Gotta say 2009 was a bit of a strange year. It’s my third year at ThisWeek Community Newspapers. When pouring over my work from the year, my first edit of the “best of 2009″ photos included more than 150 pictures. After that initial edit, I had a pretty hard time knocking the list down to the 35 that I picked for my slideshow. Everything seemed to be about on the same level. A lot of good, but not enough great.

I’m happy that I’m shooting with a consistency that produces a solid image from every assignment. I want more pictures to jump out though. I need to keep pushing the creative limits to produce more unique photos, while at the same time maintaining a storytelling quality. It’s easy to do one or the other, but to accomplish both in a single frame takes a bit more work. So it looks like I now have a personal challenge for 2010. Stay tuned!

The photos:

Foggy river, originally uploaded by atomicphoto.

Spent the afternoon sloshing around the river in the rain with my dogs. It was an unexpected scenic view, and all I had with me was my iPhone, but after applying a few filters from various apps, I got a photo I was pretty happy with. Check out more iPhone photos in my flickr “Cellular Sightings” set.

Thursday was wet and dreary, yet thousands of people spent their afternoon at the horse track inside the Delaware County Fairgrounds to watch one of the premier events for harness racing – the 64th running of the Little Brown Jug. Admittedly, I don’t follow horse racing of any type, but I’m told that the Jug is one of the biggest events in the sport.

You hear crazy stories about the infield at the Kentucky Derby. Since there is no infield at the fairgrounds, spectators do their partying and betting all the way around the track on the outside. The rain, however, dampened the party considerably this year. Many of the spectators didn’t even bother to stick around for race 18 to see which horse and driver would claim the jug trophy.

Those who did stick around were treated to a dominant performance by Ron Pierce driving Well Said. The duo easily won their preliminary race and then held off Tim Tetrick driving If I Can Dream to claim the top prize.

At the end of the day, I was muddy and soaked, but I was able to put together a decent collection of images. One photo I didn’t take was of the drunk lady who felt it was necessary to show me her water-logged butt cheeks, proof she had sat down in a wet chair. There are some things we see as photographers that are better off undocumented. In fact, I’d be better off if there were some things I could un-see.

I spent a few days this past week hiking and camping in the Rockies with a few high school friends. The “high”light (elevation pun intended) of the trip was the summit of Challenger Point, a 14,000-foot mountain in the Sangre de Cristo range near Salida, Colorado.

Hiking to the summit was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. It was definitely rewarding, even if it was a bit short-lived due to an impending thunderstorm. Talk about a leg workout too! After the 4-mile hike to camp the first day, we climbed nearly 2,500 feet of elevation to reach the top on day 2.

It’s hard to be pessimistic about my job when I get to shoot something new every day. My favorite photo mantra is about how a photographer’s favorite assignment is his next one. Sure, some days are better than others, but at least every day is different. Here’s a random selection from the past few weeks.

Students in the building trades program at the Ohio Hi-Point Career School, from left, Brandon Schwyn, Trey Bowersmith and John Baesmann lower tools down to project supervisor Ben Ludlow at the end of the work day on March 11. The students are working with UCo Industries to build a home that will be donated to a Union County family.

Washington Elementary fifth graders, from left, Scott Morris, Garrett Askew and Luke Seman perform “On Top of Old Smokey” using IBC root beer bottles filled with varying amounts of water during a practice before school on Feb. 26. The trio will compete against other grades at the school on March 5. The winner of that competition will face bottle musicians from other schools in the district.

Since being diagnosed with kidney disease just before his twenty first birthday, Youth Needing Organ & Tissue Transplants founder Edward Drake, now 23, has assisted nearly 500 kids during their quest for new organs. The Toledo native started YNOTT in order to raise awareness about becoming organ and tissue donors and to provide support for those in need of a donation.

Otterbein College security officer Chase Rogers writes a parking ticket outside the Campus Center building on March 10. Otterbein is in the process of turning their security force into sworn-in police officers.

Gary Carter clips the hair of Pickerington resident Shawn Wuertz on March 19. Carter, owner of Reynoldsburg Center Barber Shop, is hanging up his sheers after 35 years in the hair cutting business.

In order to raise awareness for multiple sclerosis, the National MS Society arranged for LeVeque Tower and the AEP headquarters in downtown Columbus to light up orange.

And last, but not least, I chuckled as I followed these two pooches enjoying the spring breeze…