2016 was a special year: It was my first year to shoot full time. Yes, I was an intern, but I was still working 40 or more hours a week shooting photo galleries, writing stories and producing video like any staff photographer would be doing. Sometimes I felt like it was hard work, but most of the time I felt as if I was hardly working, simply because I got so much fulfillment from what I was doing and derived so much happiness from it. It's been a beautiful (though at times difficult) year of growth, both professionally and personally. What was once a foreign place to me in January 2016 became a second home by the time I left in December 2016. I met hundreds upon hundreds of people this year as I took thousands upon thousands of photographs. I covered a few national news stories and lots of high school and college sports, among other things, and produced about a dozen feature-length profiles and two longer projects this year. In each photograph or video taken, someone allowed me into their life in some way, and that is something I never take for granted. To photograph Michiganders and to learn about their sense of community and their passions, and to experience their warmth and hospitality firsthand was truly an honor. As I looked back at my photos from the year, I can see I've come a long way in my photography, but I know there is still a long road ahead to where I would like to be with a style. It can be frustrating at times, but I think it's mostly exciting. I'm looking forward to pushing myself out of my comfort zone shooting this year and producing tougher, more intentional work in 2017. - CP P.S. To all of the photographers I've met this year -- both in person and online -- I thank you for your advice and encouragement. The passion I see y'all bring to your work is infectious. I've learned so much from all of you and the work you create, and I hope our paths will continue to cross. Isaac Chalupa, 8, licks pie off his face after a pie-eating contest during South Haven's Blueberry Festival in South Haven, Mich., on Friday, Aug. 12, 2016. The festival featured various blueberry-flavored dishes from local businesses. Parade-goers enjoy the 16th annual St. Patrick's Day parade in Kalamazoo, Mich., on Saturday, March 12, 2016. Nearly 50 organizations walked, drove and marched in the parade. Tri-County varsity cheerleader Alexis Bogardus, left, waits with her team to perform at the Bulldog Classic hosted by Otsego High School in Otsego, Mich., on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. Hundreds of girls from dozens of schools showed off their competitive cheer skills and school spirit. Lexi Akerson dances with a life-size cutout of her boyfriend Brandon Turner at Lawton High School's prom in Lawton, Mich., on Saturday, April 16, 2016. Turner has been serving in the U.S. Air Force for two of the three years he and Akerson have been dating. He is currently stationed in England, so Akerson brought the cutout to make sure he was part of the special night. Norm Carlson checks on his hens as he makes his rounds throughout Naturally Norm's on Carlson Farms in Lawton, Mich., on Monday, June 6, 2016. “A hen, if you hold them and you look at them, they talk to you all the time. They’re always telling you something,” Carlson said. “We watch them and we try to understand what they’re trying to tell us or what they’re not happy about, and we try to make their life happy.” George Miles poses for a portrait aboard the Wilhelm Baum tugboat at the Blessing of the Fleet at the Michigan Maritime Museum in South Haven, Mich., on Friday, May 27, 2016. Miles wanted to buy the Wilhelm Baum 40 years ago, but he was looking to buy a home and was supporting a single-income family, so he held off. "I kept track of it over the years. I took a picture of it way back when and I still have it on the wall. [My son] Mike used to see that picture," Miles recalled. Mike and his family have spent over 3,000 hours restoring the tugboat since purchasing it after it mysteriously sank in 2014. The Hooligan Flight Team is seen through the flags held by the 110th Attack Wing Color Guard during the Memorial Day Program of Remembrance at Fort Custer National Cemetery in Augusta, Mich., on Sunday, May 29, 2016. Hundreds of people, including a number of veterans and active military, attended the program. Rockford's Catherine Witte (10) and Alyssa Judge (11) celebrate their win with teammates after a Class A MHSAA volleyball semifinal game at the Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek, Mich., on Friday, Nov. 18, 2016. Grand Rapids South Christian's Jennifer DeBoer holds onto the ball after it got loose during a girls state semifinal basketball game at the Breslin Student Events Center in Lansing, Mich., on Friday, March 18, 2016. Grand Rapids South Christian beat Detroit Country Day 57-46 to move onto the girls state basketball finals. Loy Norrix players from left to right, senior Walter Walker (17), junior Zack Sims (88), junior Ian Burns (4), junior Xavier Gillon (70) and junior Jeremiah Branscomb (29) hang out in the locker room before Loy Norrix's last home game of the season against Stevensville Lakeshore at Loy Norrix High School in Kalamazoo, Mich., on Friday, Oct. 14, 2016. Loy Norrix lost 35-6. Jazman Davenport poses for a portrait on Loy Norrix High School's football field in Kalamazoo, Mich., on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016. Jazman played free safety for the Loy Norrix Knights' varsity football team, but was out most of the season due to a broken finger and a torn ACL and meniscus. Jazman tells young girls to "just go for it" when it comes to sports and pursuing their dreams. "You might get a little negativity, but if you find out that it's something that you really like to do and want to pursue in life, then you should take that opportunity because you only live once." Novi's Kathryn Ellison prepares to spike the ball during a Class A MHSAA volleyball semifinal game at the Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek, Mich., on Friday, Nov. 18, 2016. Novi went on to win the Class A final on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016. Western Michigan University wide receiver Corey Davis (84) catches a pass with one hand in the end zone to score a touchdown during an NCAA college football game at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Mich., on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016. Western Michigan University beat Northern Illinois University 45-30, bringing the Broncos to their first 6-0 record since 1941. The win also helped the Broncos rank in the Associated Press college football poll for the first time in the school's history, entering the poll at 24. St. Joseph senior Ahmeir Kyle jumps to hit the ball during the MHSAA division three boys singles tennis finals in Kalamazoo, Mich., on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016. Kyle, who won her division, competed in the boys state finals because her track meets conflicted with girls tennis finals in the spring. Kyle became the first girl in MHSAA history to win a boys tennis state title. This was also the first MHSAA individual title for a girl competing in a boys sport. Loy Norrix senior Cam Wilke-Flowers (7) shouts in pain on the sidelines as athletic trainer Dan Hawley, not pictured, works to ease a cramp in Wilke-Flowers' leg during a high school football game against hometown rival Kalamazoo Central at Loy Norrix High School in Kalamazoo, Mich., on Friday, Sept. 9, 2016. Loy Norrix, who was dealing with the death of a former player Daquarion "D.Q." Hunter earlier in the week, lost 41-13. Loy Norrix junior Egypt Wilder hugs Loy Norrix graduate and pallbearer Armonte Tolbert during a funeral service for Daquarion "D.Q." Hunter at The River Church in Kalamazoo, Mich., on Sept. 16, 2016, which would have been his 18th birthday. Hundreds attended to pay their respects to Hunter, who graduated from Loy Norrix High School in June and played on the football and basketball teams. Robin Purgahn poses for a portrait at The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on Friday, June 24, 2016. People explore sand dunes near Lake Michigan at a stop on Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive in Empire, Mich., on Sunday, May 15, 2016. Mark Christian, co-owner of Galesburg Meat Company, moves a piece of meat while cleaning up after a fire at his business in Galesburg, Mich., on Thursday, June 23, 2016. A fire broke out at the meat company earlier that morning around 3:30 a.m., destroying the building and some of the meat. Christian has co-owned the family business for over 40 years and was too devastated to speak much about the fire. A young boy holds up a Trump sign during a campaign stop in support of the Trump/Pence Republican ticket at the Air Zoo in Portage, Mich., on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016. Over 1,000 people attended the rally ahead of the Nov. 8 election. Ben Brown and Matt Bombich of Kalamazoo Public Safety help hoist an American flag in the air between two firetrucks during a 9/11 memorial service in recognition of the 15th anniversary of the terrorist attacks at Bronson Park in Kalamazoo, Mich., on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016. The ceremony included songs, prayers, a gun salute, laying of a wreath and more to honor those who died on Sept. 11, 2001.