THROWDOWN: Best of 2013

[Mike Dean]

Another year is coming to an end, so I thought I’d ask the near impossible question…

What do you consider to be your best photo of 2013? And why?

[Mike Dean]

I’ll get started. I found this gem the other day scanning back through my archives…

This is Nieve, my friends daughter (one of two identical twins). This is the most genuine look I’ve captured this year. And the sparkle in her eyes is just perfect to me!

[sam johnson]

I liked this one

[Karen]

An interesting exercise. There were a few images that I really liked, but I chose this one because it is one of my favorite places on earth, and I liked the composition and muted colors.

[David Chesterfield]

For me it is this one. Not because it is a great photo ( it certainly isn’t), but because Queensland Museum class this as a significant sighting within the greater Brisbane area. sadly, it would seem the introduced Cane Toad is slowly but surely killing out our red-bellied black snakes.

[Mikell Herrick]

Timely…I just made a list of my “best of 2013” for a local photography forum…and narrowing it down to the Top Ten is going to be very hard…Doing ten best in a few categories would be easier. Picking the best of the best is always tricky…do you choose the best “technically” or the one that means that most to you?

I think I’ll just go with my gut on this one…one of my last images for the year…(already posted this one on the site yesterday) …a photo of my Buddhist monk son visiting me for the holidays for the first time in many years…caught him napping by the xmas tree on xmas eve…brought to mind the famous poem by Clement Moore…and I never get tired to looking at this one:

Not a Creature Was Stirring…Not Even a Monk
From Christmas 2013

[Mikell Herrick]

Great reason to choose these photos, @dchester1001 …I think a photo that you connect to in a personal way always trumps the technically better photos. 🙂

[Mikell Herrick]

It is indeed an inviting place…and I can see why you want to be there…always a great reason to choose a photo as a BEST …one with meaning to you. 🙂 @karamen

[Mikell Herrick]

Uh huh!!! Agreed… I will always pick photos like that to showcase… the ones that capture a genuine moment in life… the ones that make you smile spontaneously …good photo and good choice @thepaparazzo . 🙂

[Ed Aldridge]

Similar to @mikell mine is one of my most recent. I chose this picture because it was a photo I planned and prepared for and had it come out exactly as I was hoping it would.

[Ian Kahler]

wow… that is a really hard task.
One of the most rewarding experiences and consequently the one photo that I attach myself to emotionally, would be this photograph. These two people could live in the moment. Their expressions, their and professionalism in front of the camera has been been one of only a few truly creative experiences for me in 2013.

09 01 NJ 014 BW2.jpg by Ian Kahler on Light Stalking

[Mike Dean]

@drsamj @mikell @karamen @dchester1001 @ed-aldridge @justian

Thanks to all of you for such thoughtful and wonderful responses. I realise I was asking the impossible, so more than one is fine, just carry on with your stories behind the images! It’s all fascinating.

[Ed Aldridge]

ok @thepaparazzo you have opened the floodgates 🙂

These two are probably my personal favourites and I think mark a point in my photography where I can look at an image I have taken and not feel embarrassed to call myself a photographer..

This first image I like because I think I managed a reasonable standard of edit on it to imply a particular mood to the picture

The second one got me the coveted Lightstalking photo of the week award 🙂

[Susan]

@dchester1001 great shot Ihaven’t sen a red bellied black sinceI was a kid, mostly browns and tigers here.

My favourites for 2013…hmmm

I’m partial to this one because it evokes that time when the day is coming to an end, animals and birds are settling for the night and the night sounds are begininng, for me this is the most restive time of day, and I often just sit outside and watch and listen as the day transitions into night.

And this one, which is part of a series of photos which shows the power and grandeur of mother nature

[Maureen Figueira]

I was the one held captive by the emotion in this lioness’ eyes. . .
Feb (1).jpg by Maureen Figueira on Light Stalking

[Karen]

Love this one, @ed-aldridge! I can see why it’s a favorite!

[Adrienne Siebert]

For me it was this one. It is the first photo I shared on a photography site when a friend encouraged me to do it. It got chosen for one of the Daily Dozen on the Nat Geo Your Shot.
It got me shooting again after a more than 15 year break. Soon after, I got a DSLR and love practicing again.

http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/photos/1818024/

That was so hard to get it up here. I don’t know what I am doing wrong. lol
I added a link as well, but the site comes up real slow for me.

[Sean P. Schneider]

Narrow One of the pack.jpg by Sean P. Schneider on Light Stalking

I loved this photo it is hard to control the scene when you are up in a balloon and in this case every thing was perfect. The sun was off to the side and was causing things to be to over exposed, the winds were calm enough that the balloons could fly close and all the colors just seemed to pop. Not to mention I had a blast on the balloon ride in among so many others balloons as part of the mass ascension during this event.

[Sean P. Schneider]

@mikell, Very funny caption and out an standing photo.

[Heather]

I don’t consider myself a photographer as much as someone that likes pointing a camera, shooting and occasionally being able to say, “Ah, that’s what I wanted!”

This was one of those times that I caught a moment exactly how I wanted to remember it. This is my daughter at Carhenge in Alliance, Nebraska on July 4th, and it makes me laugh. Enough said.

The Big Chase.JPG by Heather on Light Stalking

[Heather]

We were at Dead Horse Point State Park near Moab, Utah on July 9th and my 10 year old son was bored with me taking pictures of everything under the sun. He climbed to the top of the highest point, crossed his legs and arms and made it abundantly clear that he was done with everything unless it involved food. The sun centered itself behind him (it did that just for me) and I got this meditation pose that exudes peace despite him being furiously angry. I know from a technical standpoint (subject dead center) this probably isn’t the best photo but it’s one of my favorites because it just works for me.

meditate.JPG by Heather on Light Stalking

[Jody Brown]

20131227-DSC_0848-3.jpg by Jody Brown on Light Stalking

[Jody Brown]

I don’t know what happened to my text…

It was: Walking the Manhattan Bridge. I love the mix of the gritty NYC bridge and the elegant young woman with a faraway look on her face.

[Mikell Herrick]

Thanks @mdhs1675 for the nice compliment on my photo – Not a Creature was Stirring…Not Even a Monk. 🙂

That’s a great shot of the young girl and spider @bugadrienne …can see why it was chosen for recognition for sure!

@craftea …I think you can safely call yourself a photographer! Very nice shot of your daughter and dinosaur! And the meditator is superb. Well done. 🙂

[Mathilde]

By chance, I was able to go to one of the places I’ve dreamed of photographing this summer while on a road trip around Arizona and Utah. Unfortunately its become very touristy and crowded, the photography tour I was on provided wonderful moments like this.

IMG_9356.jpg by Mathilde on Light Stalking

[Heather]

@matty128 Can’t go wrong with a photo op like that! Wonderful!

[Author]

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