I take a lot of landscape photos and a lot of nature photos.  It’s what I do as a professional landscape photographer.  As my portfolio expands, I keep adding more beautiful photos.  However, there are some photos which stand out to me more than others do.  So, today I’d like to share some of my favorite photos, to date, with you.

Once the shininess of a brand new photo wears off, some photos are still more memorable than others.  These are some which I still really love and why.  Sometimes these photos become my favorite.  By the way, these favorite photos are in no particular order.

1. Classic Beauty

I love this beautiful, if very cliché, photo of a red rose.  It’s probably partly due to the fact that I took the photo myself.  Another part is that my grandmother loved roses.  She had a whole garden of them in her front yard when she was alive.  She taught me to love roses the way that she does.

Since there’s a narrow window of time when the flower is open like this, you don’t delay even a day to get flower photos like this with roses.  If you do wait, you’ll very often regret it as the flower will open much more by the next day.  You’d better have a spray bottle handy to complete this shot.

While having a photo like this doesn’t really put me out there as being different in any way, it still feels good to have this photo to call my very own and to remember my grandmother by.

2. Blue and Gold

This gorgeous panorama perfectly captures the transition between dark and light, between blue hour and golden hour.  It’s also one of those photos where I knew that I had stepped up in my photography skill level.

I started off in photography, several years ago, with pursuing panoramas.  That’s after my classes and class assignments were over.  I captured one that my photography professor loved and helped me tweak to make it just a little bit better.

Then I gave up on pans for a few years.  I started pursuing other kinds of landscape photography instead.  With this photo, while it doesn’t mark a return to panoramas, it is one of a few that I’ve started taking again lately.

3. West Thumb

I took this landscape photo on the day when I got to see Yellowstone National Park for the first time.  What a trip that was!  That is part of what makes this photo memorable.

Much of the rest of why this photo is memorable has to do with the sandbar thrust out into the lake.  It created this barrier which broke the waves coming off the main lake and allowed for a contrasting tranquil inlet.  I love the contrast.

4. Sunset at Bryce

This gorgeous landscape scene was one of those which I almost didn’t get.  I was done with Bryce Canyon hiking for the day but had a feeling to go back to the rim with my camera in tow.  I’m sure glad I did.

While there’s a lot to love about this particular photo, it’s the colors and the sky that I love the most.  People don’t believe me when I say that the sky really did look like that.  But it did.

5. Twilight Beacon

Putting any possible religious meaning or significance aside for this photo, I really do love this photo.  The Snake River is a very fast river and it can be difficult to get a clean reflection in it.  I managed to capture a reasonably clear reflection of the temple in this photo.

I love how the world is plunging into night but the temple is still lit up for all to see.  Temples have some of the most beautiful architecture out there and deliberately so.  I also love the combined cold blue feel of both the blue hour and wintertime in this photo.

You’ve really gotta love how beautifully situated this building is in the surrounding landscape with the waterfall just a few yards (or meters) downstream.  You might not guess that you’re in the middle of a busy city.

6. Sun Dance

I don’t think I need to tell you that this particular landscape photo of Bryce Canyon is simply stunning.  Such a pristine morning with the sun rising.  Such an absolutely breathtaking view of the canyon.

Bryce Canyon is always a favorite location for my landscape photography.  There’s a reason I keep going back there.  This sunburst or sun star in the photo is just the icing on the cake for this gorgeous sunrise over the canyon.

7. Gone Fishing

When I was first handed the assignment of photographing the American Falls reservoir, I grit my teeth at the challenge.  It could easily be described as a big ugly hole-in-the-ground.  But I got to work locating just the right place to stand and transform that big ugly hole-in-the-ground into something beautiful.

When I showed this photo off to a friend, he couldn’t believe that he was looking at a photo of the American Falls reservoir.  He said “THAT’S American Falls?!?” in disbelief.  It’s beautiful.

8. Ice Castle

What first drew me to creating this photo was the unique ice structure jetting out from the right side of the waterfall.  It was interesting and I’m glad I had my camera with me.  When I stood in the right spot, it looked like a complete arch made of ice and snow.

While a very dark and cold photo overall, I could stare at this photo for hours.  There’s just something which draws me into the silky water and the harsh lines of the ice.  There’s something beautiful and delicate and also dangerous in this photo for me.

Perhaps it’s the mysterious blue color of blue hour or perhaps I like ice and snow more than I think I do (I hate them both except as refreshments).  Maybe it’s something I haven’t thought of yet.  Still, this is one of my favorite photos for a reason.

9. Don Quixote’s Giant Army

Aside from the playful and whimsical name I gave this photo, I really do love this photo.  It’s not a green energy thing either (although people have suggested that as a reason for liking the photo).

I love the smooth rolling green landscape.  I love the bright orange skies.  Also, I love the simplistic composition of the wind turbines and the power lines adding interest to the top of the photo.  It really is a fun photo for me.

10. The Watchmen

Here again is another cliché photo but I love it.  It’s the traditional view of Zion’s National Park.  This photo is named for the trailhead that it overlooks.  That trail (called the Watchmen Trail) follows the river for a portion just out of view to the right.

One tram drive told me, and the rest of the tram passengers, about photographers gathering for this light.  I made a point of joining the crowd.  Another tram driver later understood why photographers gather on the bridge when I showed him this shot.

This photo has everything in it that I love: mountains, trees, a river, and beautiful light.  There’s foreground and background interest.  There’s color and leading lines.  It’s a classic shot of the national park for a good reason.

Conclusion

In conclusion, as my portfolio of landscape photography continues to expand, there will be many more memorable photographs which will embed themselves in my memory.  Perhaps you’ve enjoyed seeing some of my photos which I really love.  Maybe they will resonate with you in a manner similar to the way they resonate with me.

What do you think of these favorite photos of mine?  Is there a favorite photo(s) from my portfolio which really speaks to you?  Share it down in the comments section below.  I’d love to know what photos you love and why.