Taken on the east coast of Key Largo, FL in February 2017. Unfortunately, this property has since been destroyed by Hurricane Irma.

The Gunnison River runs 2500’ below the rim of the Black Canyon. While it’s not a spectacular capture, it’s my favorite this year in part because I feel I’m getting better at foreground captures, and this one was particularly challenging due to the steep cliffs and new moon. This was taken while I was home last summer visiting my dad who passed away just a couple months later, so it has some special meaning for me that way too.

The reason I love this one is because it marks the start of a whole new world of photography for me. I loved the location (and can't wait to return) which we lucked out on due to Arches NP being difficult. It was an amazing night under the stars from start to finish and the beginning of a whole new obsession for me. Thank you both for jumping through hoops to make it happen!

This image is special for me as this was on my bucket list for 3 years and this year I could finally capture it. Traveling from NJ to Grand Junction, driving to Canyonlands, hiking on a route which has no official trail, all in one day to capture this image. The feeling I experienced while camping out here cannot be explained in words. When the stars came the pain in the body vanished and gave me an experience which was memorable.

This is favourite shot from 2017, it was from a trip to Joshua Tree back in April of this year. I didn't manage to get out as often as I would have liked but this particular evening did not disappoint. I've always loved shooting Milky Way panoramas and was very happy with how this one came out.

I shot this photo in one of the alumni New Mexico Badlands workshops. It's my favorite because I had to train all year for that workshop, and during it I got some serious blisters, but still managed to go on all the outings and get some awesome images.

There is a reason why it's called Hurricane Ridge but on this summer's night, there wasn't one flag blowing in the wind nor a twinkle in a star. As I made my way up the windy mountainous road, I came upon about a dozen large telescopes. To my surprise, several members of the Bremerton Astronomy Club had set up their telescopes for the general public. I took a peek into each one as they focused on clusters millions of light year away. The clarity of the sky was one of the best I had ever seen and I enjoyed the other element that I wasn't expecting.

This photo was special first because Sandy and I were sharing the Iowa night sky together just as we had many years earlier as kids growing up on the farm. It is also special because it was on a previously poor piece of land my parents bought years ago that was so poor it was named The Goldmine because the top soil was gone and the gold clay was showing.

After taking a wonderful and very insightful workshop with Brad Goldpaint I had the opportunity to capture the Milky Way in Maui, Hawaii. This is a single exposure and the foreground is lightpainted. The Milky Way perfectly lined up with the composition I wanted at this hidden beach, and it truly is beautiful to see the night sky in places that are not filled with light pollution.

This is my favorite for 2017 because it was my very first Milky Way Pano. It was taken on night 1 of the Bisti Wilderness Alumni Workshop. Brad helped me set up for the pano and then I proceeded to take probably twice as many shots as needed. I mean, I didn't want the too far apart - right??? This night was when I learned that Milky Way arch shots are best taken in spring and early summer. A new tidbit of information stored away for future compositions! What I really enjoyed about this shot was getting to know two of my classmates better while we each worked through the pano shots.