Each of my 12 favorites below became a favorite as it representas a special moment, unique scene, or most successful translation of what I saw in my mind’s eye into the final photo as well as an attempt to show a wider range of photographic subject matter.  Enjoy!

(You can also review my past favorites from 2010, 2009, 2008, and 2007)

Quail Lake in Southern California's Angels National Forest (January, 2011)

Sunrise at Keys View, Joshua Tree National Park, California. (January, 2011)

Breaking light from a storm near the California-Nevada Border. (January, 2011)

Read the backstory for the above photo…

Petroglyph Canyon at Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada. (February, 2011)

Fremont Cottonwood trees along the Virgin River at Zion National Park, Utah. (February, 2011)

Sunset near Zion Canyon entrance at Zion National Park, Utah. (February, 2011)

Window abstract at de Young Museum in San Francisco, California. (March, 2011)

Visitors at the de Young Museum in San Francisco, California. (March, 2011)

Halema'uma'u Crater in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, Kona, Hawai'i. (April, 2011)

Read the backstory for the above photo…

Carousel at Tilden Regional Park in Berkeley, California. (December, 2011)

Read the backstory for the above photo…

Sunset through sea arch at Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur, California. (December, 2011)

Sunset through Big Sur Portal at Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur, California. (December, 2011)

If any of the above photos spoke to you as well, you can click on the photo to order Art Prints.  As always, I appreciate your support of my photography!

Note: this yearly ritual started thanks to my friend Jim Goldstein and his anual Your Best Photos of the Year blog project.  Huge thanks to Jim for his continued time and effort to run this blog project year after year!  If you found this posting via his project, please take the time to subscribe to the blog feed or follow me on your social network of choice (see links in the sidebar).

Cumulus cloud over desert mountain range bathed in breaking light from a storm near the California-Nevada Border. (Greg A. Lato / latogaphoto.com)

We’ve all had photos that were the result of the universe putting us in the right spot at the right time. This photo is a close runner up in that category.

I was meandering my way through the Mojave desert heading toward Las Vegas and kept playing tag with sporadic rain storms.  Which made for a great day of photography with the wonderful breaking light from the passing storm clouds.  I was finally making my way over toward I-15 for the final drive into Las Vegas and had two routes: one which cut over to the Interstate sooner, and one that would have me merge onto the interstate right before the California-Nevada state line.

I chose the first route.  I chose wrong.

For those who have never done this drive, I-15 climbs up a mountain range and then starts a 10-15 mile descent down to Primm Nevada which is just across the border. My chosen route put me on the interstate well before said mountain range.  The route not chosen would have put me on the interstate right at the summit of that mountain range.

As I crested the summit of that mountain range on I-15, this wonderful breaking light on the next mountain range and huge Cumulus cloud greeted me off in the distance (photo above).  Off to the left of the mountain range was Primm, NV (first town in Nevada and essentially a small oasis of casino high rises in the middle of the desert) bathed in breaking light with darkness all around it.  And I just drove past the summit which provided the best vantage point to photograph the scene; the next exit was something like 10 miles away and about 1500 feet below me.

There was no way I was going to be able to descend the summit, turn around, and drive back up and still have the same light.  So,  I pulled off at that next exit and was able to come home with the photograph above.

You win some.  You lose some.  Sometimes you land in between.

A sidewalk winds off toward the distant rising sun at Keys View, Joshua Tree National Park, California.

Back in February I drove down to Las Vegas for a business meeting via Joshua Tree National Park and Mojave Desert.  After 8 months, I think that these photos have properly aged…  :-)

The best part of Keys View at day break in the winter is that you are usually alone to enjoy the view.

Back in April, the Mrs and I were able to get a few days away from family life for a trip to Kona, Hawaii. While this trip wasn’t a photography focused trip, we did have a few days to ourselves and were able to make it to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.  As we drove around the Big Island toward Hilo, we could see that the higher elevations at the center of the island were covered with clouds.  As we started our ascent from Hilo to the park entrance, the clouds and VOG (volcanic originating gas) got thicker, by the time we arrived at the park you had limited visibility.

We both were hoping to see the Kilauea Caldera but it appears that the weather wasn’t going to cooperate.  Following the advice of one of the Park Rangers, we headed down to the coast to catch sunset and then back up to the crater in hopes of seeing the red glow at night.  As we arrived at the Jaggar Museum and walked toward the lookout over the crater, I thought we were back in San Francisco.  The fog was so thick that you couldn’t see 20 feet in front of you!

Lucky for us the museum was still open.  We popped in and learned more about the history of the crater and watched an amazing thermal webcam of the crater for about 20 minutes.  As we walked out the museum doors, we were both shocked that there was no fog anymore, it had completely disappeared, the near full moon was showing thru the thin clouds, and there in front of us was the glowing red vent of the Halema’uma’u Crater!

Volcanic Gas Plume from Halema'uma'u Crater in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, Kona, Hawai'i. (Greg A. Lato / latogaphoto.com)

Of course, we all know what I did…grabbed the camera gear from the car and turned the Mrs. into a photography widow for the next hour. As you stood watching the crater, the glow from the lava would get brighter and dimmer as the lava would rise or lower within the vent.  Between my own photos, I also ended up teaching an impromptu night time photography class for all the other visitors who were trying to photograph the spectacle. The German couple who just bought their new camera 2 days before leaving on their trip was much appreciative of that.  As was the gentleman with the the Wounded Warrior Project group that ended up with a few great photos for the solders to use as mementos of the trip.

Another great example of the core tenant of landscape photography…the weather changes, so don’t be afraid to wait it out for a photograph. Sometimes, the wait is worth it.

(This photo is part of my new Hawaii Volcanoes NP gallery where it can be purchased as an Art Print or licensed for stock usage.)

This video was filmed at the Temple of Sinawava parking lot. I had spent the early morning exploring a few other locations within Zion Canyon and while photographing an unnamed waterfalls near by I heard what sounded like thunder. As I drove toward the Temple of Sinawava I could see that there was a large section of ice that had frozen to the cliff wall on the western side of the valley. This section usually makes the waterfall that you can hike behind near the start of the Narrow’s riverside walk. The morning sun was now hitting the ice full force and melting it. Just as this section of cliff wall came into view I saw a large section of ice break loose and crash onto the rock ledge below it and creating the thunder.

I was fortunate enough to have the parking lot all to myself, so I quickly set up the camera and started recording a video hoping to catch more ice coming crashing down. As you can see from the start of the video, the areas that are wet looking below the ice is what had already come crashing down prior. And eventually a multiple other sections came down within the next five minutes.

It was quite amazing to hear complete silence (something that modern digital recording systems still can’t actually record) and then hear this thunderous clap reverberate through the valley.

Matthew - 4 Days Old

Of couse my favorite photos from 2010 are all of Matthew, our son born in September. This has definitely been the year of Matthew as we prepared for his arrival and then adjusting to the new routine of family life.  As the first four months of life with Matthew comes to a close, looking back at this photo of Matthew at just 4 days old brings a lot into perspective.  The hat which was too big for him then won’t even fit now; it’s amazing how quickly he is growing up!

(Photo taken with Canon 5D Mark II and Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L)

February

X Marks the Horsetail Falls Firefall in Yosemite National Park

For a few days each February, the angle of the sunset in Yosemite valley lines up such that the setting sun creates a sliver of light on Horsetail Falls.  This sunset lights up Horsetail Falls like the Yosemite firefalls of the past. All of this assumes that mother nature cooperates with the clouds and weather. This past February I was lucky to get good weather during my trip to Yosemite to capture the Horsetail Falls firefall two days in a row. The above HDR photo capture the wider scene as the sunset approached it’s narrowest and just after two airplanes had just flown over, creating this X in the sky over the fire falls like a real world treasure map.

Note: The same angle happens in October as well, but since Horsetail Falls is a ephemeral waterfalls you usually don’t have water flowing over it in October.

(Photo taken with Canon 5D Mark II and Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS with Canon 1.4x Extender)

April

Purple Lupin Growing Along a Hillside near Oroville, CA.

In April, myself and a friend drove up to Oroville, CA to Table Mountain to check out the wildflowers that always propagate this area. The fields were full of small yellow flowers and purple lupin.  From a distance creating a carpeting affect.  I like how the above photo shows the diversity of this area with the lupin in the foreground, the carpet affect in the mid-ground, and the hillside of trees in the distance.

(Photo taken with Canon 5D Mark II and Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L)

A Lone Oak with Weathered Fallen Branches near Oroville, CA.

While exploring Table Mountain, I discovered a lone Oak tree in a ravine.  It had a collection of fallen branches that had weathered over the years and create a very intriguing set of patterns and lines. Once converted to a black and white photo, the lines became even more apparent. It seems like every year there is a few photos of mine that just seem to work best in Black and White.

(Photo taken with Canon 5D Mark II and Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L)

Lobby of One Bush Plaza in Downtown San Francisco, California.

While walking through downtown San Francisco, on a route that I frequent monthly, I suddenly realized this wonderful scene that I have been walking past for years.  Maybe it was the time of day and the way the light was illuminating the area, maybe it was my frame of mind (maybe it was both).But I walked 50 feet past and stopped, turned around and created the above image.  It’s the layering of details and lighting that keep me coming back to this photo time and time again.

(Photo taken with Canon 5D Mark II and Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L)

June

Field of Wild Iris with Distant Snow Capped Eastern Sierra Peaks

While visiting Bodie State Historic Park east of the Sierra Nevadas, I happened to stumble across a wonderful field of wild iris’.  The with snow still capping the Sierra Nevada Mountain peaks in the distance, I had to take an hour detour to photograph the scene.   The idillic nature of the place still speaks to me when I see this photo.

(Photo taken with Canon 5D Mark II and Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II)

Front Display Window of Boone Store and Warehouse (Westward View of Standard Stamp Mill, Firehouse, and Dodge Graham Truck)

Years ago I had the idea for a unique way of documenting Bodie State Historic Park, the abandoned ghost town maintain in a constant state of decay in the high desert east of the Sierra Nevadas. As it can sometimes happen with a project, a single image sticks with you and becomes central to the project.  For this project it was this image of the front of the Boone Store on Bodie’s main intersection. The reflection of the nearby buildings in the large window while at the same time showing the preserved state of the interior of the store became the genesis of my photography book Reflecting on Bodie (and became the cover image).

(Photo taken with Canon 5D Mark II and Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II)

Cab of Refurbished 1921 Dodge Graham Truck (Southwest View Down Main Street of Morgue and Miner

Part of the challenge in creating the photos for my Reflecting on Bodie book was looking beyond he obvious for reflections of Bodie. This photo of the windscreen of the Dodge Graham Truck sitting on the mainstreet in Bodie is one of my favorite non-obvious reflections.  The way you can see the inside of the car cab, through the rear window of the car to the buildings behind, as well as the reflection of the buildings sitting infront of the car perfectly symbolized the duplicity the reflections at Bodie can provide.

(Photo taken with Canon 5D Mark II and Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L)

July

Seawall and Seal Rocks at Dusk

July was the Scott Kelby World Wide Photowalk.  I joined the photowalk lead by Jim Goldstein at the Sutro Baths in San Francisco. This photo of Seal Rock was the winning photo chosen from all the photos submitted from Jim’s photowalk. It was my favorite long before this though, the moodiness of this photo keeps drawing me in.

(Photo taken with Canon 5D Mark II and Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS)

October

Halloween Decorations at Night

Halloween always kicks off the house decorating season.  My wife usually mixes Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations and this year it was a combination of pumpkins, candles, and jack-o-lantern lights. The great textured pumpkins and the soft candle light made for a great combinations for a HDR photo project.  This photo was my favorite from that evenings work.

(Photo taken with Canon 5D Mark II and Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II)

November

Colorful Autumn Leaves on Pebble Sidewalk

This year I wasn’t able to make my fall pilgrimage to the Eastern Sierras for autumn leaves display.  However, the late in the season color change of all the trees in our neighbor hood allowed me to get my fix right in my own front yard.  This collection of leaves on the pebble sidewalk was waiting for me just a few feet from my front door!

(Photo taken with Canon 5D Mark II and Zeiss Macro 100mm f/2 Makro-Planar T*)

December

Sunrise over Dublin Hills East Bay Regional Park

Winter is the time for landscape photography in the Bay Area.  We finally get interesting clouds in the sky and the rain helps to create more mood with lighting and fog.  One early morning I checked out a newly opened regional park on the hills a few miles south of my house.  The early morning light combined with ground fog made for this wonderful view to start the day.

(Photo taken with Canon 5D Mark II and Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS)

Coyote Silhouetted in Orange Glow of Sunrise

While returning to my car after the previous sunrise photo was taken, I meet up with a local coyote who was also enjoying the morning sunrise.  After following him around for about 30 minutes, I was able to photograph him on the ridge of the hill just as the sun came up over the horizon.  Then he disappeared down the other side of the hill.

(Photo taken with Canon 5D Mark II and Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS with Canon 1.4x Extender

Yosemite Lodge Holiday Tree

Before Christmas, the family and I spent the weekend in Yosemite.  I was all exciting about the potential for a dumping of snow during our stay (naturally it rained, then snowed the day after we left).  However, the holiday lights set up at Yosemite Lodge made for the perfect HDR photo opportunity (thanks to my trusty Golf umbrella).

(Photo taken with Canon 5D Mark II and Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L)

Yosemite Lodge Mountain Room Restaurant & Christmas Tree

This night time view of Yosemite Lodge Mountain Room Restaurant at Yosemite Lodge just cried out to me to be photographed.  So in the middle o the rain storm, while the rest of the family was enjoying Hot Totties in the lounge, I was out in the cold rain to create this magical image.

(Photo taken with Canon 5D Mark II and Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L)

Looking back on 2010, it was a great year of photography, accomplishments, and change.  I hope your 2010 was as memorable and 2011 is even better!

(Note: click through on the photos to view more details, purchase prints, or license stock usage via the photo archive.)

Update:  This yearly tradition continues in large part due to a blog project that is coordinated each January by Jim Goldestein.  I want to thank Jim for continuing his efforts in this project, I anxiously look forward to his posting of all of this year’s participants.

If you found this post via Jim’s blog project, Welcome!  Please subscribe to my RSS feed, join me at my Facebook page, or follow me on Twitter to stay in touch through 2011!

X Marks the Horsetail Falls Firefall in Yosemite National Park

Following my adage that some photos need proper time to age, comes the above unique view of Yosemite’s Horsetail Falls Firefall.  Taken during my trip last February, I rediscovered this photo today while working on my year end Favorite Photos of 2010 blog post.

Right as the sunset approached it’s narrowest sliver on Horsetail Falls, I pulled my face away from the camera and noticed that two airplanes had crossed paths above the falls creating an X with their contrails. I quickly zoomed out to capture this wider view including the contrails. It is one of my favorite images from that trip (hint, hint).

Many a time have I been out photographing and noticed contrails in the sky that distract from the desired landscape or nature photograph I’m working to create.  Just as often I’ve heard from other photographers about this great vista that they photographed, only to point out contrails to them in their image–something that we are all so used to seeing that at times we don’t realize how distracting they are.  However, every so often those contrails are there for a reason…and you have to break the rules.

The above photograph is actually a HDR of three frames that were mapped together.  The end result is very realistic in nature and adds just a bit more texture to the sky which completes the image.  I have been working more and more with the collection of exposure bracketed photos that I have since I gave myself the Christmas present of Nik Software’s HDR Efex Pro.  I have tested multiple other HDR software in the past but always found their workflow to be either to complicated or overall requiring too much time per image — I have a big enough photo processing back log as is.  HDR Efex Pro works perfect as either a Lightroom plugin or filter in Photoshop which helps it to fit naturally into my existing workflow. Nik Software’s U-Point Technology also gives you amazing control in fine tuning very specific parts of an image from inside HDR Efex Pro, saving you even more time.

At times I really like the highly emphasized HDR effect and at other times I think a more realistic HDR effect better suites an image.  It really comes down to trying to recreate what was in my mind’s eye when I pressed the shutter button.  Expect a combination of both of these to start appearing more in 2011.  If you see the keyword HDR in the photo’s metadata, it was created from multiple bracketed exposures.  While I personally don’t think this is important to know (photos speak for themselves), I do know that some of my stock clients feel this is important.  It will also allow you to search through the Photo Archive quickly to find other HDR works.

And as always…comments are appreciated!

(This photo is part of my Yosemite gallery where it can be purchased as an Art Print or licensed for stock usage.)

California's Feather Falls in Spring

I’m planning a trip this weekend to Plumas County in the Northern Sierra Nevadas to check out the fall colors.  After talking through some of the logistics, I got thinking about nearby sights.  Feather Falls is on the way to Plumas County from Oroville, CA and is one of the taller waterfalls in California at 410 feet tall (previously was thought to be over 600 feet tall but recent measurements have corrected it’s height.  Regardless of it’s new smaller size, it is still worth the nine mile round trip hike out to view the falls.

This photo is from earlier this Spring when the water was flowing fast over the edge of the falls. The amazing thing is how narrow the falls is at the edge in comparison to how much wider it fans out just a short ways down.  The following photo is another view, closer to the top.

Top of Feather Falls in Spring

If you click through to the larger version of this photo you’ll notice two hikers at the top of the falls. Comparing their height to the last cascades of the falls before the edge, you can tell how the edge is only about five feet wide and yet channeling a lot of spring run off.

Since this weekend’s trip will be the first family trip with Matthew, I’m not expecting any 9 mile hikes out to Feather Falls.  More likely a driving exploration of the fall foliage.

Prints of these images can be purchased from my Sierra Foothills Landscape gallery.

Umbrella of Aspen Leaves

What I have always loved about this photo is the different feeling it gives you for the Quaking Aspen. From a photographic perspective, it’s hard to capture really compelling photos during the middle of autumn day’s with clear skys. The light tends to be a bit too harsh with all the bright colors it is bouncing off of. But, by walking into a grove of Aspen and shooting up, I was able to obtain that unique sparkling that Aspen present in that same bright sun.

This is the second Eastern Sierra photo that the Corporate Client of mine has hanging in their Colorado office. They were even nice enough to provide me a mock up of the location where they were planning on hanging it.  Both of these photos were custom printed at 45″ x 68″ on canvas to fit their display needs.

Prints of this image can be purchased from my Eastern Sierra Landscape gallery. If you see any of my photos that you would like in a size or format that isn’t available on my website, please contact me. I’m always happy to do special orders to meet your needs!

Quaking Aspen Reflection in June Lake

This is one of my favorite photos taken in the fall from the Eastern Sierra.  I was driving around June Lake Loop for the first time on the perfect autumn day.  Warm temperatures in the lower 70s, no wind, and the fall colors were at their peak.  I loved the way the Aspen were reflected in the water and formed this triangle of color cutting across this image.

This also happens to be one of two of my Eastern Sierra photos that a corporate client of mine has hanging in their Colorado office.  I always think back to that and wonder how many of the workers in that office wonder where in the Rocky Mountains this photo was taken…  :-)

Prints of this image can be purchased from my Eastern Sierra Landscape gallery.