Kyle Jones
Moderator
I never really consider these a "best of" list, for me it is more a list of favorites from the year. Sometimes I select images that are meaningful to me rather than those that get the best responses or the most impressive (for whatever reason). Anyway, here are my 10 favorites from 2020. All were taken within driving distance of either our home in Northern California or our home in Northwest Montana - it was a year of sheltering in place after all...
These are presented in the order they were captured.
1) Eagle Falls and Lake Tahoe - I finally managed to make use of my star tracker and I took advantage of the shutdown of the casinos in South Tahoe to reduce some of the light pollution.
2) Neowise and Point Arena - This wasn't my best picture of the comet that was such a cool addition to the year, but I liked being able to capture it above the Point Arena Lighthouse while hanging out with my Dad
3) Hidden Lake and Stars - Hanging out alone in the dark in Grizzly country definitely added to the adventure for this one, but I was excited to see my planning come together.
4) Avalanche Creek - I'm a sucker for turquoise water, funky rock shapes, and green plants. This was from a pre-dawn hike through the trail of the cedars and some exploring along the creek in Glacier. It is also one of my wife's favorites from this year.
5) Owl in San Francisco - Owls are probably my favorite birds and I'd never had a chance to photograph one, until this one landed in the tree right next to me.
6) Stornetta Rocks in Point Arena - I really love this coastline (don't tell anyone) and I made the pre-dawn hike in the dark to photograph some of my favorite rocks in the morning light.
7) Bowling Balls and Stars - I've attempted similar shots many times, but I finally managed to get clear skies with the Milky Way and Moon in the right places to give me the the shot from Bowling Ball Beach at night that I had envisioned.
8) Avalanche Creek in Winter - From another hike in Glacier, this time just after a healthy snowstorm. I really liked the combinations of rocks, trees, snow and water.
9) Sacred Dancing Sunset - This has become one of my favorite areas in Glacier. Being easy to reach doesn't hurt! Fresh snow, waterfall, mountains, and some sunset light all came together for this one.
10) Golden Gate and Transamerica - This is another shot that I had envisioned for years. I made my way to the Marin Headlands in the dark and walked along the road until I found the spot where the Transamerica Building is centered in the North tower of the Golden Gate Bridge. The pre-dawn sky and holiday lights in the city finished the scene.
These are presented in the order they were captured.
1) Eagle Falls and Lake Tahoe - I finally managed to make use of my star tracker and I took advantage of the shutdown of the casinos in South Tahoe to reduce some of the light pollution.
2) Neowise and Point Arena - This wasn't my best picture of the comet that was such a cool addition to the year, but I liked being able to capture it above the Point Arena Lighthouse while hanging out with my Dad
3) Hidden Lake and Stars - Hanging out alone in the dark in Grizzly country definitely added to the adventure for this one, but I was excited to see my planning come together.
4) Avalanche Creek - I'm a sucker for turquoise water, funky rock shapes, and green plants. This was from a pre-dawn hike through the trail of the cedars and some exploring along the creek in Glacier. It is also one of my wife's favorites from this year.
5) Owl in San Francisco - Owls are probably my favorite birds and I'd never had a chance to photograph one, until this one landed in the tree right next to me.
6) Stornetta Rocks in Point Arena - I really love this coastline (don't tell anyone) and I made the pre-dawn hike in the dark to photograph some of my favorite rocks in the morning light.
7) Bowling Balls and Stars - I've attempted similar shots many times, but I finally managed to get clear skies with the Milky Way and Moon in the right places to give me the the shot from Bowling Ball Beach at night that I had envisioned.
8) Avalanche Creek in Winter - From another hike in Glacier, this time just after a healthy snowstorm. I really liked the combinations of rocks, trees, snow and water.
9) Sacred Dancing Sunset - This has become one of my favorite areas in Glacier. Being easy to reach doesn't hurt! Fresh snow, waterfall, mountains, and some sunset light all came together for this one.
10) Golden Gate and Transamerica - This is another shot that I had envisioned for years. I made my way to the Marin Headlands in the dark and walked along the road until I found the spot where the Transamerica Building is centered in the North tower of the Golden Gate Bridge. The pre-dawn sky and holiday lights in the city finished the scene.
