Photo Favorites of 2016 – Part 1

Since 2016 is wrapping up, I thought I’d post a little year in review.  It’s always a little surprising to look back and see that I really have been keeping at it.  So let’s just dive right into them!

When news of a blizzard was going to hit New Jersey, I knew I had to get out first thing and try to capture some of the first snowfall.  So off I drove to the Delaware bay side of southern New Jersey.   The skies grew darker, but there were no signs of the frosty precipitation.  That is, until I was five minutes away from the lighthouse.  The snow was falling fast and when I pulled up and if you looked out into the bay, there was no horizon.  The line where the water and sky met was blurred and you felt like you were standing at the edge of nothing.  I grabbed my camera and snapped a few shots all around the lighthouse and then proceeded to leave with the intent of arriving home in one piece.  

My first visit to this lighthouse was one that will forever be difficult to top.  It’s extremely lucky to get colors like this on your first visit.  The entire park where the lighthouse sits is very well kept.  Walkways are lit up and there are plenty of places to sit and take in the views of the Chesapeake Bay as seen here.  I love the calm and nearly perfect reflection.

When you hear this little bird’s call, you instantly feel like you’re deep in a jungle.  I enjoy doing high contrast black and white photos of animals.  It’s a challenge, but I like making them stand out.  Plus it’s something fun to do during the day.

Taking photos of the Milky Way itself is challenging.  You need to dial in the right settings, make sure you are in the right place at the right time, and hope the skies are clear.  When all of those things work out, I try and stand out from the normal Milky Way photos.  In this shot I set up my flashlight behind the center pillar to indirectly light up the picnic area.

Up to now, this is my favorite skyline shot of Philadelphia.  In fact, I wrote up a post about how this entire scene unfolded.  It started out with me wanting to take photos of lightning from a passing thunderstorm and I ended up with the above scene.

I’m not sure how long this decaying boat will last, but I’m glad to have photographed it.  It’s a difficult subject to even get to.  Private property leads up to it, and you can only walk up this close during low tide.  So a lot of planning goes into a visit here.

Let’s check out part 2!