyond the horizon of 2020 WE wonder what the year of 2021 will bring.

You can find more photos in the "Sunsets", "Puget Sound", "Reflections in Water" and "Bare Trees" galleries on my photo website here:  https://pattiphoto.zenfolio.com

Patti Ingham, © Patti's Nature Photography