Phil’s Top 10 Photos of 2023
I am starting off my career as a blog writer with a traditional end of year Blog. These are my top 10 photos from 2023. My first favorite photo of the year was taken February 18 at 4:25 in the afternoon. This past spring, I had the fortune to design the artwork for the Chesapeake Urology offices at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore. I designed an installation of 17 large photos featuring Baltimore landmarks. I managed to catch this image of The Bromo Tower in downtown Baltimore as the late afternoon sun lit up the west face of the building. The way the bare winter trees grounded the tower, yet still let the building show throw really caught my eye.
The second of my favorite photos from this past year is this beautiful bed of orange tulips at Sherwood Gardens in Baltimore, MD. Taken April 10 at 12:30 pm, it was quite a challenge and took a lot of patience. Sherwood Gardens is a popular lunch time destination during tulip season with picnics, frisbee games, families, engagement photo shoots and baby strollers everywhere. I waited nearly twenty minutes to get this shot, which turned out to be my favorite of the day.
April 20th and the leaves were just returning to the trees on Tufton Avenue in the horse country area of Hunt Valley, MD. I often drive this road in April and September as the sun rises straight up the valley and can create some great early morning light. Despite the steady stream of commuter traffic there are a couple of safe places to pull over, and a wide shoulder to walk. Over the years it has always been a productive location for me resulting in dozens of good photos, a couple of paintings and even some excellent digital art. This shot was taken at 6:42 in the morning, just as the sun rose over the woods and lit up the misty morning skies.
This summer, I took a vacation on Amelia Island, Florida. I did do a little work (at times it’s hard for me to separate pleasure and work) while I was there and at 6:46 on the morning of the 4th of July I found myself on Boneyard Beach at Big Talbot Island State Park. This beach has the bones of trees that have eroded away and bleached out. They create a unique foreground for beautiful sunrise beach shots.
I spent a few days in September hiking on the C&O Canal trying to get myself back in hiking shape. While driving through the dawning light on my way to different spots along the canal, I often stopped to take in the sunrise. I found this spot at 7:19 on the morning of September 12th on a side road off the north side of Rt. 26 in Eastern Frederick County. I stopped my car in the middle of little used country road and fired off a few quick shots. It was pointed out by several of my friends that they could really see me in this Solitary Sunrise. I can’t deny that I find a kind of peace in moments of solitude, like this one, that I don’t find anywhere else. I have also painted this scene as well.
The 6th of my favorite photos of 2023 comes from my favorite place to hike – Ricketts Glen State Park, PA. Taken on October10 at 10:15am, the B. Reynolds falls is one of 22 named waterfalls in the park. This waterfall is one of my favorites and is always worth a good photo. This was one of my first stops on the day which included 10.5 miles of hiking, nearly 2000 feet in elevation changes, 450 photos and 8 hours of driving up and back.
Photo #7 taken early the afternoon of October 25 was taken at the base Cat Rocks in Catoctin Mountain Park in Thurmont, MD. A pleasant hike with friends, we had a nice picnic lunch under these autumn trees and bright blue skies.
On November 3rd, Clopper Lake in Seneca Creek State Park offered me two of my favorite photos of the year. The first photo taken on one side of the lake just as the sun rose above the autumn trees and started lighting up the mists above the lake, the other photo taken on the far side of the lake, half an hour later around 8:45, as the rising mist was starting to dissipate.
My final favorite of the year taken on November 8 around 2 in the afternoon caught the final burst of autumn color at Black Hill Regional Park in Germantown, Maryland. The bright orange leaves moving in and out of the shadows of other trees caught my eye from a couple of hundred yards away. It’s on my list to paint.
Well, so we come to the end of my first blog. There will be more to come where I’ll talk about places I go, how I do the things that I do, projects I’ve worked on and life as artist. Have a great day!