BEST OF 37

Welcome to my annual “Best Of” blog post series! If you’re new here, each year I select my personal favorite 100 photos, taken since my last birthday.

I just realized yesterday that I have 10 of these round-ups already! Ten has been a very synchronous number in my career lately – 10 years in LA this year, just over 10 years of touring, 10 annual reviews (now 11). It’s special to reflect not only on this last year, but what is now categorically a substantial career in music photography. When did that happen? When did it go from a dream, to an opportunity, to a specialty, to my life? Still pinching myself at every stage.

The bulk of 37 was once again defined by my tour gig with Coldplay. Forever humbled and grateful to not only be on this journey, but to contribute in a big way to how it’s seen by the world – the WORLD. Woah. The best band, with the best team, the best fans, and more confetti than can be contained within all of the jumper hoods, shoes, suitcase, hair, etc, that I find it in (still).

This last year we shot several music videos around the globe (with the great privilege of seeing these cities from a vantage point I’d never be able to access on my own), traveled the UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the UAE, and India! We also recently logged the largest Coldplay headline show of their career via the “largest outdoor stadium show of the 21st century”, which I got to view and shoot from the highest point in the venue. (I love climbing for Coldplay!) This was all finished off with two extremely memorable trips: traveling New Zealand with my mom in November, and Jaipur with Becca in January.

On a career highlight note – I photographed Coldplay’s new press photos, and have now seen them EVERYWHERE around the world, including a personal milestone – my first billboards in Times Square NYC! I stood there for a solid hour waiting for the digital screen to come back around a few times – one of them featured in this round-up. I also received my first award nomination in iHeart Radio’s “Favorite Tour Photographer” category. It was a fun night walking the red carpet and attending the award show!

I created even more exciting work with my other clients this last year – including hopping on tour with Thirty Seconds to Mars for the first time, a lap around Brazil with my Simple Plan dudes, more editorial work for To The Stars Media & Tom Delonge, my favorite Emo-fix festival of the year: When We Were Young in Vegas, along with several other fly dates and LA local shows.

My life has been split in two for as long as I can remember now – home and tour. I’m so grateful that my work feels like my actual life, and grateful for this season where I’ve found some balance for both. By default / by nature of what I do, my life is highly documented – how amazing! It’s an emotional task to put this post together every year. Thank you so much for following along, supporting me, and all the kind words that I’ve received. I’ve enjoyed meeting so many new people along the way – whether briefly, or permanent fixtures – you know who you are. Here’s to more travel, friends, creativity, kindness, connection, and jigsaw puzzles.

If you’re interested to see my other “Best of” round-ups, the previous posts live here: 
Best of 36 | Best of 35 | Best of 34 | Best of 33 | Best of 32 | Best of 31 | Best of 30 | Best of 29 | Best of 28 | Best of 27

38 today. Here’s the best of 37. Enjoy!

xo
Anna Lee (Media)