Every year I designate one location where I will spend a significant amount of time photographing. In 2019 it was Yellowstone National Park. Although I had photographed the park many times, some bucket photos had alluded me.
Additionally, I established other photography goals related to destinations along my travel route. These included photographing Sedona again, especially the Midgley Bridge, Antelope Canyon, and a night photograph of Double Arch with star trails. Coupled with destination specific goals, I wanted to improve my wildlife photography. I struggle with photographing wildlife because the entire time I am with an animal, my mind is thinking about a landscape I am missing. It was time to change that or so I thought.
Note: Since many 2019 images are still unprocessed, including those from Antelope Canyon, my favorite list includes only processed images. I may revise this list of the top 10 images once I process all 2019 captures.
How did I decide on my Favorite Photos from 2019? Some of the photographs below are included because they have been on my want list for a long time and are special to me for that reason. Other images were selected based on amazing light or features. Please comment and let me know which of the following images is your favorite one!
1. An eruption of Steamboat Geyser.
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Although the above image is of Steamboat Geyser as it began to transition from water to steam, I liked it better than my photos of the initial eruption. I found the initial eruption water was a dirty orange color that was not that pleasing. To view images of Steamboat Geyser in the initial eruption phase, be sure to visit my Yellowstone Stock Library at Norris Geyser Basin.
Since it took me 20 years to get this photograph, this has to be my favorite photograph of 2019.
2. Canary Springs from the Upper Terrace
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The very first photograph I ever took in Yellowstone was at this exact spot. That was twenty years ago and despite returning to the park almost yearly, I never photographed this spot again until 2019. To capture this image, I had to return three different mornings until the light was just right for the shot.
3. Orange Mound Springs
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Orange Mound Springs is located on the back part of the Upper Terrace Drive in Mammoth Hot Springs. Here again, it took 6 trips before I was able to capture Orange Mound in appealing light with an interesting sky.
4. A different view of the Tetons from Schwabacher Landing.
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I had photographed the classic view of the Teton Mountains from Schwabacher Landing many times and have photographs I really like of that famous view. It was time, however, for a new and different composition from Schwabacher instead of the same “tripod hole” location.
5. The Midgley Bridge in Sedona
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The Midgley bridge is just north of Sedona on Highway 89A and spans a deep canyon making it a very difficult shot. To add to the challenge, I wanted my composition to include the bridge, the start of the Huckaby trail and portions of the canyon in the composition. The lighting on all three areas is very different and, if not for the clouds, this shot would not have been possible. I finally got the Midgley Bridge so it makes my top photo list.
6. Clark’s Nutcracker
This was a bird I had never photographed before 2019. Since he was quite busy eating and storing nuts for the winter, he ignored my presence and I was able to get close enough to capture the above image. I now know that the easiest time to photograph Clark Nutcrackers is when pine cones seed.
7. Mr. Griz
This bear photo is included in my top 2019 images because of the story behind the scene. I had spent the better portion of my day sitting at Steamboat Geyser waiting to see it erupt. In fact it was my third straight day of geyser watching and I was hungry and in need of a break. So I decided to take an hour’s break and drive north, find a spot by a stream, eat then head back for more geyser watching.
I had not driven more than 10 minutes when I encountered this bear on a hillside eating insects from fallen logs. Of course I immediately began photographing the bear but in the back of my head I kept thinking Steamboat Geyser was nearing the end of it’s eruption interval of 3-6 days. (That was it’s current eruption interval ) It was day 6 and the geyser could erupt at any moment. Of course Steamboat is not predictable in the least with eruption intervals from 3 days to 50 years.
Here was a beautiful bear in decent lighting and unobstructed on a hillside. The shooting conditions were perfect but one of my top reasons to be in Yellowstone was to capture Steamboat before it became dormant again. Do I stay here or head back to possibly nothing? Just as I was struggling, this kind bear lifted his head, looked straight at me and allowed me to get this shot.
I continued to photograph him for only a couple more minutes but had a decent shot of him so I left and went back to Steamboat Geyser. Then as I was approaching the geyser, it erupted! Yes I finally was able to photograph Steamboat Geyser during an eruption for the very first time! If the bear had not lifted his head from the logs when he did, I doubt I would have left in time to see Steamboat erupt.
8. Beartooth Lake
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This image of Beartooth Lake was included in my top list due to the light on the lake and mountain as well as how all the different elements in the scene worked together. Rarely do I find a lake with such interesting elements, both in the foreground and background.
Although 2019 allowed me to create several successful images from my photo want list, it also had some failures or “wait till next year shots” such as the following:
- No photograph of Double Arch at night,
- No perfect bison head shot
- I still struggled with dedicating shooting time to wildlife instead of landscapes.
Well that includes my look back at 2019 and now it is time to plan my photo want list for 2020.