Your Favorite Photo

NaChase

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I was just perusing some old photos of mine when I came across one (below) that I think is my all time favorite. I'm not saying it's my best, and I'm not even claiming it's very good, but it takes me back to a very specific and meaningful part of my life. I was in Army Officer Candidate School back in 2011, where I was selected by my fellow officer candidates to be the class photographer. My platoon had already executed our final mission, so I was very tired, but since I was the class photographer I had to go on the second platoon's mission to take pictures. It was during that time that I took this, seconds after a smoke grenade had been set off. I wish I could say a lot of effort went into the composition and everything, but this was a pure "spray and pray" moment where I was just hoping to get lucky. Fortunately, I did. So what about all of you, what is your favorite photo that you have taken?
Smoke Soldier by Nick Chase, on Flickr

(Disclaimer: As always, mods, I did a cursory search to see whether this thread existed elsewhere, but not finding anything, I forged ahead. As ever, moderate as necessary.)
 
I have to say my favorite is one that I got a critique and a like from Tom Abrahamsson. Back in the early days of Double XX was a golden time for this emulsion. Tom showed us his freezer stock of Double XX, he was seriously into it and we followed along. Every time I pull out the beat up F2 I think of him and the moon.

Moon - Nikon F2, 2500mm catadioptic F20. Double XX - Diafine, 3&3@21c

 
My favorite photo is by Walker Evans. The Reedsville WV gas station image. I somehow stumbled across a print of this in fair condition about five or six years ago, that I promptly snatched up.

It moves around in the house, presently on my office wall where I see it as I come in the door.
 
This is one of my favorited of mine, personally:

FarmMarket.jpg


Shot on Plus X with a Minolta SRT 201 and a 50 Rokkor.
 
This is my favorite. I call it "Clam Diggers".
It was my niece's 16th birthday. My family had a little party at a local lakeside park and while I was taking pics of the birthday girl and joking around with her, a couple guys were digging for clams along the shore and stuffing them in the pockets of their cargo shorts. I reckon they were planning on eating them...

Olympus e-520 by Jack Conrad, on Flickr
 
This is a used car lot in Mexico City, circa 2005 with the Summitar on Agfa APX 100. That year was an interesting, and often trying, period in my life--teaching English in one of the world's most populated, enchanting, and difficult cities. The photographic opportunities were endless, sometimes too much. I have a lot of great people shots from that year, but this one somehow captures both the solitude and sensory excitement of much of my time there.

Banderitas, México D.F. (2005) by Timoleon Wilkins, on Flickr
 
I have a lot of different "favorite" photos and I don't know if I could boil it down to just one.

One from when I was just getting started as a photographer with the Navy reminds me of times when the nation was more at peace:
DubaiBoat01E.jpg


I think the most important one is this:
fallujah03.jpg


I love this one though, as it is a different time in a better part of life:
ForrestP1.jpg


I have too many from many different lives.

Phil Forrest
 
Even though I mostly take landscape photos, & admire the classics by Bradford Washburn, & Vittorio Sella, this photo of Georgia O'Keefe, by Ansel Adams is my favourite photo. I think HCB would have like it too.
unnamed by Greg Yavorsky, on Flickr
 
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