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

One of the places I wanted to go to was a small park called Tenney Park. It sits right on the shore of Lake Mendota and I scheduled my last night there to shoot the sun setting over the park.

I arrived at the park about two hours before sunset and began looking around for locations to shoot from. All was fine and well, until I realized that a bunch of low lying clouds were going to soon obscure the sun. Sure enough, within a few minutes of my arrival, the sun was hidden behind a thick blanket of clouds — never to be seen again that day. Needless to say, my sunset shot over the lake was completely ruined.

I suppose I could have just turned around and went back to my hotel room. But had I done that, I would not have gotten this shot:

I don’t know that this shot is better than a nice colorful sunset would have been, but it is certainly better than no shot at all. And that, I suppose, is my point.

Not every shot you take is going to be a success. But every shot you don’t take is, by definition, not a success. Yes, I’d have loved to get a nice sunset, but, for reasons that were beyond my control, that was just not going to happen. So instead, I made due with what I had — and in the end, I think I did fine.

So, don’t let adversity prevent you from shooting. So what if the sun doesn’t cooperate? So what if you left a filter at home (I’ve done that). So what if you suddenly find you have your tripod, but not the mount (I’ve done that too!)? Just shoot! Yes, it may not get the shot you originally wanted, but at least you’ll have something and, who knows? You might even get something better than you expected.

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

Serenity

Way back in January, I got up one frigid morning and took my camera and tripod down to Brighton Beach to capture the sunrise.  While I got some very nice sunrise images (which, sadly and painfully, did not make the final cut), this was my favorite image of the day.  I love the calmness and the serenity that the picture conveys.  I also love the fact that if I didn’t tell you it was in the dead of winter, you’d probably think I took this during the summer.  I used my (then) brand new Lee Big Stopper (a 10ND filter) to be able to keep the shutter open long enough to smooth out the ocean while not having the entire picture blown out by all the light.  42mm, f/16, 13 seconds, 100 ISO, 10ND filter, tripod.

Arches

Central Park is one of my favorite places to shoot.  Being a nature lover who lives in the middle of the largest urban jungle in the country sometimes presents a challenge.  Sure you can get great cityscapes (some of which you’ll see later), but for greenery and such, it leaves much to be desired.  Unless of course, you head to one of the city’s parks — and Central Park is the biggest one of the bunch.

Bethesda Terrace is one of the most recognizable places in Central Park.  Most people have seen the famous fountain at 72nd Street.  However, aside from the fountain and the terrace which overlooks it, there is also the underside of the terrace, with it’s unique architecture and design.  I shot this one for 52 Frames for their “Black and White” week and it ended up earning one of the Top 4 spots for the week (out of close to 800 photos).

I don’t normally like to shoot black and white.  At heart, I’m a color junkie and I *love* seeing all the wonderful color that is out there.  But yet, I found that, for this shot, I ended up liking the black and white version better.  Perhaps it’s because the lack of color allows me to focus on the lines, textures and shapes in a way that I could not do with the color dominating the picture as it does in the color version:

I don’t know that this will inspire me to do more black and white shooting (it hasn’t really since I took it back in January), but I still happen to like it.  30mm, f/4.5, 25 seconds, ISO 100, tripod.

Rockefeller Center Flags

I don’t often shoot at Rockefeller Plaza.  In fact, the night I went to shoot this shot, I didn’t intend to go to Rockefeller Plaza to shoot.  I shot a picture of the status of Atlas and St. Patrick’s Cathedral for a 52 Frames photo and then, wandering around, came across the plaza.  It didn’t take me too long to notice how the flags were blowing in the night wind and to realize that, with a long enough exposure, I could get some interesting motion in the flags.  Add to the fact that all these world flags had tons and tons of color in them (I did mention earlier that I love color, right?) and that they could make a very interesting shot.  So I set up my tripod and shot the flags with various exposures and from various angles.  This was my favorite shot.

24mm, f/18, 6 seconds, ISO 200, tripod.

Colors of the City

There are plenty of great places to shoot the famous New York skyline.  Most people know about shooting from Brooklyn Bridge or Liberty State Park or from Weehawken.  Somewhat less known, however, is Gantry Plaza State Park.

Gantry Plaza State Park is located in Queens, just across the East River from Manhattan.  It’s a wonderful spot from which to shoot the skyline.  I arrived there on Presidents Day shortly before sunset and began shooting.  Since I was facing west, I had the sun setting behind the buildings and it made for some very nice shots.  Alas, some of those shots were the last ones to be cut for this Top 10.  The shot that did make it, however, was one that I took well after sunset.  The sky was already beginning to darken when I noticed how the colors of the skyscrapers were reflecting off the East River.  I realized that if I left the shutter open long enough to smooth out the motion of the water, it might make for an interesting shot.  This is the result:

I really like the reflection of the colors in the river.  I was originally ready to go home after sunset, but I’m glad I stuck around to see what other opportunities would develop and this one didn’t disappoint.  35mm, f/16, 30 seconds, ISO 100, tripod

Red Gerbera

Last year, I began taking photos of flowers on black backgrounds (in fact, one of them made it into last year’s Top 10).  I like the way the absolute darkness of the black contrasts with the color of the flower and makes it really stand out.  My favorite of the ones I shot this year is this one of a Red Gerbera.  Daises are wonderful flowers for photography, as they give you a defined center that the viewer can instantly focus on.

I don’t use my flash and umbrella too often (most of my shots, as you can easily see, are taken out of doors), but for flowers, they are perfect.  I’ve been experimenting with different lighting angles and different setups and hope to continue to improve at it over the coming year.  100mm, f/11, 1/30 second, ISO 100, tripod, flash, umbrella.

Little Red and Big George

Aside from the skyline and the skyscrapers, probably the most photographed feature of New York City is its bridges.  Nineteen bridges connect the island of Manhattan to other landmasses.  Eighteen of them are on the east side of the city.  Only one is on the west and, aside from the Brooklyn Bridge, it is perhaps New York’s most famous.  This bridge is the George Washington Bridge.

Getting to Fort Washington Park is a bit of a pain, as it’s a bit of a hike from the nearest subway stop, but the view from there can’t be beat.  Once you arrive in the park, you can stand right under the bridge and watch the sun set over the New Jersey Palisades.  Also located there is the famous Little Red Lighthouse, made famous by the children’s book by Hildegarde Swift and Lynd Ward.  Since the lighthouse is almost directly under the bridge, you can easily capture both of them and the setting sun in the same shot.

The sun was casting a fantastic orange glow that day, which is reflected in the sky, clouds and river.  I love this shot despite the fact that it’s not the most technically proficient.  In most cases, the type of lens flare that exists in this shot would more than likely cause me to discard the image, but in this case, I’m more than willing to overlook it.  24mm, f/18, 1/15 second, ISO 100, tripod.

Venus Over The Smokies

In August, Lisa and I took a trip to Tennessee to catch the solar eclipse.  The eclipse itself was an incredible and awesome event and I encourage everyone who has even the slightest chance of seeing a total solar eclipse to do so.

My eclipse pictures didn’t come out too well.  My focus was a bit off (partly due to the fact that I didn’t learn the true purpose of a tripod collar until after the eclipse was done) and, as a result, none of my shots from the eclipse made it into my Top 10.  However, we had an incredible view of the Smoky Mountains from our cabin porch and I made sure to take as many shots as I could (including getting up before sunrise).

My favorite shot from that vantage is this one:

I actually shot this as part of a panorama, but it looked so good as a stand alone shot that I processed this part by itself.  Venus was hanging over the mountains and I love the fact that I was able to capture it as part of the sunrise (it’s the brightest dot on the left hand side of the shot).  As I mentioned earlier, I’m a color junkie and this picture has such deep colors, with beautiful purples, blues, yellows, reds and oranges, that I just fell in love with it.  In addition to the wonderful colors, I also love the isolated trees sitting on the hill.  I had a lot of difficulty picking my Top 10 shots for the year, but if I had to pick a #1, my heart would say that this is the shot.  24 mm, f/4, three shots centered on 1/2 second, ISO 100, tripod.

Great Smoky Mountain Morning

Another shot taken from our cabin porch.  This one was taken later in the morning than the previous one, when the sky had lit up enough to allow the greens to stand out, while still showing off the grand colors of the sunrise.  18mm, f/5.6, 3 shots centered on 1/13 second, ISO 100, tripod.

Half Sun

Another Smoky Mountain shot, this time taken on the next day as the previous ones.  I love how the sun is going into hiding as it rises behind the clouds.  135mm, f/5, 1/1600, ISO 100, tripod.

Morning Mountain Abstract

I’ve always loved mountain photos that are abstracts, where the detail is gone and all you see are shades of mountaintops and the sky.  This shot isn’t quite exactly like that (you have some of the detail in the foreground here), but otherwise, I think this might qualify.  I love how the sunlight, filtering in through the clouds, casts rays on the mountains that, in the background, begin to blend into the mountains themselves.  47mm, f/6.3, 1/1600, ISO 100, tripod.

Tumbling Through the Gorge

I love waterfall shots and, whenever I have the chance, I like to go to one of the waterfalls in my area to shoot it.  In October, I took a trip up to the Finger Lakes region of New York State, which has some amazing gorges with glens and waterfalls running through them.  Watkins Glen is perhaps the most famous of these gorges.  I spent almost an entire day there, shooting the falls and rock formations.  One of my favorite images from that day is this one:

I like how this shot captures not just the flowing glen and the waterfall, but also the rock layers that have been formed by the flowing water over the rock over the last few millennia.  31mm, f/14, 3 shots centered on 1.6 seconds, ISO 100, tripod.

And that’s it, that’s the Top 10.  Well, actually, I do have to admit that I cheated… there are actually 11 images here.  I *tried* to get it down to ten, but simply could not bear to cut any of the images here so, I admit, I cheated a bit.

So, how did I do compared to last year’s Top 10?  I think my photography has improved, but sometimes it’s hard to tell if that’s because I had opportunities this year that I didn’t have last year (such as my trip to Tennessee) or if I really have improved in the technical and artistic senses.  I suppose I need to think about it more.  What do you think?  Have I improved?  And, if not (and please don’t be afraid to tell me so if that’s what you think), what do you think I can improve on?

Zev

On Monday, I began with the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge:

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

The VerrazanoNarrows Bridge was built in the early 1960s, to connect Brooklyn and Staten Island. At the time it was built, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world (just as the Brooklyn Bridge had been). Before it was built, the only way for Staten Island residents to get to the city was to use the Staten Island Ferry, or drive into New Jersey and take one of the Hudson River crossings.

Tuesday’s shot was of the Brooklyn Bridge.

The Brooklyn Bridge with the Tribute In Light memorial to the victims of the September 11 attacks in the background. Taken in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Built in the 1870s and 1880s, it was an engineering marvel of its time, and when built, was the longest suspension bridge in the world. Today, it’s a national landmark and one of the most famous tourist attractions in the city, in addition to being a vital transport link between Brooklyn and Manhattan.

The Brooklyn Bridge is, by far, the most famous and most photographed bridge in the city. You’d be hard pressed, I think, to find a person in the US who could not identify the bridge when shown a picture of it. There are many great places from which to shoot the bridge — Brooklyn Bridge Park, southern Manhattan, standing on the bridge itself and others. Sometimes, it’s a bit of a challenge to find a new and unique way to photograph it.

Last September 11, when the city put up the Towers of Light memorial in honor of the victims of the terrorist attacks of 2001, I was in Brooklyn Bridge Park to shoot the lights. After I got the shot I wanted, I wandered around the park. At some point, I noticed that the towers of the bridge intersected with the towers of light, and I could not resist taking the shot. In the end, I do believe that it offers a very different view of the bridge than most people see and expect.

On Wednesday, we looked at the Manhattan Bridge

The Manhattan Bridge at Sunset, with the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline in the background.

The Manhattan Bridge was the last of the three lower East River bridge crossings, opening in 1909, after the Brooklyn and Williamsburg bridges. The bridge’s walkway was closed for over forty years before being reopened in 2001.

This shot of the Manhattan Bridge at sunset was taken from Brooklyn Bridge Park. I decided to utilize the rocks as a leading line, guiding the eye of the viewer straight to the bridge. In the background, you can see the Brooklyn Bridge as well as a portion of the NYC skyline.

On Thursday, our focus was on the George Washington Bridge

Of all the bridges connecting Manhattan to other bodies of land (and there are about twenty or so of them), the George Washington Bridge is the only one on the west side of the island. Built in 1931, the bridge, like the Brooklyn Bridge before it and the Verazzano Narrow Bridge after it, was the longest bridge in the world when it opened. It proved so popular that a second (lower) deck was added to the bridge in 1962.

Today, the bridge is the most traveled bridge in the US (and possibly, but I could not confirm it, in the world) with over 300,000 people crossing it daily.

This shot of the bridge was taken a few weeks ago from Fort Washington Park. Many people have seen standard shots of the bridge, but I wanted to go for something a bit different — so I tried to get the underside of the bridge, right by sunset. This was the result.

And on Friday, we went with a non-vehicular bridge, the Bow Bridge in Central Park

Finishing up “NYC Bridges Week” here at The Graceful Image, we have a reminder that not all of NYC’s bridges are huge spans of metal running thousands of feet that are meant to carry cars and trucks from one boro to another. Some of the bridges are meant purely for pedestrian traffic and aesthetic beauty. This one only runs 60 feet, but it is unmistakably as much a part of NYC culture as any of the other bridges I’ve featured this week.

The Bow Bridge, in Central Park, is one of the most popular features of the park. Designed by Calvert Vaux, (one of the designers of Central Park) and Jacob Wrey Mould, it is a popular place for romantic walks, photographers, people taking a stroll, and just about anyone who wants to appreciate the beauty of the Lake in the park.

Believe it or not, when the park was first being planned, the designers requested a suspension bridge, but eventually, they settled on the design that we have today.

I took this shot of the Bow Bridge back in October 2015 (in fact, I shot it on my birthday). I love the late fall, when nature gives us a wonderful nature show and Central Park just lights up with a wonderful chromatic display.

Of the 20 or so bridges connecting to Manhattan, all but one are on the east side of the island, connecting the island to either Brooklyn, Queens or the Bronx.  There is only one bridge on the west side of the island, and that bridge is the George Washington Bridge, connecting the island to Fort Lee, NJ.

Built in 1931, the bridge is 4760 feet in length and is the most-traveled bridge in the world on a daily basis, carrying an average of 300,000 people every day.  It’s also one of the most photographed bridges in the city.

I’ve photographed the bridge in the past, taking these shots from various points:

Nightfall on the Hudson

The George Washington Bridge at Sunset.

The George Washington Bridge as seen from the top of the Billings Arches at Fort Tryon Park

Recently, I had the opportunity to go back to Fort Washington Park and shoot the bridge again, catching just as the sun set behind the Palisades, casting a beautiful orange glow across the clouds and sky.  And, of course, I had to get a shot of the famous Little Red Lighthouse at the foot of the bridge.

It’s often been said that half the battle is won by simply showing up, and in photography, that’s no different.  Half the battle of making a photograph is simply showing up and putting yourself in the position to be able to take the shot.  Sometimes that means getting up at some miserable hour of the night to drive several hours to get to a site before sunrise and the golden hour.  Sometimes it means hiking a distance  you’d rather you didn’t have to.  Sometimes it means just putting in the hard work to make sure all the elements of a shoot at home are in place and ready to go.

I’m not going to tell you that great shots can’t be had by happenstance and without preparation.  We all have an example of a “lucky shot” that we got simply by accident.  But those are few and far between, and you cannot count on chance to provide you with great shot opportunities on a regular basis.  To rise above, to be able to take better shots on a consistent basis, you have to put in the work and plan towards those shots.

As for my beach shoot — well, I worked towards it, planned it and did what I had to do to get the best shots possible.  How’d it turn out?  Well… you tell me.  Here’s what I shot that cold, January morning at Brighton Beach: