With most of 2010 in the rear view mirror I started looking at my photographs from this year. Much to my surprise I found that the Skylands Botanical garden in New Jersey was my most photographed spot. I first went there and shot once in 2008 and discovered how great a location it was with the scenery changing with what was blooming on an almost weekly basis. In 2009 I started to make frequent trips there shooting a total of six times that year. In 2010 I found I had been there more than fifteen times and took photos in both b&w and color. Last week I decided to go through all those images and find my five favorite color and five favorite b&w shots from 2010. This was a tough process to go through that many photos I had taken and liked to get down to 5 that I felt were my best for this year. I can tell I am growing and getting stronger as a photographer and artist, because shots that in 2009 would have made the top of the list were not even close. After much review here are the five images that I think best represent my color work at Skylands this year. I think I have more than enough to make a really nice calendar too. Hmmm that's an idea...
Tomorrow I will post my favorite b&w images from Skylands in 2010. That will be a lot of fun as I was able to get some really great infrared stuff there and next week I will really turn the looking glass on myself and talk about the goals I posted myself as an artist a year ago and talk about where I have done well and what goals I will need to carry forward to 2011.
Enjoy the photos!
Keep Makin' Art!
Carl
I hope you enjoyed these and i thank Everyone for their comments and support in 2010. Here hoping everyone has a great 2011!
While I have been busy uploading and editing images, Penny the Cat has been sitting in her favorite spot which is on top of a pillow perched on the radiator looking out the window. Today she sat still long enough for me to actual get some decent shots of her by the window light. Thanks for playing along Penny. You can go back to your nap now.
I set out on one of my favorite paths this morning that follows the course of a brook and changes elevation slowly. This gives you several small falls and pools in the brook as it meanders thru the rocks and trees. The only sound this morning was the rushing of water on rock. It was incredibly peaceful. The hike and the photos were exactly what I needed to recharge my batteries as we jump into 2011.
The long winter nights are upon us. Stay safe and warm. The Spring will be here in a few short months.
I did not shoot today, but while I was combing through the archives I found this gem. It was taken in the early morning after a snowfall in Harriman State Park. I can still hear the crunch of snow underfoot while the first warm light of day made its way through the forest. Originally i had worked on the images of the fallen snow in the fields and the stark blue skies. this image was virtually ignored only for me to find it again today and spend some time coaxing the tones hidden in the original image. I normally edit each days shooting pretty harshly and delete what does not strike me as a winner that first day. I think from now on I may change my workflow and keep all images and move the winners out to a workflow folder to work on so I can review everything later. I hate to think of the strong images I may have thrown away over the years because i did not fall in love with them right away. Another reason to keep them is as I learn more uses of photoshop and new tools are developed I may be able to find magic in images i would have once thrown away. I found this lesson out the hardware recently when I got my HDR software and realized I had been tossing out my over and under bracketed shots.... How many amazing HDR shots I might have if I had not been editing so eagerly these past five years.... Food for thought.
Keep Makin' Art!
Keep Makin' Art!
This project of picking my five favorite color and b&w images from 2010 at skylands has been tougher than I thought. Mostly that is because I took so many photos. It is taking time to go through them all.