Year ending...so what was your fav 3 photos of 2014?

dinneenp

Hi,
Boards photobook isn't going ahead so we don't have the hard task of picking just 1 photo frorm the year. So, what were your 3 favourite photos, and why? Tell a bit about them as well if you want.

Cheers,
Pa.

CabanSail

1. Taken at one of the local NAIDOC events. This shot of a young aboriginal lad really caught the mood of the day.

2. A visitor who stayed outside my bedroom for a few days. They have a bad reputation but this fellow was well behaved and a pleasure to have about. Hardly thought about it being one of the most dangerous snakes in the world.

3. A sunrise shot taken from the bedroom window of my new houseboat on my first trip. It was a magic weekend which I will always remember. The sun and clouds were really good and then a passing boat set up some amazing ripples on the water.

Whammy!

These would be my favorite three.

My son was born this year. After losing our first son two years ago the birth of our second son was extra special to us.
This photo was taken one hour after his first breath of air. It was just me and him in a room waiting as they were running a few tests. So I took the opportunity to take my first photo of him.


My new born son - One hour after birth by -Whammy-, on Flickr

I got married this year to my amazing wife.
We got married in a registry office in Sweden. Took less than 5 minutes :pac:
We decided to take just one wedding photo ourselves. For this I used a home made reflector (big piece of cardboard covered in crumpled up tinfoil) to reflect some of the sun behind us onto our faces.
Just out of the frame my right hand is holding a remote to trigger the camera.


Untitled by -Whammy-, on Flickr

After my home reflector broke :pac: I decided it was time to buy a proper one.
This was meant to be a test photo, trying out the reflector. But it turned out to be my wife's favorite photo, therefore it's also mine


Untitled by -Whammy-, on Flickr

Myksyk

I like this ultra-macro shot. A stack of 50+ shots taken of the stamens of a small flower in one of my wife's pots out the back. I liked the light and it was my first photo on Flickr Explore. Called it 'From the Depths'.


This little critter got stuck in my daughter's hair and she gingerly brought him over to me on the nail of her little finger. I placed him on a nearby plant and then just starting snapping handheld. Thought it came out nicely.



Have a love/hate relationship with this shot. My first POTW, and I like the shot but I'll be going back again to do it properly. The shot was taken after midnight at Polnabron in the Burren and was my first real attempt at a night shot. But the processing left it noisy and unprintable despite my best efforts. However, I learned a lot and there's potential for a much better shot in there.

DaireQuinlan

This, mostly OOF, shot of a day spent up at Lough Dan during the summer with friends & their (and our) kids.


Walking up above the deerpark in August, Big sugarloaf in the background


This, mostly for process reasons. It's a picture of my Dad, 80, shot on glass plates that were manufactured and expired years before he was even born.

Bears and Vodka

1. Took this while living in NYC over the summer, from one of the piers in Williamsburg facing across East River.



2. One of the first photos taken on my new 18-35 f/1.8 lens. Took this on my way home from the shop! It's one of these photos where everything works out in your favour: the movement of the train, where the woman is standing, lack of other people in a busy Subway and a sharp image in dark conditions.



3. And since I spent quite a lot of time in NY this summer, the third image is from there too. Just a long-exposure shot of a rusty dented bicycle in Chinatown.

dirtyghettokid

this year was not a big one for me for taking pics...

this one i love because i'd just got the helios 58/2 lens & loved the bokeh & light in it
basking by dgk905, on Flickr

i worked a lot this year for a horrible person that treated us like bags of s***.. i was quite depressed, and had no time for anything. was late in the evening before i'd get home from work & had chance to take my dog for a walk... so brought the camera out one evening...the lights of the city would calm me after my s*** days.

i don't get out much these days by dgk905, on Flickr

& i just liked this pic of the snail in my garden

moving at a snail's pace by dgk905, on Flickr

superflyninja

There are a few random ones. My actual photos of the year are of my kids and I dont upload them on t'internet. Plus its been a terrible,terrible photography year for me. The above shots are fairly representative of the stuff I've done.

bernard0368

My year has been a complete disaster.

This shot in June was to be one of the last serious days shooting i would do for months. Days later I was to loose my son.


This photo has come in as my all time favourite, taken on my phone. Some say you need to strong for the grandchildren left behind. However this lad has been the powerhouse in our family. On this day in october he had realised my flickr account was not seeing much action. He got his combats and pleaded with an uncle to drive him up to me arriving at the door with the words I will never forget "lets go photograph the birds".



This last one well, It was the first shot I took on the day i made a serious effort to get back out shooting.

thebaz

Moving words and pictures Bernard - really wish you well

zero19

Well my three would be these I guess.

1. In my final college year and finding it hard to make time for photography, however getting out and taking photos on some of my breaks has been a great stress reliever. I always have a camera with me in the bag, either a Pentax Q or my Fuji XF1 which I used for this photo.



2. I was lucky enough to be chosen as a Pentax brand ambassador earlier this year, they sent me a K-50 with weather resistant kit lens to go out into the wilds and take some photos for them. This was from my first proper outing with it, an old abandoned house in Kilorglin Co. Kerry.



3. My last image is one which was chosen to be in a book about brand design, it's the first time a photo of mine has been published so I was quite pleased with that.



Overall I've had a good year, still have lots to learn but I'm having fun.

Phil Taz

Ok First up is from My Son's 18th in November, Back in '02 we got a photo done in a booth (On Left), The night of his 18th I wanted to re-create it.



Taken on a misty Morning in Poppintree Park just after I walk my 2 girls to School.



This is Lexi, My Niece, New addition to the whole family, Love it as its the most random shot I got just after cleaning a lenes

.Longshanks.

Probably the following three.
Its been a year of constant photos - but not may uploads to flickr as they have mainly been of my new daughter which are on my wall instead of online.

#1 - Tried to get fresh twist on one of the most iconic buildings in the world

Nuns in a huddle - Fuji XF56mm F1.2 R

#2 - New arrival

Jess

#3 - The star attraction aged 6 months. This pic best sums up her delightful little personality

Jess @ 6 months

dinneenp

This year I've realised that my favourite style of photography is abstract. In a lot of my photos I noted that I like patterns and lines.
This photo of part of a lighthouse ticks all those boxes



Cambrilis Park lighthouse abstract by Photoblog.ie (Patrick Dinneen), on Flickr

I love sports and in this I really like the motion blur of the players:


Croke Park Classic American Football abstract by Photoblog.ie (Patrick Dinneen), on Flickr

Last one was a my niece's communion. It was a quick shot but it works perfectly I think; the expression on her face (let me have a timeout), the way her dress is strewn.

homerun_homer

This is a real tough one. I've decided to stick to my non-watermarked pictures instead of trying to figure out which concert pictures and band portraits I've shot over the last year would be in my top three. I should by right just try factor the lot in but I'm finding it very tough.

The Gardens of Imma: There's something about this picture I love. I think it's the sense of symmetry of the gardens and how it's framed. I had just bought a Macbook Pro and was giddy to try out some photo editing on it so I went out for a walk around the grounds of IMMA hoping to get some nice pics.



The Olympia: I loved getting access to the empty venue for a bit of time. It's my favorite venue in the country.



Where is the Bride: Taken at my cousin's wedding in Donegal. I love catching people when they are not taking notice of you with the camera and become too self aware.

OldGoat

_MG_5135 by John TheProp, on Flickr

adox

Was my first full calender year of shooting and really enjoyed every minute of it.

1. Giro
Went 5 minutes drive down the road to the Lusk to Skerries road to try and shoot the Giro DÌtalia as it was passing through. 2 minutes before they were due to arrive and it started lashing rain and I seriously thought about putting the camera away for its own safety. Delighted with how the shot came out and also with the post processing on it.



2. Bloody Forelands
Went on a weekend trip away with the camera club I`m in, Rush Library Camera Group, to Donegal back in September and loved it. This was taken late evening at The Bloody Forelands. Was a bit of a trek down to it and was very unsteady underfoot. Those rocks completely covered the beach. Its a long exposure of 30 seconds, it got my first ever potw on here and got explored on Flickr with over 20,000 views so thats the main reason I would have it down as a favourite.


3.Portsalon Harbour

Another shot from that camera group trip to Donegal, it was taken on the first morning just before sunrise, another long exposure, I was really happy with the composition on this one and how the whole thing turned out. Also brings me straight back to that early morning rise and the fun we had that morning scrambling around the rock in the dark, looking for a good vantage point. Donegal was a beautiful place to visit and photograph.

WhiteRose90

My favorite pictures of this year (in no particular order):


My boyfriends pet python, Malika.

1. malikajune2 by xWinterQueenx, on Flickr


One of my favourite macro shots I took this summer.

2. Bees2 by xWinterQueenx, on Flickr


This one from a trip to Paris in November.

3. Eiffel Tower At Night by xWinterQueenx, on Flickr

Wailin

Well folks, just want to say it's been a pleasure admiring your pics over the last year. Some stunning images I have to say. Being relatively new to the photography forum, it's helped me a lot, and given me inspiration, so thank you! Photography for me this year hasn't been as much of a priority as it had been, new job, family and other commitments. My true love is astrophotography, but that has taken the biggest hit for me and I haven't done anything all year. Hopefully that will change in 2015!

Anyway, here are 3 pics I took this year that I like, not sure if my fav, but I do like them!

Glendalough by Wailin..., on Flickr

Lough Dan by Wailin..., on Flickr

Sand dunes by Wailin..., on Flickr

Wishing everyone a merry Christmas and happy new year :pac:

mikka631

I haven't got out with the camera as much as I would have liked this year due to work commitments but I plan to reverse that in 2015. These are three of my personal favourites from 2014.

1. A very friendly little Robin at Glendalough who was quite happy to pose for me in return for a few crumbs.


2. A wary young Sika Stag getting ready to sound the alarm on Camaderry mountain in Glendalough.


3. One of the new Sumatran Tigers at Fota Wildlife Park.

thebaz

Don't think I have posted an image all year - still doing my street photography thing - tough old year (another one ) - anyway these are not necessarily the best but, from a series out & about in the City :-



Ballinasloe, Co. Galway



Party town - Liffey boardwalk



The Saviour of Dublin city

The full set is on :-
http://pix.ie/thebaz/album/492230/goto/3667909

p.s. Happy Christmas

Adrian.Sadlier

I know I'll change my mind as soon as I post it!

AnimalRights

Since I started photographjy in Dec 2007 the last year was my least productive ever, I just concentrated on Punk gigs and Paid Club work.
I have quit the club work so maybe I'll do more outdoor this 2015 but I'm not so sure with my phone cam as I like the convenience of it.

Anyway 1st one up is the most popular according to Pixie

Band is Final Straw

and I am always bad at picking out my favs but these two I decided to go with.

Control


Old Firm Casuals (note the guitar head)

11811

Been quite a year, plenty of ups and downs. Been quiet on the photography side of things unfortunately, but managed to get a few shots that I love this year. Here they are:

Being from Kerry,it features heavily in my photographs. This is one of my favourites from many trips to the Dingle Peninsula.



Tried my hand at some night sky photography over the summer, managed to get this one in a cold and dark field in Cork.



In August I moved to Vancouver, Canada. I was lucky enough to get taken on an aerial tour of the city. Needless to say, I had my camera with me!

swingking

Thanks everyone for sharing your images. I am amazed by the talent on here!

This year was a very good year for me and photography. I joined a camera club and it has benefitted so much.

Only last week I had 2 images accepted to an international Salon:





This image won a club competition which I never thought I would win



I guess I'm looking forward to 2015 and the photographic opportunities that arise.

jaansu

Got Explore with this one, didn't think it would amount to much but hey, what do I know.


Spooky tree by Jacko004, on Flickr

One of my favourite places to go for a walk, took this one with my phone

Evening walk on Dun Laoghaire pier.jpg by Jacko004, on Flickr

Possibly one of the saddest, but happy I was there when one of the greatest left the field.

We'll never see his like again!! by Jacko004, on Flickr

sdevine89

I got my first DSLR in December of 2013 and jumped head first in to photography. I didn't do any courses etc with the exception of countless hours of Youtube tutorials. I used the kit lens that came with my Canon 600D up until today so that is what these photos were shot with. I have been extremely critical in my opinion and only uploaded at most one shot from each outing to Flickr. That said as the year draws to a close I have now uploaded 90 photos all of which I'm happy with. Trying to narrow it down to three has actually been very hard but we will give it a go.



Mount Batur Sun Rise, Bali, Indonesia by StephenDevine, on Flickr. This photo involved climbing to the top of Mt Batur in Bali which is 1,717m and an active volcano. I did it in a pair of Toms which certainly rates as my worst decision of the year. The struggle was well worth it when we got to the top, I snapped this photo of my girlfriend unaware to her.



Tiger, Dublin Zoo. by StephenDevine, on Flickr. I adore the Zoo but hadn't been since I was a kid so the camera seemed like a great excuse. This was one of the first photos I took on the day. I've been back twice since but no luck getting something of the same quality.



Connemara, Ireland. by StephenDevine, on Flickr. I think the best way of describing this photo is how I captioned it when I uploaded it online "When I Die Bury Me In Connemara". I made my girlfriend stop the car in the middle of the road and nearly got killed by a bus load of Americans but it was more than worth it.

As I said it was actually hard to narrow it down so if you would like to see a few more check out my flickr.

Salmon Leap

My pick:

First attempt at HDR:

Conwy by Salmon Leap (@JohnA390), on Flickr

I loved the evening light in this one:

Ryewater Bridge by Salmon Leap (@JohnA390), on Flickr

I just liked the summery feel to this one:

Enjoying the view..... by Salmon Leap (@JohnA390), on Flickr

mystic86

Suppose I'll give this a go :P

2014 was my first year in Photography, picked it up around April or so.

My first pic is one I took in Vietnam. I had just picked up my camera before I left to go backpacking. I was travelling alone and this particular place was so lovely. It was one of my favourite places, so pretty at night. Brings back so many memories (the next day after this pic I found out my card had been skimmed and loads of money taken ). Anyway the shot was handheld as I had no tripod. I shot only in Jpeg because I didn't know any better. And I shot mostly in Auto on my trip because I didn't know any better.



My second picture was taken at Mohill horse fair. My sister in law was dancing on a cart and I was snapping pictures of them. Afterwards she pointed out this guy to me and I went over and hovered around him for a while. I had never taken pictures like this before and was a bit nervous. Anyway he saw me hovering around and knew damn well what I was trying to do - there were other photographers there and it was late when we got there so he obviously must have had plenty people taking his photo. I went up to him and sort of asked/beckoned to him if I could take his photo - he didn't really reply but he just sort of looked in my direction and I took the pic.



And finally, I guess I'll pick this one. I got a second hand set of Cokin filters and an LCW screw on filter for Xmas, so I took this a few days after Xmas. I don't drive so I plagued my sister until she agreed to drive me to the beach. We left too late entirely and it was all a complete rush. I came ill prepared and completely unpracticed with using the new equipment. I ended up going into the water with my jeans and sneakers on and it was baltic outside (both the air and the water - also I didn't have spare socks or shoes! haha, I'll learn after that!).



I hope 2015 is better for the photography, I have SO much to learn!

Iranoutofideas

Love all the photos in this thread. Great stuff from all of you.

Calina

I really like Longshank's contribution to this.

I took horrifically few photographs last year. From someone who was taking over 25,000 photographs a year down to something in the region of around 300 in a year, it's kind of thin.

Looking some of the stuff I posted, most of this is from early in the year:

Northern coast of Fuerteventura.



A few people seemed to like that one; not sure why.

Anyway:

I guess this one was my actual favourite:

Walking in Sunshine, Howth:


and then again, a few of the aviation guys liked this:

A pair of F16s over flying the house

blastman

I got a new camera for Christmas, so although my photography was sporadic at best last year, I'm hoping to do more this year. These are three shots I took that I was quite pleased with in 2014, all photos are unedited bar some cropping:

All hail the mighty hunter!


This was snapped through the bedroom window as my cat continues to wage war against the bird population of the area by occasionally hiding in trees.

Rock star


Slightly blown out, I think, but I was nice and close and it came out pretty well in the circumstances. Taken in a very warm venue, as you can probably tell!

Deadly buzz!

Taken during one of the pleasant spells this summer, just pleased that it came out so clearly for what was essentially a random snapshot.