It is that time of year again to look back, ponder, reminisce about photographs created in 2011. I have continued this tradition since 2007 now, and you can view my past picks under the surprising tag of Yearly Favorites. It is a post I enjoy spending a bit of time on each year because I go into detail about the picks and why. This year involved some hard choices, some easy ones, but I was determined to get it down to 10. It is a good thing photographs don’t have feelings of their own, however, you do argue with yourself a lot.
I suppose one has to wonder what the criteria is to make it into this Top 10, and I wish I could eloquently describe it. Some represent unique moments, some with personal feelings behind them, some with some adventure in getting the shot, some in experiments that had pleasing results, some I just had to sleep on. You can see I still enjoy a variety of subjects to photograph, from macro to landscape, from above land to underwater.
One thing I noted unique about this year from the previous years is that 7 of the 10 images here were taken away from home. Although this year may have had a little more increase in travel over previous years, it didn’t seem significant to me. If I had to note for myself if there is any common thread in these, I would have to say most of the landscapes have an ethereal, tranquil appeal to me. This is most likely because at the time they were made, I felt quite calm and relaxed – and that seemed to come through in the photographs. I can only hope they give others the same impression. It is a pretty fascinating planet we live on, it deserves our respect, appreciation, and protection.
Here are my top photographs for 2011 (listed in no particular order, but I admit some of my most favorite, easiest choices are first 
) :
Coral Cliffs, Northern Coast of Bonaire, Netherland Antilles, Southern Caribbean Sea #SL9401
Bonaire is a small island in the southern Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela. Our fourth trip took place in late February through early March 2011, primarily for scuba diving. Because of the protections in place here, it remains on one of the healthiest reef systems in the Caribbean. Despite those protections however, impacts on corals from warming trends in the climate and the oceans were quite noticeable.
Since most of our days were packed with diving, or recovering and napping from diving, I only had one day dedicated for focusing on some land photography. Given we had driven around most of the island for diving spots, I had gained a familiarity with the island all during the week and from previous trips here. The island is flat desert on its southern end, and has a very different, rocky appearance to the north. Several times we stopped for diving along the north end and found the entrances quite limited because of the steep cliffs. Many dive sites along here are only accessible by boat.
I wanted to capture the rugged, coral cliffs of the north coast and found this spot just off the road. I nervously kept inching my tripod closer and closer to the cliff edge because I really wanted some separation between the cliff edge and the two small coral sea stacks in the middle ground. I thought they really added to the depth of the composition. I also used several neutral density filters and a polarizer to blur the water motion and add to that peaceful feel to the scene.
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Halfway Log Dump Beach on Georgian Bay, Bruce Peninsula, Canada #SL9537
It is around this time of year that I start a number of activities to tidy up another year of photography. The year end gives us a chance to reflect back upon where we were at the same time a year ago, evaluate any goals we set, and do some organization and filing chores. So here is a short list of my items, feel free to contribute your own.
This is easy enough to do in Lightroom (my organizational tool of choice since its initial release). Since my photographs get scattered to different folders after I edit them, all of my 2011 shots aren’t necessarily in one hard drive folder. In the Library mode, I click on “All Photographs” in the left side Catalog panel. I then set the Library Filter on Metadata, and make one of the columns “Date” – and select the current/past year.
This gives you a total number of photographs you made in that year, in this case 2011. You can see how it compares to other years – did you shoot more or less? A quick scan through this list of images tends to turn up photos I had forgotten to process, such as the one at the start of this post. If you have rated your images or flagged favorites, it makes the next step easier. If you set any photographic goals, this is a good chance for a quick review of them. (more…)
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Snow covered woodland in Southeast Michigan, aka. "My Woods"
I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Winter Solstice, at least for those of you in the Northern Hemisphere.
For the shortest day of the year, I have started by getting up late, and perhaps I will go to bed early. The psychology of shorter days and less sunlight will be settling in.
I wish this photograph was representative of what it is like right now in Southeast Michigan. Days like pictured here are what I enjoy most about winter, not so much the cold, foggy drizzle we have now. However, I suppose this is the “pretty side of winter” and everyone knows it doesn’t tell the entire story.
By March, we will be aching for some warmer weather. It is one of the benefits of living somewhere with four full seasons. Sometimes they start with eager anticipation, sometimes with dread, but by the time it really starts to get on your nerves, it is time to change again.
I am hoping we will have some good “sticky snow” days like this in the coming months. The woods behind my home turn into a magical forest blanketed in white. It simplifies the clutter, creates a freshness to the air, and begs you to walk through and explore.
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Three Bears departing, Kinak Bay, Katmai National Park, Alaska
Somehow this evening I ended up in my unprocessed folder from my 2009 trip to Alaska. As I poked around a bit reflecting back on how great it was spending so much time around bears, I decided to bring a few out for processing and putting up in my gallery.
These three bears were a mother and her two yearling cubs. We hung around them quite a bit while we were anchored in Kinak Bay in Katmai National Park. I remember how one was still quite dependent on mom to catch fish, while the other seemed to be a natural fisherman.
I also remembered how much I liked this particular area of shoreline. The zig-zag of the shore created a lot of triangles in the frame. With the three bears, there is quite a bit of repeating threes in the frame. Even the bears make a triangle. It isn’t often when so much comes together in one frame. All I was missing was a little girl named Goldilocks. Maybe next time.
I added a few more images in my gallery here: Brown bear pictures
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Black and white photo of a cluster of Coast Redwood Trees in California. In this photograph I wanted to emphasize the rough texture and strength of the bark of the trees. This cluster of trees seemed like an imperious wall.
With a bark so thick (30 cm!), and being largely impervious to disease, it should be no wonder why Redwood trees achieve their enormous heights and size. However, what they rely upon most is their environment, which is why they are limited to a few regions in California. I think there are many lessons to be learned from our great Redwood trees. No matter how strong, no matter how large of a living being you are, take away the environment on which you rely upon, and you will perish.
This seems like a rather obvious point when it comes to our environment and nature. What about when we apply similar philosophies to art and creativity? I am sure we have all heard it one time or another, in art, and particularly in critique, it pays to have a thick skin. Of course, when pursuing any area of art, there are nutrients, and there are pests. It doesn’t help to have a skin so thick that you don’t let nutrients in. At the same time, you have to be extremely wary of pest invasions. (more…)
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