Favorite Images 2018

Another year has almost come to an end. Hard to believe 2018 is almost over. My time for photography has been limited this year and my time for writing has been even less. (Something to work on for 2019, making more time for both.) As I was pondering whether or not to show my favorite images for 2018, I wondered if there were more than a handful as I had only wandered through the nearby parks a few times. But those few times I knew I had to work hard and really make my time count.  To my surprise, while browsing through my Lightroom catalog of images for 2018, many I was quite pleased with. Each year there is a different theme to my photography and at first I thought it was all about trees, white and red this year. However, as I discovered images that I had forgotten about, two themes came to mind. One, I was looking for peace, for which I hope you see as I did when the images were made and still see today. Two, I was pushing myself to be creative.  With little time in the field this year, I was usually chasing a moment, when nature’s show would be for a short time, as little as a fleeing moment, making me work hard to catch it.  Whether a wet snow in early spring or an early wet snow in autumn. One week it was full autumn splendor and just a week later the trees had snow clinging to them.  The morning I photographed the snow-covered red maple trees, it was before I had to be at my day job.  I had about 35 minutes to make images.  Three from that morning made it into this gallery.

So as we say goodbye to 2018, I hope you enjoy seeing my favorite images of 2018!

Sonoran Desert

This past week I have been spending time with landscape photography with the Sonoran Desert as my subject. Mostly at sunset, but this morning I was out there for sunrise.  Typically landscape photography and the desert are not my style.  Why the change from flowers and macro photography?  Wildflower season is almost here and I have been scouting a new location.  My landscape photography skills are rusty and this has been a great exercise.  Challenging myself with compositions that are not iconic locations.  Watching the light and sky to see where the color is or will be and breaking out my graduated neutral density filters to even out the light.  What have I learned?  I prefer to shoot the Earth’s shadow at sunset.  I find the juxtaposition of soft pastel colors of pink, purple and blue in the sky with the harsh desert landscape breathtaking.  However, this morning was serene and peaceful, watching the sunrise try to explode and listening to the hawks as the desert was awakening.  As long as the temperatures are cool and the rattlesnakes are not slithering around in the desert, I should spend more time shooting landscape photography in the Sonoran Desert.

All images are available for purchase in my Sonoran Desert Gallery