March Theme: Your Favorite Shot

This month, it's time to share with us the #1 favorite photo you have taken of all time and provide some details about why it is your favorite. Anything goes as far as subject matter, just be sure to tell us why the photo you are posting means so much to you. Special thanks to Adam Schallau for the theme idea!

This is my favorite photo for many reasons: The location, Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, is near where I grew up and have visited on more occasions than I can count. I usually have a good time when I go there. It's a ridiculously beautiful spot, not a secret by any means, but this image shows more of a rawer beauty than what is normally seen. I've taken hundreds of shots from around the lake, but when I took this one I was disheartened that the most of the leaves of the trees had blown off in an early fall windstorm. I also wasn't in the exact location of the "iconic" shot most photographers take. There was a nice sunrise and calm reflection on the lake, but otherwise I didn't think anything would come of the photos I took that morning. To my surprise, this has not only been one of my best-selling shots but also one I've grown to appreciate more and more over the years because it was so different from everyone else's take on the lake. Sometimes being different is a good thing.

Ha!! Joshua, I have that shot of yours in my office! If you'll recall, I won it at the shindig swap a couple years ago. Love it!

This is probably my favorite image I took thus far in my short photographic life. Ironically, it doesn't contain the things I normally look for in a photograph. A). A super wide angle perspective with foreground. B). No warm pink orange red sunrise or sunset sky. I've often overlooked shooting mid morning/mid day, and when nothing was happening this day except for rain, a little luck came on my side and brought a rainbow and brilliant light onto the canyon. The canyon is a special place to me, it is really where I first wanted to take a photograph, and I have taken many since then from the rim. Can't wait to return to the north side of the canyon.

Wow...just 'wow', Peter!

I've always had a real soft spot for this one, from the Schell Creek Range in Nevada. It was a real stroke of luck, I had actually carried my overnight pack a few miles into these mountains, but been unable to find a feasible camp. With some heavy weather on the horizon, I threw in the towel and hiked back to my car. But just above my parking spot I found this sage slope covered in flower looking down the canyon to a stormy sunset. Wildflowers, aspens and storm are three of my favorite things, and I was really delighted to have them come together in a very off-the-map location.

Ok, this image really goes back a ways...all the way back to disco days and film. Being a scanned image from Kodachrome, it would be difficult to reproduce how it originally looked.
It certainly is not what I consider my best image overall, but it marked an important milestone. It was the first time I could remember visualizing the image prior to leaving the house. I had seen similar images in Arizona Highways, thus, my inspiration. So armed with a star filter, I proceeded to "create" the image. That may have been the moment I converted from just taking snapshots to something more creative. At the time I was also experimenting with my darkroom techniques, particularly using Cibachrome. To this day I still have that print and ponder the early days of my feeble attempts at trying to be the next Galen Rowell.

This was my first real wildlife project I started back in 1983, which means Kodachrome 64. On an April hike into Queen's Canyon, west of Colorado Springs I was fortunate to discover a Golden Eagle nest. I contacted the Colorado Div. of Wildlife and a biologist hiked in with me (eaglets were ~ 1 week old at this time, you could still see pink flesh among the pin feathers, and they were struggling to hold their heads up for more than a couple of minutes at a time) and gave me the ok to photograph the nest. I proceeded to build 2 blinds out of rocks and tree limbs for different view points. This project lasted 12 weeks. The hike involved an ~800 ft. descent to the bottom of QC, a half mile hike up the creek, then another ~700 ft ascent to the level of the nest. I did this hike twice a week, til the final 2 weeks when I did it 3 times a week. I was in excellent physical condition by week 12! The 1st eaglet fledged a week ahead of the 2nd. I ddin't witness either inaugaral flight. My last trip in, of course, was to an empty nest, which made me sad and ecstatic at the same time. This photo was taken when they were ~3-3½ weeks old. Nikon FM2, NIkkor 400/3.5, 1.4xt.

Wow, this is like asking which one of your kids do you like best. I don't make my living from photography and these days shoot only what I want to shoot so every image has an emotional tie for me but here goes. This image of sunrise on the Tetons and Jackson Lake ranks among my favorites for several reasons. First, I just like it a lot..a nice image from one of my favorite places on the planet. But that's not the main reason. For the most part my family doesn't much like going with me on photo trips. I'm generally not very considerate for their health and well being when I'm in the "shooting zone." But on this trip my daughter Heather was with me. She saw a show about Yellowstone and the Tetons on Discovery and had been bugging me for a year or so to take her there so when she was graduating from college we made plans for a trip. She was amazed at all the wildlife and geysers and stuff and this was sunrise on our last full day before heading home. On this trip the scenery was spectacular and the companionship was exceptional.

After I got my D90, one of the first trips I took strictly for photography was to White Pocket. It seemed well after sunset when I took this image, and was surprised at the amount of light and color the digital camera captured that my eyes did not see. I like the interesting structure of the sandstone there and the soft light of this image that seems to enhance it.

This might be one of my favorites although from a quality and light standpoint it might not be outstanding. Like it because I was out with a good friend who has since become disabled and unable to travel. It was one of out last trips together. Also, because I like having old relics like this for subjects and believe it is unique, as it is tucked away pretty far from anything.. Taken with a Pentax 645.

My Favorite shot?? I don't have No favorite shot! I don't need no stinking Favorite shot!!

I always think my favorite shot will come next shoot--it's what keeps me motivated.
But i love this collection, some really pretty stuff especially yours Josh
Maybe i'll dig up "one of my favorites"

I have to say that thinking about a favorite was a real trial. There are so many that I like for different reasons. I think that this one was probably a turning point for me as up to this point most all of my time was spent in the studio. Here I took the time and arranged to be at the location at an optimal time. And everything came together. No flashy sky here but the glorius light on the Flatiron gave me that iconic Arizona scenic that I had seen all my life.

Ha ha Stan - well said

I debated on this one all month. I have a few favorites so it's very difficult to pick just one. This one, however, is among the top 5. People generally ask if it's a painting.

Palouse barn taken in late May/early June 2010.