This weeks blog is something different, something I decided to do after listening to a Martin Bailey photography pod cast ( http://www.martinbaileyphotography.com/2015/01/04/my-2014-top-ten-photographs-podcast-455/ )Where Martin picks out his top ten each year. As Martin describes it’s not an easy process to kull down a year’s work to only ten images. Martin called for people to add links to their top ten in his podcast and I expected there would be loads of submissions I was surprised to see only a small handful, but then thought hey I haven’t added in any either so can hardly complain about anyone else so spurred on by that thought here they are, my very own top ten shots from 2014 as selected by myself.

You can find the shots also in their own gallery under 2014 top 10, if you want to skip the commentary.

The First shot was taken in Early January and all but one of these shots was taken in my local Botanical gardens, (The Australian botanical Gardens, Mount Annan.) I think you’ll guess which one wasn’t shot there. The Gardens are only ten minutes drive from my place and have 12km of roads, several dams, a small restaurant and training rooms plus as of this year the national seedbank as well. Each year the gardens also run photography workshops and run a competition for the best shots in several categories, this year two of my top ten places with one wining its category.  

So back to the shots, the first shot was of a Juvenile Scarred Kingfisher, this one was shot with a speedlite mounted on camera to add in some fill flash. 1/60 sec f4 ISO 400 and focal length of 280 with was a 70 to 200 f2,8L IS USM II with a 1.4 extender fitted taken with a canon 60D. This shot got second in the plants and animals Category in this year’s Gardens photography competition.

The next shot is of a Pacific Baza  taken early in the morning there was a small family of these feeding on some fruit that had just ripened in the gardens. I got a series of shots of these as the flew from plant to plant. This one is 1/320 sec f5 ISO 160 and focal length of 245 with was a 70 to 200 f2,8L IS USM II with a 1.4 extender taken with a canon 60D.

The next shot was my wining macro shot form this years Gardens Photography Competition. Each weekend I try and get at least one Mushroom shot to add to the google plus #shroomshotsaturday it gets me shotting at least once a week this way and I seem to have got the hang of mushroom shots as I also won this category last year as well. This one was shot at 1 full second f18 ISO 100 and using to speedlites one in an  8” softbox to the side the other as a fill flash fired in to the small stream under the mushrooms and reflecting back underneath. The lens used is the canon 100 f2.8L macro lens. The camera was sitting on a rock in the small stream get the shot. Again a Canon 60D this is where I love the articulated LCD screen saves me laying in the stream to get this one.

The forth shot is the only one not taken in the gardens and was one of those lucky shots that I just had the camera with me, this one was taken at my work on afternoon after I had finished for the day and walking out the door the sky was this amazing colour, the company I work for is a crane manufacturing company and I bought the camera in that day as we had a crane on the test pad, so with the crane up and the sky as it was It made a great silhouette against an amazing sky, The company has since paid for a 1m canvas print of this to hang on the office wall so it sites on a wall opposite my desk at work so I can see my work each day at the office. This one was shot 0.3 Sec f18 using the canon 8 to 15mm f4L fisheye len at a focal length of 15mm.

Now back to the gardens for the rest of the shots this one is of an Australian Water dragon and taken just opposite the visitors centre in a water garden. These are often seen sunning themselves besides the various small waterfalls there or swimming in the ponds, this one was caught sunning itself. 1/50 sec f4, ISO 100 focal length of 140 with was a 70 to 200 f2,8L IS USM II with a 1.4 extender taken with a canon 60D.

This next one was taken around mid-day in full sun, but again using speedlites and high speed sync to set my own light. This was also taken opposite the visitors centre. 1/640 sec f6.3 ISO 100 focal length of 115 with was a 70 to 200 f2,8L IS USM II with a 1.4 and a canon speedlite in 8” softbox held approx. 50mm from the flowers.

This year I treated myself to a new Camera and bought the Canon 7dmkII this was one of the first shots taken with it. I was starting to find the 60d wanting in regards to focus speed and low light ISO performance, but still use it for the mushroom shots as the 7D doesn’t have the mush loved articulated screen for the one the ground shots I take. This one was of a Rainbow Lorikeet feasting early one morning. 1/800 sec f4 ISO 400 focal length of 280 with was a 70 to 200 f2,8L IS USM II with a 1.4 extender taken with a canon 7dmkII.

This one is back to the mushroom shots so many to choose from, and so hard to select this one was taken just the other week. 1/250 sec f13 ISO 100 shot with the 100mm f2.8L macro lens on the 60D.

 The last two were both taken on the same day again in the Australian Botanical gardens, Mount Annan. The first a Yellow Thornbill taken at 1/1000 sec f4 ISO 640 focal length 280 with was a 70 to 200 f2,8L IS USM II with a 1.4 extender taken with a canon 7dmkII.

The last one as an Eastern Spinebill taken at 1/1000 sec f4 ISO 640 focal length 265 with was a 70 to 200 f2,8L IS USM II with a 1.4 extender taken with a canon 7dmkII.

So a good collection this year and reviewing the previous years shots each year has been getting better results, so guess I’m heading in the right direction. Hope you enjoy the review of the best of the years shots.

Thanks for dropping by my blog.

Glenn.