As I have done for a number of years now, I thought I would share my favorite photos from 2014, and some of the reasons why they are favorites.
Spring brown bear cub on its mom’s back, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.
I have been doing two Alaska Brown Bear Photo Tours each summer for many years now, and these tours never fail to produce, including this image which is my favorite of the year. Cute pose, great morning light – this was a wonderful year for bears! Note, I do have a couple of spots left for the August trip.
Camping near the Lost Lake Trail, Chugach National Forest, Seward, Alaska.
A mid summer backpacking trip with my friend Patrick Endres on one of my favorite local trails, the Lost Lake trail produced great memories and sweet photo opportunities including the reflection you see below the following morning.
Reflections on a pond, Chugach National Forest, near Seward, Alaska.
Mendenhall Glacier, Tongass National Forest, Juneau, Alaska.
An overnight trip with my buddy Andy in the hills above the Mendenhall Glacier was my most productive 24 hours of the year, there were a lot of options for this list from that night, but I narrowed it down to one.
Camping in Bear Glacier Lagoon, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.
An overnight kayaking trip with Patrick and my wife Janine was another highlight of the summer, and the source of a great deal of photographic inspiration. The upper photo, a great reminder for me of a fun evening around the campfire, while below is Janine kayaking near our camp shortly after sunrise.
Kayaking last Saturday at Bear Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.
Polar Bear, Alaska.
Seeing my first wild polar bears on a trip with another friend Hugh Rose was an incredible experience. I will be leading more Alaska Polar Bear Photo Tours for Hugh next year.
Seward, Alaska.
Every year I include an image from my hometown. Thanks to a doors off helicopter flight for a major sunglasses company, and some hikes into the hills above town, I had many to chose from, but this sunset near the end of the year was my favorite.
Fire Wave, Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada.
I had amazing light for both of my Valley of Fire Photo Tours, so I had to include at least one from this trip – This sunset at Fire Wave was certainly memorable.
Janine at Havasu Falls, Arizona.
Janine and I did a couple of really fun backpacking trips this fall including the West Rim in Zion, and a couple of nights at Havasu Falls – this image brings back fond memories of jumping into the cool, clear waters after a hot, dusty hike.
Breaching Humpback Whale, Fredrick Sound, Alaska.
Maybe my favorite photo tour these days is my Southeast Whale and Bear Yacht based photo tour which sells out very quickly. It was hard to pick just one image, but having a huge humpback breaching so close to the ship is an experience that never fails to leave a memorable impression on anyone nearby.
King Penguin, South Georgia.
I’m just back from an extensive trip for Cheesman’s Ecological Tours to the Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica. I have so many images to go through, I haven’t even began, so for now I’ll go with this close-up of a colorful King Penguin.
Slot Canyon, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California.
For years now, Janine and I have been spending a month during the Winter in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park where I lead a couple of photography workshops.
Gee, it was another busy year – no wonder the years are flying by. I think this year will be even busier! For those interested, here are more: Favorite photo of 2013 Favorite photos of 2012 – favorite photos of 2011 – favorite photos of 2010 – favorite photos of 2009 and finally, favorite photos of 2008.
Comments 12
Incredible work last year Ron! BTW, you might check the caption on the first image. 😉
A beautiful and varied collection Ron – you certainly had a great year! Especially love the wildlife and kayaking images. Wishing you all the best in 2015! Cheers, Russ
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Thanks Richard! Whoops, fixed caption, thanks.
Thanks Russ!
What a great collection of images, Ron! They’re all fantastic but I immediately loved that first one, of the bear cub and its mama. Thanks for the inspiration!
Great collection, Ron! I’m not a prolific blog commenter, but these Best Of posts are a good opportunity to say how much I enjoy and appreciate your work, and how much pleasure it brings me over the course of the year even if I don’t find an excuse to comment. All of these are great, but I must say that it’s your work from your home turf of Seward and the Kenai that I especially love.
Thank you for sharing Ron !! You make want to move back real bad some days ! Tell your Mother and Father I said hello !!
Awesome work, Ron. Another super year gone by, and wishing you the same level of productivity for 2015.
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Thanks a lot guys – I appreciate it very much!
Nice collection of photos, Ron. Another year to remember! Looking forward to this year’s opportunities. See you in a few months.
Ron, Fantastic images….. Looks like it was an amazing year and I look forward to see this years adventures! Don’t forget you’re still invited to photograph the wildlife here on South Beach!!
To quote Frank Sinatra: “It was a very good year”! Thanks for the Best of Ron 2014 collection.
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Thanks Rick – see you soon!
Thanks Mark!
Thanks Richard! I just may take you up on that one of these days!