The votes are in, and here are my top ten photographs for 2011 as chosen by you, the readers!
The response was truly extraordinary. 225 people looked through my initial selection of 41 images and posted their picks here on the blog, on Facebook, Google+, and by email. My deepest thanks to all of you who took the time to look through these photographs and voice your opinions. I really appreciate your help in making these difficult choices! And thanks to my most excellent assistant Claudia for tallying all those votes and running the print contest.
Did I say contest? Yes! We were so blown away by the response from all of you that we wanted to express our appreciation by giving away a print. We assigned a number to everyone who voted and used a random number generator to pick the recipient. And the winner is… (drumroll please) Earl Robicheaux! Earl will receive a signed, numbered, matted 16×20 print of his choice from among the 41 original selections. Congratulations Earl!
If you’re thinking, “Gee, I wish I’d known,” well we didn’t know either—it was a spontaneous reaction, out of gratitude, for the wonderful response. But maybe we’ll do something like this again—and let you know in advance!
So here’s the list of the ten images which received the most picks, and the number of votes they each received:
- Image #14, Sunbeams from Tunnel View, 109 votes
- Image #20, Redwoods, ferns, and rhododendrons, 99 votes
- Image #38, Eastatoe Falls, Nantahala NF, NC, 98 votes
- Image #11, Double fall, Yosemite, 88 votes
- Image #19, Sunset at Tenaya Lake, 87 votes
- Image #1, Moonrise from Valley View, 81 votes
- Image #41, Oak tree and lunar eclipse sequence, Sierra foothills, 79 votes
- Image #18, Half Dome, oaks, and high water, 75 votes
- Image #15, Dogwoods in mist, Yosemite, 66 votes
- Image #32, Eastside aspen reflections, 56 votes
And just out of the top ten were #24, Juniper and star trails near Olmsted Point, Yosemite, with 54 votes; #33, Aspens, willows, and an America coot, also with 54 votes, and #12, Bridalveil Fall and rainbow, with 53 votes.
I’m sorry if your favorites didn’t make the final cut— some of my favorites didn’t make it either! But overall I think this is a great selection with a good mix of grand landscapes and more intimate and abstract compositions. Nice work everyone! I’ll be submitting this post shortly to Jim Goldstein’s blog project.
Again, thank you so much for your participation. This has been really fun for me, and I hope you’ve enjoyed it too. Here are the top ten images:
14. Sunbeams from Tunnel View
20. Redwoods, ferns, and rhododendrons
37. Eastatoe Falls, Nantahala NF, NC
11. Double fall, Yosemite
19. Sunset at Tenaya LakeMoonrise from Valley View
1. Moonrise from Valley View
41. Oak tree and lunar eclipse sequence, Sierra foothills
18. Half Dome, oaks, and high water
Dogwoods in mist, Yosemite
31. Eastside aspen reflections
—Michael Frye
Related Posts: 2011: My Best Images; Top Ten Images of 2010
Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He is the author and photographer of The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite, Yosemite Meditations, and Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters, plus the eBook Light & Land: Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom. He has written numerous magazine articles on the art and technique of photography, and his images have been published in over thirty countries around the world. Michael has lived either in or near Yosemite National Park since 1983, currently residing just outside the park in Mariposa, California.
Such a beautiful collection Michael. The redwoods, Tenaya sunset, and eclipse stand out as my favorites.
Great collection Michael…Congrats and best of light for 2012! Cheers, Petr
Darn fine collection, Michael!
Was #11 taken during our workshop? I think I have the right hand fall in isolation from about 3 feet to your right. It is one of my favorites. Nobody can believe the golden color of those rocks
BTW, the workshop I took with you was one of the brightest highlights of 2011 for me!
Rick
Thanks Rick! I believe I made this image later in the spring, but I remember going to this place with you. It’s a beautiful spot!
Well your saying that our workshop was one of the highlights of your year makes my day! It was a lot of fun.
Inspiring set of photographs.
Beautiful work, Michael! Keep it up. Enjoy. Golightly…
That was fun as usual Michael. And really nice of you to give away a print. Eight out of my ten votes made it to the final ten. I must have a majority kind of taste 🙂 Beautiful collection!
Or just good taste Chris… 🙂
xx
Well… Although I didn’t win your print (and I didn’t know there was a prize!) I’m honored to have the opportunity to vote. Your work is amazing and I regularly try to duplicate your work. I hope that your final decisions are somewhat in agreement with the general populist selection.
Steve, thanks very much. These are the “final” decisions, but I’ll probably post something next week talking about some of the choices, and some images that were personal favorites of mine that didn’t make it on this list.
All images great, my favorite is East side aspen reflections. Enjoyed your cal 2010 calendar.
Keep up the inspirational work for us wannabees
Chuck
Fantastic set of images, Michael. It was truly hard to pick just 10!
Michael, this is a stunning set of images. Truly beautiful work.
Thanks very much everyone! I really appreciate all the kind words.
Hello Mickael,
Breathtaking set of images! The light is incredible, be there at the right moment is the key. Very inspiring!
Thanks Anne!
Great work, Michael. A real pleasure to view.
Thank you very much John – I appreciate that.
Your pictures are amazing. I loooove the moon eclipse one and would love to take pictures like that! I did not vote because it was just too hard to decide!
Thanks a lot Kel!
These are fantastic images, Michael. What an ingenious way to go about narrowing it down from your 41 selects to the final 10. After reading and participating in your blog over the last year, I feel you shine as a teacher. As I said in my previous comment, I won’t argue with the top 10 as they stand, but I would have liked to see #8 “Two Trees and El Capitan” and #36 “Grasses and Reflections of Willow Leaves” make it perhaps over a few of the others or tacked on for an even dozen. Great work and a great example you provide.
Thanks very much David – I appreciate the kind words about my work and teaching. The idea of asking my readers to help narrow down my selection was, uh, borrowed from G Dan Mitchell, who did it last year. It was a lot of fun last year, so I thought it was worth doing again. Maybe an annual tradition?
Make me miss Yosemite even more than yesterday.
🙁 Sorry about that!
Simply stunning set of images Michael.
Thanks Edith!
No surprise to me, Michael, but it is all beautiful work.
Dan
Thank you Dan!
Great selection.
Your work is beautiful.
Thanks very much Miss Spinkles! (Love the name.)