Greetings and salutations, I hope this finds everyone well. The year has been flying by that I hadn’t had a chance to put some thoughts down and such. With 2018 coming to a close, I’ve had time to look back on my exploits this year and what it’s brought in terms of experiences and such. And while this year has been lighter than in years’ past, I am grateful for a few things that I shot firsthand.

The first of such special moments was back in mid-May when I covered Game 1 of the NBA’s Western Conference Finals between the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors. It was a highly anticipated series, the de facto NBA Finals to many people, and I was tasked to co-shoot the opener of the series. The gameplay was pretty even until the Warriors pulled away in the second half to take Game 1, enroute to winning a back-and-forth series which culminated in their third NBA title in the last four years.

The other special time came last month during the Houston Astros run in the 2018 MLB Postseason. On October 5, the Astros hosted the Cleveland Indians in Game 1 of the American League Division Series, and again I was responsible for co-shooting it. Behind a solid pitching performance from Justin Verlander and timely hitting by Alex Bregman and George Springer, the Astros took the opener in convincing fashion.

Two weeks later, the Astros and the Boston Red Sox squared off in the American League Championship Series. After the teams split the opening two games in Boston, the series shifted to Minute Maid Park in Houston for three straight, and that’s when the Red Sox flexed their championship muscle. Boston rode timely hitting in Game 3, immaculate fielding in Game 4 and all-around power in Game 5 to win the series, 4-1. While it was sobering to see Boston celebrate the series win in Houston, along with dethroning the defending champions, there was no shame in being taken down by the soon-to-be champions, which Boston secured against the Los Angeles Dodgers on October 28. The two games I shot could have gone better, but it was still sobering to cover a soon-to-be championship team in the playoffs.

With an uncertain future looming larger by the day and a year that has been very eventful away from the camera, I’ve been looking back more and more on my exploits as a professional photographer. And now more than ever, I’m more grateful for some of my experiences and journeys thus far. I’m also grateful to know that hard work, sacrifice and perseverance did have its benefits down the line.

Anyways, thank you for your time and attention and. Take care and Fare Thee Well.

All images copyright 2018 Erik Williams/USA Today Sports Images