Favourite Photographs I Took In 2022

Cairn Toul & Sgor an Lochain Uaine

Going through the 3500+ images I took in 2022 to find my favourites is a pleasant if time-consuming task. It's a useful way of analysing my photography too and considering if any themes or changes from past years emerge. Looking at the photos selected I see an interest in complex cloud landscapes and tree details. I wonder if this will continue next year!

Clouds & ridges above the Lairig Ghru

All the images were taken with my Sony a6000 camera and Sony E 18-135 lens. Looking at the data in Lightroom I obviously like the longer end of the zoom lens, with none of the images having focal lengths below 43m  (64.5mm full frame equivalent). I like zooming in! Maybe next year I'll think more about wide angle images.

Oak tree

In previous years I've chosen an image from each month. This year I haven't done this as it meant omitting some photos I really like and also a sequence of five images from just one evening. 

Split sky with Bynack More

These are the images I like because I can see new details every time I look at them. I like the complexity. I did take many  conventional landscape images - the sort I'd submit for magazine articles and guide books - and I do like many of these. They don't affect me in the same way as these images though.

Autumn forest

I also took many photos of camps and people. Some of the first can be seen in my post on favourite camps of 2022. One of these, the first in the post, could have featured here.

Clouds in the Lairig Ghru

All the images were taken in the Cairngorms National Park, four of them in woods near home, the rest in the mountains. 

Dark & Light

The Lairig Ghru

Lochnagar

 

Birch in autumn

Sunbeams

Oak tree

Clouds in the Lairig Ghru

Clouds

The final five images are a sequence taken from Ben Macdui of the crescent moon over Cairn Toul. They bring back memories of a wonderful, wonderful evening.

My Photography in 2020: a favourite for each month

January: Clouds over the Cairngorms

Most years I do a round-up of my favourite photos. Last year was an unusual year due to the pandemic of course - for four months I never went further than five miles from home and not once did I leave the Scottish Highlands and only rarely the Cairngorms. My planned long walks for May and June never took place. There are always big spikes in the number of photos in the months when there's a long trip. There are no spikes for any month in 2020. There are no dips in the lockdown months either. I found plenty to photograph close to home. 

February: Cloud-capped Cairngorms

Rather than my absolute favourites for the year here I'm going to post a favourite from each month. These are photos that mean something to me and bring back memories of a strange year in which each month has its own resonance. Usually my memories of a year, along with my photos, are dominated by long walks. Last year was different.

March: Snow & Light

March saw my last trips to the snowy hills until the autumn. The snow remained high up for weeks but lockdown made the big hills out of reach and I could only admire it from a distance. Instead I had the spring to follow and watch at home.

April: Forest & Mountain, Green & White

May: Spring Birches, Spring Sky

June: Cairngorms Evening

July: A Touch of Rainbow

August: Cairn Gorm Sunset

Of these twelve photos six were taken less than two miles from my front door, the other six in the Cairngorms. 2020 really was a year for staying home.

September: Fire in the Sky

October: Mist in the Lairig Ghru

November: Cairn Lochan Gully

December: Sunset from Meall a'Bhuachaille

Photographic Notes. The images were taken on my Sony a6000 camera with Sony E 18-135 lens. All twelve images were taken at different focal lengths, from 18 to 128mm. I believe in using a zoom lens to the full! The aperture was f8 in all images bar July's, which was f5.6. Shutter speeds ranged from 1/15 to 1/1600. The ISO was 100 except for August, which was 200, and July, which was 400. All photos were handheld.

My Photography in 2019: Favourite Pictures

Sunset from Meall a'Bhuachaille, Cairngorms, January. Sony NEX 7, Sony E 16-50mm @ 34mm, 1/250 @ f8, ISO 100

Last year I took 3,500 photos (not including phone ones). As always many were of gear, camps or for reference. Less than half were taken to capture a beautiful or spectacular scene. Here I'm posting my favourites of those, with technical info for anyone interested.

The Lairig Ghru from Ben Macdui, February. Sony a6000, Sony E 18-135mm @ 42mm, 1/160 @ f8, ISO 100

My photo gear underwent one change. I finally bought a second-hand Sony E 18-135mm lens after mulling about it all 2018. It became my most used lens by far. I took it and my Sony E 10-18mm on my two long walks of the year, the TGO Challenge and the Colorado Rockies CDT, and found the combination excellent. I still used the Sony E 16-50mm on many days out and it was my second most used lens, followed by the 10-18mm then the Sony E 35mm and the Sony E 55-210mm.

Loch Avon, Cairngorms, March. Sony a6000, Sony E 10-18mm @ 10mm, 1/50 @ f8, ISO 100

Stob Coire an t-Sneahda, Cairngorms, April. Sony a6000, Sony E 18-135mm @ 19mm, 1/640 @ f8, ISO 100

Sunrise, Loch Beoraid, Western Highlands, May. Sony a6000, Sony E 18-135 @19mm, 1/200 @ f8, ISO 100

Binnein Mor & Binnein Beag, the Mamores, May. Sony a6000, Sony E 18-135mm @ 42mm, 1/80@ f8, ISO 100

Mount Aetna, Colorado Rockies, August. Sony NEX 7, Sony E 18-135mm @ 50mm, 1/80 @ f8, ISO 100

 

Dusk, Colorado Rockies, August. Sony NEX 7, Sony E 18-135mm @ 74mm, 1/15 @ f8, ISO 400

 

Thunderstorm, Rio Grande Pyramid, Colorado Rockies. Sony NEX 7, Sony E 18-135mm @ 49mm, 1/320 @ f8, ISO 100

Autumn, Strathspey, October. Sony a6000, Sony E 18-135mm @ 135mm, 1/80 @ f8, ISO 100

Dusk, Strathspey, October. Sony a6000, Sony E 18-135 @ 135mm, 1/60 @ f8, ISO 100

Snow & mist, Strathspey, November. Sony a6000, Sony E 18-135mm @ 51mm, 1/13 @ f8, ISO 400

Cairn Gorm rising above mist, Strathspey, November. Sony a6000, Sony E 18-135mm @ 135mm, 1/25 @ f8, ISO 100

Dusk, Strathspey, November. Sony a6000, Sony E 18-135mm @ 51mm, 1/60 @ f8, ISO 100

Mist in the forest, Strathspey, November. Sony a6000, Sony E 18-135mm @ 90mm, 1/13 @ f8, ISO 200

View from Carn Ban Mor, Cairngorms, November.  Sony a6000, Sony E 18-135mm @ 28mm, 1/400 @ f8, ISO 100

Braeriach in the mist, Cairngorms, December. Sony a6000, Sony E 18-135mm @ 135mm, 1/500 @ f8, ISO 100

Snow forest, Strathspey, December. Sony a6000, Sony E 35mm, 1/10 @ f5.6, ISO 400

 

Solstice in the Cairngorms, December. Sony a6000, Sony E 18-135mm @ 21mm, 1/200 @ f8, ISO 100

 

Dusk, Cairngorms, New Year's Eve. Sony a6000, Sony E 18-135mm @ 95mm, 1/30 @ f8, ISO 100