“Photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place.” says Elliott Erwitt. As an award-winning professional photographer, Erwitt is known for his candid photos in everyday settings. He goes on to say “I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” If there was ever a time to seek interest in the ordinary, it was this past year. The many challenges and limitations of 2020 kept us at home for months and months.
2020 was indeed a year of finding interest and joy in the ordinary. This became apparent as I reviewed my 2020 photos for this post. The vast majority of my photos were taken close to home—in the everyday setting of our place on beautiful Lake Oconee. Today I share my top 20 personal favorites from 2020—shown in no particular order. Please note this is a photo-rich post so, depending on your internet access, it could take a little time to load.
We had lots of time to garden this past year. The resulting flowers provided countless moments of beauty. Pictured below is a cluster of yellow bearded irises surrounding a bird bath in the morning sunshine.
I don’t know if it’s the gorgeous shades of purple or the graceful rounded forms but I love this simple photo of a purple hydrangea blossom.
The early morning dew looks like perfectly placed jewels on the leaf of a strawberry plant.
As the plants and flowers flourished, birds and insects were drawn in. Here a carpenter bee enjoys the harvest inside the graceful curve of a cosmos bloom.
Judging from the number of shots I took of butterflies, I could dub 2020 as “My Year of the Butterfly”. The sunlight shining through the wings of this Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) makes this shot stand out.
Once I started studying butterflies, dragonflies also caught my eye. This is a Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis).
Apparently, what looks like a photo opportunity to me, looks like a meal to the birds. Here a splendid male Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) delivers lunch to his little ones.
This Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) allowed me to get surprisingly close while preparing its nest.
On the other hand, I had to admire this family of Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) from a distance. Here the father fish hawk delivers a fish to the mother and chick.
I spent several hours watching the osprey and was delighted to witness the chick learning to fly. This was one of its early attempts to get airborne.
Domesticated birds are also fun to watch. Here’s a rock star Polish rooster from the free-range chicken flock at a nearby farm.
Timing, as they say, is everything. I couldn’t have asked for better timing when I spotted this rooster leaving the hen house.
Timing was also an important factor in this next photo. The rainbow is beautiful but, for me, it’s the magical lighting on the clouds that makes this shot.
The eerie scene pictured below is a pecan orchard shrouded by early morning fog.
A considerable number of my photos are taken specifically for the blog. I always enjoy the challenge of turning a project idea into the reality of a photo. Sometimes the ideas don’t quite work—often it takes several tries. Occasionally, I get a shot that becomes memorable on its own. A few of my favorite project photos follow.
This shot for the post, Announcing the Floral World Tour Collection, highlights the charming lines of our curvy café chairs.
I made the below trio of sailboats for the post, Sunrise Breakfast Picnic, and was so pleased with the results that I followed up with a tutorial in A Landlubber’s Toy Sailboat – DIY Tutorial.
The boating fun continued with the post Falling Leaves and Floating Boats and the tutorial Simple Folded Boat – DIY Tutorial.
Like everyone else, our wings were clipped in 2020 and travel was seriously curtailed. My husband and I did, however, manage to go to Eastern Canada to see close family members. It was a long drive—stopping only to sleep in hotels with rigorous COVID-19 procedures. We went directly into strict quarantine at our destination. We were only able to venture out after 14 days of isolation and negative COVID-19 test results. But it was worth the effort and worry to see our dear ones.
The beauty of fall in the Canadian Maritimes was a bonus. This shot, taken in Eastern Margaree, Nova Scotia, showcases the vibrant colors of the autumn leaves. 
A post of favorite photos wouldn’t be complete without a sunrise or sunset—so I have one of each. This is first light at Crowbush Cove on Prince Edward Island.
This is the St Andrews North Point Lighthouse at sunset in St Andrews New Brunswick.
More Info
About half of the photos in today’s post are being shared for the first time, the other half have been shared in previous posts. In addition to the posts already mentioned, you can see more in the following:
. Our Garden Prepares to Leap
. Chasing Butterflies
. 15 Bird Photography Tips Starring the Osprey
. Crowing and Clucking in the Barnyard
. In Pursuit of Sea Glass
. Beacons of Light
You may also enjoy my Top 19 Photos from 2019.
Today’s Takeaways
“Photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” Elliott Erwitt
In today’s post, I’d like to share step-by-step instructions so you can make your own Starry Stitched Sphere. This project requires only a few supplies—basically wood and thread. The sphere is designed to be made from ¼” x 3½” wood and measures just over 6″ in diameter. Basic woodworking and hand stitching is involved.
. LED Lights (optional): Battery-operated LED lights can easily be inserted into the Starry Stitched Sphere. If you decide to add lights, you’ll want to maximize the amount of light that can shine through the drilled holes. You may want to drill bigger holes and/or minimize the amount of stitching on the stars.
Step 3. Saw Wood Pentagons Clamp wood to sturdy surface. Use the jigsaw to cut out 11 pentagon-shaped pieces.
Step 4. Drill Wood Pentagons Clamp a pentagon on top of scrap wood to prevent tear out at back. Drill all outer edge holes with a 5/64” drill bit. Drill center hole and inside ring with 7/64” drill bit. Drill all other holes with 3/32” drill bit. Repeat for remaining 10 pentagons.
Step 5. Sand Wood Pentagons Sand edges and drilled holes. This is an important step since any roughness, especially along the edges of the holes, will snag the thread during stitching. A round tapered file is critical for this step.
Step 6. Finish Pentagons Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for applying the wax. I used Watco Satin Wax for Finishing in Natural. Apply a generous coating to the front and edges of the pentagons. Let it soak in for about 15 minutes and reapply to any areas that dry out. Then wipe off the excess with lint-free rags. Buff and let dry.
Step 7. Embroider Stars As noted in the Supplies Needed section above, there are a number of options for the star embellishments. You may wish to try stitching a few different configurations after your wooden pentagons are dried.
Step 8. Assemble Ring of Pentagons Start by connecting a row of 5 pentagons.
Step 8b. Thread the needle with a 20” length of pearl cotton thread. This step is sewn with a single thread. Hold the 2 pentagons at an angle. Bring the needle up from the back through the first hole in the first pentagon. Pull the thread out through to the front leaving about a 1 ½-2 ½“ tail at the back.
Step 8c. Push the needle down, from the front, through the matching first hole in the second pentagon. Pull the thread out through to the back. Pull the needle back through the first hole, from the back to the front, in the first pentagon. Push the needle down, from the front to the back, in the first hole of the second pentagon. This will result in 2 visible stitches on the front face (as shown below). Holding the 2 pentagons at an angle, pull the thread snuggly.
Step 8d. Follow the process described in Step 8c in the remaining 4 holes. The front should look like this.
Step 8e. At the end, pull the thread to the back and tie the thread ends in a double knot. The back should look like this.
Step 8f. Continue to connect pentagons in this same way until a row of 5 is completed.
Step 8g. Pull the first and last pentagon of the row together to form a ring. If it’s too difficult to form a ring, one or more of the connections may be too tight. Adjust accordingly. Align the edges of the first and last pentagon. Connect in the same way as above in Steps 8b-8e.
Step 9. Finish Bottom Edge The bottom edge is finished with a blanket stitch. Thread the needle with a 60” length of pearl cotton. This step is sewn with a single thread. Select a hole to the right of a connection as the starting point. Begin at back leaving a 3” tail. Pull tail up to top edge and tack down with painter’s tape.
Step 9b. Continue around the entire bottom edge in the same way. Bring the needle through the hole from the back to the front. Wrap the thread neatly around the bottom edge. Bring the needle through the same hole from the back to the front again. Wrap the second line of thread neatly around the bottom edge beside the first line. Keeping the needle at the back, pass it under the previous horizontal stitch (stitching from left to right) and into the back of the next hole. Do not be concerned if the thread “cuts the corner” at the connections since this will not be visible.
Step 10. Assemble Sphere Build up the sphere by connecting the remaining pentagons one at a time. The top will be the most visible so you may want to set aside your best pentagon for this position. The top will be added last. Work around the sphere building a second ring. Use the process described in Steps 8b-8e, to connect the pentagons. Stitch all connecting sides of a pentagon before attaching another one.
Step 11. Connect Top Place the final pentagon on the top of the sphere aligning all edges. Thread the needle with an 84” length of pearl cotton thread. This step is sewn with a single thread. Select a hole to the right of a connection as the starting point. Begin at the back leaving a 4-6” tail. Pull the thread tail down to the bottom edge and tack it down with painter’s tape. Stitch around all 5 sides of the pentagon before tying off. Follow a process similar to that described in Steps 8b-8e. It is a little tricky to sew this last section since you have to insert your hand inside the sphere. Take your time. Pull out and smooth the full length of the thread as you stitch to prevent knotting. Don’t worry about tightening the knotted tails—a loose knot is fine.
Step 12. Insert Lights (Optional) If desired, slip a set of battery-operated LED lights inside the sphere.