# Your best of 2009, so far



## tjones8611 (Dec 20, 2009)

While the year is not over, how about a thread for your best or one of your best photos of the year... so far? 

As someone new to photography this year, below is one of my favorites. It was my first photo were I finally got the concept of DOF, exposure, Brokeh, and PS. Technically its not all that great, but I still liked it.


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## kate21 (Dec 20, 2009)




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## dustinpedley (Dec 20, 2009)




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## LuckySo-n-So (Dec 20, 2009)

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/members/kate21.html


> kate21


http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/members/kate21.htmlhttp://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/members/kate21.htmlhttp://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/members/kate21.html

That is a really nice photo.  I love the feel of it.


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## a.rodgers (Dec 20, 2009)

i think i might have posted this before, but here's my best


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## a.rodgers (Dec 20, 2009)




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## sinjans (Dec 20, 2009)

I posted this before but i love it


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## Cheesyman (Dec 20, 2009)




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## rufus5150 (Dec 20, 2009)




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## tjones8611 (Dec 20, 2009)

Some great photos... I need to get out of the house more!


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## sinjans (Dec 20, 2009)

Rufus that is awesome. Love IT!


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## Darkhunter139 (Dec 20, 2009)

Have not had my camera to long but here is my best.


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## DennyCrane (Dec 20, 2009)




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## nickisonfire (Dec 20, 2009)




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## Brieff (Dec 20, 2009)

I'm happy with these.. There are others, of course... Who really decides which ones are the best?


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## Vicelord John (Dec 20, 2009)




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## timfrommass (Dec 20, 2009)

Only been shooting with my D90 for less than 2 months so not a whole year's worth to choose from.  I feel this is my best shot yet though







-tim


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## Cheesyman (Dec 20, 2009)

nickisonfire

The picture is sick man, what did you use to take it + did you use any extra lighting or just a flash?


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## Hooker771 (Dec 20, 2009)




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## Felix 222 (Dec 20, 2009)




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## HikinMike (Dec 20, 2009)

Not sure if these are my _best_, but two of my favorites.....


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## duffman1278 (Dec 20, 2009)




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## pvdnh (Dec 22, 2009)

A couple of my favorites..



​









I enjoy black and white :mrgreen:


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## AtlPikMan (Dec 22, 2009)

How many are we allowed to post?


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## ANDS! (Dec 22, 2009)

So far?  The years a week from being over.


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## kylehess10 (Dec 22, 2009)

Hard narrowing it down to 1. In my city photography, my friends always loved my 180-degree panorama of downtown Atlanta:








I got this shot of the jets flying over Turner Field on Opening Night:








For Sports, I loved my action shots:













And for portrait photography, I probably have like 20 favorites, but here's my main best:


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## Vicelord John (Dec 22, 2009)

HikinMike said:


> Not sure if these are my _best_, but two of my favorites.....



****!!! Thats awesome!!


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## thebeatles (Dec 22, 2009)

Great shots everyone! :thumbup:


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## HikinMike (Dec 22, 2009)

Vicelord John said:


> HikinMike said:
> 
> 
> > Not sure if these are my _best_, but two of my favorites.....
> ...



Thanks! :blushing:


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## iBats (Dec 23, 2009)




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## PatrickCheung (Dec 23, 2009)

This summer i picked up my first DSLR ever... i was in need of a portfolio to apply to universities with... and i'm not the best at art... so i thought i could use some photography to spice it up.  well... i've grown to love it.  i almost never leave home without my D60 now :]  anyway, i got excited while looking back at my photos i've taken in the past 5 months... I dont know if they're the best... but here are my favourites :]

Instruments:






Sneakers:





Toys:





Architecture:















Abstract:





Scenery:
:] my home...





Portraits:
definitely not the best... but i love the smiles. 





and finally... Macro/Closeups:


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## Ron Evers (Dec 23, 2009)

I have many I consider good but I am rather fond of this one.


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## gsgary (Dec 23, 2009)

Some of mine


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## GFreg (Dec 23, 2009)

*tjones8611* - Technically could have been better like you said but i love the colors
*kate21* - This one makes me smile
*sinjans* - It's purty
*rufus515*0 - Wow is the first thing that came out of my mouth
*nickisonfire* - I remember the original thread where you revealed this set...I thought it was an awesome idea
*Vicelord John* - Some great night shots
*HikinMike* - I am always amazed by your stuff
*duffman1278* - Your M&M shot is great.  Cool idea
*Ron Evers - *Stunning, just stunning

Great shots from everyone so far but these all stand out to me.  A few of my favorites from this year.

1.





2.





3.


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## I'm new to photos (Dec 23, 2009)

iBats said:


> >
> 
> 
> THIS SHOT IS THE ****


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## aleksey123 (Dec 23, 2009)

Hooker771 said:


>


 
love this pic.!!! very nice


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## benlonghair (Dec 23, 2009)

Very nice photos, all. Here's a couple of my faves since I got my camera in May. Click for ludicrous size. EXIF available on flickr.


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## Noxire (Dec 23, 2009)

In that case it would be these, I've took a lot of pictures since i bought my dslr in august, but i think these stand out.

1.




2.





3.





4.





5.






Merry Christmas

Johannes


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## iBats (Dec 23, 2009)

I'm new to photos said:


> iBats said:
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> > >
> ...


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## iBats (Dec 23, 2009)

Felix 222 said:


>



was this an HDR shot? either way its stunning


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## Chris Stegner (Dec 23, 2009)

It's hard to say what's my best of the year, but here's a couple of my favorites. I guess that makes them the best?

1





2





3


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## sinjans (Dec 23, 2009)

I'm new to photos said:


> iBats said:
> 
> 
> > >
> ...


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## RauschPhotography (Dec 23, 2009)

This was a really tough one! I feel like this year's been a good one to me, photographically. Here's two I'm proud of:


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## AtlPikMan (Dec 23, 2009)




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## Bitter Jeweler (Dec 23, 2009)




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## SonyShooterA200 (Dec 23, 2009)

Live Shows





Random





Nature





Portrait





Random 2


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## VltnDennis (Dec 23, 2009)

im really happy with this one


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## mpasq66 (Dec 24, 2009)

Best? Probably not, but I like them.  
















Happy Holidays All!!!!!


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## Al-Wazeer (Dec 24, 2009)




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## mJs (Dec 24, 2009)

Maybe not my best... but one of my favorites....


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## Jon0807 (Dec 24, 2009)

Not my best but I must say this lil bundle of joy is my fav


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## rufus5150 (Dec 24, 2009)

A couple more from my 'favorites' from this year:

Please forgive the border as it was necessary for printing it at 16x24:

"The One-Hole Golf Course"






"Dream Farm"


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## Cooler_King (Dec 24, 2009)

I can't believe the high standard of some of the shots on this forum.  It makes me want to get out there and start shooting today!  

But I will throw my hat into the ring.

Taken with F55 400 ISO film _Nikon 300mm Telephoto_
I like it because the family had climbed a different parapet from me

1.





2.


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## Dao (Dec 24, 2009)




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## Ron Evers (Dec 24, 2009)

I like that family shot Cooler.  The two kids paying attention to you & the other three folk apparently oblivious to you.


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## Cooler_King (Dec 24, 2009)

Thankyou - I just wish I could stop the sky looking so grey.  It was stark blue that day.


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## OGDaniel (Dec 24, 2009)

I am amazed at some of the extraordinary photos that have been posted. Here's my favorite of 2009


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## flashlady (Dec 24, 2009)

HikinMike said:


> Not sure if these are my _best_, but two of my favorites.....


 

wow love this one!


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## flashlady (Dec 24, 2009)

Noxire said:


> In that case it would be these, I've took a lot of pictures since i bought my dslr in august, but i think these stand out.
> 
> 1.
> 
> ...


 

These are my favorite one's Johannes! Awesome!


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## kundalini (Dec 24, 2009)

​


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## Felix 222 (Dec 24, 2009)

iBats said:


> Felix 222 said:
> 
> 
> >
> ...



nope! just flash...not even a tripod! thank you for the comment


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## DennyCrane (Dec 24, 2009)




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## kundalini (Dec 24, 2009)

gsgary said:


> Some of mine


 Completely missed the stumps the first time I looked at the shot.   

:thumbup: on all.


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## Sherman Banks (Dec 27, 2009)

Wow, a lot of nice shots so far.  I was just here checking on some old friends and decided to post these here since this is where I started my photographic journey earlier this year.  I've learned a lot through the course of the last 9-10 months thanks to communities like this and I'm grateful to anyone who has given me inspiration and knowledge.

Self shot:




Pregnant wife, now mother to a 5 month old 





These are both shots from the summer, but I've always thought these represented my style well.


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## Caity (Dec 27, 2009)

How did you light her so well without ruining the effect of the sunset in the back?


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## Sherman Banks (Dec 27, 2009)

Caity said:


> How did you light her so well without ruining the effect of the sunset in the back?



Off camera flash and a 28" softbox with a bit of luck 

Technically: I stopped down to f8 to get some detail out of the sunset, but had to run two flashes to get enough light out of the softbox sitting a few feet away from her to the right.  Being at f8 brought the whole exposure down and so I stayed one stop above my max sync speed on the camera to get the sunset how I wanted it without having to raise my ISO past 100.  Still a lot of luck involved.


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## Bitter Jeweler (Dec 27, 2009)

MR. BANKS!


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## K.Li (Dec 28, 2009)

My photos are no where as good as you guys but here is my best so far since I only stated a week ago.


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## AfroKen (Dec 28, 2009)

Well, I've been lucky so far this year.  I've had a gallery exhibition and had three photos selected for the Top 100 Travel Photo on the LA Times website:

Travel | 2009 Photo Issue - latimes.com

My three photos selected for the Top 100 Travel Photos on the LA Times website:

My photo of us floating through the Amazon

My photo of monks in Ladakh covering their ears from the clattery sound

My photo of the otherworldly Lamayuru Monastery in Ladakh, of this earth, not of this earth.

This year has really taken off for me, and I have to say, I've gotten a lot of really great tips and help from this Photography Beginner's forum, so thank you very much to everyone!

Here's a few photos that I've taken this year that I like:







Eleven Shadows Travels:  Brazil 2009
Rio Mamori in the Amazon, Brazil, Summer 2009





Buyepongo @ Echoplex, probably around September 2009
Eleven Shadows Travels: Os Mutantes @ Echoplex, 28 August 2009







Eleven Shadows Travels: Dia de los Muertos, Hollywood Forever 2009
Los Angeles, Dia de los Muertos, October 2009


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## AfroKen (Dec 28, 2009)

Sherman Banks said:


> Caity said:
> 
> 
> > How did you light her so well without ruining the effect of the sunset in the back?
> ...



That's a wonderful photo!!!!  :thumbup:


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## AfroKen (Dec 28, 2009)

nickisonfire said:


>



That's such a cool photo!  I also really like that photo by *Rufus5150*!!  

Wow!!!!!


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## Sw1tchFX (Dec 28, 2009)

There are some REALLY AWESOME pictures on here, seriously!


These are probably my favorites from the last year:































Looking back on my flickr page, i really should have posted and shot more. Not sure what I was thinking or doing this last year besides school.


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## AfroKen (Dec 28, 2009)

Yeah, totally agree, there's some amazing photos here.  Including yours!


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## Sherman Banks (Dec 28, 2009)

@Sw1tch: Great shots man, I have always admired the quality of your work!  Hope to see more of your work this coming year.


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## fokker (Dec 28, 2009)

Wow I love some of the photos in here, they are stunning. Here are a few of mine, not too bad for my first year of photography, but I have so much more to learn and am looking forward to learning it!


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## AfroKen (Dec 28, 2009)

Wow!


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## Caity (Dec 28, 2009)

Sherman Banks said:


> Caity said:
> 
> 
> > How did you light her so well without ruining the effect of the sunset in the back?
> ...


 
Ahhhh I see I see! Thank you for taking the time to explain that to me, I really do appreciate it. It is a wonderful photo... Your wife is very beautiful.


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## SeoulShots (Dec 28, 2009)

I've only been shooting for about 6 months but I like these.


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## Stamp (Dec 28, 2009)

Brieff said:


>



Funny... I was listening to AC/DC as I was scrolling down, and she looked like she was jammin' and listening to the same song I was!


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## Nikkor (Dec 28, 2009)

fokker said:


> Wow I love some of the photos in here, they are stunning. Here are a few of mine, not too bad for my first year of photography, but I have so much more to learn and am looking forward to learning it!


 

I love these! What are those little beads in the last picture? They look almost like Dippin' Dot ice cream!

I love the close up Dandy, well shot!


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## robertwsimpson (Dec 28, 2009)




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## DennyCrane (Dec 28, 2009)




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## TylerF (Dec 28, 2009)

WeddingPhotographer said:


> I love these! What are those little beads in the last picture? They look almost like Dippin' Dot ice cream!
> 
> I love the close up Dandy, well shot!



to me it looks like nerds candy on a speaker. i like the shot


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## jacqg (Dec 28, 2009)

:] only ones I like so far. All my other work is garbage.


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## robertwsimpson (Dec 28, 2009)




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## WesVFX (Dec 28, 2009)




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## mishele (Dec 28, 2009)

Some of my favs from the past year. Amazing pics everyone!!
1.





2.





3.





4.


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## Photo Lady (Dec 28, 2009)

some of these are just stunning.. all of them are awesome...


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## DogGoneGood (Dec 28, 2009)

Wow, some of the photo's in this thread are just breath-taking! I'm not currently working with a DSLR (but in the process of picking one out to order), just a P&S at the moment, so my photo's couldn't even compare to some of these. But, for me, these have been some of my best photo's taken this year.


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## pony (Dec 28, 2009)

Awesome photos! I love seeing what everyone likes the best of their own work


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## Josh66 (Dec 28, 2009)

There's still 3 days left, and I'm off all week - so my best of the year might be still to come.  

I hope so anyway...  Looking back at my pictures, none from this year really seem like "my best".

This is one of my favorites so far though...


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## inTempus (Dec 29, 2009)

I like this one:






...or this one:


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## Bitter Jeweler (Dec 29, 2009)

Those are two of my all time favorites, IT.


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## mishele (Dec 29, 2009)

Amazing shots guys ............keep it goin!!


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## nmsnapshots (Dec 29, 2009)




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## NateS (Dec 29, 2009)

Well, "best" is very subjective, so I'll post my favorites from each category.

Favorite Baby Portrait





Favorite Engagement Shot





Favorite Wedding Shot





Favorite Landscape (2 way tie)




and





...and probably my favorite shot of the year total....(my son)


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## Laika (Dec 29, 2009)

I love this thread. Seeing everyone's best compiled in one place is amazing! Beautiful work everyone!

Some of my favorites from the year:


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## mikemicki (Dec 29, 2009)

Happy Holidays.  
-


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## robertwsimpson (Dec 29, 2009)

this one is growing on me:


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## AfroKen (Dec 29, 2009)

robertwsimpson said:


> this one is growing on me:



That is so cool!!!!!


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## DennyCrane (Jan 3, 2010)




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## Cooler_King (Jan 3, 2010)

Laika said:


>



I don't know why but I think this shot is amazing.  How did you capture it?


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## Bad Andy (Jan 3, 2010)

What a great thread.  Wonderful pics everyone.  I've had my camera since late June and this site has helped me so much.  Here is my favorite:






Thanks for looking.

-Andy


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## Vicelord John (Jan 3, 2010)

Laika said:


>


 
I had a bi-black as well. He was a great dog, though a bit neurotic. Eventually died of a heart explosion because he didn't know when to stop going nuts trying to get everything that moved.


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## Chris of Arabia (Jan 3, 2010)

I guess this is my 10 for the year. I seem to have shot more than I thought, though it was kind of helped along by that rock festival that was held on the compound I live on back in April. Here are a few then...

#1 - Groove






#2 - Boxer Turtle #? - Orange






#3 - Replicant Soup






#4 - Delicacy






#5 - Gone, But Not Forgotten - Dedicated to the Memory of John Lee Hooker 1917-2001





#6 - Al Dodds (Deceased) at Salwa Rocks II - 2009






#7 - The Golden Mile #3






#8 - Barnsdale #5






#9 - Brantôme






#10 - Free Fall






These could of course be changed....


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## jackieclayton (Jan 3, 2010)

wow, such talent!!! great work everyone!


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## jackieclayton (Jan 3, 2010)

rufus5150 said:


> A couple more from my 'favorites' from this year:
> 
> Please forgive the border as it was necessary for printing it at 16x24:
> 
> ...



beautiful!


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## thebeatles (Jan 3, 2010)

inTempus said:


>



What did the neighbors have to say about this one


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## robertwsimpson (Jan 4, 2010)

is someone going to start a 2010 thread?


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## angela_cheryl_7359 (Jan 4, 2010)

Didn't quite know how to upload the actual picture, so here is the link. lol


Angela Cheryl Lee&#039;s Photos | Facebook


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## Laika (Jan 4, 2010)

> I don't know why but I think this shot is amazing. How did you capture it


 
Easier than you ever might think! Black sheet tacked to the wall, and light from a nearby window. Did black and white conversion, and then did some levels and curves adjustment. Very simple. Windows work better than you might think sometimes.



> I had a bi-black as well. He was a great dog, though a bit neurotic. Eventually died of a heart explosion because he didn't know when to stop going nuts trying to get everything that moved.


 
Shelties are something aren't they? Aztec is a four year old tri, and also enjoys chasing anything that moves. Crazyy little dogs!


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## fokker (Jan 4, 2010)

angela_cheryl_7359 said:


> Didn't quite know how to upload the actual picture, so here is the link. lol
> 
> 
> Angela Cheryl Lee's Photos | Facebook




Here ya go:







Nice picture too


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## angela_cheryl_7359 (Jan 4, 2010)

fokker said:


> angela_cheryl_7359 said:
> 
> 
> > Didn't quite know how to upload the actual picture, so here is the link. lol
> ...


 




Thanks!


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## timfrommass (Jan 4, 2010)

Facebook compresses those things like crazy though... It's a great shot that will look even better if hosted on flickr or something like that

-tim


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## vondelpark (Jan 5, 2010)

This link was sent to me by a photographer in New York I met last summer. Very powerful.


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## Mulewings~ (Jan 5, 2010)

Mine???  I haven't many favs or bests from 2010 yet...but this is one of my favs from 2009.






Chicory flower in the rain, taken with a Pentax Optio W60, water proof P&S camera with a great 1cm macro feature.


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