Top Pic(k)s – My Favorite Photos from 2018

I’m hijacking this Biweekly Wow to bring you an entire year’s worth!  So looking back, I realized I never did one of these for 2017.  I did put together a gallery; I just never reflected on the photos from that year.  Oh well… we’re on to 2018 now! I took so many pictures in 2018 (when do I not??), so it’s hard to pick my favorites.  But I’ll try anyway.

Stats

First, I like analyzing trends, so let’s take a look at the numbers! Photos taken in 2017: 18421 + 2879 for conventions (including a partial that spanned across 2016-2017) Photos taken in 2018: 13673 + 5935 for conventions I deliberately separated out the con work this time, merely because that’s a beast all on its own.  I don’t shoot for myself as much while on assignment; I’m in it to make sure I get the shot.  As such, there are often situations of “spray and pray” that I don’t see in my everyday shooting.  Besides, I officially covered 3 conventions (and a local illumination event) last year; that adds up!

Trips

We took a few very photogenic trips last year, so it’s no surprise those account for half of my favorite photos.

Zion

The year started with our annual winter national park trip.  Between big-horned sheep, rainy overlooks, and crazy hikes, there was so much to photograph in Zion – so many gems!  And looking at this set now, I realize they’re mostly expansive canyons…

Bryce Canyon

Bryce was an entire park of wow, so it was difficult to whittle these down to just a handful of top picks.  Snow-covered hoodoos are mesmerizing!

Norway

And then there was Norway.  Goats and fjords and glaciers, oh my!  There was something to shoot around every corner, and it took all my willpower to not beg Aaron to stop every few hundred yards.

Pacific Northwest

There was so much beauty to be had right here at home, as well.  Between backpacking through Olympic National Park, cross-country skiing on Mt. Hood, and scrambling up various local waterfalls, I came home with so many pictures.

Seattle

We also had our trip to Seattle.  While not as photogenic as the above destinations, I still had ample opportunities to collect some scenery.

Autumn

And I really made a point this year to appreciate the golden colors of my favorite season.

Events

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t include a few favorites from my events photography.  While my website here is predominantly travel and landscapes, I love candids, and these are found in abundance in events photography.  My picks from 2018 hail from the Portland Winter Light Festival and Kumoricon.  I especially love the pie picture; I did everything I could to guarantee I secured that shot!

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All in all, it was a fantastic year.  We’ll be doing a lot more travelling in 2019, so I can’t even begin to imagine how many pictures I’ll take.  But I sure know picking favorites won’t get any easier anytime soon!! Want to see more of my favorites from 2018?  Check out my full gallery here.  And remember: many of these images are on sale in my shop!

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