Favorite Images 2016

It is the end of another year.  It is bitter cold in Iowa as I write this post and choose my favorite images of 2016.  A good day to stay inside and reflect on the year through my photography.  This year is such a diverse set of images, interesting how my photography changed this year.  So many of my images this year were spur of the moment and unplanned.  The images this year were made using three cameras, my Nikon P7000, Nikon D7000 and my iPhone 6s.  The images made with my DSLR Nikon D7000, were made with only two lenses, my 50mm 1.8D and my 105mm macro lens.

I took a look back at previous years to see my favorite images from 2013, 2014 and 2015.  How different they are from this year.  I cringed when looking at my images from 2013 as it seemed I was trying too hard and concerned with making images that would please others.  It was all about macro photography and finding my style and path in 2014.  And 2015 was a gallery of images from Arizona and Iowa and I see the personal struggle in my images of trying to figure out where I should be.

And here we are at the end of 2016 and the images I chose as my favorites.  Several of the images were not shared in previous posts.  You may click on any of the images below to view a larger size.  Did you look back at previous years?  If so, drop me a line and let me know what you see!  For now, enjoy my favorites images 2016!

Wildflowers and Bees

What’s happening in my yard?  Lots of wildflowers this year and the bees are collecting pollen!  All of these photos were made with my Nikon Coolpix P7000.

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The above is a broad view of my front yard.  Blooming are Desert Bluebells and Mexican Gold Poppies. There are a few Lupine starting to bloom too.

Wildflowers growing in the space between the drive and the garage floor in front of the garage door.

Wildflowers growing in the space between the drive and the garage floor in front of the garage door.

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It’s so fun to watch the bees hard at work and I have never been stung.

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It amazes me how far they get as far into the flower as possible.

The tiniest bee I have ever seen!

The tiniest bee I have ever seen!

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Although my yard is almost in full bloom, the early bloomers are already going to seed.  The wildflowers are so confused this year with the early warm temperatures.  Typically my yard is not in full bloom until the third week of March.

Bee barely hanging on!

What a surprise to look at this photo at 100% when I was processing it.  Shocked that the bee is in focus and barely hanging on!

I did shoot with my DSLR and macro lens today, maybe one of those photos will be my Friday Floral post tomorrow!