Best Family Shots from 2021

 

There are too many family shots to pick a #1 favorite, besides, that's like picking your favorite kid or grandkid, so I am just going to post a bunch of them today and tomorrow. Here is the first half of my best memories from this strange go...no go year we just had. 

This is from a visit to Bristol Renaissance Faire which we hit over the summer. I really want to go without kids someday and just take pictures of the attendees, who often get really dressed up to play their part. 

I think this was Drew's first baseball game or first in a long time. What seats we had, right behind the batter at the top of the first section. William and Drew really enjoyed the game, even though the Sox lost that one. 

Outdoor with the babies, what could be better? 

I could break the internet with all the twin pictures from Jono and Sam and from my attempts to capture these two. They are going to be fun to shoot. 

I think this was our first visit with Graham. 

2021 was the year that Peregrine started to walk and now words are starting to come out of him. What a year 2022 is going to be with all these young grandkids around. 

Echo also had an amazing year. Growing up fast.

We never would have got this shot if we actually tried to get it. Just happened to come together in a few seconds and I was there to capture it, rather than direct. 

From last winter's snow fall as this winter our first snow was only yesterday. Hope to get out again with the sleds soon. 

Christmas Family Shot

 

Our growing family!!!

Shot of the Year 2021

 

The shot of the year thing is just an excuse to go through my pictures for the year and find the ones that I like best. I posted 14 of them in the past two weeks as a fun exercise and because I am not traveling-- hardly leave the house these days--what else can I do? The rest of my shots are of grandkids and birds (and the grandkid shots get more likes than anything I shoot anyway). I need some excuse to keep posting travel shots when I don't travel anywhere near like I used to. Maybe travel will pick up in 2022? Hard to tell and parts of me don't want to travel like I used to anyway. Most of my travel doesn't take me to exotic locations, I just try to find ways to push myself to get out and enjoy seeing the country while I am traveling for work and of course, pleasure. Anyway, I couldn't really pick a favorite from the bunch so I let my granddaughter Clio decide and she liked this one best. I like it as well and it is likely the one I would pick on my own. I like playing with filters and this was a technically difficult shot as I took this with a 600mm lens, hand-held across a large pond, filled with birds coming in to roost for the night in the Everglades. The original picture, with sensor dust all across the frame, is shown below. I cropped, cleaned up the sensor dust, added color, tried to bring the highlights down and then added a filter to make it look more painterly. I have been sorely tempted to fiddle with the bird on the right side of the frame to even him out with the bird on the left but haven't done so. It bothers me that they are off-center but that is where they were and so far, I have left them that way. I would have to move the branch and the shadow on the water and it would be tough to make it look real anyway. I like it the way it is, even off-center a bit. So, warts and all, these Snowy Egrets at the Big Cypress National Preservation Area are my shot of the year.

 

Last Shot of the Year candidate #14 -- Royal Terns all in a Row

 

I had previously posted this shot in October but it is a favorite of mine from a side trip that happened on a work trip to Florida. I got down low and shot these Royal Terns while posed nicely for me all in a row. Wonderful birds. Very colorful and they tend to congregate in huge flocks, as was the case this day on Fort DeSota Beach. Candidate for shot of the year? Yes. Will it win? I don't know. It is hard to pick one shot as a favorite but I have to do that later today. Hope to post the winner tomorrow. Stay tuned. 

Shots of the Year #13 -- Willows over a River View

 

Sort of a peaceful setting reminded me of an impressionistic painting, so I played with colors and a filter. Took a nice, quiet scene and made it surreal. That's me. Mike 

Shots of the Year #13 -- Grand Tetons

 

Panorama's don't show very well on the blog or on Facebook but I can't close out the top shots of the year without at least one from the trip to the Tetons, which we hit as we came south out of Yellowstone. Our views were mostly marred by smoke from the California wildfires this year, but with a little Photoshop trickery, I got a fairly decent shot the morning we were heading home. Hard to put such a beautiful panorama on a small digital negative as the experience of being there is so much better but this is my attempt. Like a lot of our trips to the national parks, the first visit just sets up the desire to go again and spend more time. A day and a half in the Tetons is just not enough to enjoy all of its beauty. The park is well deserving of its national park designation. It was quite a fight to get that designation and it took covert action by the Rockefeller family to secretly put the land together into one package--which then they donated to the Federal government, which didn't want it as the local landowners were objecting to the designation. Eventually, with the tourism picking up, they came around. Glad they did and hope you all get a chance to see this wonderful area.

 

Shots of the Year #12 -- The Path Taken

 

So, I did stop and take one or two hikes during the quick drive through Shenandoah National Park last week. Not a soul to be seen, although I did bump into two white tail deer. The park is, of course, much different in the winter with no leaves on the trees and, at least this winter so far, with no snow on the ground. Lots of brown colors and bare branches. But that can be beautiful too, as shown here in nice morning light. Nice crisp air to get the blood flowing. I didn't think I would find a candidate for shot of the year with these conditions but this shot is growing on me. I quite like it.  

Shot of the Year #11 -- Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone

 

This is one of those "must get" shots in Yellowstone and I have seen this shot many times before visiting the park. Still, it is a beautiful scene and I was never going to be the first one to see it. (That must have been something!) The area is beautiful and we did drive down to the other side of the spring and walk on the board walk. It was nearing sunset when we got down there and that also gave us some wonderful shots. What a beautiful area and all I can remember is just smiling the whole week long. There was something spectacular around every bend in the road. Yellowstone certainly lived up to expectations. 

Shots of the Year #10 -- Shenandoah National Park

 

I only did three trips this year for work and all of them were by car. This one was a stretch as I decided last week to drive to Philadelphia rather than fly, trying to stay safe from COVID as I was going to be inside a 10 day window that bumped into Christmas. Anyway, on the way home, I decided to take a roundabout route that took me through the Shenandoah National Park, the 16th national park that I have hit so far. (I also nicked in the 17th park as my route north towards home cut through the New River Gorge National Park.) Anyway, Shenandoah is a wonderful park. Lots of overlooks over the Shenandoah Valley and lot of hikes that didn't look too steep although I am sure a couple were more challenging. Probably smarter to go there in the spring and fall as the winter trees don't give the best views (which is why I had practically had the whole 100 mile plus park to myself), but I enjoyed the ride and the sudden opportunity to grab and extra two parks on the way home. This shot is one of my favorites from the trip and good enough to make it on the list for the potential shot of the year. 

Shot of the Year #9 -- Florida Sunrise

 

I didn't travel much in 2020 but when I did, I took advantage of the opportunity. Had to get up well before sunrise and drive about an hour to get to this location where I did some birding in a swampy area near Tampa. The sun was well up by the time I arrived but it still burning off the last of the morning fog. Made for a nice shot and one of my favorites for the year. 

A River Runs Through.....Yellowstone

 

Last fall, on our last full day in Yellowstone, we drove early in the morning from the West Yellowstone to stay overnight at the Lodge next to Old Faithful. Driving in to the park along the Madison river, we saw this fisherman doing his thing and stopped to take a shot. This picture was just awarded the "Creative Winter" award from ViewBug, a photo contest site. Usually awards come with cash prizes, but apparently, not this one. Not sure what the "winter" thing means in the "Creative Winter" title but I like this shot anyway and nice of them to pick this shot out from the hundreds and hundreds they get every day. I gave this shot a black and white filter to bring out the contrast between the man and the river. I don't know anything about fly fishing but that looks like good form. Thanks to ViewBug for the award and I will wait with bated breath (get that?) for the cash prize. 

Sunset Shots of the Year

 

I hope you had some great sunrises and sunsets in 2021. These two, one on Anne Marie Island in Florida last January and in Yellowstone last September, qualify for me. 

Shot of the Year #6 -- Buffalo in the landscape

This is the sort of shot that I envisioned getting prior to going to Yellowstone. It's your classic "buffalo in the foreground and trees and mountains in the background" shot but I liked how it turned out, despite its rather common view in Yellowstone. So, this goes into the running for shot of the year. 

Shot of the Year #5 -- Colter's Hell

 

John Colter was an explorer and mountain man who traveled west with Lewis and Clark and after splitting off from the group traveled through the Yellowstone region in the winter of 1807-1808 being one of the first white men to see and describe the area. His description wasn't believed, of course, (who could believe such a thing?) and the area became know for a time as Colter's Hell. Actually, the area he saw was closer to eastern part of the park. He probably didn't see this view in what we call the Norris Basin. It certainly would be a fitting description of Colter's Hell. Hard to express the weirdness and wonder of this area with all of these geysers, mud pots, hot springs, bubbling and gurgling areas all around you. The heat and the smell as you walk through the steam is impressive. I like the more landscaped shot I have of this area, but for Facebook and the blog, this shot is certainly one in the running as Shot of the Year. 

Beautiful Bird--Shot of the Year #4

 

A trip to the Indiana Dunes National Park brought me face-to-face with this beautiful bird. Haven't been to the Dune since high school and this was my first visit since the park received its National Park designation. I joined a birding group last spring and after we were done, I took a final walk on my own along one of the trails and that put me 20 feet from a Scarlet Tanager, a lifer for me. This beautiful bird sat for his portrait with a wonderful sky blue background to highlight his bright red coat. Quite the experience and took my breath away. 

Favorite Shot of the Year #3

 

I thought this might be a winner the moment the shutter clicked as at first, I thought I saw 5 birds before I realized that there were only three. The moment looked "painterly" to me and whenever that happens, I throw a filter on it. Got to say I liked the way it turned out, which of course is why it is in the running for Shot of the Year. 

Shot of the Year #2

 

My second favorite shot of the year was also taken on the same bike ride on Anna Marie Island as with yesterday's shot #1. Love the colors. So very much like Florida beach colors. Easy to see you are someplace tropical with colors like these. 

Shots of the Year for 2021

 

December is always a favorite time of the year as I go through my catalog of shots to see if I have anything I can put in my all-time favorite folder. I limit that folder to 100 shots so something from 2021 has to be better than anything I have taken since I started taking digital pictures back in 2004. Of the 15 shots of the year for 2021, I have about 8-10 that I want to try to include in my all-time favorites list. That is hard because I have to find 8-10 shots to kick out of the portfolio to make room for these new shots. Tough to do. Considering that I didn't travel much, finding 10 portfolio worthy shots is pretty good. Helps that I was able to hit Yellowstone and the Tetons. Lot of portfolio worthy opportunities in that part of the country. 

This shot is from January that I took while on a bike ride on Anna Marie Island near Cortez, Florida. It hits on my shots of the year list as this overhead shot really brings in the feeling of Florida, for me at least. 

Oh My!!!

 

Words can't express the joy!!!

Graham Sandwich

 

The g-kids keep coming over and I keep shooting them. Just a month apart on these three. Fun times ahead. Noah and Eli on the outside and Graham in the middle. 

Peregrine's a White Sox fan

 

You have to start on these kids early. Peregrine's a White Sox fan!!!

Graham's turn and G-kids weekend

 

Only missing Eli and Noah this weekend but we did get a visit from Graham for the first time in a while. After some delay, he was willing to be held. With the older kids, got to fly the DJI Mini drone. They enjoyed being the driver. Let's see....we only hit the house twice and a tree once. The drone, survived all encounters---so far. 

TECO Nature Trail, Tampa

 

Good morning, good morning, good. Sun was breaking through taking out the morning fog and gave me a nice shot. Was out a few days early connected to a work trip to Naples. Started in Tampa and worked my way down. Joined a birding group for an early morning hike along an area owned and managed by TECO Energy. They do try to do some good environmental work as they try to keep this area pristine for birds and clean water. The nature trail just opened back up to the public last week. Got an early peak at the area. Quite nice. 

Magnificent Frigate Birds

 

Wow. These birds are high up but are huge. I am handholding a 600mm lens almost straight up at 600 mm to get them large enough in the frame to show on screen. Magnificent Frigatebirds are almost 4 feet long, with wing span up to 8 feet. I kept wanting to crop in and show these birds up close but I really liked the huge white negative space in these two shots that I cropped together and decided to keep it this way, as it really shows them how I saw them at the time. I had 30 of these beautiful birds fly directly overhead, heading to their nighttime roost from a day of fishing in Tampa Bay. Never seen these birds before but now that I have seen their distinct profile, it will be hard not to identify them, even high up in the sky. Wonderful birds. Ok, here is the closest crop that I was able to get: 

Good Morning

 

Ok, this is a Naples Sunset, not a Sunrise but Good Morning anyway. 

Joshua Tree National Park Favorites

 

The photographic possibilities are endless in the Joshua Tree National Park. Amazing landscapes are everywhere as is the desert flora and (sometimes) fauna. I only saw one coyote and wasn't able to get a good shot of him or her but really enjoyed my trip back in 2017. Can't wait to go back and do some serious hiking. Every one of these shots were right off the road, except for the three taken from up on top of Mt. Ryan, which was a good 45 min hike to 5457 feet. If you look closely, I thought it was hilarious that the back of the rented RV that was ahead of me on the road exactly matched the scene it was driving in. Pretty amazing. 

Everglades National Park

 

The Everglades aren't about wide open spaces although there is a lot of that. To me, it is more about the animals, especially the birds, as they are everywhere. Alligators too. You are going to see a lot of those. So, my favorite pics are of all the birds that we saw during the two times I have been there so far. Quite an amazing diversity of feathered friends. 

Get your Royal Terns all in a row

 

Getting your ducks in a row is easy. Try getting Royal Terns all in a row. Took weeks to train them. 

Grand Canyon

 

Obviously, the Grand Canyon is the place for wide open spaces. Can't go wrong with just standing around and looking at this amazing location. One day, I would like to go down into the canyon. It is just coming back up that I dread!!!

Cuyahoga National Park

 

Well, it was a nice place to hike and fun to see a large forested area with some waterfalls in and around an urban area, but I see this as a state forest vs a national park. A national park should be reserved for something special. You can see forested areas like this near most urban areas. Not my favorite park. 

Bryce National Park--Out of this World

 

Going through my National Parks folders and picking my favorites. Here are three from Bryce Canyon which struck me as an otherworldly place. I am sure you can see why. It was at Bryce that I decided that I have to see as many National Parks as I can. Now up to 17. Lot more to see. 

Who decided to put Teddy in the back row?

 

I want to know who decided that Theodore Roosevelt should go into the back vs Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln? They stuck him in the corner. He was lucky to even get a spot up there on the mountain. He was such a character. Actually every time I see Mount Rushmore, I am amazed. However, I will relate that I was with a Japanese boss when just out of grad school and we visited Mount Rushmore together back in the 1980s. His comment was, "You Americans have no history." In a sense, he was right. There are buildings in Tokyo older than Mount Rushmore. But it still was an interesting comment and for some reason stuck with me. Insulting, and correct at the same time. 

Badlands National Park--favorite National Park shots

 

I have been playing around and organizing my files and folders here after our long trip to the Badlands, Yellowstone, Tetons, and Wind Cave. I decided to try to find my favorite shots from all the parks that I have been to so far. Well, picking one shot is hard enough, so I cheated and picked a triplet. These are from two different trips of the 4 times I have been to this park. The first two from a trip in 2018 with Michael and the bottom shot from last week with my buddy, Bill Pavlecic. Great area for photography. So many shots. 

Fall is here...like, really, really here

 

Up high, in the Teton's last week, we saw signs of fall everywhere. However, during the day the weather was warm and it didn't really feel like fall. Colors are starting to change here in Chicago, but the weather really does feel like fall. Cool snap to the weather and I get to wear my sweaters again. I see a little hint of red in our bushes in font of the house. Red on some of the leaves in the trees. Lots of yellow in the prairie near the house. So, fall is here. No complaint from me. Love the colors. I will be out looking for shots. Last week in the Tetons, we saw the colors turn early, even as the week progressed. These bushes really were into it. Miss the mountains already. Always too long between visits. 

Norris Basin--an amazing place

 It is hard to get a composite panorama to post on the blog or on Facebook so posting two shots here. Norris Basin in Yellowstone is just amazing and I am enjoying looking through and editing all the pictures. Going to take a long time to get through all the shots but I keep coming back to Norris. Worth the price of the 2.5 days there and another 2.5 days back. You can get there quicker from Illinois but not stay sane at the same time. Anyway, what an amazing place to have within driving distance. Nowhere else like this in the world. 

A road side view in the Tetons

 

A road side view of one of the Tetons. The Tetons were very "fogged out" this past week with the smoke from the fires further out west. Makes it hard to get a sharp picture. I used software to sharpen up the shot but that adds further complications. Your eye sort of "looks through" the smog to see what is there. The camera just sees light and dark shadows. To show you how it looked out of the camera, look at the second shot below. 

Anyway, this is the best compromise I can create between reality and how the shot "should" look in a more normal environment. Oh well, just means I have to go out there again another time!!!