Personal Favorites from 2011 (My Top 10)
What a year….another fantastic year has came and gone….hard to believe it’s been a year since I have updated this site….I guess with all the other social networking going on via facebook, flickr, twitter, and now Google+ I don’t feel like I need to post anymore…I said it last year and I am gonna say it again. I am gonna try and post more to my blog this year. I have several new ideas and stories of various images I want to share and I still feel that this is where I can get my story out without being limited on how long it is. Over the past year I have spent most all my time here in the Pacific Northwest. I did take a small trip to Arizona back in April and was blessed with some amazing conditions. This brings me to my first image. About 3 years ago I found an image of this waterfall on Flickr. The Little Colorado river flows seasonally and generally consists of mud and very chocolate like water…That was what I had traveled to Arizona to see….Grand Falls is out in the middle of nowhere. Thanks to Leon at www.waterfallswest.com for the exact driving directions to find this place. I arrived way too early but decided to explore the area a bit before sunset….there were no clouds in the sky and I was feeling like I was gonna get skunked. I hung around the rental car, it was hot, the river was not flowing as much as I had wished. I was sitting there looking at this brown barren landscape thinking to myself I am gonna have to wait here another day……I decided to walk down to the bottom of the canyon near the base of the falls and see what it looked like from there….as I followed the trail that goes up to the middle tier of the falls I was met by a couple barking dogs….I quickly could see clothes were laying on the ground and just kinda hung out there without going any further….I quickly put 2 and 2 together and realized this was also a good spot for naturists to get their groove on…..as I was shooting one of the waterfalls the couple came out just as happy as could be and got dressed and went their way….I hung around a while longer as I could see the moon starting to rise on the south side of the falls….I looked behind me and saw clouds forming….in a state of confusion I hightailed it up the trail and back to where the car was parked….with a few minutes to spare I got set up as I could see the sun going down behind the horizon and I knew it was all gonna be worth it…..As the sun set there was only one other person there with a little point and shoot camera….I moved around a bit from place to place but found this was the best comp for shooting a scene like this…..as the sun dipped below the horizon the sky lit up like fire…..the world had been transformed at that very moment and this once barren brown landscape was now alive with color as nature was showing off I think!!!
So in no particular order here are my top 10 with a little description to go with each
1. Grand Falls, Arizona
2. Shooting Star over Mount Hood and Lost lake
3. Keyhole 2 days before the Arch collapsed
4. Metlako Falls, Thanksgiving Day, Columbia River Gorge
5. Ruby Beach Sunrise, Black and White
6. Seal Rocks Oregon, Christmas Eve Sunset
7. Grand Canyon, Arizona, Black and White
8. Painted Hills, John Day Fossil Beds, Central Oregon
9. Tunnel Falls, Columbia River Gorge
10. Bandon Sunset, Southern Oregon Coast
And as a bonus, this is the one shot I took this year that means more to me than any other…why?
Because it was the first time my daughter and I went camping at the coast. The poles in our tent busted, there was not a room to be found and my 4yr old daughter looked at me and said, Daddy, it’s ok, we can sleep on the beach in the sand.
I was so happy she was willing to do that. We got all set up with a nice fire and she did some roasting of hot dogs and marsh mellows. While the fire slowly burned down she kept asking me about the stars.
She talked and talk and I just listened to her little mind work away as she tried to figure out life’s biggest question. Finally she fell asleep, the beach got quiet and the milky way came shining in like it owned the place….
this photo I took that night while my daughter was sleeping at the feet of my tripod means the world to me!
Thank you all so much for your support over the years…I really appreciate being part of a great photographic community.
May your 2012 be the best year yet!
Peace, Darren White
What a year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think we should all celebrate our adventures – our successes and our failures…every attempt kept us in the game. Happy shooting adventures in 2012, D!
Darren, Your Images are so incredibly inspiring, the very fact that you share your personal experiences with the way in which you come to photograph them is a personal touch that is very meaningful and doesn’t go unnoticed. Thank you for sharing these breataking and always stunning images that stay in in the memory , long after viewing…that is the true essence of a beautifullly captured moment in time. Kim Ross
Great work here, Darren. Keeping up a blog is tough to do, especially when you’re doing the other social stuff, too, but I think it’s just as important. I keep one for my day gig, and it’s helped me tremendously, over and above what fb, G+, etc… all do.
Here’s to a great 2012!
Gorgeous work Darren! Here’s to even better images in 2012!
Excellent images for the year Darren! Happy New Year to you!
These are great, Darren! I especially liked your last shot with the story about your daughter. Great creation of a memory.