2016 has been a bit of a difficult year.  A move away from film photography and I’m still not 100% sure if I will go back to it.  I left an industry that I have loved and felt passionate about for 15 years, but the love wasn’t getting returned, to move to a new industry to get made redundant after nine intense months, to become self employed at the end of it.  I’ve given up trying to chase friendships where, when you stop for a moment and realise that you’re the one always initiating things, you need to shift your energies to be with the ones who actively reciprocate.  (And a whole load of other things!)  But in short, its been a challenging year, yes, all years are challenging in their own way, but this one perhaps “stands out” 😉

So there hasn’t been as much time for photography as maybe I would have liked.

Over on Twitter there seems to have been a spate before Christmas of “Top 3” shots of the Year.  Never one to be swept along in a social media frenzy (or maybe not), here’s (in my opinion) my Best of 2016.

The Study, Glencoe

Proof that getting out there despite the weather and your better instincts to stay in the relative warmth of your van that it can be rewarding to be out there and enjoy the conditions when you have all the right gear.  This was taken at  Easter 2016 on my Bronica SQa using Kodak Portra 160 in fading light.  Its probably one of the last film photographs I took in 2016.

For me its so evocative of Glencoe.  You can see more of my landscape photography from Scotland here.

Curbar Gap, Peak District

Whilst I was in the throes of being made redundant, I resolved to keep myself busy splitting my time between helping out more at home, getting fitter, job hunting(!) and of course photography.  The moral of this shot is in knowing what the conditions are like at a given spot with the weather that is forecast and having the perseverance to keep coming back to the same spot to get the shot you had in mind.  This morning was almost magical – so still you hear a pin drop – instead though you heard stags braying and moving through the woodland below.  By the time the sun had cleared the horizon, I was already packed up and just drinking my coffee.

Yes, its a bit of cliche, but what the heck, and it is I think one of my best of 2016.

You can see more of my landscape photography from the Peak District here.

Wast Water and Canoeists

I haven’t shared this photograph before.  This was a case of me doing a little bit of a happy dance as fortune played its hand with some fantastic light amidst the rain at the western end of Wast Water, to then have this canoe glide in to shot.  Sometimes, despite my comments about the last shot, luck does have a role to play as well!

More of my landscape photography from the Lake District can be found in my Lake District gallery.

The Best of 2016

So there’s my top three/best of 2016 – probably not to everyone’s liking but there you go.  Other year’s I’ve done a top 10, other a years I’ve not done such a post at all.  Here’s looking to a productive and yes a challenging 2017! 😉

Below are a couple of my “also ran’s” for 2016.  What do you think?

If you’ve managed to read all the way down to here, may I take this opportunity to wish you and yours all the best for 2017.

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