Once again it is time to post my favourite images from the past year. Choosing these images is always a good mental exercise, and I get a bit of a head start when I design my yearly calendar sometime in late October. I like sharing these image every year, and viewing everyone else’s lists as well. I also make this post so I can participate in Jim Goldstein’s annual Your Best Photos project. His collection of these posts is a great place to find new photographers you may not have seen before.
If you click on a photo you’ll be taken to my Image Archive. I’ve also linked to corresponding blog posts that contain these images if you want more information about the location or to see other photos from that area. There are a few images here that will have blog posts for them soon, but they aren’t finished yet. These photos aren’t in any specific order though I think the first one of with fall foliage around the road in Québec is my favourite overall.
I hope you enjoy this years selections and am curious to hear if you have any particular favourites.
My Favourite Photos of 2018:
1. A closed road (Chemin Cafferty) disappears into the trees (Chelsea, Québec)
Blog post: Meech Creek Valley in Gatineau Park
2. Great Blue Heron at Hog’s Back Falls (Ottawa, Ontario)
Blog post: Hogs Back Falls on Ottawa’s Rideau River
3. Vine Maples Over Lower Falls Trail (Maple Ridge, British Columbia)
Blog post: Lower Falls in Golden Ears Provincial Park
4. William Norman Ruckle Farmhouse and Orchard
(Salt Spring Island, British Columbia)
5. Fall Maples at Lac Bourgeois in Gatineau Park (Gatineau Park, Québec)
Blog post: Fall Rhapsody in Gatineau Park
6. Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) in Fulford Harbour (Salt Spring Island, British Columbia)
Blog post: Fulford Harbour on Salt Spring Island
7. Dunlop Falls on Fortune Creek (Gatineau Park, Québec)
Blog post: Dunlop Falls on Fortune Creek in Gatineau Park
8. Waterfall on the Mississippi River
(Almonte, Ontario)
9. Summer evening at Lower Falls on Gold Creek at Golden Ears Provincial Park (Maple Ridge, British Columbia)
Blog post: Lower Falls in Golden Ears Provincial Park
10. Pacific Dogwood (Cornus nuttallii) Flower
(Langley, British Columbia)
You can view my favourite photographs from 2017 here: My Top 10 Photos of 2017.
A beautiful collection of images, Michael. Very cohesive in a thematic thread, and it’s what I love about these images and your style and personal vision; These are all quiet images. (I have teenagers, so I esp. like all things quiet these days.) 🙂
Thank you Gary! That is an interesting observation about these images being quiet – I hadn’t considered an overall theme when selecting them the other day. I should send them to a friend of mine – he has 3 daughters under 8 years old. He could probably use some quiet too. 🙂
These are all really lovely images Michael! I’m so happy that you were able to get over to Ontario and also to see some beautiful fall colour! My favorite image is of course Lower Falls on Gold Creek! 🙂
All the best to you in the New Year! 🙂
Thank you Rachel! I’m shocked a waterfall was your favourite! 😉
Congrats on completing another year of favorites! Never an easy task at times. Hey, I don’t see any mountains! 😉 Love that heron image. Love the variety.
Thanks Mark! I shot very few mountain photographs this year but I doubt that will be a long term trend as they are still one of my favourite subjects.
Beautiful collection Michael ! Very diverse too. Love the autumn colors and waterfalls. Agree with Gary, they are all quiet images. My favorite is Great Blue Heron at the falls !
Thanks Shikha! I have a blog post partly completed that has a good story about that particular Heron.
It is difficult to pick a single favorite – I can easily see myself making most of these photos just as well. I agree with Gary about the quiet serenity that unites the photos as a whole – a beautiful selection. And I second Mark in his astonishment that there’s no mountain photos this year. 😉 Okay, I’ll pick two: “Vine Maples Over Lower Falls Trail” and “A closed road (Chemin Cafferty) disappears into the trees (Chelsea, Québec)” are both most appealing to me.
Thank you Alex! I was also a bit surprised about the lack of mountains myself, after I’d made my selections. It wasn’t a conscious decision, just the way it worked out.
Another nice selection Michael, looks like you had some fun back east this year too! My favorite is #4, looks like a very quaint cozy home. Best wishes to you in the new year, hope we can get together again soon.
Thanks Alan! It was nice to get back east this year – they really do hoard the great fall foliage back there. It would be nice to shoot together again – any plans on coming north any time soon?
Great work in 2018 as always sir. I especially love that super still Heron with the waterfall behind it. Gary is right, there is definitely a theme and look to your selections. Here’s to a great 2019.
Thanks Tracy! It is interesting that people seem to find the same theme in these images. I always figure that a style or theme is for other people to determine. I wonder if it has more to do with my mood the day I chose these or actually my work for the year…
Love your beautiful collection this year! My two favs are Lower Falls and the fall maples. Happy New Year to you and yours!
Thank you Patricia – Happy New Year to you too!
What a beautiful collection Michael, and I too agree with Gary’s observation about the peaceful nature of the images. I think part of that is the soft light in all the photos and the colour saturation (and by that I mean they are not oversaturated). I especially like the photos from Gatineau. I’ve never been there!
Thank you Anne! One thing I notice about all of those images (except number 5) is they were made on overcast days. Perhaps that helps make the light seem a bit more uniform throughout. If you’ve never been to Gatineau or anywhere in the east during the fall – maybe it is time to make a trip out there with the trailer! 🙂
Michael, what a diverse and wonderful collection. I am especially drawn to #2 (I love herons), #5 (so peaceful) and #9, (you captured the essence of the place perfectly). Wishing you the best in 2019!
A very nice collection of photos for 2018, Michael. I want to walk into all of these relaxing, soothing scenes. My favorites are 2, 5, and 9. I wish you the best for 2019!
You had another fine year of exploring and visual opportunity, Michael! The Lower Falls and the Vine Maples are my favorites. Wishing you all the best in the year ahead! Cheers, Russ
Beautiful collection of images, Michael. I enjoy them all, but I think I’m most drawn to the paths leading us into A Closed Road and Vine Maples Over Lower Falls Trail. Something very inviting about them. Have a great 2019.
Thank you Todd. I find those sorts of images very inviting as well.
I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this journey. It meant a lot to me! We’ve got to do another one of those trips soon!
I enjoyed it immensely as well. Maybe by the next one I’ll have the editing for the first one finished! 🙂