2016 Retrospective - a few of my best images, and what I learned

[FlyingSquirrel]

I think it's a good idea to review your best images each year. You can learn your strengths, weaknesses, how you've improved, tends in your work, various insights, and get inspired for what's next. Reviewing those great memories is also a plus!

I wrote a blog article about the ideas noted above, plus the steps that show how I find my best images of the year in Lightroom. The article shows my ten best images.

Below I will share five of the ten images. If you'd like to read the full article and see the other five images, you can check it out here: http://www.naturephotographymastery....raphs-of-2016/

Moderator: I apologize if I'm not supposed to post links out to my website - if so, please let me know and I'll remove the link.

Thanks for taking the time to view and comment! Images best viewed at full size.

- Matthew




Killdeer Portrait by Matthew Schwartz, on Flickr





Two flies mating by Matthew Schwartz, on Flickr





Bald Eagle with Midshipman fish by Matthew Schwartz, on Flickr





Yellowlegs With Muddy Beak by Matthew Schwartz, on Flickr





Curious Cottontail Rabbit by Matthew Schwartz, on Flickr

[Shadowman]

Nice series and review.

[Tony M]

Hi Matthew. These five photos are indeed very good. I read your blog article and your comments on each photo were interesting. You have certainly dedicated a lot of your time to photography this year, despite having a full-time job.

I hope to see more of your work on this forum.

Tony

[LePetomane]

Matthew, Very nice.

[bje07]

nice pictures with pleasant BG which add to the beauty.

[bnnrcn]

Great images Matthew

[Geoff F]

They all work perfectly.

[Cantab]

Matthew, I thoroughly enjoyed these photos, as well as reading your linked blog post. Your method in Lightroom for creating a "Portfolio" collection makes a lot of sense. I'm going to give it a try.

[Mike Buckley]

Such a great retrospective, Matthew! Perhaps the highest compliment I can give is that though the genre is not a personal favorite of mine, the five photos you posted here in the thread are so compelling that I simply had to visit your blog to review the other five photos. On a purely selfish note, I'm so glad I did exactly that.

Looking forward to your photos in 2017!

[madcrow]

Having viewed your five images in CiC and your blog it was a real treat see them. The series is awesome and beautiful. I think I can say with safety, anyone viewing them, would be proud to call them their own.

[NorthernFocus]

Nice set of images, Matthew. Technical quality is unsurpassed. By anyone.

I also read the linked blog post. It left me with one question. What is the definition of "best"? What are the criteria by which one judges "best"? Most technically sound? Personal favorite? Most marketable?

[FlyingSquirrel]

Matthew, I thoroughly enjoyed these photos, as well as reading your linked blog post. Your method in Lightroom for creating a "Portfolio" collection makes a lot of sense. I'm going to give it a try.

Bruce, thanks for the comment. I'm glad you got a tip from me. Hope it helps!

[FlyingSquirrel]

Such a great retrospective, Matthew! Perhaps the highest compliment I can give is that though the genre is not a personal favorite of mine, the five photos you posted here in the thread are so compelling that I simply had to visit your blog to review the other five photos. On a purely selfish note, I'm so glad I did exactly that.

Looking forward to your photos in 2017!

Mike, thanks so much for your kind words. Always a pleasure to receive your comments. Speaking of that, I owe you a few views of your work (will get on that)

[FlyingSquirrel]

Nice set of images, Matthew. Technical quality is unsurpassed. By anyone.

I also read the linked blog post. It left me with one question. What is the definition of "best"? What are the criteria by which one judges "best"? Most technically sound? Personal favorite? Most marketable?

Dan, thank you very much for your kind words. You know I take those techs seriously! I've always admired your work so it feels good to hear your compliments.

Excellent question regarding the "best" definition! I considered the same question as I wrote the article, and decided to leave it open-ended, so anyone that was taking my advice could do what works best for them personally. In my case, I think the answer is "favorite"...the ones I just love the most (those would, inherently, require them to be technically excellent).

[FlyingSquirrel]

Thanks to everyone for your views and comments, they are highly valued!