Top 10 Photos of 2022
This is a practice I do every year, going through the photographs I’ve taken in the past year and pick out the top 10 of the year. These photos have been selected on the merits of either the subject matter, techniques used, or the story behind capturing that shot. These photos also are ranked in particularly any order, they will be presented according to the date taken.
Port Austin Sunset
March 5, 2022, 6:12 PM
Canon EOS Rebel T8i
EF-S18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS STM @ 33 mm
¹⁄₃₂₀ sec at ƒ / 6.3
ISO 400
This photo was taken on my first ever photo excursion to the east side of the state. It was a bit of an adventure to get this shot, and it’s always a gamble trying to get these shots since I’ve never been to the place before. Sure, I do some online scouting ahead of time, but it doesn’t compare to actually being there, and then you have to have the right weather and sky conditions as well of which you have no control. On this day, my plan was to depart from the hotel in Bay City, work my way over to Port Huron, up the lakeshore to the tip of the thumb of Michigan in Port Austin and back again, photographing all the lighthouses and landmarks along the way. My original plan was to be back in Bay City for a lighthouse sunset there, but in typical fashion I had to much fun photographing the sights along the way and was running late. The plans were adjusted to photograph the sunset in Port Austin instead, which was still going to be a race against the clock to get there in time. Fortunately, I made it there with very little time to spare to explore the harbor, see the lighthouse, and pick a spot for a good sunset shot. Little did I know when I got there, I would be greeted by these gorgeous ice patterns in the bay, which eventually was paired with one of the most colorful sunsets of my photographic career. I’ve had sunsets of these hues before, but the combination of the sky, the clouds, and the ice meshed in perfect harmony that night. I ran up and down that dock taking multiple shots through the course of those 5-10 minutes of sunset, but I consider this shot the best of the bunch.
Little Susitna River
May 10, 2022, 11:40 PM
Canon EOS Rebel T8i
EF-S18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS STM @ 18 mm
3.2 sec at ƒ / 8.0
ISO 100
The next two were taken from the same trip. This year I had the opportunity to travel to Alaska on a mission trip. This was my second trip to Alaska, and I had the chance to revisit some places I’ve been to before, as well as a few new experiences too. This shot was a revisited location. Our group stopped along this river on the way up to Hatcher Pass. Nine years ago, when we stopped at this river it was a little later in the year, so the water levels were higher after the spring thaw back then. Then, it was more of a raging river and most of the rocks were hidden beneath the water. This year, I got to see more of the hidden details of the river. It was cool to see a different view of a place I haven’t been to in nine years.
Alaskan Paradise
May 14, 2022, 8:12 PM
Canon EOS Rebel T8i
EF-S18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS STM @ 18 mm
¹⁄₈₀₀ sec at ƒ / 6.3
ISO 100
This next shot was also taken in Alaska. Near the end of the trip our group planned a day to take a whale watching cruise. Unfortunately, the boat had electrical problems, so the cruise didn’t make it out of the harbor. However, on the drive to Seward, I was taking in the sights and took note of this lake and mountain on the way, thinking quickly enough to drop a pin in Apple maps to find it back if we decided to stop on the way back. Since the cruise was a bust, we had extra time to make a stop at the lake. It was a gorgeous spot that I felt was a great representation of the state.
Flight of the Hummingbird
July 30, 2022, 2:03 PM
Canon EOS R7
TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 A022 @ 256 mm
¹⁄₄₀₀₀ sec at ƒ / 6.3
ISO 1250
This shot had a couple of firsts for me:
1. My first hummingbird captured
2. My first mirrorless camera
This shot makes it into the top 10 for this year for the subject, the action shot, and for the joy of taking the shot with new technology. Admittedly a simple reason for being included, but it still counts for me.
Yellow Menace
August 27, 2022, 11:17 AM
Canon EOS R7
90.0 mm @ 90 mm
¹⁄₂₅₀ sec at ƒ / 11
ISO 2500
This was a fun shot for me. Every year when we go camping, we get bombarded by these little jerks since it’s the end of their season and they get more aggressive because of it. Despite my disdain for these pests, I do find them fascinating in terms of their colors. This past summer when camping, I was hoping for an opportunity to photograph one of these guys without having to kill or trap them (I didn’t want it to look staged or make them madder than they already were). Fortunately for me, this little guy landed on our table and I suppose he was slowly dying of natural causes, so once he landed he didn’t move all that much. So not only did I have an easy chance to photograph a yellow jacket, but I could also get in close with my macro lens and capture more details than I originally planned.
Light Thru the Darkness
September 10, 2022, 10:13 PM
Canon EOS R7
TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 A022 @ 600 mm
¹⁄₁₀ sec at ƒ / 9.0
ISO 800
One night when I received a notice of a late-night Amazon delivery, I walked outside to grab the package. Doing so led to me to notice how the moon interacted with the clouds that night. I very quickly went back inside to grab my camera gear to capture the scene. This just goes to show that sometimes the best shots can come from your front yard. I absolutely love this shot; I did a double exposure to capture the detail in the moon and differentiate the clouds from the sky in the background. The color hit me just right as well, and it also got a lot of Facebook love around the time that it was taken.
Crisp Reflections
October 8, 2022, 5:03 PM
Canon EOS R7
RF-S18-150mm F3.5-6.3 IS STM @ 35 mm
¹⁄₄₀₀ sec at ƒ / 7.1
ISO 250
These next three shots were taken on my annual photo excursion to the U.P. This year was an autumn trip. This shot is included in the top 10 for the adventure behind it. To get to this lighthouse, the route took me down a long series or winding seasonal roads. When you’re used to road tripping for photos like me, ten miles doesn’t take that long to drive, but it’s a different story when you’re driving on narrow seasonal roads. Full of twists and turns, then having to pull off to the side of the road for oncoming traffic coming back from the lighthouse, that ten miles turns into nearly an hour of driving. It was especially interesting when I pulled over for a Jeep I saw coming around a corner ahead of me. At first it was just one Jeep, and then another, and another, and another until roughly 60 Jeeps all drove by on that narrow road. When we finally made it to the lighthouse, I found this puddle along the beach and captured the lighthouse in a way that I have seen many other lighthouses captured. So this shot makes it into the top 10 because of both the unique adventure that went into capturing it, and then also for adding a new type of lighthouse shot to my portfolio.
Tahquamenon Falls - Autumn 2022
October 8, 2022, 6:47 PM
Canon EOS R7
RF-S18-150mm F3.5-6.3 IS STM @ 79 mm
8.0 sec at ƒ / 11
ISO 100
Tahquamenon Falls is one of those U.P. landmarks that I’ve visited many times in my photographic career. This shot makes it into the top 10 for this year as it became my new favorite shot of the falls. The fall colors were perfectly peak on this trip, there was gorgeous sunset light, I captured the smooth motion of the falls; all in all I’d say this was a great addition to my portfolio this year.
Autumn Adventures
October 9, 2022, 5:19 PM
Canon EOS R7
RF-S18-150mm F3.5-6.3 IS STM @ 18 mm
¹⁄₃₂₀ sec at ƒ / 8.0
ISO 400
This third shot from my U.P. trip makes it into my top 10 for the year because to me it captures the essence of a U.P. road trip. A road trip in the U.P. consists of long and quiet highways through the woods and hills, and to me that is one of the most enjoyable parts of going to the U.P. There is nothing quite like hoping in the car, getting away from it all, and just driving.
Winter’s Kiss
November 13, 2022, 1:42 PM
Canon EOS R7
RF-S18-150mm F3.5-6.3 IS STM @ 150 mm
¹⁄₆₀ sec at ƒ / 6.3
ISO 100
The final shot of my top 10, taken during an early snow fall in November. It isn’t often during this time of year where I see a combination of flowers and snow coming together. This one makes it in for the soft color combo of pink and white, the uniqueness of the find, and for the idea behind the shot. Back in college, my thesis was focused on finding the color and hidden beauty of winter, which often goes unnoticed behind the cliché reasons to dislike winter. It’s nice to see my photography still looking for the same hidden beauties 6 years after completing the college years.