My favorite photos of 2023
Though I wanted to share a top fifteen list, I did narrow down it to ten images
I grew up in a landlocked state with more pigs than humans. As a water person, I was obsessed with and fascinated by the ocean. I always found images of piers mesmerizing, representing the connection between land and sea. When spring break rolled around, Adam wanted to camp and bike in Tucson. The desert was fine, but I also wanted the ocean. I needed to smell some salty air during the dredges of March! The closest ocean city to Tucson is San Diego. We decided to spend an afternoon at La Jolla Beach, which allowed me to photograph the Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier. As I stood beneath the pier, an overwhelming sense of immersion enveloped me. The pier created an ambiance similar to a cave. The light changed between sun and shadow, and the sounds echoed off the cement pillars. Despite the constraints of time and the less-than-ideal lighting, I photographed a feeling I won't soon forget.
One of my favorites was a sunset on Redington Pass because I captured a milestone moment in my creative journey. This is the first clear shot I took with my telephoto lens, as I had recently purchased a gimbal head and a more robust (i.e. expensive) tripod to hold the weight of the lens. I’d always seen shots of the sun setting but hadn’t been able to take those types of shots before. I was able to capture my artistic vision, translating the perfection of a setting sun into a simple photograph.
Grand Prismatic Spring is my favorite place in Yellowstone. The colors of the spring are otherworldly. We drove through Yellowstone twice in July. During the first visit, we walked along the boardwalk and saw the bright colors from below. On the second visit, Adam and I hiked to the Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook in the morning to try to beat the crowds. Grand Prismatic is much more majestic the higher you are above. What I didn’t think about, however, was that it was a cool summer morning, and the temperature of the spring was nearly boiling. Because of the hot water, there was so much steam! I couldn’t quite capture the shot I originally had planned, so instead, I zoomed in to capture the details. I worked quite a bit to edit this shot to bring out the colors as best I could, “beautify” the steam, and darken the silhouettes. I can’t wait to visit again in the afternoon to really capture its magnificence.
One thing Instagram has done for my photography is to expose me to places I’d never heard of before, and one of those locations is Cannon Beach. Yes, I know… The Goonies. But I’m not a movie buff in any capacity, and I haven’t rewatched that movie in a long time. As I saw more images of Cannon Beach, I knew I needed to visit at some point. We were lucky enough to spend a week in Newport, Oregon, in July, so I told Adam that I needed one pit stop. We only had a couple of hours at sunrise on the beach, but my goodness, it was lovely. It was low tide, so there were uncovered “sand features” and little puddles for reflection; plus, the area was a protected tide pool. I’ve never seen so much aquatic life, so many starfish! I took a number of beautiful shots, but this one (especially with this edit) was my favorite. The sun was just kissing the top of Haystack Rock, so the rest of the shot was dark. It was a perfect spot and time of day for a high-contrast black and white. In random news, a mountain lion hung out on the rock only a couple of days after we visited!
Grand Teton National Park is most enchanting at sunrise. The Tetons are on the park's west side, so it's visual magic when the sun hits the peaks. Plus, there are FAR less people around at sunrise! As I'm chasing Ansel Adams, it's only fitting that I shot this at the Snake River overlook. The sky didn't quite have the color I wanted, but watching the sun slowly rise and light up the peaks was calming and peaceful. I love taking pictures of the shadows of clouds on any landscape, especially mountains. The clouds created gorgeous shadows that added an extra visual element to this image.
Hickman Natural Bridge, located in Capitol Reef National Park, is not a strenuous hike, but the bridge itself is a payoff! We visited the park in October, and the early light on the bridge was just perfect. I edited this shot in black and white to bring out the structure, cracks, and the rock patterns of the bridge. This was the first arch I’d walked under, and similar to the Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier, it’s overwhelming to be underneath something so large and NOT man-made! The juxtaposition of the arch against the desert sand and the other red rocks contributed to the simple beauty of the area.
This past school year, I was teaching in the classroom. After seventeen years, fourteen of which I taught middle school, I needed some time away. I planned a brief trip to Rocky Mountain National Park after Memorial Day because I knew the park wouldn’t be too crowded. We had just visited the park the previous September, and I drove Trail Ridge Road for the first time. I told Adam that one thing I wanted from the trip was a sunset over the snowy peaks off Trail Ridge Road. And this is what I got: natural beauty after a tougher than normal school year.
As in every state, Colorado has a few tricks up its sleeve. One of these gems is Highway 285/Highway 24 between Poncha Springs and I-70. It's an easy, simple drive, but you get amazing views of fourteen of the 58 "14ers." I drove part of this route with my parents and swore I'd be back to capture the magic at sunrise. Last April, we took a spontaneous weekend trip to the Colorado National Monument with an overnight stay in Buena Vista. We dispersed camped near the Collegiate Peaks Overlook and made it there for sunrise. We witnessed a sunrise that, while simple, etched itself as one of the most stunning I've experienced in the state.
I wrote about hiking to High Dune in Sand Dunes National Park recently. This photo is one of my favorites because it shows my growth with photography over the last year. I’ve purchased better equipment, started shooting in RAW, and am learning the ins and outs of Lightroom. This photograph represents where I’m headed next in my photography journey.
I feel the same way about this photograph as the previous shot. This photo represents the hard work necessary to take a “good” shot: beautiful location, a wireless camera body, expensive lenses, a camera remote, and “stacking” software. This composite shot of five images was taken at different shutter speeds and edited in Lightroom. I know that 75% of this shot is that it’s a beautiful location. However, I feel grateful that I got to SEE and photograph all these locations within the last twelve months.
Happy holidays and happy new year! I’ll be back in two weeks!
Cheers.
Love to see your pictures, and hear your stories about them. I, too, have gotten into Lightroom just in the last six or eight months and it’s been quite an experience. I do real estate pictures pictures using bracket and shots so that’s very interesting to learn. But it’s also great to adjust lighting on some of the other shots as well. Keep it up!
Beautiful work!