2010 was a great year for landscape photography, we experienced a fantastic wildflower bloom in California. Here are a few of my best from the year, I wish I could pull a few more off the hard drive! Have a great year everyone!!
Light painted petroglyphs in the Owens Valley near Bishop, Eastern Sierra
Alpen glow breaks through the clouds in the Eastern Sierra’s North Lake on a cold autumn morning.
Burney Falls in Northern California is constantly fed by a natural spring.
A wild lenticular cloud formation slowly grows and moves across the Northern Mojave Desert.
Early dawn light creeps across the flooded salt flats of Death Valley.
Dangle your toes off of Toroweap’s 3,000 foot cliff overlooking the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park.
Wild mountain lillies bloom in an open meadow in Northern California’s Cascade Range.
Tiles of Earth sculpted by wind, water and sand in one of Death Valley’s dune fields.
Pines catching thier first light on old rolling dunes in Lassen Volcanic National Park.
Friends paddle through a Colorado River cave in the Mojave Desert. I really miss this moment.
Wildflowers bloom under Mt Shasta in a wild fire recovery area.
A view through an arch in the Alabama HIlls displays a rainbow against rainy skies.
A nocturnal alignment of earth and space in Joshua Tree National Park.
One of the largest wildflower blooms I have ever seen occured in California’s Central Valley. Only 80 miles from Los Angeles.
You Will Eat Me No More
Death Valley National Park
The Mojave Desert Tortoise is the largest reptile of the Mojave Desert. They walk on ground that can get over a 130 degrees. They avoid the heat in their giant burroughs where it is about 40 degrees cooler and hibernate there durning the winter. They can live for a year without water or maybe even 2 years without water.
In certain areas of the Mojave the average number of tortoises per square mile in the 1920’s was 100, now in the same areas there are less then a dozen per square mile. A host of animals depend on their large burroughs for homes. The Mojave Desert Tortoise is an endangered species because it’s population has dwindled in recent years. In order for it to be removed from the endangered species list it’s population must grow and be sustained for 25 years.
This series is part of a yearly tradition that Jim Goldstein has started where he posts a blog with links to many other yearly collections from other photographers. See them all here http://www.jmg-galleries.com/blog/2011/01/12/best-photos-of-2010/. Here are my 2009’s collection https://stevesieren.wordpress.com/2010/01/09/landscape-photography-my-best-of-2009/
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Tags: 2010 best landscape photography, California, desert, nature
January 7, 2011 at 7:13 pm |
Seems like you picked enough to publish a monthly calendar. As I have commented before, your work is awesome.
January 7, 2011 at 7:33 pm |
Amazing stuff Steve. Image #2 is my favorite. I can’t imagine the feeling you must have had standing there when the light got right for that shot.
January 7, 2011 at 7:54 pm |
Jeff, I need to get on that! Thanks, I just sold a few mountain images for a 2010 calendar in Europe.
John, that morning at North Lake didn’t start out well at and all of the sudden the light just came through so I shot a pano of this scene and capture a view in the opposite direction.
January 7, 2011 at 8:57 pm |
Fantastic series of images! Well done!
January 7, 2011 at 9:26 pm |
That is quite a spectacular lineup. Strange to say, but I like the night images the best: Joshua Tree and Flooded Salt Flats. I also like that trippy Lenticular Cloud. Very fine work. You’re an inspiration.
January 7, 2011 at 10:14 pm |
One is better than the next. These are either totally inspirational or will make me never want to shoot again as you set the bar too high! Really gorgeous images.
January 7, 2011 at 10:25 pm |
This is one hell of an awesome collection, Steve! It’s hard to pick a favorite, so I’ve chosen two. The cloud portrait is otherworldly and beautiful. Patterns in “Tiles of Earth” are so incredibly captivating. Gives me some inspiration for my own upcoming Death Valley trip. Thanks for sharing these images.
January 7, 2011 at 11:10 pm |
What a year you had Steve! The petroglyphs image is wonderfully done and has an air of historical mystery to it. The Tiles of Earth from Death Valley is very deceptive to the eye at first and pulls you in…nicely done! Some great inspiration for my upcoming trip to Joshua Tree and Death Valley…
January 7, 2011 at 11:11 pm |
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mike Cavaroc and Steve Sieren. Steve Sieren said: My 2010 Best Images – http://wp.me/pvC0C-7w California and Arizona wildflowers, deserts, mountains and all!! […]
January 7, 2011 at 11:31 pm |
Very nice collection Steve. Great use of light.
January 8, 2011 at 4:14 pm |
Quite a year, Steve, great stuff all! The rainbow and arch shot really stands out, as do Desert Tiles and the flooded Badwater.
January 8, 2011 at 4:22 pm |
Great selection, Steve. The moon over the flooded salt flats of Badwater is clearly my favorite, though all are exceptional. Here’s to great light in 2k11!
January 8, 2011 at 7:41 pm |
Excellent collection Steve. I love the Death Valley shot.
January 9, 2011 at 7:46 am |
Spectacular!!!
Glenn
January 9, 2011 at 1:58 pm |
Awesome stuff, each one.
January 9, 2011 at 4:01 pm |
Steve,
A really nice collection of images…you do provide me with inspiration to improve my skills as a photographer. Thanks for sharing.
January 9, 2011 at 11:04 pm |
Awesome selection of shots for 2010, looks like you really packed in a great number of locations. I am really inspired now to get around CA in 2011 for some landscape shooting. Thanks.
January 11, 2011 at 10:28 am |
The first shot is amazing, Steve. All great, but the first is may favorite.
Sharon
January 11, 2011 at 3:43 pm |
Great stuff, Steve. Your petroglyph image really stands out to me – so creative and executed perfectly!
January 11, 2011 at 8:40 pm |
Steve, you have a bunch of lovely work here! I’ll call out two that speak to me for one reason or another. Your beautiful “blue” image of pre-dawn flooded Badwater Basin is, for me, an iconic photograph. I think of it almost every time I think of the place. And for some reason I haven’t quite figured out I really like the Lassen photograph that somehow makes the trees look toy-like to me.
And just because I only mentioned two, it doesn’t follow that I’m not darned impressed with the whole collection. I am!
Take care,
Dan
January 12, 2011 at 12:06 am |
Jon, it was great meeting you this year. Stay away from the Great Whites in the Cold Pacific!
David Hyde, thanks for linking us to father’s work his past will never be forgotten.
Frank, I shoot plenty of bad ones so just keep on shooting and never stop experimenting!
Brett, thank you for all the help you gave in the past for the workshop paperwork and figuring out what the heck twitter was.
Glenn and Steve, it was great meeting you guys this year, have a great 2011 and hope to see you guys again!
Dan, why thank you so much for your nice words. Badwater the place is iconic and I was trying to create an image that would be a little harder to replicate of the place and stands out as different for a while. The toy trees was the day as the marmot in the engine so can’t forget that day.
January 12, 2011 at 3:08 am |
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January 12, 2011 at 7:27 am |
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January 12, 2011 at 9:23 am |
Great work Steve! I especially enjoyed the petroglyphs and the nighttime image from Joshua Tree.
January 12, 2011 at 1:06 pm |
Wow! Your Collection of images from 2010 is absolutely amazing! I love them! Especially the tortoise shell, that is really nice!
Honestly though, I like all of your shots for the year! Very nice!
Glad to have found you through Jim’s top 10 post!
January 12, 2011 at 1:21 pm |
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January 12, 2011 at 4:38 pm |
Nice collection Steve. See you in the field.
January 12, 2011 at 4:46 pm |
[…] My 2010 Best Images of California and Arizona – Steve Sieren *** […]
January 13, 2011 at 9:11 am |
Steve, your images are always an inspiration. I’ve lived my entire life in California and love seeing your images from my home state. You had a great year, i think I like your lupine image the best but its a tough choice. Congrats!
January 13, 2011 at 10:55 am |
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January 15, 2011 at 1:23 pm |
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January 16, 2011 at 1:21 am |
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January 16, 2011 at 9:30 pm |
Wow, your collection is mesmerizing & very inspirational! Impossible to choose any single favorite as they’re all exceptional but the Colorado River cave captured my interest at heart. Awesome work, looking forward to your 2011 work.
January 23, 2011 at 2:45 pm |
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January 25, 2011 at 7:18 am |
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February 3, 2011 at 11:07 pm |
Dude… This is amazing work! I love the variety and the clarity and the colors and the light and the compositions!! Really fantastic work! 🙂
February 7, 2011 at 12:08 am |
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April 14, 2011 at 12:56 pm |
as much as I hate to pile on – that’s an awesome series, excellent work.