Top 10 Photographs of 2011


Many of the cool web sites publish year-end top-whatever lists: best movies, best albums (do they still make those?), and so on. I want to play with the cool kids, too, so here is my contribution: my 10 favorite photos of the year. Not just any photos: ones that I have taken, because those are the ones that people like you care about the most.

What are the rules of this top-10 list, you say? Good question:
  • The photographer must have used one of my cameras
  • The image must be from calendar year 2011 (sorry BucketHead; you are still my favorite all-time)
  • That's about it.
Admit it: most of you are too chicken to leave comments here, but you know you want to participate in this awesome new tradition. Vote for your favorite. A fairy dies every time someone reads an entry and fails to comment, so please think of the fairies as you peruse the Internets this holiday season.

1. Dodgeball Zen
Sellwood Middle School hosted a family dodgeball night in February to raise money for its programs. While the host was explaining the rules to the kids, Aaron entered the void, seeking enlightenment on how best to have fun, avoid being hit, and take out as many of his peers as he could.


2. Sanctuary
Meg was out-of-town for an extended weekend in May. For one final hurrah (despite my allergies telling me to stay indoors), we all rode our bikes to Crystal Springs Gardens in Eastmoreland, my sanctuary, and drank up the colors and scents of spring in full motion.


3. Howl
The Boorens gathered at the Sherwood homestead for Memorial Day. Andrew Booren expressed some kind of desire/emotion/feeling during a rain-infested baseball game on the back lawn.


4. Descent
Llewellyn Elementary celebrates the end-of-year with a carnival. The event is supposed to be fun and mostly free for families, but with Meg on the food committee, the event turned into a fund-raiser for the school.

5. Scuba Stare-down
As soon as school released in June, we headed west for three days in Newport, with the Oregon Aquarium being the main draw. Ian encountered this diver performing maintenance, and their eyes locked for an extended period.

6. Beautiful Grace
While walking the nature paths outside the aquarium, we found a nice resting spot that transferred into an gymnastics arena. We all caught some air showed off our air-borne personalities.

7. Blue
In July Meg and I stole away to downtown to watch Shakespeare in the Park (12th Night). The performance was lacking, and the distractions downtown make it difficult to pay attention fully, but even more sore with the lady on your left is Meg.

8. Twilight at Daybreak
During our stay in Utah, we visited my mother in Daybreak (South Jordan), a huge planned community in the outskirts of Salt Lake county. We walked along the many common areas and witnessed one of the most beautiful displays of natural lighting I've ever been able to use to compose a shot.

9. The Chicken Whisperer
My niece, Emmeline, adores her chickens. She knows all of their names, their personalities, and how best to approach them. Mind you, they have like 16 chickens in the backyard of their Salt Lake City house.

10. Fall Is All Around
After taking a family self-portrait in our Monster March t-shirts, I followed Ian and Eddie across the street to see some spectacularly colorful fall foliage. Ian always seems to sport a look of innocence, which I am happy to capture.


Bonus Selection: Feeling Pretty
I realized that I left off one of Meg, which I must include. This was just a late Summer Sunday where Meg spent much too much time in the bathroom and needed to chronicle her efforts. So consider this bonus shot. And definitely feel free to vote for this one, even if it doesn't have a number.

Comments

  1. Skip and Emma Booren4:51 PM

    Michael,

    I am amazed at the quality of work you have displayed here. These are all AWESOME shots. so awesome that it is hard to choose a favorite, but #8 is pretty amazing, if only from a pure technical perspective, of which I know next to nothing and Eddie is pretty cool.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Michael Asay4:59 PM

    I think I would vote for #9, The Chicken Whisperer. It perfectly captured the feeling I sensed so strongly.

    ReplyDelete

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