“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
~Eleanor Roosevelt
Happy 2013 Everyone! A new year means a blank canvas on which to create new friendships, opportunities, and achievements! I hope you each have big dreams in mind, and perhaps even more importantly, I hope you follow them relentlessly and passionately so they all come true for you in the new year. After all, “you can sleep when you’re dead,” right?
Whew, what a year 2012 was for CMS Photography! Last year will go down as our busiest, most successful, and by far the most exciting year to date, with many countless “thank you’s” owed to you, as I could not do what I do without your continued support! I feel truly fortunate to be surrounded by so many inspiring, creative, and enthusiastic people.
Some major highlights for us from last year include (in no particular order):
- Won 7 international book awards for our recently published guidebook, “Wild in Arizona: Photographing Arizona’s Wildflowers”
- Wandered and relaxed (!) during my husband’s two-month sabbatical from his work
- Traveled to Scotland, England, Alberta & British Columbia in Canada, California, Hawai’i, Maine, Montana (twice), Florida, Washington, Utah (multiple times), and to many excellent photogenic locales within Arizona in between!
- Established and participated in the first ever cultural photography exchange and exhibition between Alberta and Arizona for the Through Each Other Eyes non-profit organization (which led to the recent creation of the IRIS Photographic Society of Alberta)
- Served as a Featured/Keynote Speaker at the International Photographic Society of America (PSA) Annual Conference and the Cooperative Communicators Association (CCA) Institute
- Saw friends and met lots of new people during numerous book signings, camera club presentations, and photography workshops
- Selected as an Artist-in-Residence for Acadia National Park (…for the third time!!)
- Published in the 2013 National Geographic and Arizona Highways calendars
- Donated 100% of the profit from November print sales to Emmy’s Army to help my friend, Emily, beat childhood cancer
- Started this blog!
And just when you think you can’t have any more wild fun, 2013 shows up!
Going into our sixth year as a full-time freelance photographer and writer, I couldn’t be any more pumped for the year to come, not just because of all the travel planned and the new projects we’ll announce throughout the year, but all the great times and awesome learning opportunities we’ll share together, whether that be during our upcoming Workshops and Presentations or simply out in the field sharing some light and good laughs.
But, before we start running down the 2013 street like a bat outta hell, though, I’d like to share my favorite 13 (a lucky number for the new year!) photos in celebration of a joyful 2012. For more inspiration, be sure to also head over to Jim Goldstein’s Blog, hes posted his traditional and ever-growing list of other photographers’ own favorites and best from 2012 for his “Blog Project: Your Best Photos from 2012.”
Here goes:
1. Winter’s Serenade, Death Valley National Park, California (January 2012)
Cottonball Marsh area along Salt Creek in Death Valley National Park, California, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)
2. Walk the Line, Death Valley National Park, California (February 2012)
Cracked mud and stones in the Panamint Dry Lake in Death Valley National Park, California, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)
3. Sunrise at Boulder Beach, Acadia National Park, Maine (June 2012)
er Beach and the Otter Cliffs, Acadia National Park, Maine, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)
4. Bunchberry Dogwood, Acadia National Park, Maine (June 2012)
Bunchberry dogwood (Cornus canadensis) at Acadia National Park, Maine, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)
5. The Totem Pole and Yei Bi Chei, Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Arizona (June 2012)
The Totem Pole and Yei Bi Chei rock formations in Monument Valley Tribal Park, Arizona, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)
6. The Colorado River Flexing its Muscle, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona (June 2012)
The sandstone cliffs of Marble Canyon reflect into waves in the Colorado River near Lee’s Ferry, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)
7. The RCMP Musical Ride, 100th Anniversary of the Calgary Stampede, Calgary, Alberta, Canada (July 2012)
Abstract view of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s Musical Ride during Stampede in Calgary, Alberta, Canada (Prints available – click on photo to order!)
8. Reach for the Sky, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona (August 2012)
Abstract sky pool pattern in Lake Powell, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)
9. Autumn on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona (September 2012)
Gambel oak line the edge of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)
10. Autumn Regeneration, Kaibab National Forest, Arizona (September 2012)
Abstract view of a regenerating burned forest during autumn in the Kaibab National Forest, Arizona, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)
11. Mother Nature’s Ice Cream, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona (October 2012)
Striated bentonite clay beds in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order)
12. Spell of the Sea, The Big Island, Hawai’i (November 2012)
Waves and volcanic rock along the Puna Coast on the Big Island of Hawaii, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)
13. Winter Solstice Eve, Canyonlands National Park, Utah (December 2012)
Viewed from the Green River Overlook, the sun sets over Island in the Sky district in Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA (Prints available – click on photo to order!)
Thank you for stopping by the “You Can Sleep When You’re Dead” blog! Let’s all make 2013 a year to remember!
~Colleen
