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

However, in the end, I made my choice.  I have my Top 10 shots.  I also included one additional shot which, while not in my Top 10 shots for the year, is a first step towards a different type of photography that I would like to get into and hopefully, I will expand on that in 2017.

So, without further ado, here are the Top 10 shots, in order of when they were taken.

“Pink”

I took this shot in February at the New York Botanical Gardens.  I love the vibrant color and the detail on the flower (I’m a big sucker for details in pictures).  I have no idea what this flower is called (do any of you?).   I purposely shot it with a wide aperture, to throw the background out of focus, allowing the main subject to stand out.

“Two Bridges”

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

You’re going to see a lot of New York City shots in this set, which, I guess, is logical.  I live in the city and it is full of wonderful things to photograph.

I took this shot in May, while in Brooklyn Bridge Park.  If you’ve never visited the park, I highly recommend it.  It offers stunning views of the Broooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, as well as great views of the skyline of the Battery (the southern tip of Manhattan — see below for an example).  It’s a great place to take the family and spend the day.

I like this shot for several reasons.  One of the things I learned this year is that a great way to add interest to a landscape shot is to make sure that there is something in the foreground.  I’ve shot landscapes in the past where there was nothing in the foreground.   They’re nice shots, sure, but nothing special.  Having something in the foreground, however, as in this shot, helps to give the picture depth.  In addition, I like the way the rocks lead your eye right to the bridges.

“Manhattanhenge”

This shot was taken on the day of Manhattanhenge in July.  Manhattenhenge is the term used for the four days a year when the sunrise or sunset line up with the street grid of Manhattan.  Here is the sun setting over 42nd Street.  It’s not often that us New Yorkers get to see the sun at the horizon — usually there are buildings or other obstacles in the way, so when it does appear at the horizon, we take notice. As you can see from this picture, *lots* of people stopped and took notice of the sun setting that day.

One thing I particularly like about this photo is the color.  Normally, the time around sunrise/sunset is called the “golden hour” due to the coloring of the sunlight at this time.  I don’t know what it is, exactly (I suppose I’d have to ask a physicist), but something about Manhattanhenge amplifies that effect, so that the sunlight is almost a golden red (does that even make sense?).

This particular photo happened to be my most popular of the last year.  After Manhattanhenge, I shared it on Facebook and it took off like no previous photo I had ever taken.  It ended up being shared numerous times and was seen by thousands of people.

“Verrazano at Sunset”

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

I took this shot of the Verrazano-Narrows bridge in July.  I have an app (The Photographer’s Ephemeris – a great app, by the way), that showed me that the sun would be setting over the bridge and I wanted to grab a shot of it.  I set myself up on a hill overlooking the park and bridge and waited for sunset.  Using a narrow aperture (f//20), I was able to capture those sun rays in camera.

“Manhattan at Sunset”

The Manhattan Skyline at Sunset

I took this shot on September 11.  I went down to Brooklyn Bridge Park to take pictures of the Tribute In Light memorial that is put up every year to remember the victims of the terrorist attacks of the day.  While I was waiting for the lights to be turned on, I set up and began shooting.  The sun setting just beyond the tip of the island and the great cloud formations in the sky made this a scene I had to capture.  I had a tough time choosing between this shot and another one shot just a few minutes later when the sun had set and the lights went on (see below), but in the end, this one won out.

“Brooklyn Bridge/Towers of Light”

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.

This shot was taken the same night as the previous shot.  After I had taken the shots I wanted, I wandered around the park for a while.  Eventually, I found this angle, which showed the Brooklyn Bridge with the Towers of Light behind them.  I don’t know if I can articulate why, exactly, I like this shot.  I suppose it has to do with the composition, the coloring, the lines and the lights.  But I find that I like it a great deal, and so it’s on the list.

“Pathways of Life”

As I said previously, I am a sucker for details in pictures, and this shot has details.  I really like the texture of the leaf and the way the lens captured all those wonderful veins.  But there is also another reason I like this picture – it’s one where I tested out a new technique.  You see, when I took this picture (September 25), it was still far too early for that sort of fall color here in New York City.  The leaf, in actuality, was completely green, the color in the lower left corner.  I added the remaining colors in Photoshop, and was rather pleased with the result.

“New York”

A sunset over Manhattan, south of 34th Street

For most of the year, I worked in the Empire State Building.  As a result, it was fairly convenient for me to go up to the Observation Deck and take photos.  I took this shot just after sunset on a November day.  Again, being a sucker for detail, I love this shot – the streets, the buildings and the background all came out beautifully.

“The Reading Bench” 

A peaceful bench to sit and read in the autumn at Wave Hill, Bronx, NY

I found this spot up in Wave Hill, in the Bronx.  I had been meaning to get there for a long time, but whenever I planned to go, something came up to prevent the visit.  Finally, in November, I managed to spend a day there.  From the looks of it, it’s a beautiful place to go to any time of the year, but at the height of fall color, it was spectacular.

I found this bench sitting under one of the oldest trees in the park.  With the fall color, the view of the Hudson and the Palisades, this looks like just the sort of place where you can spend an afternoon curled up with a good book.

“Red Rose Reversed”

This shot was taken earlier this month.  Again, being a detail “junkie,” I could not help but include this shot.  This year I bought myself a new flash, as well as a stand and umbrella and I have begun experimenting with off-camera flash.  This shot is one of those experiments.  I happen to really like the lighting in this picture and how the light falls off from the left side of the photo to the right.  I definitely will be experimenting more with this type of photography in the future.

There is one additional shot that I’d like to include.  It’s a shot that is not typical of my work, but it represents the type of shot that I’d like to do more of.

One of my favorite photographers is Brooke Shaden.  She takes these awesome photographs and composites that are surreal, dark, sometimes creepy and vivid with imagination.  While I don’t, in particular, share her dark tastes, it is as plain as day that she is incredibly skilled at telling stories through her photographs.  Just looking at her work makes me envious of her amazing skill and talent.  While I would not do things as she does them (I’m not that big a fan of the surreal or the dark – despite the shot below), I certainly would like to be able to tell stories of people through my photographs.  I did one last year, and hopefully will do more in the coming year.

“Freed From the Pages”

I took this shot for 52 Frames (my weekly photography group) when the theme was “Books.”  I don’t often shoot with people in the scene, and so, I wasn’t quite sure how to set up this shot.  However, through some creative dodging and burning (and the helpfulness of two of my kids), I was able to capture this shot.  While this shot isn’t one of my ten favorite for the year, I still love it, and certainly plan on doing more over the coming year.

And that’s it — that’s the Top 10.  What do you think?  Are there any shots that you think should have been included?  Do you think that any of these should have been omitted?  Let me know.  In the meantime, he’s towards better photos in 2017!

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.