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).

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!

Oak Tree Towering Over Snow Covered Granite in Yosemite Valley

I was walking along a meadow in the Yosemite Valley when I saw this wonderful oak tree in front of a larger granite boulder.  While I’m sure countless photographers had seen the same tree and boulder from the road over the years (and a few maybe even photographed them), it wasn’t until I walked around the boulder into the shadow that I saw the image that had pulled me toward the spot.  The afternoon sun highlighting the oak tree and a low perspective position allowing the top of the tree to peer over the boulder.

It’s moments like this that help to reinforce the habit of fully scoping a location before dropping the tripod down. Many times the initial view point you have isn’t always the best (or the most unique). Take the time to fully explore a location is a great habit to build.

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

Lunar Eclipse Sequence, from 11:47 pm on 12/20/2010 to 12:30am on 12/21/2010

The biggest challenge with Monday night’s lunar eclipse was that the moon was essentially directly overhead when the eclipse occurred. Following the inspiration of Michael Frye, my original idea was to place some foreground element in the frame to add a bit more interest. However, the height of the moon and the fact that I wanted a larger sized moon (zoomed in) in my photo led me with few options (especially on such short notice). Luckily, I happen to have a set of redwood trees in my backyard and I was able to position myself so that the tops of the trees framed out the photo for the anticipated path of the moon.

I originally set my photo interval at every 5 minutes. In the end, I choose every other photo from the above sequence (10 minutes apart) to provide better spacing. Toward the end of the sequence I realized that the moon was going to move out of frame before full totality, hence the shorter interval near the top of the photo. I ended up moving the camera after the above sequence to capture full totality and then coming back to photograph the trees (faintly light painted by the glow from my backyard holiday lights…). This is what allowed me to place the first moon in the sequence behind the tree.

Editing photos, whether in Lightroom or Photoshop, is a lot harder using one hand and holding a baby. 

I have been able to get some back office work done.  Some, like creating a latoga photography Facebook page, are more public.  Others involve coordinating multiple efforts that will become more public before the end of the year, time and focus willing.  Back office work always frustrates me as it keeps me from doing the more interesting tasks like taking, processing, or publishing photos.  However, as the back office work get’s wrapped I’ll be focusing on getting a more regular cadence with posts here at the blog and on the Facebook page (if you Like it, please show it!).

This year, among the many other things, I’m thankful that the fall color here in my part of the Bay Area held up later than previous years.  This allowed me to get out a few days ago to test a macro lens that I rented for the week.  I had to walk a whopping 20 feet out of my front door to find colorful leaves to photograph up close.

Colorful Autumn Leaves on Pebble Sidewalk

Between my yard and my neighbor’s are a number of Japanese Maple trees and a nearby Flowering Pear tree that are finishing up their peak color.  I found the collection of colors, textures, and patterns that these leaves make on my sidewalk a perfect place to test out the macro lens.  Check out the new Nature Macros gallery in the archive for more samples from around the yard.

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!

Wild Iris from Eastern Sierra Nevada

While I was in the Eastern Sierra Nevada last weekend some patches of wildflowers were still in bloom.  This field of Wild Iris was along the road to Bodie State Historical Park. The closeup of the Iris below was found in another field right off of Highway 395 south of Bridgeport, CA.

A Pair of Wild Iris

Despite my primary focus photographing Bodie for my SoFoBoMo project, there were a number of other nature or landscape photographs that helped to break up the monotony.  You’ll see a few more of these hitting the blog over the next week while I’m working on the book.

Closeup of Desert Agave Thorn Tipped Leaves

While in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park recently, the group I was with came across a Desert Agave that was preparing to bloom.  The 10 foot tall stalk had already formed from the inside of the Agave plant and was reaching skyward.  While this rare event was exciting, what interested me even more was the wonderful texture and details that the Agave plant provided.  Perhaps this was because I had the new Canon 100 mm f/2.8 L Macro Lens with me thanks to BorrowLenses.  With an itch to scratch I focused on the details of the agave.

The first detail that jumped out at me was the purple tip the agave leaves had.  As I moved around the agave adjusting my tripod and camera to different angles, I ended up just placing the tripod down and was granted the following alignment of leaves:

Desert Agave Leaf Line Up

Many times the universe gives you a gift if you’re just aware enough to receive it.  Like how these leves lined up perfectly just by chance. Check out the Desert Plants section of my new photo archive for more of this particular agave plant.

Two weekends ago the Family and I made the long drive down to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park near San Diego, CA. It was the start of the normal wildflower season for the deserts of Southern California. An area that I always wanted to explore during the spring. Thanks to fate allowing me to nab the last spot on Ron Nieberger’s photo tour I was able to explore with a great group of fellow photographers and a wonderful guide.

Aside: For the adventurous, moments after Ron took that photo of me photographing off the edge of the world (previous link), a huge gust of wind came up and I hunkered down with one hand on the camera/tripod and the other clutching my graduated neutral density filter between two fingers…holding on to both for dear life!  The joys of being out in the field photographing…

As are so many things with nature/landscape photography, there is no such thing as normal. With all the rains and cooler temps this year, wildflower season is delayed by two to three weeks. We were able to find small patches of flowers and a few cactus with buds that were either just opening or about to open. We were also able to find signs of wild mustard about to over run most fields. The concern of every photographer who frequented the area was that the large fields of desert wildflowers may be a thing of the past. Despite the record setting rainfall it looked like the mustard was about to bloom and take all the moisture and sun from the native wildflowers.

On the flip side, the rain allowed moisture to seep in deep enough into the soil to reach the deeper bulb of the Desert Lily. As Ron, our tour leader, mentioned “most years you were excited to spot one Desert Lily.” This year we found multiple fields of lilies, with the best one being a wash with the leaves of the lily popping out ever few feet.

Few lilies were in bloom yet, but when the majority start to bloom, these fields will be quite a sight to see and photograph. I’m trying to ensure that my schedule has a free spot within the next few weeks to try and head back down for a longer trip during peak time.

(see the entire Sunday Morning Short collection)

During my recent trip to Yosemite to photograph Horsetail Falls I setup to take some video of the sunset on the falls during the second day.  I was able to shorten the run time by compressing the original 15 minutes of video down to this sub two minute view of the end of the sunset.  When watching this time lapsed version the waterfalls appears much more evident than when viewed in real time!  You may also notice a slight lightening or darkening affect during the video, this is the camera automatically adjusting to the decreasing light as the sun sets; the time lapse nature of the video amplifies this affect.

Special thanks goes out to my friend Randy Fromme (from the Fromme Duo) for permission to use Electric Calm as the perfect music to accompany this video.