In Retrospect: My 11 Favourite Photos of 2011

A colleague of mine posed a question on twitter: "What are the top 11 things you learned in 2011."  And while I've been thinking through that question over the last three weeks and jotting ideas down, I noticed that a good portion of the list fell into the photography category. This year I did a 365 project (a picture a day for the whole year).  Unfortunately I didn't finish (only got through 248 pictures).  Once the yearbook began I was taking photos for the school, and my photo-priorities shifted.  However, through both opportunities I found that my abilities as a photographer grew immensely.  So while I am finishing up my top 11 things "learned" I am here to share with you my 11 favourite photos taken this year (in no particular order):

1.  Hatteras Island, North Carolina.  After driving from Langley, BC to Hatteras, NC, we were finally about to set our feet in the Atlantic Ocean.  It's just over that ridge. #coasttocoastroadtrip

2.  Underneath the St. Louis Arch my eye was drawn to this family, who appeared to be #lost

3.  Fire.  Every camping trip needs a camp fire.  And every campfire needs a boy to find a stick, and carry that fire around with them.  #campingtraditions

4.  These are a few of my favourite things.  Books.  I love love LOVE books.  Strangely enough, I have not yet read Crime and Punishment (but have read all the others).  But I singled it out because I love the colour red. #justaddawarmcupoftea

5.  Tassels and Beads.  Each bead is represents someone or something important to me.  The four tassels represent my university graduations (BSc and BEd) as well as my husbands. #blessed

6.  Pike Place Spices.  This is an amazing store in the Pike Place Market with wonderful spices and hand made loose leaf teas.  I love the colours of the spices and would have taken so many more pictures if I wasn't getting the evil eye for wandering through with a camera.  #pikeplace

7.  Being that my family is entirely dutch, I cannot help but love tulips in the spring.  I hope that one day I can go to the Netherlands in the spring to take pictures of fields. #proudtobedutch

8.  Crispness.  I love taking pictures in the spring (Which is evident in most of my 365 pictures as well).  I enjoy a beautiful piece of nature, the colour green, and great bokeh.  My Nikon 35mm/1.8 lens is by far my favourite and used for 90% of my pictures this year. #makeawish

9. Lake Michigan, Indiana Sand Dunes, facing Chicago, Sunset.  #beautiful

10.  SPLASH!!!  This photo, worked on along side one of my yearbook editors, took 5 hours of staging, manipulating light, perfecting the writing, hanging sheets, rearranging mugs, choosing new mugs, and testing shutter speeds.  It was created by dropping a rubber chemistry stopper into a mug of warm tea.  400+ photos later and we had one we loved!  #perseverence

11.  Movember.  Many of my colleagues grew moustaches and raised money this past November in honour of prostate cancer research.  In commemorate their hard work we had a photo shoot.  The goal was to show the many faces of a man. #testosterone