My photo of the year isn't a sports photo of a collision at home plate, it's not a crime scene from some late night shooting nor is it the twisted remains of car mangled in some horrific wreck. It is something much more personal and quiet than the confusion and chaos I cover on assignment for the Tracy Press. My choice for Photo of the Year was taken on a chilly December morning as I watched the beauty of a simple sunrise at the Isenberg Crane Reserve.
I had wanted this sunrise for a while and I was almost denied this year. Weather and the various hurdles of everyday life conspired to keep this sight from me but I wasn't going to be denied. And with the cackling of cranes I was serenaded to one of the best sunrises I can remember. I don't think I have ever watched the sunrise from the darkness of starlight to hovering above the horizon. With the clouds changing color and the wetlands awakening around me it was just one of the moments to savor and remember. Enduring the cold was well worth the price of such a sight. I know it sounds dumb but it was a just a little bit magical. or maybe it seemed that way because I finally took time to watch one of the simple wonders I take for granted.
Maybe that's why this is my photo of the year. It is a pretty collection of photos but it's more than that. It is a time to reflect on the simple beauty that surrounds us everyday and we often ignore. My photo of the year, a sunrise, my sunrise at the Isenberg Crane Reserve, December 2012
