[GaliWalker]

Here's the thread for your best one-three photos of 2022. Previous years' threads here: 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010. To reiterate, the guidelines are that you decide the criteria for why it makes your top-3, technically or otherwise. However, please let us know that reason.

[GaliWalker]

I did not have a standout photo in 2022 from a technical perspective. I'm still going to pick a single picture, based on how long I waited to get to the target location.

The Twelve Apostles, Australia

I waited more than 20yrs before I got to see this iconic sight, which I'd first seen in a book on landscape photography (and many times since in all types of media). Of the twelve sea stacks, for which the spot is named, only eight remain. We got there the evening before on a rainy afternoon. The viewpoint was packed with people despite the rain, and the wind was blowing the water sideways, so photography was disappointing. I returned the next morning. It had rained all night and, in fact, was still raining off and on. The waterfall in the foreground was newly formed by the overnight rain. I was fully expecting to miss out on any color from the sunrise, but surprisingly got a splash of it due to filtered sunshine spilling onto the clouds from a gap between the horizon and the clouds. It all ended up being quite magical. Oh yes, I took this photo from under an umbrella.

[jaysway]

GaliWalker your photos are some of the best and most inspiring on this forum, which says a lot given the level of talent we have on here. If you have any other photos that you took from last year that you loved please share them in addition to your Twelve Apostles photo . Edit: You posted some other amazing shots in the individual calendar thread, I'm just seeing that now.

[GaliWalker]

Thanks jaysway. Since, you've already seen the pics in the calendar, I will put up one more photo from 2022, but taken after the cutoff for my calendar selection. Philosophically, I like to include a figure in landscape photos; the idea being to allow the viewer to 'connect' to the scene. Unfortunately, this isn't a simple thing to do for me because I'm primarily a solo hiker. The solution is use myself as the model. This photo was taken on my annual Thanksgiving trip to New England, atop New Hampshire's Mount Monadnock. Conditions in late November can be pretty chilly up there, with high winds and way below freezing temperatures, so setting up and taking a 'selfie' can be challenging. Thankfully, this year the temperatures were relatively mild, so I was able to pull the trigger (literally). I used a long-range remote shutter release here to fire off the shot.

[Navy salad]

Even though my photos are a far cry from many on this forum (especially the OP!), here are my _two_ favorites: The first was taken on the first day of a Section J hike I did with my son, taken on the way to Ridge lake. If only it wasn't cluttered up with some unnamed guy right in the middle!

The second was taken in the midst of that rocky area after Ridge lake, cluttered up with that same guy:

[day_hike_mike]

I've shifted more to wildlife than landscape photography in the last year. In chronological order. Day after New Year's Day. Image was taken right from my back door. Doesn't get much easier than that! Squirrels are constantly running around my yard. Figured I could practice shooting them on an otherwise dreary day. Now I don't know if they were just in each other's way, curious about each other, or there was a love connection going on? Whichever it was, animal interaction is always a good to shoot. I got a cute, smiling, baby possum shot in the yard too, but the rules are just three images. Yes, babies are cute, while the adults are just plain ugly, then squirrels are cuter than either.

Love connection?

End of August. Up at my favorite pika and marmot spot in Mt Rainier National Park. I go every year, multiple times per year. The marmots stole the show that day. This one was warming up in the sun, curious about me, my lunch, and my camera. It didn't get any food from me, but I got my shot.

I'm gonna sit here and watch you watch me.

Late October. Cold, but not too cold. I had to sit out in the rain to get this shot, under an umbrella, with camera on a mono-pod. It worked out well. Robin's seem to really like these berries. Gotta taste better than worms, right! I like the colors here and the fact I got some tongue action of it gettin that berry down.

Mmmm, better than worms!

[Bowregard]

Best photos huh? That's a tough one. I used to take a lot more photos that I felt were "good" when I had my DSLR and wide range of lenses because I felt to be "good" a photo had to be artistic in some way but these days my "good" photos are the ones that bring back memories that make me smile. Not sure that will translate to the forum but here goes: 1. The privy at Goat Peak Lookout (North of Mazama). My daughter has been searching for privy photos to hang in her bathroom and this simply captured everything I was looking for: Decayed, fragile, warped, rusted, and hanging at the edge of a cliff.

2. Sorry for the "boot shot" but after a full day hiking up The Iceline Trail in Yoho National Park we reached our campsite at Little Yoho. Tired, hungry, with bugs swarming around us we left our gear in camp and went back to sit on the bridge over this little river. The sun was warm, the wind kept the bugs away and the river was wonderful. I have plenty of photos of the blue-green tarns, snow-capped mountains, and Glaciers on the way up that most would find more beautiful but this is the photo that takes me back to a moment in time I will never forget.

3. We returned home from the Canadian Rockies to find our little experiment (my wife planted over 100 tomato seeds and couldn't bear to let any die) had turned into a jungle so once we reinforced the support structure I tried to capture the enormity of it all in photos. Not possible but here was one attempt:

Bonus: OK now I feel bad about posting my images alongside all these beautiful shots. For some unknown reason my wife wanted to take a balloon ride this summer and some how talked my daughters into going with her (Thrilled and terrified). Me being the sensible one I followed in the car and took photos of them (after all - somebody has to do it - right?). Just before they landed I on a farm I was able to capture the balloon and moon with the heat source providing a nice glow to the scene so here is a bonus shot.

[williswall]

Got a few wildlife shots last year....

Tree lion 1

5 cleaner birds on Buffalo

rufus 1 copy

[pula58]