[GaliWalker]

The past few years we've usually put up a "SINGLE best photo you took in 20xx" thread. Quite a few people had chaffed at the "overly restrictive" format, so this year, let's go ahead and open it up to the best THREE photos of the year. Of course, feel free to only post your best one. Previous years' threads here: 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]

Here's my top-3, in no particular order:

Preening

"Preening" ~ One of my favorite type of photo is one that features patterns in nature. That was the thinking behind this composition. I shot this photo through a chain link fence. I got 'rid' of the fence by getting really close to the fence and using a wide open aperture for a shallow depth of field.

Finger of light

"Finger of light" ~ Near the town of Lake Placid, in New York's Adirondack Mountains, the Ausable River passes through a narrow rocky gorge. Four impressive waterfalls provide sound and fury, as viewed from the precarious comfort of a boardwalk stapled to the side of the gorge. When I got to my shooting location I realized that the beam of sunlight in the background was going to make for a difficult shot. However, if I could include it the whole thing might pop. I ended up taking 4 photos and then blending them together.

Mount Colden

"Mount Colden" ~ This year I took many photos of myself. Since I'm a solo hiker I'd begun to realize that my photos were usually too 'aloof'; they lacked that human connection, that others had no problem capturing. For this photo, I had just come down from Mount Colden's summit and was approaching a false summit. I thought that I could capture that moment, so I set up the camera for a 10sec timed photo. I fired off the shot and ran to the spot I'd picked out. As I approached it I realized that there was a puddle there. Whoops! I stood in the puddle took a step and froze. Click. Full set of my favorites from 2017: Flickr

[Gil]

Here are mine: This was on a drizzly hike up the Rattlesnake Dance Trail near Ellensburg. Cold, wet, miserable, but great company and interesting terrain.

In September, my sister and I hiked through the Chiwaukum Mountains with two friends. The highlight was a day cross country from Lake Ethel above Loch Eileen, Lake Donald and Chiwaukum Lake to Larch Lake, tagging Big Chiwaukum and Old Baldy along the way. But the colors at Larch Lake were a very close second.

I never think of bigleaf maples as particularly beautiful in autumn, but the hike up to Malachite Lake and Copper Lake in October was spectacular.

[joker]

The bigleaf maples around where I live had on average a nicer shade of yellow than I remember from any prior year I've seen (have lived out here 23 ish years).

[trinityalps]

Purple Lupines, Redwood National Park

Fall on the East Fork of Willow Creek in Northern California

Humboldt Bay, Northern California

[wildernessed]

It is 10 degrees here this morning making that scene look very good !

[trinityalps]

It’s interesting you say because I remember well taking this image. While it certainly was warmer than ten degrees, it was a cold Fall day. It had rained off and on and lupines were waist high. I had been wading through this field and my clothes were soaking wet when I settled in to take this image. An occasional breeze would blow through the field chilling me and forcing me to stand and wait for the flowers to stop moving in the wind. I was so cold my teeth were chattering and I was shivering so much that I had to use a tripod and a remote release to avoid shaking the camera. Later, looking at the image on my computer monitor, I was struck by the warmth that the scene conveys.

[day_hike_mike]

I'll go for this as I didn't enter anything in the calendar contest this year.

Maple over the trail in the clouds. Cape Horn Trail, WA

Coming back from some work in Oregon I wanted to head over to check out the fire damage on the Oregon side of the gorge. It was all closed, even Multnomah Falls. What to do? Cape Horn was the back up, on the fly hike. Pretty nice fall color just starting and clouds. Instead of thinking about epic views of the Columbia I enjoyed the foliage. Upper part of the trail was fantastic. This maple was growing over the trail creating a gateway with just a little bit of color change on the top.

Beargrass into the clouds. Bandera Mountain, WA

The Bandera beargrass I knew I had to get some shots of. Weather wasn't very good that day but I thought maybe it would clear up. So glad it didn't. Beargrass was popping all over the place and flowers of all types were blooming. Figured there would be no view from the summit so I just slowly worked my way up the steep meadows looking for different shots. Eventually did get to the top, and there was no view, but the awesome flower display was better than the normal view up there anyway.

Carbon River going where it wants to go. Mt Rainier National Park, WA

I like this shot of the Carbon River making its own way down the mountain. Here it's just decided to go through the forest. For me 1/5th of a second has always been the right shutter speed for silty water, conveying the right amount of motion. Carbon River being the closest entry to the park for me makes it my go to, pretty much year around getaway.

[Gil]

Well done, everyone. Mike, that Carbon River shot is so intriguing.

[seattlenativemike]

Great shots everyone...love the warm Lupine esp Three random favorites from a great year

Early morning hike up to Larch Valley and Sentinel Pass up from Lake Moraine.

more from Jokulsarlon at sunrise in Iceland

View of the three peaks from Kalla Patthar at about 16,000 feet towards dusk.

[Get Out and Go]

Merchants Basin

Toleak

New York City

The first 2 were taken with a Sony A6000 and a Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 lens. The 3rd was with an iPhone7, through a hotel window, no less.

[Jim Dockery]

Of course I had to pick a ski shot and this one embodies a great day of skiing in less than perfect conditions on my favorite close to home mountain.

Dropping into The Choke couloir, Mt. Pilchuck

A hard won vantage point on a mountain I had long wanted to climb.

Moon Over Mt. Olympus

Faint to the naked eye, but captured with the magic of modern digital photography.

Aurora Over Mt. Shuksan

[RichP]

[swbkrun]

0U6A9814-PsEdit

Waterville-10

[Bedivere]

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