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.
Infinite sand, Bonaire, Caribbean Sea #WA9397
This is obviously an underwater image, also from Bonaire and the same trip in early 2011. This image has a lot of different meanings for me. The first one reflecting how some of the shore entires on Bonaire resulted in quite a long swim over a sand bottom to get to the reef. The swim out over this sand was equated with a swim back over this sand. Hence, when you are tired after many dives already done that day, it seems like you are swimming into infinity!
It is also representative to me of how vast our oceans are and how little we have really explored them. I had a dream once of an around the world trip, all underwater. I think a lot of it might look like this. I was captivated by the lines made by the water motion and how they just stretched into the most tranquil blue I have ever seen. While it may sound boring to swim over sand, being here was a feeling of complete relaxation. I could have sat here for hours. It was a reminder that the journey can be just as rewarding as the destination, even underwater.
Coast Redwood forest, Northern California #TR9466
My wife and I celebrated our 15th anniversary with a trip to California this year, to see the Redwoods and visit the ocean. Without a human or other animal in the scene, it is hard to gain perspective on how large these trees actually are. However, in some ways, I liked it this way. Large is relative right? It wasn’t really the size I was trying to portray here, but just a wide view of a very tranquil, old growth forest scene. It is a stitched panoramic image of 4 vertical shots, so in total 48 MP for those interested in the tech aspects.
My wife and I took turns driving and exploring the various Redwood parks around Eureka, California. Most of the time I couldn’t help myself but to be taking mental pictures of scenes I liked. This was a clearing of an overlook along one of those roads. I remember passing by this one or two times before making a note in my head that it would be a great place to stop when the light was even and soft. As you are driving through these huge trees, much of it can seem the same sometimes, but this particular clearing really stood out to me. It is a reminder of the nice time we had driving around and exploring.
Cherry Creek Jasper macro abstract, from my Stonescapes series #RO9487
This photograph is one I made in 2011 as part of my Inspired by Stone series of images. These abstract, macro views of stone contain micro landscapes within them, an abstract extractionist view of our world and the connections within. I thought a lot about this concept of “extractionism” in the past year . I have done these for a number of years now, and usually one makes it into my picks for the year.
This one in particular reminded me of the drip style paintings by Jackson Pollock, and yet it was formed long before anyone ever knew who Pollock was by nature. It makes me think about art and what artists use for inspiration. It makes me think about how intriguing things like this are. It is created with no involvement from human beings whatsoever, yet is only appreciated for its aesthetic beauty by humans.
Bloodroot in leafbed, Clinton River Park, Sterling Heights, MI #FL9428
This was photographed in the woods that extend behind my house. Most years I visit here to photograph wildflowers in the spring, but each year brings an inner challenge to try to not do what I have done before. It gets harder every year. Bloodroot are some of my favorites, one of the early risers in spring time. I have photographed them in so many ways.
I have always been attracted to doing closeups with wide angle lenses. New tools help you see in different ways, and in this case it was a Nikon 24 f1.4 lens. A wide lens that takes in a lot of environment, yet helps you isolate also. Very different from how we see with our own eyes. I love this thing, especially at f1.4. It can be challenging to using it wide open because it takes very specific situations to make them work. When it does, it can create some very unique views – blending isolation with hints of environment that aren’t overpowering.
I liked the shadow of the flower in this and I like the woodland surroundings that aren’t overly dominant. I added some texture to create a little extra character to the image’s negative space. I was happy I accomplished coming away with something different in 2011. I have no clue what to do for 2012, but have no doubt I will be exploring a bit more with wide angle closeups at f1.4.
Milkweed meadow, Washington, Michigan #FL9459
I picked this shot because I actually surprised myself in how much I thought I would like it. I tend to do that from time to time. I was shooting around the edges of this field of milkweed trying out different compositions. I actually didn’t have any high hopes of creating a keeper. I find it hard to compose fields like this because all of the details seem to just jumble together. This particular shot made my eyes feel like they wanted to go walking into this field. It is a reminder to me that my impatience is sometimes balanced with my perseverance.
Georgian Bay solitude, Bruce Peninsula, Ontario, Canada #SL9496
My day job required me to visit one of our stamping plants on Georgian Bay back in September and I took a few day extension to hike around the Bruce Peninsula. I heard that this area is nicknamed “Broken Ankle Beach” because of the large jumble of rocks you have to walk across. The beach itself looks like someone dynamited a wall of limestone. With days of rain in the forecast and gale warnings on this bay, I wanted to at least get out one evening while the weather was calm. There is quite a contrast to what is pictured here and what happened the very next day. Gale warnings were issued on Lake Huron and Georgian Bay with waves approaching 3-4 m (9-12 ft).
When I reached this shore, with no ankle injuries thankfully, the sun had just set, there wasn’t a soul around for miles. I find it quite calming to be near water. I put some neutral density filters on my lens to slow the lapping water into a blur, and just soaked this scene in.
Seeking water, Northern White Cedar roots, Bruce Peninsula, Canada #TR9519
I find photographing normally benign subjects quite interesting, especially when they generate questions. I saw how these roots wove their way through this pile of rock rubble. I thought no doubt this was in a way a search for water. Northern White Cedar trees are some of the oldest trees in the Eastern U.S. that survive in some pretty harsh conditions. You will see them rooted into a rock face with no soil around at all. I thought about the symbolism in the search for life-giving water, no matter how treacherous the route. It seemed quite familiar.
Halfway Log Dump, Georgian Bay, Bruce Peninsula, Ontario #SL9498-2
Photographs don’t often reveal any history in the steps to get to how they were taken. In most cases, I agree that it really doesn’t matter except perhaps to the photographer. This off the beaten path beach was the result of driving down a long winding road which seemed to be going into the middle of nowhere, and hiking a path alone in the dark to be on the beach at dawn. Normally I would have liked to scout such an area in the daylight, but time wasn’t in my favor since I really only had one opportunity to get here to photograph.
I wanted this photograph to portray a dark, ominous feel to it due to the storms that had just passed through the area, creating gale warnings on the bay and the northern Great Lakes. Weather can certainly turn these lakes from a calm tranquil place like the previous image to a raging, powerful beast. As I was hiking through the woods to get here, the first thing I noticed was the sound of the thunderous, pounding waves. Although the storm had passed, the lake was still in quite a turbulent state. This produced mist everywhere and made it difficult to keep your lens clear. I think I was wiping it after every single exposure.
The rocky shore, movement of the waves, and foreboding sky were elements I wanted to concentrate on here. A black and white photograph seemed appropriate for attention to those details. Despite the conditions at the time, it was still quite amazing just to sit here and admire the landscape and the dynamic elements of nature.
Houda Point beach, near Trinidad, California #SL9485
This is an unmarked beach near Trinidad, California that my wife and I spent one of our last evenings on during our anniversary trip. It is a great beach for walking around and exploring due to the numerous sea stacks and tide pools. As divers, we of course found great delight in finding the sea stars on the rocks. It was a quiet, relaxing time. The tide was receding and occasionally water would wash up around the foreground rock here creating a little moat around it. I knew I wanted to have that as a foreground element. Sea stars cling to the distant rocks waiting for the tide to come in once again.
As I was working on this image in post, it took on quite a moody feel. We never had the dramatic sunsets I had initially hoped for, and initially I was a little disappointed. Upon working with this image though, it took on a different meaning – a quiet, contemplative one that showed me that drama isn’t everything.
I hope you have enjoyed this look back on 2011 as much as I have in putting it together. Fine art prints are available of any of these images, with ordering possible through my gallery. You can find any one of these images by just searching in the gallery by the ID #.
I sincerely appreciate your visits, your time in reading through this, and your comments and support throughout the past year. I hope you have a healthy, happy new year.
See you in the woods,
Mark
Be sure to check out Jim Goldstein’s list of lists for 2011 here.
This particular image I blended...
Hey, Mark -
Wow, I hadn’t realized how much you got around this year! I really enjoy seeing this collection of images – it really showcases the diversity of your locations, subjects, and styles. Well done, every one!
I might have to try putting together a 2011 collection myself… what a lovely retrospective on the year.
– Jack
This is a very impressive set of photos, Mark. Of the ones you published this past year, I think most of these would be on my list also, especially Houda Point Beach and Infinite Sand. This is finishing the year in grand style. Have the best New Year ever.
Great work Mark. Infinite Sand and Cherry Creek Jasper especially are outstanding. Hope ’12 treats you well, and I look forward to seeing what you come up with in the coming year.
Thanks guys.
@ Jack – actually it didn’t feel like all that much. Looking forward to your 2011 picks. We’ll see if some of my favorites I remember make it in!
@Ken – Happy New year to you, and thanks for pointing out some of your favorites.
@PJ – those are two I am contemplating as prints in my house to replace some older ones. I wish you the same for 2012.
Hey, Mark – Finally got my favorites of 2011 posted – let me know if your faves made the list! (Good chance they did – I didn’t try to limit it to 10 or 11 so I ended up with 31…)
http://www.jackjohnsonphoto.com/blog/favorite-images-of-2011/
– Jack
Jack Johnson recently posted..Favorite Images of 2011
A great set of images – the Houda Point Beach and Infinite sand images stand out. I’m a milkweed lover, the milkweed meadow image is a lovely capture of a meadow at peak bloom. Milkweed doesn’t stay fresh for long – there should have been lots of butterflies as well. Time for me to get to work on my list for this year.
Best wishes for the season and next year…
Thank you Tom. You know, I was looking for butterflies and didn’t find any. I am sure they probably turned up here eventually, it is just too big of a patch of milkweed for them to avoid. I look forward to seeing your list.
Beautiful set of images Mark!
Thank you Ron, and thanks for the tweet!
Truly a beautiful set of images! Happy New Year to you Mark and may you be as productive and have as many gorgeous images in 2012 as you have had this year!
Many thanks Howard. I wish you the same, and best of success on your new project.
Wonderful group of photos, Mark.
Trying to do an exercise such as this, selecting best images, is really difficult for me — to the point of I usually don’t do it.
Best wishes in 2012 to you and your family!
Thanks Earl. That’s a shame, I would be really interested in what you come up with. It isn’t an easy exercise, but it is not a chore either. Happy New Year to you and your family.
I look forward to your end of year picks and this year’s top ten is stunning, of course. I would like to think that in a few years I might get within shouting distance of this—that is if I were allowed to pick ten pictures made over a period of ten years. The text you provide makes a marvoulous addition.
Wishing you a wonderful year ahead.
Anita, I hope that you will engage in the exercise of picking your favorites for 2011, I encourage everyone to do it. Thank you very much for the kind words. I wish you also a great 2012.
A very fine group, Mark. I like them all, but am partial to those in California and from your tropical travels. I am hard pressed to say, but I believe I like the first three the best.
Thank you very much David for stopping by. I am glad you enjoyed them.
Mark recently posted..Top Nature Photographs of 2011
What a great collection of images. These are among my favorites of the year as well; and I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite out of the bunch. I hope 2012 takes you on many fine photography adventures.
Thank you Roberta, I wish you the same for 2012.
Mark recently posted..Top Nature Photographs of 2011
I also agree you have a great selection from 2011. I would also assume there are some exceptional images that did not make the list. One aspect of your travels this past year was the amount of research you put into to know more about your area and for those images. For me that is a sign of a professional. Not sure I can say any one is my favorite, but the blue of Infinite Sand has so much power over me.
I have enjoy my visits to your blog. I come by to see the images but also to because your postings can stir my thoughts and imagination. I’ll be checking on you through 2012.
Monte Stevens recently posted..20110126-_DSC7928
Thank you for the kind words Monte. I appreciate your continued support and visits here.
I am glad so many people like the Infinite Sand shot, usually I find a lot of people don’t relate to underwater images that well, but this one seems to have crossed that line.
This is a superb set of images, Mark–truly, every one is just wonderful. Its very tough to choose a favorite, but I would have to say the Cherry Creek image, as well as the image of the white cedar roots are right up there for me. I’m a sucker for those intimate scenes, and I’ve been trying for years to make a similar image to the white cedar with sagebrush; they aren’t as easy as they look.
Hope your 2012 is off to a great start!
-Greg
Thanks Greg, and I appreciate you stopping by. You know, at the time I processed that cedar root image, I didn’t think it would end up in one of my yearly favorites. But the more I looked at it, the more it grew on me and started climbing up in my picks. I am glad that you like it. I wish you the best for 2012.
Mark, you have a wonderful set of images to show for your efforts this year, well done! I like them all, but especially the “infinite sand”, just gorgeous.
Anne McKinnell recently posted..Top 10 Images of 2011
Thank you very much Anne! I am pleased to find Infinite Sand resonating with so many people.
lovely set of images Mark. Glad to see one of your underwater ones made the cut!
Happy New Year
Suzy
ps, have you changed your comment section? Seems to be more tick boxes that I rememeber?
scuba_suzy recently posted..Florida 2011
Hi Suzy, thank you. I had several u/w images in the final run, and it was hard to just pick to have just one.
I did add a few plugins recently to try them out as far as the checkboxes. Do you find them annoying? I am interested to know.
not annoying at all, just wondered. I hadnt noticed the “this person has recently posted” one before (is that comment luv)? Its good.
scuba_suzy recently posted..Florida 2011
Yes, it is CommentLuv. It seemed to be a nice way to offer commenters a link back to some of their recent postings.
You traveled to some cool locations, Mark. Great work man.
Thank you Richard.
Mark:
A really wonderful set of images; and the detail shots are superb. That Cherry Creek macro is something 999 out of 1,000 would have walked right by. Have a great 2012!
Hi Gary – I appreciate you stopping by and leaving a comment. Thank you very much. I wish I had “walked by” the Cherry Creek, but truth be known it is a studio shot.
Awesome selection of images, Mark! A lot of fun to check out each one in the larger view. It is always hard to isolate a favorite to comment on from such a refined collection, but the one that I went back to a few times to see again was “In Search of Water.” I just love that image. The subtle color palette with the great mix of textures between the rocks and roots just came together perfectly.
Pat Ulrich recently posted..Upper Yosemite Fall in the Snow, Yosemite National Park
Thank you very much Pat. As I mentioned to Greg, that one didn’t come to “light” until pretty late in the year. I started playing with the processing of the image and really started liking where I was headed. I am glad it resonated with others and I wasn’t just out in left field.
Mark recently posted..Top Nature Photographs of 2011
Looks like a year of some amazing travels and photography Mark! I really love the Infinite Sand and always partial to coastal redwoods. Hope your 2012 is off to a great start!
latoga recently posted..Another Way to Measure a Year
A stunning set of images Mark! Infinite Sand Bonaire reminds me of an under water White Sands New Mexico.
Jim Goldstein recently posted..JMG-Galleries Best Photos of 2011
Beautiful images, Mark. I’ve been reading your blog for some time now, and I love your work. I all of these, and my favorites are the “Infinite Sand’ others have mentioned and “Georgian Bay Solitude.” Well done.
Jennifer Durham recently posted..Light Coming Back – Favorite Images of 2011
Thanks Jennifer for sharing some of your favorites.
Thanks Jim, and pleased to be included on your list.
Hi Mark.
This is indeed a fine collection and evidence of a really rewarding year in the field…so to speak. Having more of an attraction to intimate scenes, Seeking Water is my favorite of the group and, as a lover of wildflowers, Milkweed Meadow is right behind. But all are really excellent and enjoyable images. Best for the New Year and a great collection at the end just like these.
Steve Gingold recently posted..01.04.2012 Star in an Algal Galaxy
Thank you Steve. You know, during the year, it really didn’t feel that way. I suppose that is why I enjoy the look back. You find that you actually did have some keepers.
Thanks for pointing out your favorites. I wish you the best as well.
Mark recently posted..Why My Trees are Yellow
Some rely nice shoot, was a good photo year (=
Stunning shots Mark and well done on a great year
Alex recently posted..Park Beach – Seascape Long Exposure (Includes Before/After)
Sorry for the late reply Alex, but your comment ended up in my spam que for some reason. I just saw that. Thank you!
Mark recently posted..Tangerine Tango sky
Just love Cherry Creek Jasper. The range of images you have found from these rocks (on your website) is stunning. I know I’ve been back a few times to look at these. Funny thing, Amazon keeps reminding me of searches for picture / rock /jasper, and on and on.
I’d probably make a purchase, but have a fear of using my Contax bellows adapted on my Canon digital gear. I just see that set up blowing dust all over the sensor!
All the best, Marshall
Hey Marshall – thanks a lot!
Mark recently posted..Paths to Simplicity