my best image of 2021

It's that time of the year again.  A time to reflect on the previous 12 months and, in my case, to decide on the best photograph I took in the year.

Whatever it is, it'll have to go some to get close to last year's image of the cascade at Paradise - an image I still regard as my finest to date in all my years taking pictures of my surroundings.

If I had to pick my favourite image of the year, that'd be one I took on my return to Waterfall Country and my morning at the upper Club Gwyn falls.  Technically the image is quite poor - it was a test shot only, but for reminding me of a great day out, nothing else comes close.

Here it is, in all its, erm, glory!

Prize for most technically challenging image of the year goes to this panorama of Bracelet Bay and the lighthouse.  Pano's are challenging enough as it is, but shooting when the light is changing and the high tide coupled with wind is bringing waves crashing onto the shore, timing things just right is complex.

Anyway, back to the task at hand, in 3rd place is this image of the southern Brecon Beacons bathed in golden Autumn light:

This image was about as good as Autumn got this year.  It was taken in early November and most of the trees were still covered in green leaves, lobelia was still flowering in my garden and rhododendrons were still in bloom in Craig-y-Nos.  For anyone who thinks global warming is a hoax, then look at this as certain proof of its existence.

Anyway, I particularly like the light hitting the distant peak as it stands up to the approaching bank of cloud, and the skeletal tree silhouetted in the darker foreground.

Runner-up spot (and oh-so close to winning) is the image of the tree in the mist near Carreg Cennen Castle:

This simple looking image was anything but simple to actually shoot.  It only works because the main tree is completely separated from its surroundings.  And not just by the misty conditions.  I had to be really careful to ensure that none of its branches interfered with those on the other trees.  So, it was a race against the rapidly thinning fog to fine-tune the composition

But the surprise winner is this shot of some driftwood at Limeslade Bay.  

I say surprise as I'd not gone out with the intention of capturing an image!  I was making a video for my YouTube channel (did you know I have a YouTube channel by the way?) comparing the 1st and 4th generation Fujifilm X-Trans sensors.

The image was shot on my X-T4 with 10-24mm lens, and using a dirt cheap, eBay special, 10-stop neutral density filter.

My main reasons for liking this image so much though, are the dark moodiness it conveys through the sky, the long (ish) exposure giving the sea a misty, ethereal look and the fact that I got really lucky when a helpful wave washed the driftwood into a position mirroring the rocky outcrop.

Sometimes all the elements that make a decent picture do come together for me, just not that often that's all!

Do you agree with my choice?  Or do you have another favourite image from 2021?

I hope that this time next year I'm still here, still taking pictures, and reflecting on even better images.

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Click below to see more images and me talk about my choices for this year.  Please….