December has always been a time of reflection for me. Perhaps because I grow a year older, or because the year that just passed me by—really just passed me by. I never set any goals for the new year because I have so many goals set throughout the year that piling on is not a good thing… The most important thing for me is family. I love and adore my family; without them I would be lost, they are my reason for everything.
So, as I spend time reflecting on my work and my many travels, I can’t help but feel blessed. Blessed that I am able to do so much. Blessed that I have such wonderful friends/clients to travel with. Blessed that I am healthy, not quite wealthy but definitely wiser <wink>.
After spending hours sorting through this year’s images and remembering many of the special moments from my travels, I came up with what I believe to be my favorite images of 2022, in no special order.
I won’t be posting again until after the Holidays to respect everyone’s family time. I wish each and every one of you a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year filled with all the best that life has to offer. Including some award-winning images!
I’d also like to thank everyone that has read my blog or Facebook posts, attended my workshops, Zoom programs, purchased my eBooks or prints. Shopped for gear using my B&H affiliate account or supported my work in any way. It has been so helpful to me over the years. I’ll be running my eBook sale until the first of the year.
My sponsors have been very generous with me over the past year, and I’d like to thank them all. B&H Photo, Delkin Devices, Think Tank, Dickies, Prana, Singh-Ray Filters, Sea to Summit, Columbia, Induro and Mac Group.
From my Alaska Inside Passage trip. There was an Orca pod that gave us quite a show. I was thrilled to capture the spyhop pose of this one in particular.
From my trip to Camargue, the horses were running at sunrise and I loved the perspective.
I’ve been trying for years to get a full frame close-up of a King penguin’s neck with interesting lines. I liked the curved twist of this one. The white in the upper left corner is another penguin’s chest. It took some crazy positioning to get that white in the corner. This guy was so curious, he literally walked right up to me while I was photographing. He got so close to me at one point that I couldn’t even take a shot. I have found with birds, that if you move slowly and quietly and sit among them they usually will come to you.
A high-key capture with a creative edit applied.
I was happy to have gotten the setting sun background for this caracara at first light with a meal. I have so many images of them on the ground or on a fence post. Central Florida
When we left to go to the lake in Florida where this was photographed, I never imagined that the light would be so perfect that morning. It was an unexpected treat.
Fire in the Mara.
From my time at Lentorre Lodge, we visited a small Maasai village. I liked the rays of light and the hint of red plaid showing in the garb.
Luluka with her cub. Maasai Mara.
This tusker named Craig was photographed just outside the park in Amboseli. I fear with the recent drought he may not survive.
Zebra with backlit dust. Amboseli.
From my time in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia.
From the Gobi Desert, Mongolia. I could have shot these type of scenes all day long.
Namibia holds a special place in my heart. I adore the sand dunes and the way the light plays on the dunes can keep me engaged for hours.
A high-key shot of a Quiver Tree in Namibia.
Patagonia is one of the most photogenic places on Earth. The soft pastels and never ending beauty of this location make it an all-time favorite.
I adore photographing the Puma in Patagonia. Their markings are so different and some are so beautiful. This is one of Rupestra’s off spring, she is a beauty.
As you can tell, I adore her.
Tanzania, Flamingos at first light.
I wanted to capture this shot for 10 years, I finally had my first chance. Mesa Arch at sunrise. I know it has been done to death but not by me <smile>. I think the reason I love this so much is that I had such a wonderful trip to Utah and enjoyed my time hiking and photographing. This image brings all of those memories back to me.
This shot is from my trip to Vietnam. I love the people, the scenery and the entire trip to Vietnam. If you haven’t been you should. It is a rewarding trip in so many ways.
This young woman was very kind and interesting to talk to. I love this photo of her. The back wall looks like an applied texture, but this is straight out of camera.
My first shoot with these amazing Red-shanked doucs. It’s worth another trip to Vietnam just to photograph them.
Yellowstone in Winter….what can I say. It is a magical place and this photo reminds me of that magic.
My favorite Moose shot from my time in Yellowstone.
My recent trip to the Falklands.
This is backlit water spray over the colony of cormorants as they came to rest at last light. Falklands.
Bempton Cliffs, Gannet