So many human buzz kills decided early on that 2016 sucked primarily because of the unprecedented political events that shaped the past year. I get it -- up to a point. But you'll have to pardon me if I prefer to count my blessings with the following rundown of why 2016 -- at least for me -- wasn't nearly as bad as they say.  

1. 'KICK' IN THE PANTS

For a photographer it doesn’t get much cooler than when your stuff appears in the freakin' New York Times (see top photo). This was the case with unit stills I shot on the set during production of the mixed martial arts movie "Kickboxer: Vengeance" (released this year and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme), which were used in the NYT's review of the film. Ditto for Variety and the Los Angeles Times (see images below) plus a dozen other notable publications. Yeah.

2. SCORE FOR ADORE

It was a professional thrill when former Times-Picayune colleagues Sara Barnard and Victor Andrews, who today ply their brilliance at the city’s other daily newspaper, the New Orleans Advocate, tapped me to help photograph the premiere issue of Adore, the Advocate’s new cool-’n-chic style and décor zine. Several issues later Adore is going gangbusters and the assignments have provided the opportunity to flex my creative wings for magazine editorial while working alongside cutting-edge writer Katy Danos. This was definitely the case during my photo shoot with acclaimed New Orleans-based pop artist Ashley Longshore (see magazine spread above) whose kinetic glitter-punk cool exploded my lens.

3. SOMETHING TO DECLARE

This year I debuted at my online store a 33-image series of fine-art travel photography titled “Obscura.” Described by a colleague as “ephemeral black-and-white dreamscapes of ambiguous worlds captured in the cinematic style,” the photographs span a quarter-century spent tramping around the globe as an infinitely curious freelance travel photojournalist. The photograph above is of the Kerleti Train Station in Budapest. Check out the collection here http://bit.ly/1jWTEPN. All images are available as prints and canvas wraps.

4. REAL WHIRLED

Nothing makes me happier than when painstakingly executed photo shoots finally meet the bright lights of the real world of advertising and marketing. In 2016 this included roll-outs for French Press Coffee House (above photo) and El Paso Mexican Grill (below). Both are clients of James Haik, one of the brightest New Marketing whiz kids in New Orleans, who today oversees his successful multimedia agency Yee-Haw Media Co. It's always a privilege to work with Yee-Haw Media to provide eye-catching photographic content for the company's clients.

5. INTO THE DARK

This year saw me team with Larry Cataldo, my lifelong best friend from high school, for a project to pair my black-and-white, fine-art images to songs he's composed and recorded for YouTube-bound videos. Larry is an enormously talented musician and songwriter since the days our band The Reporters was showcasing original songs at West Hollywood clubs back in the late '70s/early '80s. The photograph (see above) selected for “Darkly, Darkly,” a song about lost love composed in the Celtic folksong tradition and sung by Kathy Coe, was one I created inside a century-old Islenos home with my amazing model and creative collaborator Rachel Jacob. More to come … 

6. FACE TIME

Typically a headshot session at a law firm is a relative breeze because the photographer has one major element going in his favor: Lawyers, as a rule, are sharp dressers. A far more tricky challenge comes during the ubiquitous group shot if the photographer's goal is to create a natural looking image that is imbued with a dignity and stature befitting this time-honored profession. Fortunately, the barristers at the third-generation Charbonnet Law Firm helped make this portion of our afternoon shoot a dream, as I carefully configured them around the large conference table in such a way as to put the focus on co-founder and managing partner Robert P. Charbonnet.

7. BON VOYAGE

This year the Gulf Coast and New Orleans lost one of its culinary lions and tireless innovators: Chef Gerhard Brill. This image (see above) of Brill is special to me because it was the first-ever photograph I created for The Times-Picayune (back in 1989, no less!), as well as my first food-related image in a photography career spanning a quarter century and counting. RIP Chef Gerhard.

8. SHELL SHOCKED

I’ve spent the past 35 years living in New Orleans surrounded by Gulf Coast shrimp because it literally sets the table for so many locally popular foodstuffs: shrimp étouffée, shrimp remoulade, shrimp po-boys, shrimp stew – the list goes on, trust me. But the first time I ever photographed the crustacean raw and in the shell was this year when the good people at Gollott Seafood in Biloxi, Miss., hired me to work my magic for the company’s special marketing project. Once you've been this intimate with shrimp you'll never look at it -- or eat it -- the same way again.  

Ciao, kittens, and mega-thanks for reading and being a part of the journey. It wouldn't be the same without you. See you in 2017!