Top 9, 2023
In 2023, I took far fewer wildlife photos than in any recent preceding years. I wasn’t exactly taking a break, but with a one-year-old son, my time was—joyfully—at a premium. However, whenever I had the chance to spend time in nature, I made the most of it. I was able to see some species I’d never encountered before and try out some new techniques, and as a result, I’m delighted with the results.
The California brown tarantula (Aphonopelma iodius) photo is not particularly noteworthy in terms of light, composition, or behavior. In fact, other than nailing the focus, there wasn’t much to celebrate from a technical perspective, but this photo was meaningful to me because I had never seen a tarantula in the wild before. Similarly, the California slender salamander (Batrachoseps attenuatus) was a new species for me. Still, with a little more light and beautiful textures, I could craft the image more intentionally and practice macro photography.
Macro photography was actually a bit of a theme this year as I tried to get closer to some of California’s smaller creatures. The coast garter snake (Thamnophis elegans terrestris) and the lined shore crab (Pachygrapsus crassipes) were great opportunities to work with close-up detail and time my shots to capture some behavior. I made the California newt (Taricha torosa) image when I found a situation to include some interesting context and tell a slightly more significant story than with some of my previous newt photos.
The bobcat (Lynx rufus), the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) duckling, and the California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) were the kind of animal portraits I love: sharp, iconic, and against a clean backdrop. I intentionally posed the bobcat and mallard photos in the field, but the sea lion was the product of good luck and some post-process cropping.
Finally, the Rufous hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) was my favorite image from the year. I liked the subject, the composition, the light, and the context, but I made this image during a special experience. While I was on parental leave, bonding with my new son, this hummingbird built a nest right outside his nursery window. We spent many days observing its activity (you can watch a video about it here), and for that reason alone, it means more to me than the others.
