This past year has been a good one for photography. I’ve taken a look back over the photos from the past 12 months and uncovered a few that did not get much attention when I first viewed them. They are deserving of some more profile than I’ve given them, so I’ve chosen to post a few of them today. Although they would not be described as “the best of 2012”, they do qualify as favourites and I’m happy to share them.
Let’s proceed month-by-month, beginning of course with January. This photo was taken during an excursion to Kananaskis Country with Joanne Young and Howard Dingle. Yes, it was cold! It was January.
In February, one of my outings took me north along the Icefields Parkway, again with Howard Dingle. This picture was taken from above the N. Saskatchewan River. It wasn’t nearly as cold as the picture might suggest.
In March, I retreated to a warmer climate. Thankfully it was March because Death Valley is among the hottest places on earth in summer. Rolande and I made a 3-day trip from Phoenix to visit and photograph this unique area.
In April, I made a late afternoon trip to an area east of Phoenix, into the Goldfield Mountains. I got this interesting photo of Saguaro Lake nestled among the peaks.
In May, I was back home in Canmore and took the following picture while out for an afternoon walk.
The month of June took us to Europe, on a Mediterranean cruise with friends Barry and Pat Stewart. One very appealing place we visited was the Montserrat Monastery, north of Barcelona, Spain.
In early July, I went to nearby Banff for this next picture. It was taken at 9:30 PM, just after sunset during the “blue hour”, a light period preceding darkness. A longer shutter speed enabled me to capture the “streaming” headlights and taillights, coming and going on the Trans-Canada Highway.
The next picture was taken on a morning excursion with Bob Bear and Stewart Hamilton to the Mount Yamnuska area, east of Canmore.
In late September, I joined a group of friends on a hike to Larch Valley to enjoy the fall colours. We were not disappointed, the Larch trees were in their splendour. This picture shows the morning clouds dispersing to reveal the Fay Glacier and and the “Ten Peaks”.
In October I visited New Brunswick for a photography workshop. Prior to the workshop, Rolande and I visited her brother Raymond and his family in Quispamsis. Raymond showed me the local sights, including this picturesque spot on Meenans Cove.
In November, we returned to Arizona. The sunsets in the desert are always colourful, as you can see from this example photographed from in front of our house.
My final photo was taken just last week. I was out walking with Rolande and Jaime, following Toronto’s first snowstorm of the year. I couldn’t resist this scooter and bicycle buried in the snow on Gerrard Street.
That’s my photo summary for 2012. Please enjoy.
Peter
I enjoyed your 2012 highlights as I do with all your photos and checked out your star trails link as well. There are some good insights on digital long exposure that I was not aware of.
I remember doing these kinds of star trial shots when I used film many years ago. It wad a bit of a nostalgic trip thinking back to those days. I was eleven at the time and couldn’t figure out why I got all those streaks in the sky instead of the actual pin point stars that I had intended. It was only later that I figured out it was the earth’s movement that was the cause even if I couldn’t feel or notice it happening.
It was great to have had a chance to talk with you at the Christmas get together and thanks for sharing your expertise both in person and on your blog.
Have a very Happy New Year.
.
Hi Jack,
Good to hear from and thank you for your kind comments. I’m getting some very interesting feedback on star trails, stimulating my interest to try some more. I’m curious to try some different and simpler approaches. I’ll let you know how it works.
Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2013 and happy shooting!