Shot Of The Year

 

How can you lose by picking a shot like this? Peregrine gave me a great grin. The lighting was perfect and it was a fun shot to take. None of my travel shots or bird shots really did anything for me this year. There were plenty of great shots but no standouts. So, I kept coming back to this shot. Just don't tell the other grandkids or they will be jealous....oh yea, they are not on social media yet, so I am safe. The shot of Peregrine is perfect as the shot of the year for 2020, a year when travel was shut down. Enjoy the final day of the year and let's all hope that 2021 gives us something better. 

Moon Over Smokies

 

This shot was part of my day-to-night series with a moon shot taken several months prior. It was a tricky composition to do in Photoshop but I like the way it turned out. Still up for Shot of the Year, but not likely to make it. 

Favorite Bird - Shot of the Year?

Prior to the pandemic, I would rarely see a cardinal around the yard but with the bird feeders, they became  frequent visitors. I had lots of favorites but the cardinal was my first favorite as it is a very common bird, much more common than I thought originally. At times, maybe 4 pairs were hanging around and you have to like that the male is the flashy one. We are always trying to be the flashy ones even when we don't think that is what we are doing. The animal kingdom shows us who we really are!!!!

Shots of the Year--Fall Colors in Oak Ridge

 

This shot (with a little blending filter thrown in) caught a random hillside in Oak Ridge, Tennessee at peak fall color from what I can tell. Lots of greens, yellows and reds. We stopped in Oak Ridge on the way down to the Smokies to check out the area that developed the atomic bomb. My buddy Bill's dad, when he was a young man, helped design the town that grew from nothing to thousands in a very short period of time. Nice to see a bit of the past that his dad helped create. The shot has a chance to make it as Shot of the Year with all of its colors. 

The Gkids make the Blog

 

Ahhh, the grandkids. Wonderful kids. Never seen four more wonderful kids. The internet should be jealous. 

Cooper's Hawk in the mix

 

This Cooper's Hawk with his dramatic coloration made several stops to the Davern food fest and got at least one, probably two Mourning Dove's over the summer. I happened to see this kill out of the corner of my eye. You don't want to mess with this hawk if you are bird sized. They tell you to keep the feeders near trees to give birds cover but then the squirrels can make the leap from tree branch to bird feeder. I found a compromise but not close enough to give this bird cover. Anyway, got to see nature in beak and claw. I was lucky that Cheryl wasn't around. She would have made me scare the hawk away after the kill and that would have just put another bird in his/her sights. Anyway, got a decent shot. I really like the dramatic coloring in the bird's plum, especially in his pajama bottoms. Good enough for Shot of the Year? Probably not, but a good shot nevertheless. 

Chicago Sky (or not) at night

 

Another entry into the shot of the year competition is this daytime shot of the Chicago Skyline. Yes, it is a daytime shot, but edited with a drop in fake night sky. I hate and love how photography has changed. However, whenever I see a fantastic landscape with an amazing sky, I always wonder if it is a fake sky or was that the way it was when the photographer was there? But, I use fake skies too. However, I tend to feel guilty and call them out. However, this version turned out real nice. I don't think I will pick a fake shot for Shot of the Year, but you never know. Really like how this turned out. Original shot was taken at 8 am back in June 2008. How about that for keeping my catalog up to date? 

Smokies in Color

 

Found the falls colors we were looking for right where they were supposed to be--in the Smoky Mountains National Park. Had a great second trip there and enjoyed hiking up some strenuous hills in mostly beautiful fall weather. Because of all the evergreens you are going to get a strong mix of greens in your yellow and red trees but loved getting up high and looking over the colors in the distance. This is definitely a candidate for Shot of the Year. 

Comet Neowise

 

One of the rare super positive surprises to come out of 2020 was Comet Neowise, which lived up to its billing as something that shouldn't be missed. Had a great time shooting this comet several times over the weeks when it was visible during the fall. This shot was taken after a short trip to a local park district that I knew had a hill with a clear sky to the west. The comet was already heading to the horizon but got a nice shot in a clear, dark sky. Always a treat to see a relatively rare astronomical event. 

Clouds over the Smokies

 

This is one of my favorite shots of the Smokies as it shows the cloud cover over the valley out in the distance. The Smokies are known for this feature as the warmed air from the vegetation hits the colder air from up above, creating a low level of cloud cover. Got to visit the Smokies twice this past year. This is from the fall trip back in October. 

Marblehead

 

The original shot was just a throwaway. A lone tree and bench on an overcast morning that I saw while on a jog before work. Nothing much to recommend it. I liked the solitary nature of the shot, but the lighting was flat and it was just an ok shot, taken back in 2014. However, during our pandemic 2020, I starting playing with filter and I think the filter overlay improved the shot enough to bring it to one of my favorites. I learned earlier this year from my friend and co-worker that the tree had been taken out by a storm. So sad to hear. Anyway, like the shot a lot so it is in the competition for Shot of the Year. 

Standing Room Only at the Feeder

 

As I have mentioned before, the surprise of my COVID year was the number of birds in the neighborhood. They certainly weren't shy about visiting my yard once we set up the two different feeders. The American Goldfinch was an early favorite and they came in waves over the spring and summer. In the fall and into the early part of the winter, it was interesting to see them change colors to drop the bright yellow as flowers in the nearby prairies also changed to more muted colors. Took awhile to get all the rungs filled but with a little help from Photoshop, got a nice selection of visitors to the feeder. Looking forward to seeing the bright colors again this spring, although a few look like they are going to hang around all winter. 

Shots of the Year---Create your own sunset

 

Who says you have to wait until until sunset to get a sunset shot? You just need something really tall to block the sun. Some sharp hills in one of the Valley of Fire's canyon's did the trick on this day back in February. The light as we got deeper into the canyon was bouncing all around off of the rocks and turned soft and beautiful. This shot shows the light harsh and sharp but with the darkening of the rocks, really brings out the red in them. So, a nice entry into the Shot of the Year competition.  

Shots of the Year--New Ruling

 

I requested and received a ruling (from myself as judge, jury and executioner), that pictures taken in previous years but edited and reworked in 2020, count as 2020 shots for eligibility for Shots of the Year. Since I didn't get to travel much but got to play around with filters and Photoshop tricks, I decided that these shots count for this year. So, I can post an original shot taken in 2012 of this pelican feeding off of Naples Beach, as a 2020 shot. I like this shot as I used some background and then painted with Photoshop brushes in the foreground. So, this is a unique Davern original. On sale and available if you order quickly for Christmas. 

Vegas Lights--5 Star 2020 Shots

 

In the just-barely, pre-pandemic February, I did a vacation trip to Las Vegas for a photography convention and joined a group going out and about taking long exposure night photography. Lot of fun in those days go long past when we could go out and about. So, this shot with its lights and colors turns into one of my favorites for the year. All you need is a tripod and some rear lights of cars as they go by. Being elevated on a bridge helps too!!!

Valley of Fire--2020 5 Star

 

Usually around this time of the year I sit down and go through my photo catalog and look for my favorite shots of the year. This year, it is going to be difficult as I have some nice shots but they are all of birds and from the few trips I took this year, two of them to the Great Smokies. I am going to have a lot of similar shots. It is what it is. Each year, it should be more difficult to find to find what I call "5 Star" shots--the one's that I like best from the year and that are worthy to put up as my standard of work. Standards should get higher as your photography improves. It is supposed to get harder and harder to top previous year's shots. Minor inconveniences in a world that is upside down. I like this shot from the Valley Of Fire that I visited in February. Such blues and reds and washed out greens. I bounced this shot between a 4 and a 5 Star as I am not sure I like the deep shadow running through the foreground. Yet, this is in the middle of the morning and shadows were already getting quite harsh. I can't imagine how hot this area would be in mid-July, as I visited the area in pre-Covid February. Anyway, love the colors and I am keeping it (for now) in the 5 star category.   

White-Breasted Nuthatch

 

I can't remember if I uploaded this picture previously but I was going through my shots of 2020 today and I really like this one. This is one of my favorite birds in the backyard and one of the discoveries of my COVID year. There are so many birds in our neighborhood that I was just not aware. I can't recall ever seeing this bird, a White-Breasted Nuthatch in my lifetime and now I see one multiple times a day. There were several birds like that this year but this one ends up being one of my favorites. This guy hits a tree and lines up his (or her) shot, flies to the feeder for a quick second, takes a seed and flies away to eat it. Pretty cool.