2017 Top 10 Picks:

Even though 2017 was a very busy year with my primary job, it was great to have had some opportunities to get out and visit some fantastic locations and capture some images. Below you will find what I chose as my 2017 Top 10 Picks of the year. They are in chronological order, taken throughout the year. 

Old Tucson

The above image was taken at the very end of last year in Tucson Arizona at Old Tucson. I liked this image due to the fact that it had so many elements in it and also that it looks great as a Black and White image also.

Fort Point

The above image was taken at Fort Point in San Francisco California. This image really illustrates how having an opportunity to have a great foreground adds tremendous depth to an image and leads the viewers eyes into the image.

Weakest Link

The above image was taken taken at Fort Point in San Francisco California. This is one of those images that looked best as a Black and White image. This allows the viewer to see the tones and texture better.

Muir Woods

The above image was taken taken at Muir Woods in Mill Valley California. This was an interesting shot of not only the woodlands but also the two different types of pathways parallel to each other.

Piute Ponds Sunrise

The above image was taken at Piute Ponds in Lancaster California using a telephoto lens in order to  bring the sun and the clouds closer into the scene. This compression of the scene also allowed the sunrise color to be much richer and intense.

Convict Lake Pre-Dawn

The above image was taken in the pre-dawn hours at Convict Lake in Mammoth Lakes California. While setting up the camera equipment in almost total darkness, I took some test shots in preparation of sunrise and the scene looked great with the stars and such but that morning it was very windy, creating relatively high waves across the lake. Normally one would be greated by a calm glassy surface in the early morning hours. I did not have a neutral density filter with me in order to capture a long exposure and smooth out the waves, so instead, I took approximately 25 images and then averaged out the water area in Photoshop during post processing. This basically obtained the same results as a long exposure. I used my Nikon D810 camera body with the Nikon 14-24mm Wide Angle lens attached. 

Convict Lake Sunrise

The above image was taken at Convict Lake in Mammoth Lakes California at sunrise. It was a great feeling being there as the sun came up and the sunlight began hitting the tops of the mountain peaks before descending toward the lakes surface. 

Eastern Sierra Fisherman

The above image was taken at Intake 2 Lake near Bishop California. I was fortunate enough that day to capture this image with a fisherman in it, enjoying a nice fall day on the water.

Elks Morning Bugle

The above image was taken in Tehachapi California just after sunrise. What an amazing sound to hear as the Elk bugles

California Quail

The above image was taken in Tehachapi California. I normally find the California Quail on the ground or in low lying bushes, but this one took to the trees as we approached.

Thank you very much for stopping by and taking an interest in my photography. As 2017 comes to a close, I wish you and yours a great end to 2017 and a very happy new year in 2018.