Choosing favorites is always a slippery slope for me. So much depends on my mood at the time, what style or look I'm into at the moment, and other subconscious factors I can't begin to fathom.
Here's a gallery of my 2014 favorites... at least my favorites right now. If I were do to this again in a few months, the choices might be different.
Wishing you and yours a happy and safe new year.
At Swami's Beach in Encinitas, there is a large rock along the shore. Doesn't it look like a sea monster that crawled out of the surf to rest its head in a shallow pool?
The hike up the Oneonta Gorge is short and wet. There's a log jam that's a bit of a scramble, however for me the challenge was the chest deep water -- the very cold chest deep water. At least the water levels were low on my visit. I didn't need to swim and it was easy to keep my gear dry.
Walk the streets and back alleys of Florence and you will see bicycles. Lots of bicycles. Although I left Florence with many fond memories, I will forever connect the humble bicycle with the charm of Florence.
Low tide at Bird Rock in San Diego creates calm, shallow waters. On this evening, the ocean became a canvas, colorfully painted as the sun dropped below the horizon.
In my brief time in Florence, I spent nearly every evening crossing the Fiume Arno, shooting upstream and downstream. On this evening, the water was like glass, casting a near mirror image of the arches of the Ponte Santa Trinita and the Ponte Vecchio beyond.
A lone tree in a field on Sauvie Island.
A glorious sunrise overlooking the Borrego Desert.
San Diego gets its fair share of fog. On this morning, it was insanely thick, rivaling Point Reyes in northern California. This shot is on Harbor Island facing toward downtown San Diego. The horizon is ever so slightly visible. On a clear day, the skyline dominates the harbor.
A beautiful morning along the shores of Torrey Pines. Before the daily crowds arrive for sun and surf, the early morning hours bring a different breed of people. Fisherman, joggers & hikers ... and the occasional photographer.
I stood on the Ponte Rialto, a cool, overcast evening. I watched the gondolas come and go as ambient light faded. A relaxing way to spend my last night in Venice.
A calm day along the channel separating Sauvie Island from the main shores of the Portland area. The channel running along the western side of the island is very calm, the surface of the water like glass.
Built shortly after California was admitted to the Union, the Old Point Loma Lighthouse stood watch over San Diego for 36 years.
The rising tide crashing over the rocks, the waves weaving though cracks and fissures along the shore. The coastline is jagged yet smooth at the same time. I watched the patterns of the waves for ten to fifteen minutes before I began shooting, getting in tune with nature's rhythm that morning. I think I found a groove...
I'd finished up a early morning shoot and was packing up to leave. Then, a burst of pink scattered across the sky. I perched on the cliffside and snatched this shot.
Beneath the towering granite peak that is Sentinel Rock, the banks of the Merced River widen forming Sentinel Beach. On calm days, the waters run slowly, mirroring the landscape.
The full cascade of Panther Creek Falls in Washington is something to behold. It's well worth the scramble to the base of the falls. And on a sleepy Sunday morning, you'll have the whole place to yourself.
Many of the stairways to the sidewalks that run along the banks of the Tevere were closed when I was in Rome. I scrambled down a barricaded stairway to get down on the banks of the Tiber before sunrise. Thankfully, the staircase to the St. Angelo Bridge opened up after I'd finished shooting, so leaving was an easier fare.
The ocean-carved sandstone shore of La Jolla gives the Minotaur's maze a run for its money. There's all sorts of critters living in these mini-canyons and potholes. iThe curve in the foreground reminds me of Horseshoe Bend in Arizona.
Yet another gorgeous evening along the shores of La Jolla. I'm hard pressed to ever get tired of this place.