2010 ~ My Faves of the Year

[MattSh]

As a photographer, I get connected to my work. Certainly not like a parent develops a connection with their children, although sometimes I think it comes close! Of the hundreds of photos I have put up for display this year, either here on my website or on Flickr, I picked out 34 that I felt were my best. But that's not nearly narrowed down enough. Going through a couple more times, I have finally narrowed that down to my ten favorites of the year.

About some of my favorites. Sometimes I want an outcome that reflects reality just as I saw it. And at other times, I want to enhance or alter reality, without going to large extremes (in most cases).

So then, how to define my ten favorites of the year 2010? The obvious criteria is that the photo must have been taken in the year 2010. But for a lot of photographers, myself included, photography is a multi-step process, the two most important steps being taking the shot, and post-processing. What if taking the shot occurred before this year, but post-processing occurred this year? Does that count? Should it?

For my best of the year, my answer is yes. A shot taken in a previous year, but post-processed this year can count as one of my best of the year. Even so, seven of the ten were taken this year. So, here is my year 2010 top photos. And a bit of history behind the photo.

A least one or two have probably already been posted at DU.
 
 
1. Emerald Lake, Nahanni NP, Canada

There seems to be something about the process of getting a great outcome from scanned slides. Things that work well on digital files seem to fall flat when tried on scanned film. Maybe I just haven't mastered the process yet. But on this one, I hit the results I wanted.



2. The Golden Gate of Kiev (Panorama)

This is a panorama made from two other photos. I then tweaked it a bit using Topaz Adjust. A really pleasing outcome.



3. Gold Domes in January (HDR)

With this photo, HDR made all the difference. I liked the original photo enough to keep it, but never displayed it anywhere until I got this result. HDR and Topaz Adjust.



4. Drama Theater of Chernigov (Panorama/HDR)

Also a panorama made from two photos. Then created this HDR version, and finished it in Topaz Adjust.



5. Dormition Cathedral, Rear View (HDR)

I originally posted a different version of this exact photo early in 2010. I revisited it later in the year and felt I could improve on it. Here are the results.



6. The View

This was taken at the Marinskii Park Scenic Overlook in Kiev. A crop and some Topaz Adjust gave this photo it's look.



7. Traditional Ukrainian Musician

This was taken at the Pirogovo Cultural Museum outside of Kiev. The original had a tree growing right out of his head. I hate it when that happens. But a bit of Photoshop took care of that, and Topaz Adjust gave it this look.



8. Knight's House Gargoyles

These are gargoyles on Knight's house in Kiev. Sadly, the current owner is letting the building fall into disrepair, and the city doesn't seem to have a lot of recourse than to let it happen, sadly. Again, Topaz Adjust gave it this look.



9. Sunrise over Kiev (Panorama/HDR)

It's well known among photographers that some of the best photography is done early in the morning or late in the evening. This is a panorama created from four photos, then a three exposure HDR, and a small tweak to desaturate the greens a bit.




10. Wishes for the New Year ~ Peace Around the Globe (HDR)

This was taken just about an hour after the previous photo. A very minimalist look here, with just the globe, the column, and the sky. I've done this globe several times before, but a three exposure HDR made all the difference this time.




Best wishes for great photography in 2011.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

1. nice sample of your work

thanks for sharing

[Celebration]

2. Wow!!

Love all of them, but reflections and gargoyles particularly stand out!

[postatomic]

3. You have the complete package going there

Incredible photos. Well processed.

Much enjoyed. Thank you for the look back on your year.

[intheflow]

4. Really great stuff!

I liked the sunrise shot for the purty factor, but my favorite by far is the gargoyle shot. I never seem to get the sharpness I perceived in person when shooting architectural details, but you have got this down pat. It's a shame some Kiev historical society isn't stepping in to preserve the building since the owner is obviously clueless about the gem he has.