When I determined this pic was my Best of 2008 -- or at least my favorite -- to post in the FlickrCentral group, I knew I'd be posting it for Photo Friday's ear-end challenge. That foresight enabled me to reach an all-time high of being the fourth person to post on a Photo Friday challenge. It's a small thing, but I was always curious as to how high I could get. I'm not sure I'll ever top it (or try to), because I usually take some time to select a photo to fit the theme. I had an advantage this time, because I knew what i wanted for this category, and I had an idea that it would be this week's challenge.
Anyway, this image is the result of always having a photographic eye and having shot thousands of photos (and read enough about the art). My wife, in-laws and I were walking back to downtown Pittsburgh from a Pirates game in August and I managed to look away from the fireworks over the ballpark to see this view, pause a moment to compose the shot, and fire off a single frame. The bridges of Pittsburgh are works of art in themselves, which could be expected from a city known for its steel production. I can't take too much credit for the technical specs (I probably had the camera set to auto, or at least shutter priority), but I do give myself kudos for not caring so much about where I was walking as I did about what I was walking past. (Casey's dad waits for no one, so if you don't keep up the pace, you'll have to jog to catch up.)
I suspect 2009 will produce enough images to make next year's choice for "best of" a bit tougher. But I'll know it's coming, so we'll see how high I can get it in the Photo Friday pecking order.
Whether or not I can look at the hundreds of images posted in "Best of 2008" is another matter.
