- Frying Pan Lake
This is one photograph where I was glad to have my wide-angle (10mm) lens on hand. This is the world's largest hot spring - up to 200m wide - located in New Zealand's Waimangu Thermal Valley. It was formed following a volcanic eruption in 1886. (March 6, 2014. Nikon D5000, 1/100s @ f/7.1, 10mm, ISO 200.) - Art Deco architecture in Napier
- Lake Wainamu Trail, near Bethells Beach, Auckland
- Lake Wainamu Trail, near Bethells Beach, Auckland
- View from the summit of Mount Wellington, Auckland
- Art Deco architecture in Napier
- Mount Maunganui on an overcast day
- Downtown Auckland - with Rangitoto Island in the background - from the Waitakere Range
- Byron Bay Lighthouse
- Wave Rock
When I create a HDR ("High Dynamic Range') image (from multiple bracketed exposures), I usually try for a natural look. In this case, however, I liked this image - produced by the Photomatix software's "Deep" algorithm - because it seemed reminiscent of a water color painting. Wave Rock is a remarkable erosion-formed cliff in Western Australia. (December 2, 2014. Nikon D5000, exposure blending from a 3-shot bracketed exposure @ f/8, 15mm, ISO 200.) - "California Majesty"
This photograph was a surprise. While hiking in northern California's Grant Ranch County Park, I hiked to the top of a hill, looking for a panoramic view. But instead, I was struck by the sight of this stunning California Live Oak, back-lit by the late afternoon sun. (April 6, 2014. Nikon D5000, 1/250s @ f/6.3, 11mm, ISO 200.) - Grizzly Bear!
This is unquestionably my single favorite photograph of 2014; it's one that I'd been trying to get for a long time. While driving through Glacier National Park in Montana, USA, I saw several cars stopped by the side of the road. A grizzly bear was grazing on vegetation, just 50m or so from the road! I was ready to run quickly back to my car should the bear decide to charge, but fortunately it was content to just stay there, grazing (and glancing at the curious humans). (June 8, 2014. Nikon D5000, 1/50s @ f/7.1, 300mm, ISO 220.) - Ward Charcoal Ovens
These ovens - in a remote part of Nevada, USA - were used in the late 1800s to prepare charcoal for use in nearby silver mines. I like the composition formed by the line of identical ovens, receding into the distance. (June 2, 2014. Nikon D5000, 1/1600s @ f/5.6, 16mm, ISO 200.) - Rotorua Museum of Art and History
The 'golden hour' - before sunset - is my favorite time for photography; about half of the photographs in this year's '10 Favorites' list were taken around this time. This photograph shows a striking building - the Rotorua Museum (a former bath house in the thermal resort town of Rotorua, New Zealand) - lit by the setting sun in late summer. (March 5, 2014. Nikon D5000, 1/1000s @ f/7.1, 28mm, ISO 200.) - "Black Sand Dune"
The northwest coast of New Zealand's North Island is notable for its black sand beaches (formed by magnetite). This photograph of Lake Wainamu - just inland from Auckland's Bethell's Beach - at dusk provides a striking contrast: A black sand dune in the foreground, with a lake and tracts of native bush behind. (December 30, 2014. Nikon D5000, 1/400s @ f/7.1, 20mm, ISO 200.)