12 in 2012

When I started this journey with photography I didn’t have a particular direction I wanted to go in or a lofty goal in mind other than to take better pictures when I was at Disney. As you can probably tell from this blog it has become much more to me. It has become a part of who I am. I look at the world around me differently and I see more detail out there than I use to. I’m still learning and I know it will be something I will continue to do for a long time.

As I look back over the past year I see some improvement in my images but still no clear direction. I enjoy a lot of different styles and seem to hop between them at will. I would say that I focus more on landscape photography probably because it affords me the time to get what I want. Whenever I try to capture action or scenes that require me to think quick on my feet I seem to fall short. Maybe next year I will have to work on improving those areas I struggle with.

I wasn’t sure how I would be able to sum up this past year so I decided to select my favorite image from each month. I present my 12 favorite images of 2012…

January – This image was taken when I was still using my point & shoot. The fire department for our town has a small memorial in the yard across the road from the station house and this cannon always held my interest. Coming home from work one evening I thought the light and conditions were finally right to capture the cannon.

Cannon
Sony DSC-H20, 1/320s, 12.7mm, f/4, ISO 100

February – I found it was sometimes easier to get images in the morning as I waited for the kids to get on the bus. It also was generally when the sky and sun put on the best show. Sitting at the table I would notice the sky, grab the camera and run outside.

Fence Post Sky
Sony DSC-H20, 1/40s, 11.9mm, f/9, ISO 100

March – In March I finally broke down and purchased a DSLR camera and two lenses. It wasn’t that the Sony took bad pictures, I decided I had reached the end of what I could do with it and wanted to explore more possibilities. We had a very early spring this year and I was having a blast playing ‘Grass Poker’ on Google+.

Among Giants
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/80s, 62mm, f/4, ISO 100

April – Still going strong with the Grass Poker but learning to capture colors and getting a handle on depth of field.

Color Layers
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/320s, 38mm, f/3.5, ISO 100

May – A friend of mine on G+ and a fellow Upstate NY photog was doing some incredible images of water droplets. I thought I would give it a try. I definitely need a better macro lens, but this one turned out OK.

Blade Worlds
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/800s, 70mm, f/8, ISO 400

June – Quite a lot of my images are simple objects around my neighborhood. I live out in the country so neighborhood is a broad term. I troll the fields and woods with my camera as often as I can. I found this view of a daisy to be particularly interesting.

What the ant saw
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/3200s, 42mm, f/4, ISO 400

July – On a return trip from Cortland after picking my daughter up from her Grandma I talked her into making a detour on the way home. I had been wanting to visit Chittenango Falls State Park for quite some time and the conditions that day were just about perfect. There is a trail all the way to the bottom and plenty of good viewing angles. I have since made additional trips to photograph these falls.

Chittenango Falls
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, (1/10, 0.4, 1.6s bracket), 32mm, f22, ISO 200

August – I cross over the NY State barge canal every day on my way to and from work. There is an access point to the trail system along the canal that is about the halfway point of my daily trip. What I discovered this summer is additional access points closer to Utica. The one near the Utica Marsh has become a favorite exploration area for me.

Orange over Marsh
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/40s, 21mm, f/11, ISO 100

September – Another area I pass twice a day is the overflow area on the Oriskany Creek. It was one of the first places I stopped at when I started learning more about photography. I have also learned to go for the details as well as the grand, sweeping landscapes.

Big Rock 2
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 1/8s, 42mm, f/11, ISO 100

October – As I started venturing farther away from home in search of interesting images I discovered there are numerous state parks within minutes of my house. A new favorite is Pixley Falls which is only 30 minutes up the road from me. I found there are various tributary streams in the park and this is one of them just after the leaves vacated the trees. I believe I have also managed to produce an HDR image that does not have that obvious HDR look to it (hopefully?).

Divide and Conquer
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, (1/4, 1, 4s bracket), 17mm, f/16, ISO 100

November – Another of those state parks close to home is Delta Lake. Just minutes from the house but I believe I have spent more time in that park this year than in the previous 22 years since I moved here. I also have become more patient in waiting for just the right light. As I watched everyone else leave the beach area I found this rock alone in the sand just begging to be photographed.

Beachcomber
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, (1/40, 1/10, 0.4s bracket), 17mm, f/16, ISO 200

December – A barge canal image rounds out the top 12. I happened upon this barge in the side canal in Utica one morning while out exploring. The calm water and beautiful sky made this image an easy one to capture.

Barge at Sunrise
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, (1/3, 1.3, 5s bracket), 19mm, f/16, ISO 100

I’m hoping I’ll be able to expand my area of exploration next year and bring pictures from other parts of NY State to this blog. I have seen some wonderful images from around the state and my list of places to visit grows all the time. 2013 will have to be the year I start crossing some of those places of the list!