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“Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop.” – Ansel Adams

It is that time of the year once again, for me to share with you my Top Twelve Photographs of the Year 2021. This is the 9th edition of a tradition that began in 2013, inspired by Ansel Adams’ quote above. Ansel Easton Adams (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984), is one of the most recognizable names in American landscape photography. His black-and-white landscape photographs of the American West, especially Yosemite National Park, have been widely reproduced on calendars, posters, books and prints.

I began 2021 with the hope that it would be much less restrictive than the COVID-19 driven lockdowns and social distancing requirements that dominated 2020. While that hope appeared to be achievable in the May/June time frame when vaccines were rolling out successfully, it was not to be in the end. A resistance to vaccinations, and the potent Delta variant turned out to be a game changer. Now, as I write this blog we are being inundated with record breaking daily new cases of COVID-19 fueled by the Omicron variant. We are still in very uncertain times, and how 2022 will turn out is anybody’s guess.

I traveled a little bit more in 2021 than in the previous year, but my travels were still quite restrictive. I did manage to get in a photography trip to Virginia, the Outer Banks, North Carolina, a visit to the Eastern Sierras, and three visits to Yosemite National Park, but no travel overseas.

As in previous years, I determine my Top Twelve, and the order of the selections by the amount of unsolicited responses (Likes) the images received on my social media Facebook page. One small twist that I added this year is an additional image, as I had a tie for tenth place, that I chose not to arbitrarily break as I have previously.

I will begin with Number 12, its title, some background about each image, and some basic EXIF data.

#12. ‘Constant Craving’ – sunset at Big Meadow, Shenandoah National Park, VA. A huge thank you to a very good friend of mine, for inviting, hosting, and driving me to these beautiful sites in Virginia, as well as the Outer Banks, without whose help this trip would not have been possible. I admit here that the ‘big picture’ in landscape photography is what catches my eye and I crave…

*May 25, Big Meadow, Shenandoah National Park, VA,; exposure 1/400 sec @ f/20; 24-105mm lens @ 24mm; ISO 125.*

#11. 'Quivering Aspens' - just outside Lee Vining, CA. I spent 3 days conducting a private workshop in the Eastern Sierras, and followed by 7 days in Yosemite in October. We found a small grove of Aspens, with fall colors on the side of Highway 395 as we were driving into Lee Vining. I just wasn’t getting an image that captured my emotions, when I decided to use ICM (Intentional Camera Movement) and created this image that I liked.

*October 16, Lee Vining, CA, exposure 1/16 sec @ f/13; 24-105mm lens @ 65mm; ISO 50.*

#10 'Highlights' – Yosemite Falls, during my third visit to Yosemite National Park after a significant snow storm. I tend to move around by instinct in areas that I am familiar with, and found myself arriving to this spot on South Side Drive, just as the sun created these highlights on Yosemite Falls, which lasted all of 10 minutes and then was no more.

“Youth is happy because it has the capacity to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.” – Franz Kafka

*December 15, Yosemite National Park, CA, exposure 1/200 sec @ f/11; 16-35mm lens @ 22mm; ISO 400.*

#10 ‘Black Beauty’ – this was my first experience photographing wild horses. It was simply stunning to see this beautiful, black, wild stallion galloping along the beach in the Outer Banks, NC. We spent a few days driving up and down this beach, and in the dunes looking for and photographing these magnificent wild animals. This Black Beauty was the highlight of this unique experience. Extremely grateful to my dear friend for bringing me here!

*May 17, The Outer Banks, North Carolina, exposure 1/8000 sec @ f/5.6; 28-300mm lens @ 300mm; ISO 1000.*

#9 'Fluttering Cold' – ICM of the road leading into Pohono Bridge, and South Side Drive, Yosemite Valley. Photography to me is an emotional pursuit, and sometimes I need to do something different to feel that emotional connection to a creation of mine. This year I have rediscovered that Intentional Camera Movement sometimes is that difference between the mundane and that creative spark.

*December 16, Yosemite Valley, CA, exposure 0.8 sec @f/14; 24-105mm lens @ 24mm; ISO 50.*

#8 ‘The Way We Were’ – the iconic Hope Valley Barn, a worthwhile four hour round trip from my home. This day, our arrival timing was perfect, and we got there just as the available light painted this beautiful scene exactly the way I wanted it to be!

"Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale." – Lauren Destefano

*October 14, Hope Valley, Markleville, CA, exposure 1/50 sec @ f/11; 24-104mm lens at 50mm; ISO 250.*

#7 ‘Reaching for the Moon’ – The Harvest Moon, is the closest full moon to the autumn equinox, September 22 this year, and is symbolic of a new beginning. It traditionally signaled the time of year for farmers to start harvesting their summer crops before the arrival of the autumn frosts. I captured this rising moon from the Nimbus Overlook, Fair Oaks, CA, which allowed me to place the moon next to the spire of the Sacramento California, Mormon Temple.

#6 ‘It’s The Little Things’ – morning light on the leaves of this Fruitless Plum tree in my front yard that caught my eye. While I am usually attracted to the wide majestic landscape shot, intimately well-lit gems like compels me to stop and capture its beauty.

“Enjoy the little things in life…for one day you’ll look back and realize they were the big things. – Robert Brault

#5 ‘Reflections En Masse’ – we drove through The Great Dismal Swamp, VA, to get to Lake Drummond, where we encountered this magnificent sky reflected on a perfectly still lake. I do not remember ever seeing such a beautiful sky reflected in such a perfect setting, a fantastic start to our trip down to photograph wild horses in the Outer Banks, NC.

*May 15, Lake Drummond, VA, exposure 1/80 sec @f/11; 24-105mm lens @ 24mm; ISO 100.*

#4 ‘The Two of Us’ – sunset at the Fair Oaks Bridge, Fair Oaks, CA, a 10 minute drive from my home, and my new go-to location to shoot a sunset. The bridge, built in the early 1900s, continues to serve as a pedestrian and bicycle crossing and remains a cultural icon for the local community. Paid a lot for the two models in the foreground, albeit worth every penny because of their impeccable sense of timing…

*March 3, Fair Oaks, CA, exposure 1/1250 sec @ f/11; 16-35mm lens @ 16mm; ISO 1250.*

#3 'Christmas Lighting, Yosemite Style' - caught this beautiful evening light on El Capitan at Valley View, AKA The Gates of the Valley, Yosemite National Park. Yosemite is my favorite place to visit and photograph, and winter after a snow storm is particularly beautiful. Yosemite is also beautiful in the spring, and fall, and I leave summer to the tourists, their families and children, as the park gets crowded with predominantly ‘bald blue skies’.

*December 15, Valley View, Yosemite National Park, CA, exposure 1/25 sec @ f/11; 16-35mm lens @ 16mm; ISO 125 .*

#2 'Dreamland' – I don't think that I have ever seen a more perfect, colorful, fall scene in Yosemite Valley in all the years I have been privileged to visit this beautiful national park. In photography, as in life, you get what you are given. So grateful to witness Mother Nature's artistry, which touches me so deeply...

*October 22, Yosemite National Park, CA, exposure 0.4 sec @ f/11; 24-105mm lens @ 45mm; ISO 125.*

#1 ‘Amazing Grace’ – my fellow photographer friends and I were on our way out of Yosemite morning after spending two nights here, when we spotted fog in El Capitan Meadow, and instinctively I went to see what it would look like on the Merced River from the El Capitan Bridge. We were treated to the most amazing show of God rays, aka Crepuscular rays, that I have ever seen, which appeared to be doubled in size with the reflection off the perfectly still river!

*November 19, El Capitan Bridge, Yosemite National Park, CA, exposure 0.6 sec @f/11; 16-35mm lens @ 16mm; ISO 100.*

And there you have it, my Top Twelve Photographs for the 2021 year. I always have fun looking back at the past year, as it gives me an idea of what I created, where and when, and the improvements that I have made to my craft. In retrospect, looking back I had a very good year! Deep gratitude to what I was given by the Universe, what I managed to do with these gifts, and now look forward to the coming New Year with measured anticipation and hope.

I’d also like to express a big thank you to all those who expressed their support of my photography on my Facebook page, and for taking the time to do so – it is greatly appreciated! As always, I also owe a great deal of gratitude to the many people who support me by purchasing my images in various print formats, and especially those attending my private workshops.

Again this year, I will attempt to conduct my Sri Lanka Photography Workshop & Tour. All arrangements for the 2022 version have been made and are in place, contingent upon being given the chance to travel freely internationally in a safe manner. Please see all the details of this exciting event at my webpage, and feel free to contact me if you have any questions, and if you’d like to join us: https://www.davidjgrenier.com/srilanka2022

It is my sincere hope that 2022 will gradually bring us toward a new normal. A time where we learn to live with COVID-19, when it begins to looks like it may move from being a pandemic, to one where we become used to living with COVID-19 as an endemic.

Much to learn going forward, and much healing needs to be done as well as mankind. To a place where hopefully we begin the healing process of acting more as a united nation than a divided nation. One in which we can learn to live with diverging points of view, and learn to compromise by working with each other in a respectful and civil manner, towards solutions that benefit all of mankind, not just a few, as well as healing this beautiful planet that we call Home!

Happy New Year!

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2021 Top Twelve Photographs