2022: Top Photo Essays of the Year

2022. A year where, due to the documentary production, new posts on the Editing Luke site dropped by almost half, but traffic increased 38% - go figure.

My Lensa AI gallery on the website has to receive an honorable mention, despite not technically being an original photo set, the post generated tens of thousands of hits in just the last month as a result of being early on the trend.

It easily encapsulates the randomness of "best of" lists, as it's always a bit of a crap shoot to understand why something hits. All that said, here are the Top 9 most popular, original photo essays released on the Editing Luke site in 2022.

9. Belgian Beer, Belgian Chocolate, and Belgian Waffles

A recap of some of the stereotypical "bests" experienced in Bruxelles.

8. Louvre Pyramid in Paris, France

Architectural images of the Louvre's iconic entrance.

7. Space Shuttle Discovery in Virginia

A detailed collection of NASA's most travelled Space Shuttle.

6. Villa Vizcaya & Gardens in Miami, Florida

Architectural images of one of Miami's most historic estates.

5. Surfing in Manhattan Beach, California

An impromptu shoot on the California coast.

4. Paramount Studios in Hollywood, California

A look behind the gates of one of the world's most iconic movie studios.

3. Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London, UK

Easily the most coincidental photo essay of the year from the streets of London.

2. Osaka Castle in Japan

An exploration of one of Japan's most visited castles.

1. Savi's Workshop Lightsaber at Walt Disney World

A look behind the upcharged lightsaber building experience within Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge ... because ... lightsabers obviously lol.

 

What Difference Does A Trailer Make?

A week ago I had anticipated some public response when the preview for "Your Cinema Needs You" finally dropped. What followed ... thousands of fresh eyes on what I'd been up to this year, renewed public interest, HUNDREDS of messages, media coverage, a rally of support to see the film premiere in the Monarch, and so so so many questions. 

All amazing - but also, exactly what you'd hope a solid trailer would do.

What I wasn't prepared for was the trailer for "Your Cinema Needs You" inspiring a few tip-offs about the potential future of the Monarch Theatre, and the preview convincing the only hold out interview of the entire documentary to finally request a sit down.

Earlier this week production resumed for a single day inside the Monarch, and as a result of this final interviewee's involvement even more unreleased archival material has been secured for the documentary. On what in any other year would be the sleepy haze between Christmas and New Years, I feel like I've been racing. I've just created more work for myself, but I suppose this is the hectic reality of capturing a story that's still being written. 

This new year should be very interesting.

2022: Medicine Hat, Alberta Images of the Year

On the local front, 2022 marked the 10 year anniversary since I began photographing Medicine Hat, Alberta as part of my Around the Hat / Hometown Series.

On one hand I started the year feeling like maybe the series had run its course, and on the other hand quickly saw that engagement had never been higher. 

As it turned out there were quite a few surprises that followed - some high-profile features, notable print installations, and even a couple of new experiences to boot. With enough encouragement, it's safe to say the series isn't going anywhere. Here are just a few of the "hometown hits" that received the most engagement in 2022.