A Look Back at 2023
At the start of each year (this happens a little later than I would like), I look back at my photographic experiences and take stock of what I liked and did not like. For lack of a better explanation, it becomes a listing of my favorite images. These photos represent the ones I consider a favorite to me. It is not necessarily a best images checklist, although there is some overlap between what I like and my best photos.
Most of my photographic experiences in 2023 took place in New England - Vermont and Maine get most of my attention. Photos from locations like West Virginia, Martha’s Vinyard, and Georgia round out the other photos. No international or west coast travel this year. Although my travels were limited to the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast, 2023 was my most prolific. I took a lot of photos. New England is a very diverse landscape and provides ample opportunities. New England is a photographer's four-season playground from the Lobster harbors in Northeast Maine to the Green Mountains of Vermont.
A happy landscape photographer can’t feel his or her fingers in winter, and summers bring constant bug bites. Autumn brings long hikes and tired feet, while wet, cold feet signify a successful spring. Listed below and in no particular order are my favorites for 2023.
Photo #1 Eagle Lake, Acadia National Park. October 2023. While attending a Green Mountain Photography autumn workshop in Acadia National Park, I caught this scene while hiking the Eagle Lake trail. Over the years, I have not had good luck at this lake; the conditions never seemed to cooperate. That changes on this particular morning. The winds were calm, and the heavy rains throughout the summer and autumn usually made for high water levels. All I had to do was lie down in the water and allow one of the Bubble Mountains to show through the arch of the tree stump. This can happen when you have a convergence of favorable conditions and a unique composition. Patience and good luck can pay dividends.
Acadia National Park, October 2023
Photo #2 Cape Porpoise, Maine November 2023. November can be one of the best months for landscape photography on the New England Coast. The weather changes rapidly. On this morning, the forecast was for snow to develop later in the morning. With the approaching cloud cover from the south and west, there might be a chance for dramatic sunlight just before the sun rises. I know I would have wanted to be at this location if that happened, and it did in a big way. This light lasted for ten minutes, and then total grey skies prevailed. One hour later, everything was snow-covered, making for beautiful images.
Cape Porpoise, Maine November 2023
Photo #3 Caumsett State Park, Long Island, NY. Some of my favorite photos are found closest to home. This park is 10 minutes from my house, beautiful in all seasons, and incredibly photogenic in autumn. It is a great place to bring a bike with a camera and tripod. The person walking at the apex of this path makes this photo interesting; without the person, it’s a postcard-type photo, but with the walker, it’s an image with a story.
Caumsett State Park, LI New York
Photo #4 Killington, Vermont Over the last couple of years, I have learned to appreciate the perspective that drones offer. One of the best places to explore that perspective is the Green Mountains of Vermont. This photo was taken as a summer thunderstorm cleared from the mountains around Killington. I like the leading lines created by the stream and the hills that guide the eye straight up to the rainbow.
Killington, Vermont
Photo #5 Robert Moses State Park, LI NY Another photo taken close to home. This beach, also known as Fire Island, is regularly packed with tens of thousands of beachgoers in the Summer. However, on a cold, windy winter afternoon, you can have the place to yourself. This is another photo with leading lines. The convergence of the fences into one fence provides some balance to this photo. The gold foliage perfectly complements the cold blue sky.
Robert Moses State Park, LI NY
Photo #6 Cape Porpoise, Maine The pleasing pattern created by the random placement of the lobster fishermen’s skiffs becomes a dynamic subject for a photograph. Even though no two skiffs are the same or in the same position, a pattern forms. Low Tide and a windless summer evening allowed the water and boats to remain motionless. This photo was taken with a drone.
Cape Porpoise, Maine
Photo #7 Monhegan Island, Maine Monhegan Island is located ten miles off the central Maine coast. The Island has a roughly year-round population of 300, but that swells in the summer. This small Island has no paved roads, emergency services, stores, and two inns. There are a bunch of modern comforts this Nautical Island does not have, but it has abundant natural beauty. The Lupines are in full bloom in the late spring and early summer. They are everywhere, and photographers often use large fields of them as foregrounds. I chose to get closer and isolate the beautiful flower as the subject.
Monhegan Island, Maine
Photo #8 Caumsett State Park, LI NY Infrared image of a lone tree on a gloomy, misty spring afternoon. Moody conditions work best for infrared images, just like visible light images. The mist cleans up the background, allowing the tree to stand out as a subject, and the pink color of the foliage compliments the mist perfectly. The conventional wisdom is that infrared images look best in direct midday sunlight. To me, this photo proves the opposite.
Photo #9 Hobart Beach, LI NY This beach, located on the north shore of Long Island facing the Long Island Sound and Connecticut, has a unique shape and interesting compositional elements. Since the beach is almost one mile long, only a drone shot can fully capture those elements. This photo was taken on a calm autumn morning, which provided nice complementary colors.
Hobart Beach. LI NY
Photo 10 Dolly Sods Wilderness, Davis, West Virginia Whenever I am in the northeast corner of West Virginia, I spend time in Davis, which is home to the Blackwater River and close to the Monongalia National Forest, which includes the Dolly Sods Wilderness. I often make the trek up to Bear Rocks to catch a sunrise. On this autumn morning, we were treated to an exceptionally colorful pre-sunrise. The clouds took over, and we never did see the sun as the rest of the day was cloudy and gloomy. The ten minutes of good light that we did have made the trip worthwhile.
Dolly Sods Wilderness, Davis West Virginia