Among the benefits of reviewing your Top 10 photos of the year is that you can reflect on what you’ve done and compare your photography to the previous years’ work.  In selecting my top 10 for the year, I’ve come to the realization that 2019 wasn’t a very good year for me, photography-wise.  Oh, I got some very nice shots during the year (which you’ll see in their full glory below), but as I was paring my shots down, a few things stood out to me.

In 2018, my first round of culling left me with over 50 shots to choose from.  This year, I only found 31 that I would have even considered for the top 10.

A large number of my Top 10 came from only a few places (including one trip to the Rockies making up a full half of the Top 10).  Normally, I like to diversify more.  Granted this happened because I didn’t travel as much in 2019 as I did the previous year, but, truth to tell, I could have gotten out and shot more during the previous year.

In previous years, my Top 10 has had some variety in terms of different types of photography — macros, florals, landscapes, etc.  This time, it seems that I only have two:  landscapes and astrophotography.

Lastly, I’m just not sure that the quality of my shots from this year match or exceed that from last year.  Yes, I’ve tried some new things, but I don’t know that this year’s shot stand up to last year’s.

OK, so I have to do better in 2020.  I can do that.  I’ve already set up some goals in a goal tracker and intend to follow through with those goals.

And with all that being said, it’s not like 2019 was a complete disaster.  As I said, I did get some nice shots in this year.  And so, here they are, in chronological order:

Lunar Eclipse

On the night of Jan 20, a total lunar eclipse blanketed North America.  This was my first attempt at a lunar eclipse (I did shoot a total solar eclipse back in 2017) and I have to say that I’m pretty happy with the result.  I stood out in the frigid cold on a chilly January night in Brooklyn and took shot after shot of the moon as it changed over the course of the night.  I’m definitely looking forward to the next total lunar eclipse.  I may have to wait a bit (the next one in my area is on May 15, 2022), but I’ll be ready.

Green Cay, Florida

I was on a trip to visit my father in Florida in early February when some relatives told me that I must visit the Green Cay Wetlands and take some pictures there.  It was a beautiful day (far warmer than the chilly night in Brooklyn just a few weeks earlier!) and took several really nice images, but this one, taken during golden hour, is by far my favorite.

Prospect Park Boathouse

Most people know New York for the skyscrapers, the crowds, the theaters and the nightlife.  But there are also quite a few green spaces in the city.  The most famous, of course, is Central Park in Manhattan, but another well-known gem is Prospect Park in Brooklyn.  This shot features the boathouse, one of the most often photographed scenes in the park.  I was fortunate enough to be able to capture the reflection of the clouds in the lake, helping to make this picture one of my favorites. If you ever come to city, yes, visit Central Park, but make sure to make some time for Prospect Park as well.

Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge

The Verrazzano-Narrows bridge is the longest bridge in the United States and, at one time, the longest in the world.  Connecting Brooklyn and Staten Island, it boasts daily traffic of over 200,000 people.  This shot was taken from the Brooklyn side, from the park that runs along the Belt Parkway.  The sun sets on different parts of the bridge at different times of the year.  In the summer, it sets over the Brooklyn side (on the right side of the picture) and in the winter, it sets over the Staten Island side.  This shot is a composite of three shots utilizing neutral density filters to smooth out the motions in the water and to (almost!) eliminate the people in the shot.

Dream Lake

In September, I took a trip up to Rocky Mountain National Park, which is where the next five pictures are from.  I got up early in the morning to take this path up to Dream (and later, Emerald) Lake.  While the sunrise disappointed me (it was overcast that morning) the beauty of the scene did not.  As a lifelong city resident of the East Coast, I don’t get to see huge mountains like the Rockies up close very often, and I was just blown away by the stark beauty of the peaks.  Dream Lake was the first stop on my trip and it certainly did not disappoint.

The Stream

I don’t know if this stream actually has a name or not, so I’m just calling it “The Stream.”  I found this place as I was hiking back down to my car after visiting Emerald Lake.  By then, the clouds had cleared up and I saw this wonderful little scene here, with the stream leading to the mountains.  As tired as I was, I just couldn’t pass up shooting it.

Lights

There is a road in Rocky Mountain National Park called Trail Ridge Road.  It’s the main road that runs through the park, connecting the eastern and western half of the parks.  As I was driving along it, I noticed that the sunlight was starting to peak through the clouds.  I worked quickly to get everything set up and snapped off a couple of shots to create an HDR image of the crepuscular lights before they disappeared.

Rocky Mountain Sunrise

I got up early and drove to the Trail Ridge Road to get a sunrise shot.  I brought my crystal ball with me, hoping to get a shot of the sunrise refracted through the crystal ball.  Once the sun appeared, I stopped down my aperture and took a few shots.  One of the things I love about this picture is that even though the sky was cloudy just above the sunrise, you can see in the crystal ball that above the clouds, the sky was clear.

Milky Way at Lake Irene

Since I live in New York City, the most light polluted place in the United States and I don’t get to see (let alone photograph)  the Milky Way very often, I made plans to try to photograph it when I went to Rocky Mountain National Park.  After doing some research, I found that Lake Irene, a small lake on the western side of the park, was isolated from city lights and would therefore be very dark and good for shooting the Milky Way.  Sure enough, when I got there, it was so dark that I don’t think I’ve ever been in a darker place in my life.  I shot the Milky Way the previous year in Maine and thought *that* was dark, but that was nothing compared to this.  The only things I could see were the stars (and they were so clear!  Probably because at about 10,000 feet, there was two miles less atmosphere to see through) and the outlines of the trees.

I eventually found my way to the lake, which, believe it or not, I never actually saw.  The only way I knew it was the lake was the fact that I could see the stars reflected on the water — something I had never seen in my life.  I spent about an hour shooting before the moon started to rise – and this was the result.

Manhattan Dawn

I have a an app (Skyfire – available through The Photographer’s Ephemeris) that tries to predict who nice a sunrise or sunset will be.  Before I went to sleep on Dec 24, I looked at the app and it predicted a nice sunrise for Christmas morning.  So, I got up at 4:30 in the morning to drive to Weehawken and take some shots of the sun coming up over Manhattan.  This one is one of my favorites.

So, that’s it — that’s my top 10 for 2019.  What do  you think?  How do you think I’ve done in comparison to 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015?  Do you think I’m improving in my photography?  Have I hit a plateau?  Or have I regressed (don’t be afraid to criticize — I’m always open to critique)?  Let me know in the comments?

Also, I’ve started a blog aimed at beginners in photography and Photoshop.  It’s Photography In Plain English.  Take a look at it and let me know what you think and what topics you’d like me to cover.

Zev

Going back and reviewing your photos for the year is a good idea.  It gives you a chance to reflect on what  you’v accomplished photographically during the year.  Also, after you’ve done it for a few years, it gives you the ability to compare your Top 10 against previous Top 10s and see how you are growing (or possibly regressing) in your photography.

That being said, here are my Top 10, in chronological order:

1. Florida Sunrise

Florida sunrise, taken from Lake Worth, FL

I was in Florida in March, visiting my father and stepmother.  While I was there, I went to Lake Worth to capture some sunrise photos over the ocean.  I took a number of exposures that day that I am quite proud of, but if I had to narrow it down to one, I’d say that this is it.  I’m a color junkie (as you’ll see from the shots that follow) and this shot simply had both great color and the leading line of the pier leading the eye to the sunrise.

Canon 7D, 41mm, f/14, 1/13, ISO 100

2. Lake Mendota

Lake Mendota

In May, I had to travel to Madison, Wisconsin for business.  While there, I brought my camera gear along, figuring that I could do some photography after the day’s work was done.  One of the places I visited was Tenney Park.  I went there, hoping to catch the sun setting over Lake Mendota, one of the two lakes bordering Madison.  Alas, the sky did not agree with my plans, as cloud cover prevented me from getting that sunset shot.  However, rather than give up, I decided to just work with what I had.  I pulled out my wide angle lens, found some rocks that a tree that jutted out past the shoreline and snapped away.  This shot is the result.  No, it’s not the sunset I wanted, but it still worked quite well for me.

Canon 7D, 13mm, f/5, 1/80, ISO 100

3. Green

Central Park, NYC

I’m a photographer who loves to shoot nature and happens to live in New York City… one of the most unnatural places in the country.  Fortunately, New York has a good number of parks where one can go to forget the hustle and bustle of the urban jungle for a time.  The most famous of these places is Central Park.  Located smack dab in the middle of the busiest island in the country, it’s an oasis of green in the midst of concrete, glass and steel.

I’ve taken quite a few shots in Central Park over the years, but this is my favorite from this year.  I just love how the green explodes out of the image, surrounding the bridge and making you believe that this is located in some far away remote jungle, rather than in Manhattan.

Canon 7D, 70mm, f/4, 1/20, ISO 100

4. Schoodic Sunset

Schoodic Peninsula, Acadia National Park, Maine

In August, Lisa and I took a trip up to Maine to visit Acadia National Park.  If you’ve never been there before, I highly recommend that you go there.  It is one of the most beautiful places on the East Coast.

There are two main parts to the park.  Most of the Park is located on Mount Desert Island.  There is another part of the park, about an hour away on the mainland.  This is the Schoodic Peninsula portion of the park – and only about 10% of visitors to Acadia make it to Schoodic Peninsula.  Lisa and I took a trip out there one day and waited by the southern end of the peninsula for sunset.  We were not disappointed.  When I saw it, I took out my new wide angle lens (Sigma Art 14-24mm) and began snapping away.  This shot was the result.  I personally like how the sunset is sandwiched between the rocks and cloud layer above.

Canon 6D Mark II, 18,mm, f/22 (I wanted those star burst rays), 1/20, ISO 100

5. Bass Harbor Sunset

Bass Harbor, Maine

On our last night in Maine, we visited the Bass Harbor Lighthouse in Southwest Harbor, Maine.  Officially a part of Acadia National Park, it’s not connected to the rest of the park.  We got there shortly before sunset and were treated to the most amazing colors as the sun went down for the night.  This shot was taken just after sunset, while the colors were still in the sky.  As I said above, I’m a color junkie, and this sky was just full of the entire range of colors.

Canon 6D Mark II, 38mm, f/8, 1/50, ISO 100

6. The Brook

Near Kaaterskill Falls, NY

In October, I went upstate to photograph Kaaterskill Falls, one of the larger falls in the Hudson Valley.  Even though I went to shoot the falls, my favorite shot of the day turned out to be this one, a small brook near the falls.  The autumn color just beginning to show up and I had to try to capture it.

Canon 6D Mark II, 24mm, f/5.6, 1/20, ISO 100

7. Dark Hallows Falls

Dark Hallows Falls, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

The last four shots all come from my trip to Shenandoah National Park in October.

I love waterfalls and one of the hopes I had for my Shenandoah trip was to capture some of the waterfalls of the region.  One of the hikes I took led me to Dark Hallows Falls, a 70 foot cascade  I got there at mid-morning and when I saw the sun positioned over the falls, I knew I had to get that shot.

Canon 6D Mark II, 24mm, f/18 (again, I wanted that starburst), 1/2 second, ISO 100.

8. Tunnel Overlook

Tunnel Overlook, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

There is one major road that runs through Shenandoah National Park, and it runs north-south.  There are many places along this road where you can pull over and be treated to a spectacular view.  One of the most popular is the Tunnel Overlook, in the northern part of the park.  I made sure to get to this east-facing overlook before sunrise.  I was treated to a wonderfully colorful sunrise.  It would have been nicer had there been some great clouds in the sky, but, as with the sunset by Lake Mendota above, you have to work with what you have.  Even so, I just love how this shot came out.

Canon 6D Mark II, 15mm, f/11, 1/50, ISO 100

9.  Point Overlook

Point Overlook, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

One of the most popular sunset locations in Shenandoah National Park is Point Overlook.  I spent quite a bit of time here, from about an hour before sunset to about thirty minutes afterwards.  Of the shots I took at this location, this one is my favorite.  I love how the distant mountains fade away in a line and how the sun gives the entire scene a magical glow.

Canon 6D Mark II, 70mm, f/5.6, 1/800, ISO 100

10. Great Falls

Great Falls, McLean, VA

On my way back home from Shenandoah, I made a stop at Great Falls in McLean VA.  I had never heard of it before I began planning the trip, but once I found out about it, I knew I had to visit.  The place did not disappoint.  The Potomac River rushing through the gorge makes for some wonderful waterfalls.  After trying several compositions, including some close ups of some of the falls, I decided that my favorite was this shot, showing how the river tumbles through.

Canon 6D Mark II, 47mm, f/4.5, 1/2 second, ISO 100

And, that’s it.  Those are my Top 10 for the year.   However, I do have three more shots that I wanted to share — not because they were particularly great photographs, but because they have special meaning.

Manhattan Bridge

I took this shot of the Manhattan Bridge back in July.  It’s not a perfect picture — the horizon is uneven for starters.  But I really like this shot, as it was a moment of inspiration that caused me to take this shot.  I’ve shot this bridge many times before, but for some reason, it never occurred to me to take it from this angle before.

Milky Way

Milky Way, taken at Seawall Campground, Maine

As I mentioned above, I live in New York City, the most light-polluted place in the country.  As a result, I don’t get to see too many star filled skies, and especially not the Milky Way.  So when we took our trip out to Acadia (timed to coincide with the new moon), I made sure to bring my tripod and wide angle lens to shoot the Milky Way.  This was my first attempt.

Rainbow Snort

This picture is the result of sheer luck.  Lisa and I went whale watching while we were in Maine and I just happened to catch a rainbow refracting through the water droplets snorted out by a whale on the trip.  It’s not a great photo, but it’s a reminder to myself to just keep shooting no matter what — you never know what’s going to happen.

And so, that’s it.  How do you think I did compared to last year’s Top 10.  Please feel free to reach out and let me know.

Zev

The wide angle lens I was using was the Canon EF-S 10-18 lens. It’s a fine lens. It’s not nearly as expensive as Canon’s EF mount wide angle lenses and, for the hobbyist, it seemed like a good fit. I took some nice shots with it and would definitely recommend it to a starting photographer with a crop sensor camera looking for a wide angle lens.

For a long time, however, I had wanted to get a nicer wide angle lens. However, I couldn’t really bring myself to pull the trigger and purchase an expensive wide angle lens. However, with the upgrade to full-frame and the fact that my 10-18mm is incompatible with a full-frame, I knew that it was time. I did some research and found that I liked the new Sigma Art lens. When I found it at a very good price, I knew it was time to pull the trigger.

I haven’t had a lot of chances to put it through it’s paces, but so far, I find that I like this lens. Image quality is very good and it is very easy to use.

The first few shots come from a salt marsh that is near my home. I looked up and saw the clouds and knew that it was the perfect day to test out the new lens.

These last two images are of the Manhattan Bridge, taken at Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn.

While I do like this lens, there are one or two things that I’m not crazy about. First of all, this lens is heavy — certainly much heavier than my 10-18, but that’s to be expected with a f/2.8 over a lens that is f/4-5.6.

The other is that this lens does not accept standard filters. I could purchase a set of 150mm square filters for it, but I don’t know that I can truly justify the expense of that right now, or that I even really want to put ND filters on this. It’s certainly something to think about.

That’s it for now. I will be giving this lens a much better workout when I take it to Acadia National Park later this month. Stay tuned for more images. In the meantime, do you have a favorite wide angle lens? If so, what is it, and what do you like about it?

Zev

Given that, you’d think it odd that I live in what is perhaps the most non-natural place in the country — New York City. Aside from a few selected acres of carefully preserved greenery, I live in an environment of glass, steel and concrete. But I have commitments and obligations here — both professional and familial, and so here I am and here I’ll likely stay.

That’s not to say that living in New York City has to be the bane of a photographer like myself. There is plenty to shoot here in New York — and even a concrete, steel and glass landscape can still provide enough to keep a photographer’s interest for years. And so, I spend a fair amount of time photographing the city. I visit it’s iconic landmarks. I frequent the green parks. I shoot the buildings, the water and the bridges.

I recently posted the following picture on Facebook.

I took this picture this past Sunday night at Gantry Plaza State Park in Queens. It’s a wonderful place to shoot. It affords a nice view of the eastern portion of the famous New York City skyline. Once I posted it, I shared it with several groups, including some groups devoted to landscape photography.

Shortly after I posted it, someone commented that the photo was “not a landscape.” I’m willing to concede that the above picture is not the first thing you think of when someone mentions “landscape.” You’re more likely to think of mountains, islands, the ocean, rolling fields and the like. Nonetheless, even though it’s not your first thought, I would argue that a cityscape is just as much a landscape photo as any of the other examples.

I don’t think that there is any formal rule that states that a landscape has to be all-natural. We all see shots that we would call landscapes that have man-made elements in the picture — piers, shacks, houses, benches and on and on and yet, no one disputes that these are landscapes.

So, what is it, exactly, that makes an image a landscape? To me, a landscape has a defining feature — it gives you a wide view of the environment. If, by looking at a picture, you can get a wide view of an expansive area, then that, to me, is a landscape. If it’s all natural — hey, all the better; but I don’t think that that has to be a limiting factor. If the landscape happens to show an ocean, is it not a landscape because there’s no land in the picture? It is a landscape, albeit a specialized type of landscape – a seascape. I don’t think a city should be any different. A shot, such as the one above, in my humble opinion, is a landscape — a specialized type called a “cityscape.”

What’s your opinion on the matter? I’d love to hear it.

Zev

It doesn’t have the grand history of the Brooklyn Bridge.  It doesn’t carry as much traffic as the George Washington Bridge.  It hasn’t been immortalized in Simon & Garfunkel song like the 59th Street Bridge (also called the Queensboro Bridge and now [offically] named the Edward Koch Queensboro Bridge).   But yet, it has a charm and a beauty all it’s own.

There is a park that runs along the Belt Parkway on the eastern side of the Verrazano.  It includes a walking path that stretches all the way back to Ceasar’s Bay Shopping Center at Bay Parkway.  People run, jog and walk along the path.  During the summer, many people fish off the walkway as well.  Kids play in the park and it’s not uncommon to see kites in the sky.

From the Brooklyn side, you can often catch the sun setting behind the Verrazano.  Last fall, I caught it setting behind the Staten Island side of the bridge.  In late July, however, it sets behind the Brooklyn side.  This allows for some nice sunset shots.  I spent some time there a few weeks ago and came away with these shots.

The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge at sunset in July, with Shore Park in the foreground.

The sun setting behind the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in Brooklyn on a July evening.

All three of these shots were shot on the same day, within minutes of each other. I happen to like the fact that the composition and processing of the photos give each one a distinct feel from the others.

What do you think?  I’d love to hear from you.

Zev

Here’s a shot of a waterfall in Central Park.  I’ll discuss this waterfall in a future post.  But for now, enjoy!

Zev