YOUR favorite/best image of 2015 goes here

[Peeb]

Wow! Lots of fantastic images here!

Here's my contribution. As is the case with nearly all astrophotography images, this single image is actually the result of combing many exposures.


Andromeda Galaxy & Companions by Tim Campbell, on Flickr

This is the Andromeda galaxy (aka Messier 31 or just "M31" for short). It's located in the constellation of Andromeda (hence the name) about 2.5 million light years away (so we see it as it used to look 2.5 million years ago). A light year is measure of distance, not time... it's the distance that light can travel (at about 186,000 miles/sec) in one year and works out to just shy of 6 trillion miles. So in rough round numbers... this galaxy is 2.5 million x 6 trillion miles away. The galaxy is much larger than our own (more than twice as wide) at 220,000 light years across. It contains about 1 trillion suns (a little over 3x more than our own Milky Way galaxy.)

We think of objects like our full moon as being very large objects in the night time sky... but even with the incredible distance to this galaxy... it is STILL more than 6 times wider than the full moon. (The full moon is about 1/2º from edge to edge... this galaxy is 3.1º from edge to edge.) We usually do not even notice it due to light pollution but it is visible to the unaided eye if you are observing on a moonless night from a dark sky location.

The image above required more than 1 hour of exposure time (8 exposures, each of which were 8 minutes long - using a telescope mount that is able to precisely track the movement of the sky.)

Love this one!

 

[bc_steve]

Well I don't know about my best, I didn't take too many pictures in 2015 but one of our dogs got hit by a truck this fall. We miss him.

Waiting for a stick to be thrown by Steve Dinicol, on Flickr

 

[limr]

Well I don't know about my best, I didn't take too many pictures in 2015 but one of our dogs got hit by a truck this fall. We miss him.

Waiting for a stick to be thrown by Steve Dinicol, on Flickr

I'm sorry about your pup

 

[rexbobcat]

2015 was a pretty quiet year for taking photos. Still not sure if I have the energy to pursue it further.

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Please don't stop. You're one of my favorite photographers.

Well thanks Dan. You're one of my favorites as well. It's mostly just that I've moved and I'm not really that great with people or very creative overall. A lot of the photos I've taken over the past year and a half have been more happenstance than anything I consciously developed and put out into the world. I feel a bit stalled, and not in the "This will pass" sort of way that everyone blogs about.

Try to be an optimist about it; get out of that mindset that tells you that you can't do this anymore or that you aren't creative (your photos have inspired me multiple times in the past, so that tells me you actually are creative and your photos are beautiful) or good enough with people. If you love photography and it brings you bliss, just try to keep taking pictures. You don't have to tell yourself that this could be the end of it all, and I think putting those words out there makes you believe they are true.

I'm sure I probably won't stop taking photos. I like the possibility of opportunity too much, even if it's in the distance. However, in terms of taking photos with the intent of putting them out there, I'm not sure I will focus that much on it. I've come to the realization that, while the photos I take and are drawn to aren't necessarily bad, they're rather forgettable, which is worse in some ways. If you take bad photos, there will be engagement at least insofar as telling how to improve. The progression is linear. However, it's much harder to satisfy the need for accomplishment when you're on a plateau with no real support network.

Photography is about the only thing I have any sort of noticeable proficiency in, so the fact that I'm where I am both technically and professionally after 7 years makes me a bit disappointed in myself.

I'm posting in this thread just because of you.

I was surprised when I saw you wrote all of this. Don't Stop!

I agree with @DanOstergren and there are many of us here who would agree too. You're one of my favorite photographers and please don't think your images are forgettable because they're totally not!

Your images are playful and happy sometimes, sometimes nostalgic and sad but always honest and engaging. You showed that you can capture a plethora of different subjects and situations and that capturing them is so easy for you, it comes so naturally... The way you compose scenes, shoot people, the way you edit and the themes you shoot, everything... is memorable.

In a way, I understand you because I feel similar, but you are in a place (you said: "so the fact that I'm where I am both technically and professionally after 7 years makes me a bit disappointed in myself") where many of photographers who called themselves pro won't be able to reach, and I really mean that. It's good you have set your goals high because you'll only get better but don't think people are indifferent about your photography because that's impossible.

I vividly remember the portrait of your father, the dancer, even your selfie/body..and more... because they're emotional, honest, pure...

Anyways... if you need a kick in your but, I'll be happy to do it

Heh, well thanks for the kind words Marija. It's been hard getting into any kind of groove, and I don't really know what I want. I've always known people by means of proximity, but here it's all so sprawling that you don't really make connections or acquaintances unless you take the initiative. And there's not a whole lot of photography I'm interested in that doesn't involve some form of interaction. It's just different.

 

[MrPants]

Great shots, guys!

From a 4 a.m. romp through New York City with a few friends after a show.

image0000014A by Herbert Quick, on Flickr

 

[DaPOPO]

Just a large number of great images.. Haven't had a chance to do a lot this year, but here are three I like the best...

 

[SaugaPhotoGuy]

 

[crimsonpetrichor11]

I didn't do much this year. mainly just my kids. This one makes my top two simply because I was able to get it. my son is very difficult to photograph. out of his whole session I got 3 usable images, and I was thrilled. this is my favorite.

This I think is my best photo of the year. definitely the one I am most proud of. My 10 year old. my model and my biggest supporter.