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Iguanasan
12-23-2011, 08:45 PM
The year is coming to a close. Time to go through your images while you are kicking back with an eggnog (or beer ;) ) and find your favourite photograph that you took in 2011 and post it here. It's not about how technically perfect it is, it's about the photograph being your favourite and why it's your favourite.

My favourite this year was the one I printed for the photo swap. I went on the Scott Kelby WorldWide Photowalk this year here in Halifax. They day ended up being kind of miserable due to wet and rainy weather. I was not having a great day and was actually kind of depressed because I was looking forward to a great day and the rain put a huge damper on my morning.

I submitted the shot below to the contest as it was the one shot I got that day that I saw, planned and captured exactly the moment I wanted. I ended up winning the Walk I was in so my image got sent on for the full contest.

I didn't win the contest. However, Scott Kelby composed a list of his personal favourites from the submitted images and this image made it as "Best Atmospheric Shot" - More Images are Honored From My Worldwide Photo Walk « Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider Blog » Photoshop & Digital Photography Techniques, Tutorials, Books, Reviews & More (http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2011/archives/22397)

This is my favourite shot of 2011... what's yours? Post it below

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kat
12-23-2011, 10:30 PM
Love this thread. I have many, hard to choose one. This year is my daughters first year at school and many mornings I walk home with my son after dropping her off (he still a year to go to get to school). We do a stop at Tim Horton's and he always gets a sparkled donut. Every time he does..I always think "I have to get a shot of this" as he stuffs it in his mouth. So I did. I guess this photo for me is all about the memory of it, of us, of him before my little man is a big boy too.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7172/6562110525_7b230e275f_b.jpg

theantiquetiger
12-23-2011, 10:38 PM
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6224/6310666305_a42ae15ebb_b.jpg

susan
12-23-2011, 11:06 PM
Iggy -First off, I agree fully with Kat at loving the thread! On to your submission: What a neat honor! Your photo is wonderful! Kat - I sooo get where you are coming from. Love your shot. Love that you see the specialness of a common ritual you have and wanted to capture it. Tiger - What a sweet image -- :-)

susan
12-23-2011, 11:49 PM
This story (http://www.firehouse.com/news/news/three-children-die-se-iowa-house-fire) has a lot to do with my pic. The photo is certainly not the best photo I have taken, but it has the biggest impact on me.

This is my first cousin Robin and her family. This October, I got to see her for the first time since the tragedy. When the tragedy happened, she was 5 months pregnant with the little boy in the photo, a few years later, they welcomed the little girl.

Seeing her smile, the entire visit I had with her. She smiled. I asked her how she could --- time --- and rebuilding her family. The couple had gotten married just 7 months before the horrible nightmare happened. His 3 boys were fine. Her son that survived was born severe/profound handicapped with about a 3 month old's mind and wheel chair bound. (He is now in a home since he is too big for her to lift.)

Her mind set is amazing and she inspires everyone she meets. She touched my heart that day in a way that it has not been touched - ever.

Seeing her smile.

Greg_R
12-24-2011, 09:26 AM
I haven't had much of a chance lately to get out and shoot but I've been trying to keep up with the board and am enjoying the great work by everyone here.

Hands downs this is my favourite, I had this printed 6x28 and is hanging behind my couch. I wish I could link to a larger size, but everything I try compresses it to this size.

http://vidi-images.weebly.com/uploads/6/5/9/7/6597693/4382802_orig.jpg

Marko
12-24-2011, 10:34 AM
I think this is a FABULOUS thread and I'm so looking forward to seeing more results. I'll post mine soon as well!

XPWizard
12-24-2011, 10:49 AM
This is one I took in April just after sun rise. I like the blues and the golden tones from the sun.
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susan
12-24-2011, 01:22 PM
This is one I took in April just after sun rise. I like the blues and the golden tones from the sun.
14322
Agreed! The color pop is quite nice :-) A little suggestion: if the bottom of the water where the blue bands is bothersome to you, you can take it into Lightroom (I use LR 3) Under the HSL area (Saturation tab) you can desat the blue slightly to get rid of that band. The rest of the color stays as is.

susan
12-24-2011, 01:23 PM
I haven't had much of a chance lately to get out and shoot but I've been trying to keep up with the board and am enjoying the great work by everyone here.

Hands downs this is my favourite, I had this printed 6x28 and is hanging behind my couch. I wish I could link to a larger size, but everything I try compresses it to this size.

http://vidi-images.weebly.com/uploads/6/5/9/7/6597693/4382802_orig.jpg
Wonderful panorama!

kat
12-24-2011, 02:03 PM
Loving them. Love the stories behind them. Susan stories of strength always go well in my book!

Keep em coming!

Bambi
12-24-2011, 05:21 PM
great thread!!

here's mine: not only is it my favourite but it also brought some critical acclaim as well and is my first (and only) photo exhibited in a real art gallery!

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5287/5339165718_323c139435_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bambe1964/5339165718/)
snow walk (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bambe1964/5339165718/) by bambe1964 (http://www.flickr.com/people/bambe1964/), on Flickr

GDub
12-24-2011, 06:01 PM
Picking one from a whole year of shooting is difficult, but... While hanging out for a few days in Vancouver in November, I was riding the Skytrain out to Burnaby and stealthily grabbed this shot with my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app.

http://www.mediarare.com/GWimages/images/blackgirlonskytrain_blog.jpg

Greg_R
12-24-2011, 06:22 PM
Wonderful panorama!

Thanks Susan!

Greg_R
12-24-2011, 06:23 PM
great thread!!

here's mine: not only is it my favourite but it also brought some critical acclaim as well and is my first (and only) photo exhibited in a real art gallery!

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5287/5339165718_323c139435_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bambe1964/5339165718/)
snow walk (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bambe1964/5339165718/) by bambe1964 (http://www.flickr.com/people/bambe1964/), on Flickr

Amazing shot.

Richard
12-24-2011, 06:53 PM
Oh some great images in this thread... I'm finding it really hard to pick just one image...


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Here's one of my favourites from the summer in Peak District.

susan
12-25-2011, 11:06 AM
Bambe - WOW! wonderful shot and what an honor to have your piece on display! kudos!!!

GDub - love the urban story you are telling with your shot :-)

Richard - so cute. Gutsy little misses to be high in a tree and still smile! :-)

jude01
12-25-2011, 01:13 PM
I had a really hard time choosing a shot. I wanted to pick a wildlife pic, but I went with this one. I think this shot sums up all my extremely early mornings, and why I love that time of day. I like being one of the only people down at the water, when the air is damp and misty and there is nothing but SILENCE!, no traffic noise, just the lapping of the waves and the chatter of birds. When the otters, seals and porpoise are playing and I'm one of the few there to witness it. When the suns warm rays come over the islands and the world is first starting to wake up.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l189/selenaxrt123/Selena%20Rhodes%20Scofield%20Photography/sunriseandaspeedboat.jpg

susan
12-25-2011, 06:40 PM
Jude, a beautiful, serene photo!

lindsayb
12-26-2011, 05:33 AM
This one is of my daughter and father-in-law as he lays on the floor reading. She paused in her crawling all over him for this cute moment and it's one of my favourites.

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/7062/imgp0504z.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/4/imgp0504z.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

Michaelaw
12-26-2011, 02:31 PM
This was one of my favorites because I finally got helicopter blade motion where I wanted and was able to use the hills to suggest stormy ocean swells.


http://www.redzonefilms.com/pics6/rescue.jpg

vyeko
12-26-2011, 11:30 PM
One of my favorites.Reason is that is taken in the middle of night with full moon.Far away from city light pollution with very long shutter sped. 146 sec

mbrager
12-27-2011, 01:31 AM
Taken during Stampede Week in July, I used a wide angle lens to capture a lot of detail from the buildings, the sculptures, the people and the reflections. I get a kick out of the selenium toning and the guy in the foreground contemplating the view.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6009/5966290686_93c06b0df7_z.jpg

Iguanasan
12-27-2011, 02:26 PM
Thank you all for joining me in this thread. There are some very wonderful moments caught here.

susan
12-27-2011, 06:09 PM
Thank you all for joining me in this thread. There are some very wonderful moments caught here. I totally agree Iggy! I love too the stories that have accompanied some of the photos... Sometimes, the story is what really bring something so personal to life. Not every photo is meant to be perfection - otherwise Face book would be the "go to" site for seeing fab photography :-) Rambling! Not sure if I made my point or not... le sigh....

Hillbillygirl
12-29-2011, 06:08 PM
Really loving this thread and all the stories with each photo posted.(even though with a busy holiday schedule, i have not had time to look for anything, let alone post it).

Mad Aussie
12-30-2011, 05:03 PM
Now that was just excruciating to pick out a single photo from my 2011 shots. I'm sure I could look at it tomorrow and choose something different.

I finally decided to go with this one because at the time it was on the top of my hit-list for birds, I enjoyed the processing, and the fact I got this shot within about 2 kilometres of home.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6138/5972909794_9778c59afc_o.jpg

Lizardqing
12-30-2011, 05:26 PM
Great photos and stories. This is mine for the year. I took a bunch since I really got serious back in the spring and have several I really like, this one though is one that actually helped bring about a change in my life that I am grateful for so it is an easy favorite.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6145/5967312977_719f157aa5_b.jpg

Mad Aussie
12-30-2011, 05:31 PM
It's interesting to see how many people are driven by emotion (as opposed to technical aspects) in choosing their favourites here.

Iguanasan
12-31-2011, 12:13 AM
It's interesting to see how many people are driven by emotion (as opposed to technical aspects) in choosing their favourites here.

I was just thinking the same thing. I think, as photographers, we try to capture the moment that is important to us. If it's a great shot technically, that's nice, but the important thing is capturing the moment.

Marko
12-31-2011, 10:46 AM
I'm loving this selection everyone, and I too will post an "unposted fave" here shortly.

susan
12-31-2011, 02:14 PM
MA - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your choice - Your presentation is beautifully done! I like your explanation for your choice too!
Lizard - Beautifully lit and emotional piece!
It is wonderful that photos don't need to be 'perfect' to have impact on one person or an entire audience.
Marko - I cannot wait to see what you post! :-)

asnow
12-31-2011, 04:20 PM
Just under the wire ..... here is my favourite. I went to take pictures of the little town of Tobermory at the sunset golden hour when I noticed 90 degrees from where I was shooting, the ferry and the sun. I immediately turned my tripod around and captured this picture.

Mad Aussie
12-31-2011, 05:56 PM
MA - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your choice - Your presentation is beautifully done! I like your explanation for your choice too!
:) cheers

aubintbay
01-04-2012, 10:07 PM
My fave from last year was one of the first of the year. The view at the waterfront with the sunrise behind the fog over the lake.

casil403
02-11-2012, 12:14 PM
Well it's been a while since I posted/replied to anything so I thought I would start here. Been in a place where photography just isn't high on the list right now.
Here is my fave photo from 2011:
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6177/6205731379_7effe7321c_o.jpg
It's not my best shot the past year by any stretch but it has such significant meaning for me. This is my 3 year old husky/border collie dog "Bear" . He represents about 4 years of goal attaining and life transforming for me as he was the final piece of the puzzle I have been working so hard for.
He also came to me a frightened, abused, insecure soul who (was going to be euthanized by the humane society for being "unadoptable" - thanks to another rescue who came and got him hours before he was to be put down) I have had the pleasure of watching turn into a confident, outgoing secure being over the last 6 months....not dissimilar to my journey and transformation over the last 4 years.
Anyhow I love that he looks so carefree, and genuinely happy....finally

PMac
02-11-2012, 12:45 PM
Just happened to see the mist on the cobweb one day and thought I just had to try and capture it. This image is cropped to about 10% of the original. Needle tip to needle tip is about an inch across. I just love it when photography shows me more than my naked eye can see.

lindsayb
02-12-2012, 12:19 PM
Oh, I love this one, PMac. Very cool indeed!

Iguanasan
02-12-2012, 02:55 PM
Wonderful additions Casil and PMac. Casil, pardon me for watery eyes, I was peeling onions...yeah, that's it... peeling onions ;)