The task of selecting a small set of annual favorites is both a joy and a chore. It is a joy to traverse the year in photographs, recalling the circumstances of the creation of each photograph. This years photographic opportunities ranged across a spectrum. Photograph of the natural world included work from the Sierra, Death Valley, the Pacific Coast, and migratory bird habitats in California and Oregon. Photography of the human world included night photography done on both coast of the United States plus extensive travel in the UK, Paris, Germany, Italy, and a few other spots.
I started with nearly 40 photographs — way too many for a favorites list. With the help of social media friends who viewed photographs, rated, and commented on photographs, I cut the set to about half that number. After a final round of comment and critique, I (brutally, it feels) cut the set to only ten photographs, with half from the human world and half from the natural world.
The diversity of my photography poses a challenge. It is hard (almost impossible for some) to compare, say, urban night photographs with natural landscapes. In fact, there are those who like one genre and don’t like the other… and vice versa! In the final review process on Facebook some were unequivocally for removing a particular photograph from the final set… only to provoke a, “Oh, no! Don’t take that one out!” response from someone else.
In some cases the reasons for the choices may not be obvious. Some photographs (two in particular, but I won’t say which two) are potentially among what I regard as signature photographs — photographs that “have legs,” as they say. They are personal favorites that have also resonated with viewers. Several are (or are not) in the final set primarily because of the responses of viewers. Some worked for people who perhaps like urban but not natural landscapes, and other for those with the opposite preferences. Some are here because some of you might not know of my work in the areas they represent. A few have back-stories that affect how they work as photographs. And, of course, some are here simply because I like them. (I’m contemplating a follow-up post of “The Next Ten Favorites of 2016.” I’m only half joking…)
In the end, I hope you notice that I don’t use the words “The” or “Best” to describe this set. They are simply “Favorites” — not “the 10 best,” but ten photographs that I think represent the kind of work that I feel good about doing during 2016
I’m very grateful to those of you who took the time to comment and rate the early prospects — both for taking your time to view and consider and share, and simply for your interest in my work. Thank you!
HUMAN WORLD
I actually clicked the shutter button on this one at the very end of 2015, but since it wasn’t ready for posting until 2016 I include it here. Without going into too much detail, the photograph might work as a metaphor for something, but I’ll leave it to your to speculate. Mosco (yes, that is the spelling) Street is in the Chinatown area of Manhattan.
Some of you know the story behind this photograph — since I’m so fond of telling it. The photograph was the result of noticing a serendipitous opportunity and then being surprised by an instantaneous twist that lasted only a fraction of a second.
This Paris photograph was made from a boat on the Siene River, working quickly as the landscape passed by.
I made this photograph quite early in the morning, before the tourist crowds filled the streets, and while locals were still about.
Yes, it is that bridge. But not, I hope, that photograph. ;-)
NATURAL WORLD
I photographed this on a brief autumn visit to Yosemite Valley, as a storm cleared from the upper rim of the Valley as evening light came on.
The migratory birds of California have become a major subject for me during the past few years — but in addition to the birds themselves I am attracted to this flat, atmospheric landscape where they are found.
I made this photograph on a magical morning when the fog was initially so thick that we could only hear the birds. Eventually the tule fog thinned enough that light began to penetrate to the ground and the birds started to become visible.
Death Valley has been a favorite subject for a decade and a half now, and I frequently return to this specific location. On this magical morning the first signs of a mighty dust storm were appearing and the atmosphere glowed in the early morning light.
This is another serendipitous photograph that represents a combination of a bit of very fortunate timing and long familiarity with this landscape that allowed me to quickly take advantage of it. A wildfire sprang up to the south of here and as dawn arrived the smoke began to drift north and fill this basin.
I would love to hear your reactions, including your thoughts about photographs that you wish I had included! Here’s to a great year and a great year of photography in 2017
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
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