This year, I set out some goals at the beginning of the year for myself, and for the most part, I’m pretty happy about how those goals have been achieved.  I spent a lot of time in bogs and with orchids, and got golden hour shots from Wildcat and Pierce.  I got my Chocorua shot, and refocused on the Isreal River lupines.  Of recent, autumn and early winter have allowed me minimal time to shoot, but I’m hoping that will change as we embark into 2011. 

And with that, I present my Top 10 in chronological order!

Carter Notch Fox:
Early in the year, I led the high school outing club to Carter Notch Hut for a winter overnight.  We awoke to find this guy rooting around the bunkhouses for scraps.  A bit of crawling around at a low angle eventually yielded this opportunity.  If shot a number of foxes over the years, and this is definitely among my favorite experiences and shots!

Carter Notch Fox

Observing the Undercast:
My photographic life came full circle this winter when I was afforded an assignment gig with the Mount Washington Observatory, where I started my professional interest in photography.  The conditions on the day I arrived were perfect, and I was fortunate enough to catch this classic shot of an observer looking towards Lakes of the Clouds Hut.  I will be teaching a workshop at the summit in March, I’ll post details here soon.

Observing the Undercast

 Spring at the Heath:
The remainder of winter, I made some nice sunrise hikes, but most I want to repeat this winter to improve the shots.  The next shot that really strikes me from the year was this rainy day at Saco Heath in Maine.  What a treasure of a landscape this area is.  The rhodora was perfect in bloom, and the weather ideal for a spring shot.  Might go back here this spring on a clear, misty morning, but I love the feel of this one!

Spring at the Heath

Presidential Lupines:
I don’t think I’ll ever tire of shooting the Lupines in Northern NH.  The main area for shooting them is in Franconia, but there are fields of them everywhere north of the notches, and I found this one in Jefferson.  I had just about packed in for the night, and was driving back when the sun found away to light up the highest of clouds.  In my next post, I’ll highlight some goals for 2011, but I want to continue a personal project of views of Mount Washington.  Scenes like this are why that range inspires me so much!

Presidential Lupines

Dew on Grass Pink Orchid:
This is the second year in a row I’ve included a Grass Pink in my “Best Of” collection.  Simply, it’s a beautiful flower that grows in places that are so incredibly unique, that I cherish the opportunity to shoot them every year.  This was in the Philbrick-Cricenti Bog in New London, on a calm, still morning with a bit of mist hanging in the air.  The breeze of course picked up soon after, limiting opportunity, but I don’t think this one was to be topped anyway!

Dew on Grass Pink Orchid

 Sunrise in Prescott Park:
I don’t shoot many cultivated landscapes, but the gardens at Prescott Park in Portsmouth, NH is one spectacular place for gardens.  I had this week circled for a while, as it was the week when the sun shone right into the park, and was fortunate enough to come away with this shot with the sun rising over the water!

Sunrise in Prescott Park

Lafayette Pair:
I had a great overnight stay at Greenleaf Hut in August, and ran up to the summit for sunrise.  The color and tone of the sky about 20 minutes before dawn was really striking, and the ridges between the Franconia Ridge and Mount Washington had a beautiful warm/cool contrast in their gradient in color.  I feel that the peace of the calm morning that I experienced on the ridge comes through in the first shot.  The dramatic shot came an hour later at breakfast, when the warm coffee hit the cold air of the hut, and sun streamed in the window during breakfast.  Brings me right back to all the great moments I’ve had in the backcountry of the Whites!

Washington from Lafayette

Godrays in Greenleaf

 Hurricane Earl at Portland Head:
A dramatic shot of LARGE breakers coming into Portland Head Lighthouse is on my must shoot list every year, and yet it still eludes me.  This storm was no exception, as the waves generated by Earl just lacked the punch we expected upon arrival.  Fortunately, with a bunch of photographers there that morning, we found mutual inspiration, and I slowed down the exposure to capture this neat frame.  I like that it looks and conveys a feeling of power…without actually being all that powerful!

Hurricane Earl at Portland Head

Chocurua Lake:
One of the most photographed scenes in New England, and I don’t have a decent autumn shot of it.  And not for a lack of trying…I’ve been to the lake well over a dozen times, in all conditions, trying for the perfect shot.  And every time I went there, it wasn’t a place I could shoot elsewhere…so I was getting rather frustrated.  Finally, this October, all the conditions came together!  My Chocorua Shot!

Chocorua Lake

Thanks for taking this journey through the year in pictures with me!  To a safe, happy and beautiful 2011!

I just spent a few days roaming around Northern New Hampshire, where peak foliage has arrived right on time. The weather was gorgeous for just about the whole weekend, which made the hikes and drives extremely enjoyable, even though the light didn’t always go as planned.

Last night provided the best light and my best series of images. I hiked up Mount Prospect in Weeks State Park for sunset, and was treated to great light on the surrounding mountains.

I took off up the auto road at about 5PM for a 6:30 sunset. The road is gated late afternoon, but it’s an easy walk on easy grades. Given the perfect weather, I was surprised to have the place to myself…that was until a moose crashed out of the woods about 25 yards from me. It was a young bull, and it was staring me down. Now, it may look and sound crazy, but in these situations, I find it best to talk to the moose. So I did…and the tension decreased. And he started up the road. So I followed. For about a half a mile we had a chat as we walked, until a family coming down spooked it off into the woods.

Taking a walk with my new friend...

By this point the light was changing, so I switched focus to the sunset. The view from the east outlook is tremendous…from the Kilkenny, centered on the Presis, over to the Pemi. And all of it began to glow as the low light accentuated the autumn colors.

The East Overlook - Weeks State Park

Right before the light dipped behind some clouds right on the horizon the light was most intense. The Kilkenny Ridge, a by day a mottled sea of hardwoods in various autumn colors was ablaze in bright red. Mount Washington, a bit further distant had a bit more blue haze, and the lowlands were dotted with wetlands, softwoods, villages and color. A beautiful scene!

Intense Autumn Light and Color - Weeks State Park

Plenty more pictures to share…time will limit updates through October…

Sneaking out of an AMC hut is a bit science, a bit art, and still not the least silent. The hut is creaky, and through hikers sleep in the main dining area right next to the door. Outside thought, the world was silent, the wind had died overnight as Orion rose over the silhouette of the mountain I had to finish climbing. One false summit had me doubting myself in the race with the sun, but I arrived as an orange predawn glow was back-lighting Mount Washington to the east.

Predawn Glow Behind Mount Washington

As the sun rose, the ridge line to the south acted as a division of color between the warmth of the sunlight and the cool blues in the shadow. To the north fog filled the valleys…though none filled the Pemigewasset Wilderness spread out before me as I had hoped. Reason to return, but not to tarnish the moments of spectacular beauty as I watched the shadows retreat in the valleys.

Alpenglow on the Franconia Ridge, Looking South

Back at the hut for breakfast, I was greeted by eager hikers and hearty smells, and went back to work in the kitchen while the guests ate. I could continue on and on about how much I always enjoy my experience in the huts with the croo, but a last morning shot, through the coffee steam, should replace the words.  A fantastic morning!

Godrays in Greenleaf