The votes are all in and counted, and here are my top photographs of 2016!
We had an amazing response this year: a record-breaking 728 people looked through my initial selection of 47 images and voted for their favorites here on the blog, on Facebook, and through email. A big thank you to everyone who took the time to look through these photographs and voice your opinions! I also really appreciate all the kind words expressed along with the votes. I wish I could respond to every comment and email, but please know that I’ve read them all and am very grateful for all your support. And also, many thanks to my wonderful assistant Claudia who tallied all those votes!
To express our gratitude to all the voters we’ve decided to give away two prints this year. We assigned each person who voted a number, and used a random number generator to pick the recipients. And the winners are… Fred Littooy and Geoffrey Robinson! Fred and Geoff will each receive a signed and numbered 16×20 print of their choice from among the 47 original selections. Congratulations Fred and Geoff!
This year I thought the top twelve vote-getters made a more well-rounded selection than the top ten, so I expanded the final selection to include a dozen images. Here’s the list of the twelve images that received the most picks, and the number of votes they each received:
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1. Image # 7, Stars, Mist, Three Brothers, and the Merced River, Yosemite, 485 votes
2. Image # 25, Milky Way over the Tuolumne River, Yosemite, 291 votes
3. Image # 23, Sunbeams and an old road in a redwood forest, 265 votes
4. Image # 14, Morning sunlight on Yosemite Falls, Yosemite, 252 votes
5. Image # 20, Spring sunrise, Gates of the Valley, Yosemite, 245 votes
6. Image # 21, Ice and reflections in Ellery Lake, Inyo NF, 229 votes
7. Image # 16, Poppies, lupines, and oak, Figueroa Mountain, Los Padres NF, 228 votes
8. Image # 10, El Capitan and Horsetail Fall at sunset, Yosemite, 226 votes
9. Image # 1, Snowy oaks, Yosemite, 208 votes
10. Image # 47, Moonlit winter night with Half Dome, Glacier Point, and the Merced River, Yosemite, 198 votes
11. Image # 41, Moonrise over the Cathedral Range from May Lake, Yosemite, 196 votes
12. Image # 9, Cottonwood trees and fog at sunrise, San Joaquin Valley, 186 votes
Rounding out the top 15 were numbers 5, 42, and 6.
Once again nighttime images were popular – including the top two vote-getters. But it’s a well-rounded selection overall, with daytime grand landscapes, nighttime images, and a few intimate scenes (even one in black and white!)
If you’re wondering about my personal favorites, most of them are in this top twelve. Two that I’m particularly fond of that didn’t make it are number 17, Morning Reflections, Dogwoods and the Merced River, and number 45, Moonrise from Gates of the Valley. I’m also partial to the goose photos, especially numbers 6 and 12. Number 6 actually placed 15th in the voting, with 175 votes, which was a bit of a surprise, as landscape images are always more popular.
But again, I think this final twelve makes a nice, well-rounded collection. I’m very happy with it, and it would be hard to take any of them out. Perhaps my favorite image of the year is number 23, Sunbeams and an Old Road in a Redwood Forest, because I love the redwoods, and that was such a magical moment. I’m glad to see that this photograph was so popular will all of you. But I also love the runaway winner, Stars, Mist, Three Brothers, and the Merced River, as that was another special night, and also one of my favorites images.
I’ll be submitting this post to Jim Goldstein’s blog project shortly. Thanks to Jim and G Dan Mitchell for providing the original inspiration for putting together this list back in January of 2011, and helping to start this tradition.
Again, thank you so much for your participation. This has been really fun for me, and I hope you’ve enjoyed it also. Here are the top twelve images:
7. Stars, mist, Three Brothers, and the Merced River, Yosemite NP, CA, USA
25. Milky Way over the Tuolumne River, Yosemite NP, CA, USA
23. Sunbeams and an old road in a redwood forest, northern California coast, USA
14. Morning sunlight on Yosemite Falls, Yosemite NP, CA, USA
20. Spring sunrise, Gates of the Valley, Yosemite NP, CA, USA
21. Ice and reflections in Ellery Lake, Inyo NF, CA, USA
16. Poppies, lupines, and oak, Figueroa Mountain, Los Padres NF, CA, USA
10. El Capitan and Horsetail Fall at sunset, Yosemite NP, CA, USA
1. Snowy oaks, Yosemite NP, CA, USA
47. Moonlit winter night with Half Dome, Glacier Point, and the Merced River, Yosemite NP, CA, USA
41. Moonrise over the Cathedral Range from May Lake, Yosemite NP, CA, USA
9. Cottonwood trees and fog at sunrise, San Joaquin Valley, CA, USA
Related Posts: My Best Images of 2016: The Nominees; My Top Photographs of 2015; My Top Photographs of 2014; 2013: My Top Ten Images
Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He is the author or principal photographer of The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite, Yosemite Meditations, Yosemite Meditations for Women, Yosemite Meditations for Adventurers, and Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters. He has also written three eBooks: Light & Land: Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom, Exposure for Outdoor Photography, and Landscapes in Lightroom: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide. Michael 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.
I didn’t get to vote, but I certainly can’t argue with the taste of your voting audience Michael. 🙂 If I could pick a word – I think I would use graviational. You certainly have an eye for pulling people in with these.
Sorry you didn’t get to vote Mark, but thanks very much!
No argument here. Great stuff Michael. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Marc!
Only 2 out of my top 10 made it. Guess I’m not a good judge of quality. Lol.
Well it’s all highly subjective Igor. Maybe you just have a unique point of view. 🙂
Definately some great variety in there. Really beautiful work, and images to be proud of!
Thanks Todd!
Michael,
You couldn’t go wrong with any photo! They are all beautiful regardless of the final results. As always, it’s fun to be included for final selection input. Congrats to the winners…great gift! As for me, I found your black and white, #18, Half Dome and clouds, late afternoon, to be the most stunning. It still takes my breath away.
Thank you Ann!
Amazing! Beautiful work. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Sandy!
Great collection of images, Michael! I didn’t vote but Snowy Oaks is my favourite. Have a great 2017.
Thank you Adam!
Congratulations, Michael, a fantastic group of photos. Thanks for giving all of us the opportunity to participate in this, it was so much fun and a challenge to pick ten from such a stunning array. I’m proud to have chosen half of the top twelve. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing your 2017 images.
Thanks very much Bob, and thanks for voting!
Great selection. Half my picks were on the list which is consistent year to year including the top 2. I have noticed that the top choices over the last couple of years has been night shots with stars. I am thinking it is becoming a “fad” like Greek yogurt and gluten free food. Do you agree or is it just my imagination? It is my new passion as well. I would appreciate your insight Michael. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Karl! The word “fad” doesn’t usually have a positive connotation; it implies a temporary fashion that won’t last. Photos of starry skies might fit that description. They’re relatively new, because the technology reached a point where it became relatively easy to capture such photos. People seem to enjoy starry-night photos now, but maybe they’ll get tired of them. I’m sure some people are already tired of seeing Milky Way photos. But I hope some of my nighttime images transcend the clichés and will hold up over time.
Would like a print of the redwoods
I’m sure we can arrange that Cherie. You can find information about ordering my prints here:
https://www.michaelfrye.com/portfolios/print-ordering/
When I looked through your images my 1st idea was to through away my camera. Well, don’t worry – I know it’s not the camera but me.
It makes me proud that my top ten included your personal favorites Number 17, Morning Reflections, Dogwoods, and number 45, Moonrise from Gates of the Valley and number 23, Sunbeams in a redwood forest.
Thanks for your blog.
Marie
Well don’t throw away your camera Marie! When you see a photo you like try to use it for inspiration.
Your work is superb!
Thank you John!
Stellar work as always, Michael (no pun intended!). Wishing you all the best in 2017!
Thanks very much Russ!
It is my ultimate dream to attend one of your workshops in Yosemite, Michael. It’s in my bucket list so someday for sure!
I love, love, love all your photos!
Thanks so much Michelle!
Stunning images, everyone of them. I am a fan of intimate landscapes, and some of my picks made the cut. But, I also like your interpretations of the classic Yosemite scenes. My favorite image is El Capitan and Horsetail falls. It is a remarkably simple image, and yet it has an incredible emotional charge. Lucky for you to have that cloud hanging around until sunset!
Take care,
Brian
Thanks very much Brian. It was indeed lucky that cloud hung around!
Michael,
Congrats on another year of splendid photography. You are an inspiration to us all.
I just read that some bad and dangerous weather is headed for Yosemite Valley and there may be some flooding and closures. Be safe.
Jim
Thanks James! No worries here, our house is on high ground.
Your work is truly inspiring. I’m interested in seeing what images you will get after the rainfall of these past few days.
Thanks Lisa! I would love to get some images of the high water, if they would only open the park!
Tomorrow hopefully!
Stunning images Michael. You really knocked it out of the park in 2016. I look forward to crossing paths with you again in the field later in the year. We always seem to bump into each other at some point and it makes my day.
BTW “21. Ice and reflections in Ellery Lake, Inyo NF, CA, USA” is my favorite of your selections this year.
Thanks very much Jim, and I look forward to crossing paths with you again too!
This is a stunning collection of images Michael! I’m looking forward to seeing what you do this year! All the best to you and Claudia!