Putting together this post helped me to take a thankful look back on all my images and trips that I did in 2018. A few of my “photographic highlights” are below. But as I search through my images, I am reminded of all of the friends, clients and followers that joined me on these adventures. And as with everything, there are always a few loose ends, missed shots, failed attempts, anguish, etc…—not to mention some drama.
2018 started off with a trip to the Falkland Islands with a great group of friends/clients. We had many photo opportunities including our “once in a life time”, at least for me, chance to photograph King Penguin chicks hatching. I included one of the hatchings below; this image made it into the final round of Wildlife Photoographer of the Year and also, Nature’s Best.
Death Valley was next on my list. I absolutely love everything about Death Valley. I find it one of the most inspiring places to photograph. Maybe it’s my great love of sand dunes or the endless patterns in the landscape… I’m heading back there now and plan on doing another workshop there for 2020.
My next trip was our yearly Winter in Japan with a pre-trip to Kyoto before heading to see the Snow Monkeys, Sea Eagles and cranes in Hokkaido. Japan is always a wonderful trip for me; I love the snow covered grounds, the culture and the photography. This year we visited Jewerly Beach and it was fun (kind of reminded me of Iceland’s Diamond Beach). Below, I included an image from our early morning adventure to the beach; we will be adding this location to our 2020 trip along with a couple of other new spots.
I managed to squeeze in a trip to the salt flats in Bolivia. In addition to the slat flats I did a lot of exploring.
Namibia was my next adventure. There I photographed a wide variety of subjects and enjoyed every minute of the adventure. I am especially fascinated by the light in Namibia and that darn ghost town has me hooked; I find it such a challenge and I love a good challenge. I am looking forward to returning in the near future.
Venice was a great time for me. The gelato and the photography was fantastic. I never get tired of walking out to St. Mark’s Square in the early morning or evening. I also went to Tuscany with friends before my Venice trip so that made it even more special.
I was home for a short while in May before heading out to the Palouse Region in the northwestern United States. There I photographed from the top of Steptoe Butte, from there you have a panoramic view of the vast farmlands below. I also visited a lot of the surrounding areas within the region. Visiting the Palouse is like stepping back in time and I thouroughly enjoy my time there each year. Here are a few of my faves from this past year.
Vietnam was an amazing experience. This was an exploratory trip for me and I had a blast! The food and accomodations well exceeded my expectations so I was able to relax and photograph. The rice fields were the highlight of my trip as I was really looking forward to photographing them. I was blown away by the kindness of the people and the amazing sights I saw. I just finalized the details for another trip next year for those that want to join me.
I landed on Bass Rock during my UK Puffin trip last year and that was a highlight for sure. Anytime you can visit a gannet colony -go! They are such busy birds and their beautiful markings make them a joy to photograph. I worked on intimate portraits while I was there as the sun was bright. For those of you who know me, know that my number one rule is”when the light is not right-work tight”.
Camargue in the South of France was another great trip. This year it was more enjoyable for me as we had lots of great photo opps with the horses and the lavender fields. I played around with my images in Photoshop and created a couple fo my favorite composites. The horses with the sunrays and the tree in the middle of the lavender field shown below.
Kenya was amazing this year. Paul and I had two groups and each group had vastly different photo opps. You just never know what is going to happen out there. The one group got to see the Black Rock Pride with nine cubs that I photographed in 2017. The young cubs are now so big; it warmed my heart to see that they had all survived. I hope to follow them for many years. It was hard to pick only four images from this adventure as I was there for a month and also had a fantastic aerial photography trip with Paul.
Next was Bandon Oregon and Swan Island Dahlia Farm. Bandon was beautiful as always and I hope to return in 2019 with another add-on trip to my Swan Island adventure. My Swan Island workshop is one of my best teaching trips. I have plenty of time over the five days to work closely with each and every student. I look forward to shooting the dahlias every year and am already looking forward to next year’s trip.
Bosque was a great finale for the year. Like always, there were so many great photo opportunities with the geese and cranes. The light never disappoints. Remember that Bosque is a refuge for the birds not the photographers. I even created my holiday card (my holiday card had a peace sign hanging from the top of the tree- I posted it on Facebook if you want to see it) from one of the colorful skies at Bosque and yes, I added the tree in Photoshop.
So cheers to all my friends, clients, followers and supporters. I appreciate all of the adventures that you have gone on with me. I appreciate each and every eBook sale. Thank you so much for being a part of my life and my blog. Your comments on my blog mean so much to me. I would also like to acknowledge all of your affiliate link purchases and all of your Facebook and Instagram Likes.
Thank you to my sponsors, including: B&H Photos, Delkin Devices, Induro and the Mac Group, Think Tank, Topaz Labs, LensCoat, Singh-Ray Filters.
A Happy, healthy, prosperous New Year to all!!