I have decided to do a photographic round-up of 2010, even though it feels forced to call these 15 images the “best” of anything. Not all of them are powerful storytelling pictures, and some of them will not stand the test of time.

However, they represent the people and places that have caused me to grow as a photographer and as a person.  They are not groundbreaking as images, but they have all been groundbreaking for me.  What I love about being a young photographer is that the growth process is so visible.  I can look back and see how I have grown as a story teller and aesthetic communicator, as well as where I have been stagnant.

I am not yet the photographer that I want to be, but I am closer than I was a year ago.

“The view from a fishing boat” – Off of the coast of the Faroe Islands

“Pilot Whale Kill” – Klaksvik, Faroe Islands

“Good Friday penitent” North of Manila, Philippines

“Coming out on deck” Off of the coast of Norway

“25 Mysteries Catholic Lay Missionaries” – North of Manila, Philippines

“Dr. Reefer” – Boulder, CO

“Coffee break” – Faroe Islands

“Dan Kirkbride feeding cattle” – Chugwater, WY

“Sheep walk” – Svínoy, Faroe Islands

“A Kyrgyz and his Yak” – Ghaz Khan, Afghanistan

“A Wakhi mother” – Gaz Khan, Afghanistan

“Naropa University garden” – Boulder, CO

“Migrant workers” – Palisade, CO

“Guðrun & Guðrun Vest” – Tórshavn, Faroe Islands“Abby’s” – California Nevada border

This was a busy year for me.  I was in the Faroe Islands for three months, Afghanistan for one month, the Philippines for two weeks, roaming around Scandinavia for another two weeks, and in Wyoming for about two months.  Squeezed in there were four trips to New York, two weeks following the Colorado River, and quick jaunts to Florida and North Dakota.  Altogether it left me with only about five months at home in Colorado.

This year marked my entrance into the U.S. photography market, with some great clients like the New York Times and the Chronicle of Higher Education. There was also some nice recognition, like being selected for the American Photography 26, the Critical Mass Top 50, and the Eddie Adams Workshop.  One of the the year’s biggest privileges has been telling the stories behind my images, which NPR and Daylight Magazine gave me a forum to do.

I have some awesome projects planned for 2011, and am excited to see what the next 12 months will bring.  A big thanks to everyone for their support, especially my wife Abby, who is the most affected by my traveling and also the most supportive of what I do.

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This summer I shot stills for a joint TV and print campaign with Tryggingarfelagið Føroyar in the Faroe Islands for their 70th anniversary.  The commercial was done by the folks at Covboy Films, and it is so simple and beautiful.  It is included at the end of the post.

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There are few things less sexy than safety vests, but late this summer I shot a campaign for a Faroese insurance company, Tryggingarfelagið Føroyar, that tried to change that.  Trygging had partnered with the awesome Faroese fashion designers Guðrun & Guðrun to create a different kind of safety vest for their customers.  It was a fun shoot with two great models and my favorite art director.  Below is a making of video.

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