Good-bye, 2016!

As I say good-bye to 2016, I am looking back to my personal highlights, photography-wise.

• Having my first photos hung in a gallery and selling two!
• Being invited to join a local photography group- the intimidating one that I have referred to many times. Being in this group has helped me to accept criticism and to really look at my own work with a much more critical eye. And it’s also really fun!
• Improving my Photoshop skills (also due to the above group) .
• Getting a good photo printer and learning to print my own photos.
• Traveling to Alaska, where photo ops are everywhere!
• Trying out multiple exposure and intentional camera movement techniques, which I find fun and an escape from the more traditional photography skills I use in my photo group.

Instagram will compile the best nine photos of the year for each user, based on likes. I’m an inconsistent Instagram user, but have been trying to use it more recently, because that is the way everyone seems to be going these days. Two of the photos (the Thumb Butte abstract and the misty, snowy woods) were actually from 2015, but I posted them later to Instagram. So here are my Best Nine, according to Instagram:

Here are my own personal nine favorites of 2016, a few of which never made it to Instagram:

Three of my favorites were just taken in the last month or so- the peaks with pretty skies. And three were taken in Alaska in November. I know the aurora photo is not stellar- but I’m so glad I got even a little bit of it. There are two from San Francisco- and what is that hawk doing there?- I don’t know, I just like the photo!  I noticed that my usual macros, flowers, and still life shots didn’t make the cut- although I still like doing them. And I have to say that my absolute favorite photo of the year is The Magician (top left)- fun to do (and a lot of work to edit).

Thanks for visiting my photo blog this year!

Happy New Year, everyone!