I wasn’t going to write this post. 2016 was a pretty shitty year for me. I didn’t actually spend that much time photographing, so I didn’t think I would have 10 good shots to show for myself.
But, in an effort to find light in the darkness, to find a glimmer of hope, and perhaps discover that not everything was bad, I decided to take a look through my archives and see what I could find. Maybe not 10 but maybe I would find something worthwhile.
Much to my surprise I did find 10. More than that, I found 10 landscape images and 10 wildlife images that I really like and am proud of.
That just proves to me, once again, that photography helps me find the good in the sea of bad.
I hope that if you had a bad year, you’ll take a few minutes to look back and try to find the good moments to remember. It’s too easy to let all the bad things take over until it feels like that’s all there was. It’s not true. There are good things in the world, we just have to put more effort into finding them and remembering them.
As always, I’ve picked my own personal favourites, not the ones that were most popular on social media or got the most comments, but the ones I love the most. Here are my top 10 landscape photos from 2016 in the order I made them:
1. Berserker Lava Field, Iceland
2. Breiðamerkursandur Beach, Iceland
3. Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, Iceland
4. Joshua Tree National Park, California
5. Whitney Pockets, Nevada
6. Ray and Angie at Dumont Dunes, California
7. Bandon Beach, Oregon
8. Shanghai, China
9. Huangshan, China
10. Huangshan, China
If you have a collection of your favourite photos from 2016, I’d love to see them! Please feel free to leave a link in the comments below.
Next up, check out my Top 10 Wildlife Photos of 2016.
I’m owner of an outdoor newbie blog and would love to learn some outdoors photography tips, which Ebook your recommend ? Thanks!
Hi Iben, to get started, I think the most important thing to learn for outdoor photography is how to make the most of natural light. You can check out this eBook here, it’s free.
http://annemckinnell.com/natural-light-ebook/
Enjoy!
Thank you, greatly appreciated! I will look at the ebook and let you know my thoughts.
Hi Anne,
You have such beautiful pictures. I just find your blog, so happy. I am french but speaks and understand English enough to lern your advices and much more.
My husband and I had a hard year 2016.Christmas we spent in hospital. But as you say, theres lots of good things that happened too. So we thank God and Life for that.
Please don’t look at my english writing, it’s not often well writen
Thank’s for your E-Books, I appreciate.
Hi Bernadette, thank you for your kind words about my photographs 🙂 Sorry to hear that you too had a hard year last year. I hope 2017 is a better one for you. Don’t worry about your english, you’re doing great!! It’s much better than my french. I took a little french in high school, but that’s it.
Anne, fantastic collection of images for the year. I’m glad you decided to post them. Seeing work this good is inspiring, it helps remind me what’s possible and prompts me to get out there and practice, so thank you for that. I love the colors of Berserker Lava Field, the other-worldly look to Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, the amazing light and distant drama of Whitney Pockets, and the contemplative mystery of Bandon Beach. Really beautiful work!
Anne, I really hope this year is a good one for you. Your images selections are beautiful. I hope to cross paths with you and Ray again sometime this year. All the best to you!
Lovely choices Anne. Always a pleasure to see your year end photos and really appreciate your participation in this years Best Photos of the Year blog project. I hope you and your family have a great 2017!
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Wow Anne these are amazing! I also lived your message about life and how photography can be a beacon of light for you during dark times. Thank you for sharing – excited to see the wildlife photos next! Wishing you a 2017 full of fun, happiness, adventure and of course, beautiful photos 🙂
Hi Anne – Thank you for sharing your stories and images in 2016. I wish you and Ray happier times and many fine adventures in 2017. Cheers-Susan
Hi, Anne! I just discovered your blog and work through the dPS website. I have perused your blog briefly, read your bio, and your most recent post. I’m sorry for the loss of your mom, I lost mine in ’04, just prior to our huge move from our lifetime in California to our (then) new home here in Small-town Illinois. While this was an excellent move and adventure for my husband, kids, and myself, I understand that place, that darkness you refer to. I too have been in that place many times since I was 11. Photography became a hobby for me when my firstborn took up markers and watercolors on walls….I put that media away, and moved to film. Over time, and especially following our family relocation, my camera became my best friend, and often my therapy. Over the last decade, my work has improved, and in the last several years, I’ve toyed with trying to make a living through my muse. Only in the last 6 months have I determined I AM going to DO it, and just before Christmas, I determined 2017 is the year I’m leaping forward and doing it. It’s a work in progress, for sure! But for starters, I finally got started building my own blog and online portfolio, and have decided fine art prints and perhaps freelancing for publication is my aim. I want to share my view of my part of the world, and the beauty and joy I find around me. I’m on my way….I will let you know when my site has launched!
Sorry to ramble so….Back to you! I am thrilled to have found your site. As a landscape photographer primarily myself, with similar other sides as your work, you are an inspiration. Your lifestyle, your story, and your photos encourage me a great deal. Thank you! I wish you all the best in 2017, and perhaps we’ll get a chance to chat sometime. I willl be coming back to your blog again and again to learn and gain inspiration again. Happy New Year, Anne! ~~ Laurie Smith, Greenville, IL
Hi Anne – I hope that 2017 turns out to be a better year for you and Ray. As this post shows, you did come away from 2016 with some great photos. I think my favorite is the lava field because it is one of my favorite places in Iceland. I also really like the Whitney Pockets photo – what a surreal landscape!
Happy New Year, Anne! 2016 was a pretty tough one for us too, with many disappointments, but also some good moments and good photography. I definitely know where you’re coming from! I love the Whitney Pocket image (and it’s now a National Monument!), and the Huangshan photos are absolutely fantastic!
Still amazing photos, my faves are number 3, 7 and 10.
I wish you a better year ahead Anne!
Beautiful. Ten is a good number when they represent such great quality.
Amazing images as usual Anne. Love love the ones from Iceland.
Nice selection. You certainly get around. My favorite would be from Bandon. I was there last summer but found nothing so photogenic as this image. My 12 are in a blog post on my website.
This is a beautiful and diverse collection, Anne! Wishing you continued success and visual opportunities in 2017.
Cheers,
Russ
Gorgeous images! I especially like the one of fog and trees in Huangshan. It has an almost 3-dimensional feel. Here’s a wish that 2017 will be filled with health, happiness and many blessings for you and Ray. Happy travels and shooting!
Amazing photos in such a diversity of environments!
I feel drawn in to your pictures, as though I was actually there observing it.
You are an inspiration to me as I begin my exploration of photography.
Your choices are spectacular Anne!
I also entered my year-end selection of what I considered to be my best photos with a bit of trepidation. It was a year of change for me, a time of getting laid off and deciding the retire, a time of starting to figure out the rest of my life. It was not much of a travel year so my selections are all from New England. I found my favorites split between landscapes and flowers. If you’re interested, you can see my favorites of 2016 in the gallery at http://www.denisegoldberg.com/Fragments/Top-photos-2016/.
Even though life events can change both plans and outlook I think it’s a good idea to look back in the process of looking forward.
HI Anna Many thanks for sharing your beautiful photo’s , they are always an inspiration for me to try harder in my photography. efforts. You always post the most amazing photos of which i look forward to to keep me motivated.
Again thank you for sharing Les
The Huangshan China images are jaw dropping Anne!! WOW! Great composition and the colors in the top one are beautiful. Safe travels, fair winds and sun on the side.
Stunning images. There’s nothing like photography to help us see the beauty. Well done.
Not to minimize your feelings about all that befell you in 2016, but if I could produce half the number of photos this gorgeous in a year, I would be thrilled. I am so glad you decided to post these. They will inspire me to keep growing my skills in 2017.
Your Iceland and Oregon images are my favourites out of this post.
The Bandon Beach, Oregon image looks almost magical with that light. Wish I’d been on the beach on that day.
Anne, your postings of photos always bring a spark of beauty and awesomeness to my day.
I agree. 2016 was a challenging year. Thank goodness we have the art of photography to focus us
on the marvels of our universe.
Beautiful photos Anne. Just found your website. I have a new Sony mirrorless camera and am beginning my photography journey,so will look forward to your tips and advice
Many thanks
Drew Brown