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It is that time of year where I once again look back over my photography from the past twelve months and select the favourite ten photos I created during that time. As always, these are the ones I like for various reasons, and not necessarily the ten most technically perfect ones. Each photo has a story behind it and collectively they act as an inspiration to continue to create photos and further develop creatively. They are presented in a random order. Without further ado, here they are:

I started off the year going to Botany Bay, in Botanical Beach Provincial Park. January weather can be quite stormy along the coast, and while this day was not too wild, it did provide enough action to provide an interesting setting for this photograph. I liked the way the rock in the foreground was jutting out from its surroundings, mimicking the island behind it jutting out of the turbulent sea.

In February I drove from Vancouver Island, down the west coast of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state, and about half way down the Oregon coast. It was far too short a trip for such a beautiful area, but I did have time to get some photos I really enjoy. This one, at Bandon Beach, was taken just after sunset, as the light was fading and the pastel colours were superb to witness. The tide was coming in and the area of the beach I was on had limited access, so I had to rush to get to higher ground shortly after this photo. I had checked the tide tables and planned my route off the beach, so I knew how much time I had, but if I’d have stayed much longer, I would have been very wet!

This long exposure photo was created in February, on my way back from my Oregon coast trip. I had noticed these pilings and the Astoria-Megler bridge on my way through Washington state and knew I had to stop on my way back. This is only the northern end of the bridge, which is 6545 m (21,474 feet) long.

This multi-tiered waterfall is a little more challenging hike to get to and is not too far from Port Renfrew, on beautiful Vancouver Island. I’d been here before, but the conditions and water levels were less than ideal then. On this visit, there was a nice amount of water flowing over the falls and the bubbles were swirling, creating the interesting patterns seen in this long exposure photo. It’s unfortunate that the two logs are in front of the waterfall at the rear of the photo, but they show just how rugged the area is. I had a tough decision between this photo and a portrait orientation of the same scene, which included a large log above, adding a window into the forest beyond, but that view was just a little too cluttered to make the cut.

When I was young, I used to go to the Abbotsford International Airshow every year, and sometimes others as well. In fact, I’m sure that seeing the skill of these pilots, especially the Snowbirds, played a part on my eventual decision to join the Canadian Armed Forces. That was long ago, however, and I had not been to an airshow in decades, until last year, when I returned to my old stomping grounds. I decided to skip this year and instead I went up to Comox, where the Snowbirds make an annual visit for ‘spring training’, before the airshow season. A simple black and white conversion of this photo really seemed to make it a bold statement.

Looking out towards the Olympic Peninsula from Vancouver Island, you can often see beautiful sunsets and fantastic colours into blue hour. This simple panoramic view just puts me in a peaceful, relaxed mood and is a reminder of what a fantastic part of the world I live in.

Every year I try to go to at least one photography related conference or workshop. This past year was no exception. The conference was three days long, with opportunities to go on group excursions either before or after the day’s lectures. On this occasion, arrangements had been made for us to visit the Sierra West Trading Post after dark. A single, large, LED panel light gently lit the front, and a partial moon lit the side of the building and ground (note the shadow in front of the building).

Nearby where the conference was held, I had spotted this old colliery building and thought it would make a great subject for night photography. Unfortunately, that night the clouds were blocking out the stars, but using some creative lighting (a combination of low level lighting on the front of the building and very faint red light inside) and a long exposure, this is the photo I created that night.

I tried to do some astrophotography on several occasions throughout the year, but most times ran in to less than ideal conditions. On this occasion I took my local photography club to nearby Whiffin Spit for some night photos. It’s not the best area for dark skies, as you can tell, but it did allow me to create this rather interesting photo. While there are a few lights on the peninsula to the front, the majority of the light glowing above it is coming from Port Angeles, across the straight, and reflecting off some low cloud / fog that was rolling in. In fact, not long after this photo, much of the sky to the south was obscured.

The final image in my top ten is from November. This past year has been drier than normal and many of the streams and waterfalls were low (or completely dry) much later than normal. That meant that many of the salmon runs were late as well. I had come to this area on the off chance that I might find a bear fishing, but not this time. It seems most times I see a bear around where I live (this is not too far away), I don’t have a camera with me, or they’re way off in the distance. Not that I want a close encounter. Anyway, the three trees along the bank seem to be stretching their roots into the water to drink it up. I slightly lightened them, and darkened the one at the rear right, to make them stand out a little more. While instinctively it may feel like the water is flowing down the photo from the mid left to the bottom right, that is a trick of perspective and what the mind expects. The water is actually flowing the opposite direction.

So those are the ten favourite photos I created in 2023. One of the reasons I put this list together every year is to share it with others. Another is so that I can review my photos and make some observations. Here are a few things I am realizing about my photography from this review:

• most of my favourite photos were from the first half of the year. I have noticed in the later half that while I’ve had the desire to get out with my camera, I often found it difficult to pick a destination and get out there
• several of my favourites were night or astro images, even though I have a much smaller percentage of those in my photo libraries. I really enjoy this type of photography and would love to do more but I often find it difficult to get out on a clear night to a good location
• Only one image was not some form of a long exposure photo, with a second one being 0.3 seconds. The other eight were true long exposures. A couple had to be long as they were at night, but most were a choice for aesthetics. Many of those required the use of neutral density filters, in order to slow down the shutter speed enough to get the desired results.
• four photos were from overnight (or longer) trips and one other was a 3 hour drive (each way) from where I live. I don’t get away nearly as often as I’d like, but these photos show that while I enjoy photography near home, getting out to other locations inspires me
• Interestingly, despite doing a fair bit of street/city photography during the year, none of it made it to may favourites
• five of my photos included the ocean, one waterfall and another of a stream. Water plays a big part in my photography

So what does this mean for the year to come? Well, I already have plans for a couple of multi-day trips (one of which is a conference) and hope to do a few overnight excursions as well. I will keep an eye out for more night / astro opportunities and maybe work on some new techniques for those times. I have a lot of other thoughts and some loose plans for the year ahead, including re-awakening my youtube channel, so keep an eye out there for new videos.