Green Bay Wisconsin Commercial Photographer and Wisconsin Editorial Photographer Mike Roemer • Best of 2012 • Photos That Are Important To Me.

Ever since I started my blog back in 2009, I’ve been doing a year-end blog post of my favorite photos for that year. The photos aren’t only my best work for that year, but also pictures that are important to me. The majority of the photos are made while on assignment for clients, but some of the photos are also made during my personal time. Time that I spent with my wife Judy, my energetic black lab mix pup Chica, the international students that I’ve helped mentor for the college Judy works at or the family Caribbean cruise we took to celebrate my parents, 50th wedding anniversary all made the list this year.

I think going through a year’s worth of your work is a great exercise for a photographer to do. I hated doing it back in my newspaper days before the digital age. Digging through clips and negatives, slides and prints wasn’t as easy as pulling up my online portfolio and previous blog posts. Back in my newspaper days, I was terrible at shooting photos that weren’t meant to be printed in the paper. Sadly, my life back then revolved around working at the paper. I wasn’t married to a fun loving woman who lets me point the camera at her, I didn’t have a photogenic dog and I didn’t live near family and friends who’s life I shared like I do today.

I still need to get better at just taking pictures for creative expression and pictures to document my life. I write this as I see three deer walking though the forest about a 150 feet from my office window. They walk through that same spot every few days,just tempting me to get a nice photo of them.

I’ve had a few people ask me recently what my favorite photo is from my work in 2012. Most years, that’s a tough question for me to answer, but not this year. The top picture in my blog of Green Bay Packers Donald Driver doing a Lambeau Leap is by far my favorite picture of the year. It’s probably my favorite picture that I’ve ever shot at a Packers game since I started photographing them back in the 80s. The Sporting News also picked it as one of their top sports photos in 2012 and NBC News also included it in their pictures of the year.

Back in my newspaper days it was hard for me to drive anywhere without a camera in the car. I’ve finally stopped having anxiety dreams of spot news happening in front of me and not being able to load film into the camera, to get the car keys to open the trunk or not being able to find the car. That said, the best camera you have is the one you have with you. I always have my smart phone with me, so I always have that camera on me. So for 2013, I’m going to do a picture-a-day Instagram project, if things get straightened out with their new terms of service. The photos will be a creative outlet for me, but also a way to document my life. Every month or two, I’ll put up a blog post with some of the Instgram photos. You can also follow RoemerPhoto or Mike Roemer on Instgram if you don’t want to wait for the blogpost.

So, here are my favorite photos of 2012 – photos that are important to me.

Thanks for looking!

Mike

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver celebrates a touchdown by doing a Lambeau Leap in the Packers win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

When I wear my trucking photographer hat, one of the first things I do is scout for a freshly black topped road with bright strips. I was really happy when I found this road near our transportation photography client’s headquarters in the rolling hills of Western Wisconsin.

Photo of model Linda Roach for a stock lifestyle photography shoot in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

I spent a day making pretty landscape photos at a windmill park for an energy photography client in the rolling farm fields of central Wisconsin. Here is my favorite photo of that day just as the sun popped back out when a late afternoon storm moved out.

A ground battle during Green Bay’s win over Marquette in a D1 basketball game.

The Tundraline warms up before a Green Bay Packers game at Lambeau Field.

Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith during their game against the Packers at Lambeau Field.

Green Bay Packers’ Clay Matthews warms up before an early season game at Lambeau Field.

Not the first time I shot a group of graduates jumping like this at a college graduation, but this shot is made by how straight the guy in the center is. He must have taken a course on how to jump without bending your knees.

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith trips up Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford fumbles the ball. Green Bay Packers Mike Daniels was able to recover the ball and run it in for a touchdown.

A runner tries to cool down during the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon. The race was eventually cancelled midway through due to the heat.

A member of the crew club at St. Norbert College goes for an early morning row on the Fox River in De Pere, Wisconsin.

Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy uses a flip card to reflect light back in to his face to make an otherwise boring photo more interesting.

Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Nick Perry trips up Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers tosses a wrist band into the stands as he runs off the field after a Packers win.

My playful pup Chica enjoys her favorite toy, the squeaky blue ball, before it met its demise in a game of tug-of-war with her cousin dog, Kelby.

Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson tries to pull in a pass as Green Bay Packers cornerback Tramon Williams defends.

A lifestyle / fashion portfolio photo shoot in the woods just beyond my office window.

A long time tradition at Green Bay Packers training camp is for the players to ride bikes of willing kids to the practice field. When one of the players picks a bike that’s way to small for him, it always make for a good picture.

Green Bay Phoenix basketball player Keifer Sykes shows off his tattoos.

I’ve covered the north end zone at Lambeau Field since the mid 90s. My shots are generally backlit, which I’m okay with, but since they did a remodel of the stadium last off-season, we get some crazy great bounce light that adds a special dimension to the photos in the red zone. Here is one of those photos as Aaron Rodgers makes an adjustment at the line.

Dr. Heidi Hunter and her 4-year-old golden retriever therapy dog Buddy for an annual report project for a healthcare photography client.

My brother-in-law Jerrry Turba and his wife Judy at Jerry’s 60th birthday party. I think the photo really shows happiness, and it being an all out 70s party made it very visual.

Lifestyle photo of St Norbert College students along the Fox River in Green Bay for the school’s web site.

A couple of Green Bay Packers fans can’t contain their excitement being the first ones into the stands for a game.

My wife Judy enjoys the cool waters of Trout Lake in Vilas County in Northern Wisconsin on a warm July afternoon.

With the lighthouse of Cana Island in Door County, Wisconsin behind them, International students Shahadutt “Mr B” Bose, Ravi “Shorty” Pahuja of India and Shakeel “Dr. Love” Ahmad of Pakistan pose for a picture. I’ve been to Door County and Cana Island a kazillion times growing up in the area, but was able to see the area in a new way through their eyes as I toured them around the peninsula.

Huge Packers fan and Executive Vice President, Mark Thompson, of The Roberts Group poses for a profile shot for the healthcare advertising agency’s website and collateral materials.

Profile photo of Katie Stensberg, Emerging Media Specialist, at The Roberts Group.

Stock photo in Peninsula State park in Door County, Wisconsin.

A quick grab shot during a friend’s wedding reception near Rib Mountain in central Wisconsin.

Portrait of Green Bay Phoenix men’s basketball player Brennan Cougill.

Shadows of youth football players on Lambeau Field before the Green Bay Packers scrimmage.

A quick family photo of Judy and me with my parents and my brother and his daughter in San Juan, Puerto Rico during a week long eastern Carribbean cruise to celebrate my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary.

Green Bay Wisconsin Commercial Photographer and Wisconsin Editorial Photographer Mike Roemer • Best of 2012 • Photos That Are Important To Me.

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