IMAGES OF THE YEAR

THE PNWNP folks started a thread thats pretty interesting. We are all posting our 1-2 or 3 best images of 2007. Why not do one here. Feel free to re post if necessary. I bet that there is a nice book here from all you folks. There are many posted in the PNWNP forum that aren't from the general area, so let's just post what our "signature prints" of 2007 no matter where. ( Check out the thread on the PNWNP forum--there is some GREAT images there!---I won't post duplicates in this area however)

Here's one to start.
This is Tillamook Bay ( on the Oregon Coast) at low tide just after sunrise.

Here is the one that has been my money maker and won me several awards in area fine art events. Taken in Southeasten Illinois at a local Forest Preserve around Olney, IL.

This image, while not nature related, is the first time in a while I have gone "wow" as it came off the printer.

Danny & Mitch.... really nice. Fantastic!
oh well.... off to sleep----- its pouring---time for the old man to snore.
JG

Well...here's a couple of my favorite "grand landscapes" that I've scanned thus far. I'm finally getting my August-November film back from processing tomorrow, which I anticipate to contain some of my best images from the year...these shots will have to do for now though.

Both are Minnesota images (surprise, surprise). The first was taken in January 2007 at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, the second in July 2007 at Tettegouche State Park.

Nice images by the way folks!

One of my personal favorites.. It gets a lot of ooohs and aahs.. I call it 'Fall Thru the Pines'.
And I'm in awe with all of your images..

Joel, The second pic you have there is just completely fantastic! Susie, I love the color in yours. I could even see you crop out the FG bushes and maybe almost all of the top containing the sky and see this as an abstract pano!

Dan, I yours would be a great seller at local art / craft fairs. The detail on it is outstanding, but compression is killing.

Jack, the s lines in the receding tide really draw me in!

Outstanding everyone!

Jack - don't ever admit that you are getting old. As soon as you do so, you do!

This is one of my favorite images from the fall. When the spirits are smiling, you find a good balance between water flow and leaf cover. This day was just about perfect. (Yes, Jack ... Blue Hen, again.)

The images that have been posted so far are each amazing in their own way. Makes me proud to be a Midwesterner. Congratulations to all!

This is one of my favorites from this year. My wife and I took a trip to Oregon this year and this is just one of beautiful sights Oregon has to offer.

Now for something closer to home. I have taken a lot of photos of Old Man's Cave over the years but this is by far my favorite. This was taken on a very cold rainy January day and it shows in the mood of the image.

Martin,
Great shots---was that Fairy Falls?
JG

Wonderful images, everyone! Since the year isn't quite over yet I'll post my most recent favorite, which was taken this week, and one that will go down as a favorite regardless of what the remainder of the year provides.

Taken the morning after the recent snowfall.

And taken a couple months ago. Forgive the first image as I just resized an already sharpened 770pix image down to 720 so compression hurts it a bit.

The black objects are birds which are obvious at a larger size

That image was taken at Proxy Fall Jack.

Geeminy - where have you guys been hiding these awesome images all year? This is really outstanding stuff, and I truly mean that about every single image I just viewed!! I gotta get home and try to find something that will meet the standard already set here - if possible! Great work everyone.

Dan - where is that - that's a type of image I'd love to start shooting (as soon as I find 2 free minutes to rub together!).

Hey Martin - I know that spot, but I haven't seen it look that good!

Well done all - I'll try to offer something this evening if I can!
CJ

Incredible work everyone, this was definitely a great idea Jack, just shows the caliber of artists who frequent MWNP

I will try to keep up with a couple of my favorites....

This one was shot at Clifty Falls State Park just a few weeks back.

And this one came from Clifty as well, the light was amazing that day.

Christopher - that was shot at Slate Run Historical Farm, just south of Columbus, Ohio. It is a farm run by the Columbus Metro Parks as if it was around 1880. Very photographer friendly as almost every area is open to the public. They do tend to frown on you getting in the pens with the oxen, though.

The elements to the shot are usually in the summer kitchen shed and acessible to the public. The scen pretty much is as I found it compositionally, with the exception that I placed the apple on the chair. The lighting really worked on this day. I metered on the chair with the apple to be sure to get that right and the rest of it fell to sidelighting or deep shadow.

If you go on a cold Tuesday in February, you may even be dragged into the main farmhouse and fed, or at least served tea or warm cider.

Wow, great images everyone! It's really hard to pick favorites...here's one of my favorites from my trip to New Mexico in September, from White Sands National Monument.

More locally, here's one from Chain O'Lakes State Park in northeast Illinois, from this October.

Nice images..everyone of them!

I won't repost my favorite of the year because you just saw that one last week. This is another one of my faves, taken at a local golf course early one morning last winter after a nice fresh snowfall. I decided to leave the blue tones in this one because that's just the way it looked.

Toni,
This is a great use of a golf course ( and a dam good images to boot!)
JG (non-golfer)

I'm so enjoying the images so far.. We are a very talented group! I hope there is more out there.. Let's see 'em, everyone!

Thought I'd drop in a couple of my own here, to contribute to the thread. There are some wonderful images here - congrats to everyone for posting such quality work. I will post 2, and take a little artistic license with the second. This first image is from a trip to Waugoshance Point in Wilderness State Park - I posted it once already this year but it's still an image that comes to mind immediately when I think of my favorites for 2007. Looks like Kerry and I are thinking in somewhat similar fashion.....though I don't think anyone will consider these duplicates by any means! Hope this posts at a decent size - I had to steal it from my own website!!!

As for my second contribution, the image was not actually captured this year, but this year was when I finally found the time and motivation (mostly motivation) to scan and work it up. So I'll consider this a favorite from this year too, as I like how it turned out. A wetlands area of the Porcupine Mountains, if anyone wants to know!

Who else has images to share?? CJ

Great collection of images!!

I don't post here much but I do wonder into the north from time to time
Shot from January this year

Thomas,

A stupendous image here!

Good stuff EVERYONE!

Martin - I remember seeing the first on ES&S. Beautiful image, and the delicate tones in the second are lovely as well.

Robert - The snowy reflections are really wonderful!

Bernie - I love the symetry in the second image you posted. Nice.

CJ - That first shot (I remember seeing it before) is killer. Very sweet moment and composition.

Thomas - Lovely composition and take on that falls!

Fantastic images one and all! Merry Christmas.

I don’t think this matches the high standards set by the group but I think it is interesting nonetheless. This was taken last January at Grand Marais Harbor. Water had been trapped in the in breakwater rocks and then froze in the cold weather. I could have spent the entire day wandering from spot to spot photographing similar scenes.


Phil Schwarz
E2311 530th Ave
Menomonie, WI 54751
e-mail: schwarzp@uwstout.edu
web: http://philipschwarz.zenfolio.com/

Thought I would keep this thread going. The images already posted have set a very high bar indeed! Here are a few more from 2007. The first is a stitched image of 3 photos taken in the Smokies this past fall.

Image #2- Eastern Meadowlark taken last January in FL

Fantastic images, Kirk...thanks for posting them!

Such great images everyone. I could not pick a best so I choose something that hadn't been posted yet. Glad to see this forum active again.

Wow.... some really great images here. I was pretty lazy in 2007 so I didn't have much to pick from. I decided to stay close to home... here's an image from Big Walnut Nature Preserve in West Central Indiana.

mike