It’s that time of the year again. A time when we look back at the year we spent and a time when we try to look into the future and plan what next year will be made of. A time when we reflect on what we’ve accomplished this year and what we’d like to accomplish for the next one. A time when we like to make lists. Best of, wish list, good resolutions… But why do we like to make lists so much? Because it’s easier to highlight a few things we liked, a few moments we enjoyed, a few things we think might happen in the future than to look back into the narrative of our lives or try to imagine a story not yet written. Also probably because we’d like to keep track of a few references witch have put rhythm into our lives. By making lists we can forget the flow of events, the consequences, we can finally reduce 365 days into a best of we want to remember.
Seeing so many lists around I started to wonder about mine. Why would I want to make a list? And what should I include in this list? Why making my personal list when so many people already have? Well I guess making a list, any list is a personal statement. You can read more into a list than just the words it represents. Every choice should be important and should represent something not to forget. The power of a list is probably less in what it represents now than what it might mean in 2, 5 or 10 years. For me it is definitely more about a personal introspective than about what it might mean for others…
So here we go, here is my 2011 best of in 6 top 6… in photobooks, photo sites, photo projects, tumblrs, TV series and music. They all represent an inspiration, a memory, a milestone that I’d like to not forget! (And believe me, it’s a lot harder to make a top 6 than a top 20… sorry to all missing great ones…)
Top 6 photo sites/blogs
- Wayne Ford’s posterous: wayneford.posterous.com
- LPV magazine: lpvmagazine.com
- A photo editor: aphotoeditor.com
- David Campbell: david-campbell.org
- Des livres et des photos (the printed space): deslivresetdesphotos.blog.lemonde.fr and in English: theprintedspace.wordpress.com
- Burn magazine: burnmagazine.org
Top 6 tumblrs
- It’s never summer by Wayne Bremser: bremser.tumblr.com
- MPD by Mark Drolet: mpdrolet.tumblr.com
- Urbanautica by Steve Bisson: urbanautica.com
- Photojojo: tumblr.photojojo.com
- This city called earth by Nigel Christian: thiscitycalledearth.tumblr.com
- One year of books: oneyearofbooks.tumblr.com
Top 6 photobooks
- A by Gregory Halpern (J&L Books).: gregoryhalpern.com
- Gomorrah Girl by Valerio Spada (Cross Editions): valeriospada.com
- Sasha by Claudine Doury (Le Caillou Bleu): cailloubleu.com
- Is this place great or what? by Brian Ulrich: notifbutwhen.com
- American Studies, by Jim Dow: jim-dow-american-studies.org
- Deck of chords by Lauren Henkin & Kirsten Rian: laurenhenkinblog.com
Top 6 photo projects
- Laos, Tomas Van Houtryve on emphasis: emphas.is
- Postcards from America (Magnum): postcards.magnumphotos.com
- Prison photography on the road on kickstarter by Pete Brook: kickstarter.com
- Flak photo & photobooks networks on facebook by Andy Adams: facebook.com/groups/flakphoto/ & facebook.com/groups/flakphotobooks/
- Fototazo by Tom Griggs: fototazo.com
- The indie photo librairy by Larissa Leclair: indiephotobooklibrary.org
(Once magazine should also be in this list, but I don’t have an ipad yet…)
Top 6 TV shows
- How to make it in America, season 1
- Treme, season 2
- Breaking Bad, season 4
- Community, season 3
- The good wife, season 1
- Sons of anarchy, season 4
Top 6 music albums
- Metronomy - The English Riviera
- Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
- Keren Ann – 101
- Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See
- Chromeo - Business Casual
- Justice – Audio, Video, Disco
Happy New year everyone!!
