2017 in Review, Favorites, and Seasons Greetings
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In 2017, I limited again my travels, in part because of the demands of the book tour for Treasured Lands. Beyond the great critical reviews, awards, and official state recognition, I am most grateful to all of you who have helped make the book a success. This has me considering a follow-up based on solely unusual views and locations. Despite the relatively short field time, I am fortunate to have been able to capture some elusive photographs that are sure to make their way into this project. I’d appreciate it if you would let me know which ones are your favorites!
Yosemite’s Horsetail Fall Firefall at Least: Why I didn’t attempt to photograph Yosemite’s marvelous “natural firefall” prior to this year, and the story behind an image that I bet you haven’t seen before.
Pinnacles Moses Spring Waterfall at Least: For most of the year, Pinnacles National Park is quite a dry place. I revisited right after the high rains of this winter to observe the place transformed by the flow of the creeks and to photograph another elusive waterfall.
Carrizo Plain National Monument Super Bloom: Most of the times a barren-looking grassland, the little-known Carrizo Plain came to life thanks to the abundant rains of last winter, to become the site of a “super bloom”, with some of the best wildflower displays I had ever seen in California. Next year, I will be spending more time in the national monuments as part of much needed advocacy for those public lands under attack. Even the government actions were deeply disappointing, it was heartening to see so many people speaking out for our public lands, and I hope that you’ll continue to do so!
Back to Pine Creek Canyon, Zion National Park: One might think that the slot canyons do not vary much. But in fact, the interplay of light with the walls varies much faster than in more open scenery, and the repeat visit of a Zion classic brought much changes.
A Gift from Kabetogama, Voyageurs National Park: I woke up at 5:30am to catch an early flight from San Francisco to Saint-Paul Minneapolis, arriving in the mid-afternoon, followed by a five-hour drive, to reach the outskirts of Voyageurs National Park. I am glad that I nevertheless stayed up that night.
Accessing and Working Isle Royale’s Lookout Louise: Isle Royale is famous for its population of wolves and moose, but they had proven elusive. On my third trip to Isle Royale, because I needed to go down from Lookout Louise to retrieve gear, I was elated to be able to at least photograph a moose.
Return of the Mountaineer: How it felt to climb the Grand Teton this summer after a 20-year hiatus from mountaineering, and observe again the alpenglow for high up.
Solar Eclipse over the Tetons: Photographing (?) the Real Icon: For the total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 in Grand Teton National Park I chose a backcountry location discovered by William Henry Jackson. My shooting plan to capture this iconic shot did not involve straight photography.
Drone Tour of the Big Island of Hawaii: this year, a new drone has re-energized my aerial photography. The Big Island of Hawaii was a great place to test its possibilities.
Lombard Street: Variations on a Difficult to Photograph San Francisco Landmark: For something a bit different and closer to home, Lombard Street in San Francisco has a one-block section with eight hairpin turns known as the “crookedest street in the world”. Although one of the most famous sights in the city, it is also one of the most difficult to photograph.
If you’ve made it so far, thanks again for looking and reading. Wishing you Happy Holidays, or Merry Christmas, and a great time with family and friends, full of peace, love and joy!
Merry Christmas and happy holidays QT! Congratulations on another successful year and wishing you all the best in 2018.
Thanks Russ, wishing you a great 2018 as well.
Congrats on continued success with your book and a year of memorable imagery QT.
Thanks Mark. It’s always more of a challenge after the first nine months when the book moves into backlist. Best wishes for 2018!
Beautiful work as always, QT. The Teton images are fantastic, and I especially love the more unique take on Horsetail Fall. Wishing you a fantastic 2018!
Thanks Gary, best wishes for 2018!
Wonderful images, QT! Its difficult to pick a single favorite, but I can say that I think you had perhaps the best seat on the planet for the eclipse.
Thanks too for your work on public land advocacy. It’s nice to see photographers speaking up for the places that essentially provide them with their livelihood, and yours is a voice that will be heard.
Cheers, and here’s to a successful 2018!
Greg
Thanks Greg, although there are certainly better eclipse images, that was quite of an experience! Best wishes for 2018.
These are super cool. Wish you a very happy 2018.
Thank you Bhushan, best wishes to you as well!
Congratulations on all the success with the book! Well deserved. Love the images, especially the drone image, and Carrizo!
Thanks Ron, congratulations on completing your desert photo retreat, you certainly got strong images right from there, and they round up well a cornupia of amazingly diverse wildlife shots!
As I mentioned then, love how you did something different with the firefall and some of your other unusual angles and views. I particularly like Carrizo Plain and Pine Creek Canyon. Congratulations on the success of your book this year. May it and all else only get better for you in 2018… 🙂
Thanks David, you are right, all those have an angle or occurrence that make them unsual. Best wishes to you for 2018.
Wonderful set of images QT! All the best in this new year!
Thanks Patricia, all the best to you as well!
Congratulations on a great year and more terrific images!
Thanks Thomas, all the best to you!
A great set of images, QT. All make nice additions to your already staggering collection of national park images.
Thanks Richard, far from “wrapping up” the national parks project, you’ll see that I was just getting warmed up!
Happy New Year and I have enjoyed your new book which is really a TREASURE. I like the Firefall image and Carrizo the best. Hope you have a great photographic year in 2018!
Thanks Karl, starting the year with the firefall made it difficult to top. The Tetons were incredible, but I focused on the experience rather than creating a great photograph. Wishing you a great year as well!