Aug 17, 2016; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; A BMX demonstration group performs prior to competition at Olympics BMX Centre during the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

One of the most challenging aspects of covering a major sporting event for a professional photographer is coming away with images that are unique to you. Back in August, during my coverage of the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, things were no different. I often found myself in photo positions shoulder to shoulder with 20 or more photographers, most of them shooting on the same digital camera bodies and using the exact same lenses as myself. The result? Everyone walks away with essentially the same photo. For tightly-cropped finish line jubilation or dejection, sometimes being in “the pack” is a necessary evil at the games. To walk away from the experience with something unique, however

For the past several years, whenever I’ve sat down to begin selecting my favorite images for this year-end blog, I’ve gotten an overwhelming feeling of worry. I’ve always second-guessed whether I’ve shot enough things throughout the year that stand out enough to be featured together in a best-of collection. Typically, my worries go unfounded, and I’m left struggling to narrow down 50 or more of my favorite images to a palatable selection.

This year, however, was different. As I culled my images (iPhone included) from 2015, I realized that I shot significantly less stills assignments than in previous years, and in the end, I was left with only a handful of images that I felt a personal connection to. This was, of course, discouraging. Nobody wants to realize that one of the things they’re most passionate about slipped away from them a bit, and on the surface, this it exactly how it would appear.

I later realized there was a good reason behind having a lesser amount of images to chose my favorites from. First, my stills work in 2015 shifted towards a different clientele. Three or four years ago, editorial work used to keep me busy with three or four assignments per weekend. I found myself this year shooting more for commercial and corporate clients a handful of times per month. While this may seem like a negative thing at first, the commercial and corporate work has proved to be far, far more lucrative for my business. In short, I’m working less and making more.

Tazia Williams poses in her makeup and costume for the musical “Cats” at the Hammond Academy for Performing Arts in Hammond, Ind., Saturday, March 14, 2015.

Secondly, the lighting design part of my business saw a dramatic increase in work over the past year. I was happy to be retained by R&B singer Anthony Hamilton as his full time designer, traveling across the United States more than 26 times this year to light his performances in a variety of venues. In addition to work with Anthony, I also traveled to Dallas this summer for a week with the lighting crew from Live International to program and tech at pastor T.D. Jakes’ bi-annual Megafest convention. All that lighting design work was in addition to designing shows for my regular clients back home!

With so much travel and time this year devoted to the craft of lighting for the live stage (which was always my first passion), the downturn in stills assignments started to make more sense. As much as I’d like to be some mutant creature with eight arms and four brains, I have to occasionally face the reality that I can only be in one place at one time.

Snow swirls in the front yard of a house at Magoun Ave. and 143rd St. in East Chicago, Ind., during Winter Storm Linus early Monday, February 2, 2015.

Portraits and nature dominate the images I’m most proud of from 2015. From running home to document crazy cloud formations in my neighborhood sky, to staking out lightning in the middle of the night near a 33-foot-tall steel statue (probably not my wisest moment), Mother Nature offered up some great looks for my lenses this year. And, with so much more of my client-based work being commercial, it’s natural that portraits were something I was asked to create fairly regularly too.

Lyft ride-sharing service driver Angelica Griffin in downtown Chicago, Ill., Tuesday, March 24, 2015. Griffin, originally from Georgia, is studying for her law degree at DePaul University.

My favorite portrait is the one above of Angelica Griffin driving her car through the streets of Chicago (shot on assignment for the ride-sharing service Lyft). I suction-cupped a Canon 6D with a 15mm

“Do you ever wonder how many times your life is gonna end? Like how many people you’re

Men’s bobsled competitors head down the track and the Sanki Sliding Center during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia, Sunday, February 16, 2014.

It’s been just over two months since I returned from my trip to Mother Russia to document the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, a trip that will always be among the top experiences I’ve had in my life. And, if you can keep something between you and me, it’s been roughly the same amount of time since I developed all 34 sheets of the Kodak Tri-X 320 4×5 film I shot throughout the games. This begs the question, “Why did you wait two months to share those images here?”

There’s two reasons I sat on these bad boys for a couple of moons. 1. I’ve been busy (thankfully) with paying gigs for clients, putting a lot of my personal projects on the back burner. Even when I have time to dabble with personal work, it’s a quick thing here or there. 2. A lot of these images didn’t live up to my expectations, and there was some disappointment experienced once I finally had the whole take scanned.

What did I expect? I’m not quite sure. I struggle with my perfectionism on the technical end of everything I do, and many of these images are technically flawed in one way or another. Some of them are flawed due to timing, some of them are flawed due to motion blur or other format limitations beyond my control.

I finally made peace with these images when I reminded myself why I signed up for the 4×5 film format in the first place. I wanted to “let go” of the sharp perfection that digital photography affords so easily. I wanted to escape 10 frames-per-second bursts, instead slowing down to one frame per minute, if I’m working quickly.

Another desire I had when I started shooting, developing, and printing 4×5 film one year ago was that I wanted to be humbled by the process itself. Despite using my digital cameras in full manual mode 99% of the time, the digital format is still very predictable for me. While this is a godsend in tricky lighting situations and with paying clients waiting on deadline, I actually wanted to experience extreme difficulty once again on the technical end of photography through the 4×5 film format. Let me tell you, if you want difficulty, film with a view camera doesn’t disappoint!

There’s nothing like setting up a shot of a competitor on the course at the Winter Olympics, waiting 10 minutes to get a single frame of that competitor blowing by you, then flying halfway around the world a week and a half later to develop the shot and discover that it’s soft. Humbling, eh?

Skiers on course in the men’s 4×7.5km relay during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games at Laura Cross-Country Ski and Biathlon Center.

Regardless of those images that got away (and the ones I’m fairly proud of that are displayed here), shooting each and every frame was a blast! The vintage Crown Graphic camera I use always draws a lot of interest from people nearby, and I made new friends each time I set it up. In fact, I was able to successfully (and more than once, I might add) ask other photographers to momentarily move out of my way so that I could get a clean frame with the Crown Graphic! Try that with a digital camera, and let me know how quickly you’re involved in a shouting match.

Due to safety rules with tripods not being allowed on the courses at the Olympics, the Sochi games also marked the first time I had to use the Crown Graphic as a handheld camera. I instantly felt like Weegee or some other 1940’s press photographer, minus the cigar and fedora. Shooting 4×5 handheld (with a broken focus rangefinder, mind you) is a complete exercise in patience and visualizing the image in your mind long before you trip the shutter.

Switzerland’s Curdin Perl competes in the men’s cross country skiing 4 x 10km relay during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games at Laura Cross-Country Ski and Biathlon Center.

What’s my favorite image of them all? Probably the one of the two Russian officers with the AK-47’s around their necks. It’s amazing to me still that they posed as long as they did for me to shoot the photo, and followed all of my directions precisely (all via Google Translate from my colleague JD Mercer’s cell phone – the officers spoke no English).

When it’s all said and done, my 4×5 film images from Sochi all contribute to my larger goal of creating a body of work by hand that exists completely outside of a computer. To have such a high profile event as the Winter Olympics in that fray is pretty neat, and I’m proud of the work I did as a whole.

Competitors warm up prior to the men’s halfpipe snowboarding semifinal of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park.

Katie Tsuyuki from Canada on her qualification run in the ladies snowboard halfpipe event.

The village of Rosa Khutor, Russia. The clock tower pictured above was less than a block from the apartment where I stayed during my time at the games.

A woman in traditional Russian dress poses in Rosa Khutor.

Of course, when I stumbled upon a “light pocket” as sweet at this while on a location scouting trip, I had to turn the 4×5 camera on my USA Today Sports Images colleagues Kevin Jairaj (left) and John David Mercer.

A forerunner checks course conditions prior to the men’s halfpipe snowboarding finals.

France’s Clemence Grimal on her qualification run in the ladies snowboard halfpipe event.

The second of two forerunner bobsleds leaves the starting line of the Sanki Sliding Center.

Men’s bobsled competitors head down the track and the Sanki Sliding Center during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia.

Visitors walk near the Olympic Cauldron in Sochi, Russia, during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

Men’s aerials practice during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park.

Australia’s Sam Hall crosses the finish line during men’s moguls qualifications during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park.

Yours truly setting up a shot with the Crown Graphic of two armed Russian officers on the streets of Rosa Khutor. Note my “dark cloth” around my neck, which is actually just a black t-shirt. (Photo by John David Mercer)

The resulting image. I love how the officer on the left is strictly business, whereas the one on the right seems to be cracking a smile. They both have AK-47’s around their necks, however, so don’t let the affable demeanor fool you.

The Western Caucasus Mountains near the village of Rosa Khutor, Russia, following the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, Monday, February 24, 2014. For a sense of scale, note the trees along the ridge which starts at the bottom left of the image. These trees are easily 100 feet tall.