Best Photos of 2010

Filed under: Best Photographs of the Year on 12/31/2010

Best Photos of 2010

A good friend once told me that his photography goal was to shoot two or three really good images each year. I’ve tried to keep that in mind in the years since. It is only on looking back over the last year’s photographs, having now removed myself from the emotion and excitement that was present when the images were made, that I can judge whether I have succeeded in making a small number of really notable images. I feel pretty good about what I produced in 2010. So in true shameless promotional fashion, here are my personal favorites, in no particular order. These are not necessarily the images that I feel will sell best (although I hope they do well in that regard!). Rather, these are the photographs that best recall emotion and remembrance of where I was and what I was feeling when I made them. I owe a big “Thank you” to my wonderful wife Tracy, to my daughters and to my friends for your support and encouragement!

Adelie penguins leaping into the ocean from an iceberg, Pygoscelis adeliae, Brown Bluff

Adelie penguins leaping into the ocean from an iceberg.
Image ID: 25005
Species: Adelie Penguin, Pygoscelis adeliae
Location: Brown Bluff, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica

Archangel Falls in autumn, near the Subway in North Creek Canyon, with maples and cottonwoods turning fall colors, Zion National Park, Utah

Archangel Falls in autumn, near the Subway in North Creek Canyon, with maples and cottonwoods turning fall colors.
Image ID: 26097
Location: Zion National Park, Utah, USA

Red gorgonian on rocky reef, below kelp forest, underwater. The red gorgonian is a filter-feeding temperate colonial species that lives on the rocky bottom at depths between 50 to 200 feet deep. Gorgonians are oriented at right angles to prevailing water currents to capture plankton drifting by.
Image ID: 25393
Species: Red gorgonian, Lophogorgia chilensis
Location: San Clemente Island, California, USA

Giant redwood, Lady Bird Johnson Grove, Redwood National Park. The coastal redwood, or simply ‘redwood’, is the tallest tree on Earth, reaching a height of 379′ and living 3500 years or more. It is native to coastal California and the southwestern corner of Oregon within the United States, but most concentrated in Redwood National and State Parks in Northern California, found close to the coast where moisture and soil conditions can support its unique size and growth requirements.
Image ID: 25795
Species: Coast redwood, giant redwood, California redwood, Sequoia sempervirens
Location: Redwood National Park, California, USA

Kelp fronds and pneumatocysts. Pneumatocysts, gas-filled bladders, float the kelp plant off the ocean bottom toward the surface and sunlight, where the leaf-like blades and stipes of the kelp plant grow fastest. Giant kelp can grow up to 2′ in a single day given optimal conditions. Epic submarine forests of kelp grow throughout California’s Southern Channel Islands.
Image ID: 25396
Species: Giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera
Location: San Clemente Island, California, USA

Blue whale, exhaling as it surfaces from a dive, aerial photo. The blue whale is the largest animal ever to have lived on Earth, exceeding 100′ in length and 200 tons in weight.
Image ID: 25953
Species: Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus
Location: Redondo Beach, California, USA

Wandering albatross in flight, over the open sea. The wandering albatross has the largest wingspan of any living bird, with the wingspan between, up to 12′ from wingtip to wingtip. It can soar on the open ocean for hours at a time, riding the updrafts from individual swells, with a glide ratio of 22 units of distance for every unit of drop. The wandering albatross can live up to 23 years. They hunt at night on the open ocean for cephalopods, small fish, and crustaceans. The survival of the species is at risk due to mortality from long-line fishing gear.
Image ID: 24071
Species: Wandering albatross, Diomedea exulans
Location: Southern Ocean

King penguin, showing ornate and distinctive neck, breast and head plumage and orange beak, Aptenodytes patagonicus, Fortuna Bay

King penguin, showing ornate and distinctive neck, breast and head plumage and orange beak.
Image ID: 24581
Species: King penguin, Aptenodytes patagonicus
Location: Fortuna Bay, South Georgia Island

Paraglider soaring at Torrey Pines Gliderport, sunset, flying over the Pacific Ocean, La Jolla, California

Paraglider soaring at Torrey Pines Gliderport, sunset, flying over the Pacific Ocean.
Image ID: 24286
Location: La Jolla, California, USA

Southern humpback whale in Antarctica, with significant diatomaceous growth (brown) on the underside of its fluke, lifting its fluke before diving in Neko Harbor, Antarctica.
Image ID: 25647
Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Location: Neko Harbor, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica

Eureka Dunes. The Eureka Valley Sand Dunes are California’s tallest sand dunes, and one of the tallest in the United States. Rising 680′ above the floor of the Eureka Valley, the Eureka sand dunes are home to several endangered species, as well as “singing sand” that makes strange sounds when it shifts. Located in the remote northern portion of Death Valley National Park, the Eureka Dunes see very few visitors.
Image ID: 25249
Location: Eureka Dunes, Death Valley National Park, California, USA

Adams River sockeye salmon. A female sockeye salmon swims upstream in the Adams River to spawn, having traveled hundreds of miles upstream from the ocean.
Image ID: 26161
Species: Sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka
Location: Adams River, Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada

Racetrack Playa, an ancient lake now dried and covered with dessicated mud, Death Valley National Park, California

Racetrack Playa, an ancient lake now dried and covered with dessicated mud.
Image ID: 25264
Location: Racetrack Playa, Death Valley National Park, California, USA

Cathedral Range peaks reflected in the still waters of Townsley Lake at sunrise, Yosemite National Park, California

Cathedral Range peaks reflected in the still waters of Townsley Lake at sunrise.
Image ID: 25764
Location: Yosemite National Park, California, USA

Sandhill cranes flying, wings blurred from long time exposure, Grus canadensis, Bosque Del Apache, Socorro, New Mexico

Sandhill cranes flying, wings blurred from long time exposure.
Image ID: 26225
Species: Sandhill Crane, Grus canadensis
Location: Bosque Del Apache, Socorro, New Mexico, USA

A young girl has fun swimming in a pool.
Image ID: 25291

Tabular iceberg, Antarctic Peninsula, near Paulet Island, sunset.
Image ID: 24778
Location: Paulet Island, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica

Two Adelie penguins, holding their wings out, standing on an iceberg, Pygoscelis adeliae, Paulet Island

Two Adelie penguins, holding their wings out, standing on an iceberg.
Image ID: 25050
Species: Adelie Penguin, Pygoscelis adeliae
Location: Paulet Island, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica

33 Comments »

The two here that just blew me away when I scrolled to them were “sandhill cranes” and “tabular iceberg”. Wow, wow, wow.

Comment by John H. Moore — 12/31/2010 @ 10:07 am
Thanks John! Glad we were able to share that Death Valley trip, that was one of the highlights of the year for me.

Comment by Phil — 12/31/2010 @ 10:09 am
Killer shots! The lens usage data is very interesting.

Comment by Kenny Smith — 12/31/2010 @ 11:02 am
What a great collection of images Phil! Awesome. I really love the first one.

Comment by Ron Niebrugge — 12/31/2010 @ 11:04 am
Kenny, Ron — thanks very much. They were a lot of fun to make!

Comment by Phil — 12/31/2010 @ 11:05 am
This is one of the best 2010 portfolios that I have viewed!

Comment by Jon Cornforth — 12/31/2010 @ 11:10 am
Thanks Jon, your help with the salmon planning was key!

Comment by Phil — 12/31/2010 @ 11:18 am
Beautiful collection! I admire that you have such a diversity of photos that are so good–you do well in a variety of environments, with both landscapes and wildlife.

Comment by Samantha — 12/31/2010 @ 11:46 am
Phil,
Very, very fine, diverse set of “bests” Really liked them all but especially the kelp, cranes, and of course, those penguins! Thanks for sharing.

Comment by Patrick Endres — 12/31/2010 @ 1:51 pm
Samantha, Patrick — thanks very much. (Patrick, thanks also for helping to make some of my best pictures of the year possible.)

Comment by Phil — 12/31/2010 @ 2:15 pm
You have had an incredible year, Phil. Wow man. That first one is unbelievable! Everything from the color to the light just works.

Comment by Richard Wong — 12/31/2010 @ 9:23 pm
Incredible shots, Phil! Glad I was there for a few. My favorite is the first, the diving penguins; just brilliant. Thanks for the continuous inspiration and camaraderie!

Comment by Garry McCarthy — 12/31/2010 @ 11:27 pm
as they many comments already bear witness, you had a pretty good year. very nice scope.

Comment by Skip — 1/1/2011 @ 11:05 am
Richard, Garry, Skip — thanks!

Comment by Phil — 1/1/2011 @ 1:12 pm
Phil:

Terrific images! What a great year 2010 was for your photography! Though hard to choose, my favorites were the leaping penguins, the kelp closeup (sunburst really made it unusual),the sockeye salmon, and the penguin duo (which for those of you who might not know was both the cover and a two-page spread in the spring/summer 2010 issue of Nature’s Best Magazine from their annual “Ocean Views” photo contest).

Ken Howard

Comment by Ken Howard — 1/4/2011 @ 12:02 pm
Ken, thanks very much. Here’s hoping we can get together this year for some travel/diving/photo!

Comment by Phil — 1/4/2011 @ 12:23 pm
Amazing collection Phil, especially the kelp - I love the light. Hey, congrats on the Nature’s Best magazine coverage.

Comment by Vicki Beaver — 1/4/2011 @ 4:29 pm
Thanks Vicki! The NB tear sheet was 6 months ago, but given the magazine only comes out twice a year I guess its ok for Ken to mention it. :)

Comment by Phil — 1/4/2011 @ 4:54 pm
I love your first shot especially! That is amazing! The rest of your shots are really neat to, I especially love the bird pictures!

I really like the Sandhill Cranes in flight, that is magnificent!

Comment by Chris — 1/12/2011 @ 9:31 am
Geez Phil. Your top 10 makes me want to throw mine in the trash. :-) Excellent work. Each one clearly stands out on its own merits.

Comment by Mark — 1/12/2011 @ 6:00 pm
Chris, Mark — thanks very much!

Comment by Phil — 1/12/2011 @ 8:30 pm
Wow, Phil. Lots of really superb images here. The kelp, Blue Whale, Salmon, and Tabular berg are my faves, and dangnabbit if those adelie penguins aren’t cute as a button…

Comment by Gary Crabbe / Enlightened Images — 1/13/2011 @ 12:16 am
Thanks very much Gary!

Comment by Phil — 1/13/2011 @ 8:01 am
Awesome collection, Phil. The sandhill cranes and submarine kelp shots are simply outstanding. Here, to an even better 2011!

Comment by Younes Bounhar — 1/13/2011 @ 10:49 am
Phil,

I love the penguin shot. The others are great as well.

Rob

Comment by Rob Tilley — 1/13/2011 @ 12:46 pm
Amazing photos! Looks like you had a great year. And thanks a lot for your comment over on my blog.

I love all of them – especially the Antarctic ones, seems quite a few people on Jims list went there last year! I love the penguins. I think the Antarctic will have to go on my list (despite my dislike of the cold).

Suzy

Comment by Suzy Walker — 1/14/2011 @ 6:16 am
wonderful photos - what patience it must involve! Thank you for sharing them with us!

Comment by Karen Blackie — 1/18/2011 @ 10:45 am
Karen, Rob and Suzy, thanks very much!

Comment by Phil — 1/18/2011 @ 10:48 am
Just awesome… and very-very inspiring. Would really love to come close to these sometime in the future. Have a even greater 2011!

Comment by Prateek — 2/7/2011 @ 11:14 am
Wow incredicle work, you can see the dedication through your work. The whale images are unbelievable and definitely my favorite.

Comment by colin henning — 2/11/2011 @ 12:36 pm
really the best photo of nature,thanks Mr.colla

Comment by mehdi — 2/21/2011 @ 9:00 am
collection of photograph is really wonderful . It encourage me a lot .

Comment by dipanjali — 5/19/2011 @ 7:46 am
Wonderful work; truly inspiring. Thank you for sharing your talent.

Comment by Tom Wagner — 5/25/2012 @ 9:00 am

Best Photos of 2010, Natural History Photography Blog

Best Photos of 2010

33 Comments »