Best of 2015

We like to joke that picking our best pictures is like being asked which child we love most – it’s an impossible task. But our pictures don’t have feelings, so there’s no harm in choosing, it’s just hard work. And that’s something we have to learn to do as photographers or we’ll drown in our own photos.

This is why I always urge people to make “best of” collections. Create them from different events you photograph during the year, and at the end of the year make one for that year itself. When you’re done doing that, I then suggest you go through those photos and pick just the ten or twelve best. I’ve just finished doing that for 2015. As the years go by, those favorites tend to be moments that were special to me not just for the photo, but for the experience I was having at the time. Here they are for last year:

Last January I led my first winter workshop to Yellowstone. I’ve led many trips there in warm weather, but always wanted to go in the heart of winter. We were blessed with relatively warm weather (meaning we didn’t freeze to death), but that also meant we didn’t get the frost coating that occurs when it’s really cold. Until the final morning. Since the temps dropped to zero overnight, our sunrise walk was a real treat. As the sun burned through the steam, I found myself looking at a frost-covered tree by a hot spring. Putting a flash to the sidehelped show the ice on the tree at the right, and balanced out the sunrise on the left. This is the image that pops in my head when I think of that trip.

 

In February I taught a Mentor Trek to Croatia and Italy, with Carnival in Venice as our final stop. The costumes and people made wonderful photos, just as we’d hoped. But my favorite moment was a little slice of life, as one man, dressed as a woman, adjusted his outfit while his friend laughed. Next to them a tourist was texting, apparently oblivious to the farce happening next to him.

 

I’ve taken people to the Galapagos Islands several times now, and each visit’s a treat. Abundant, unique wildlife makes it a real adventure. We always have a few snorkel outings to experience the sea life too. This time, in April, while swimming around Kicker Rock, we came upon a large group of sea turtles. Normally they’ll swim away as you approach, but this youngster was too busy munching on a jellyfish to pay any attention to me.

 

The Galapagos Islands are part of Ecuador, and it would be a shame to visit without seeing some of the rest of the country and its people, too. So we spend a day touring the countryside outside Quito. That’s where I met this man and his granddaughter enjoying a treat. He looked like the kind of guy you could spend a fun evening with.

 

Tanzania and the Serengeti have been a regular workshop destination for me for about ten years now. My two favorite animals are the lions and the elephants because they’re so obviously social. This trip we came across a lioness keeping an eye on her five cubs. At one point a little one came up to her, meowed, and they rubbed faces together. Our entire truck let out one big, “Awwwww.” And even better, my wife was along. This is a memory we’ll always share.

 

The Africa trips are mainly about wildlife, but we also make a stop at a Maasai village. This is an ancient, nomadic tribe, whose lives revolve around their herds of cows and goats. Fascinating people, they greet us with song and dance, then give a tour of their homes. It’s a very basic life, but they seem happy with it. This little girl was being watched over by her mother, aunts and grandmother during the dancing.

 

Last June I got a last-minute call asking if I could teach photography on a couple of Arctic cruises in July. I jumped at the opportunity. For an inhospitable environment, the area is teeming with sea and bird life. Plus, there are polar bears. This was the most entertaining of those we saw, as it seemed to think we were out to steal its seal skin.

 

For several years a good friend in Oregon had been pushing me to lead a trip out there so he could show off their beautiful coastline. With his help I finally managed to do that last fall, and we were rewarded with a beautiful week of photography. My favorite stop was a small park on the ocean whose sandstone was carved into unreal shapes by the wind and water.

 

In November I made my third trip to India, and again visited the Taj Mahal. The classic shots were, as always, beautiful. But among the visitors were a few dogs, who seemed to belong there as much as anyone. I simply crouched down and let this one come to me.

 

On our last morning in India, some of us took a walk into a neighborhood near the hotel. And we found a wedding taking place. The families invited us to join in, and before it was over we were in the middle of a giant party winding its way through the streets. What a delightful finish to a wonderful trip!

 

For the last several years, I’ve spent the first week of December doing volunteer photography for Disabled Sports USA in Breckenridge, Colorado. That’s where they run a week-long learn-to-ski camp and race training for Paralympic hopefuls. Now that snowboarding is a medal sport in those games, they’ve asked me to make photos to promote that. With the blessing of the coach, I was able to lie in the middle of the course and shoot the athletes during their runs. An added bonus was finding a framing that featured their sponsor, The Hartford, in the photo.

 

At the end of December my wife, daughter and I flew to Europe to visit our son who lives in Brussels. From there we visited Prague, Vienna, Salzburg and Munich. It was a delightful trip, partly thanks to the Christmas Markets, which were both lovely and fun to wander through. Waking before sunrise one morning in Prague, I took a walk before the city came to life. And that’s where I found this simple, peaceful scene, a perfect ender for my year’s collection of favorite photos.

 

These are my favorites for the year and the stories behind them. I urge you to pick your favorites too, but don’t stop there. Print them. An old friend once told me, “It’s not really a picture until you can hold it in your hands.” You want those memories to be around for a long time, so do yourself a favor and make prints. Then when people ask why you do photography, hand them a stack. Those prints will speak volumes, and be lovely reminders of the special moments you’ve had.

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