2019 is over! How in the world did that happen? It has been such a great and also busy year. I have been reflecting on some of my images and thought that I might share a few. Here are my top most liked photos on Instagram, starting with #10:

10.) Barely a glimmer of light

This photo was taken in April of last year. It had been raining non-stop all day. My mom noticed the the sun peaking out of the clouds right at sunset and told me to grab my camera. I grabbed my 35mm sigma art lens and headed outside. This was the result. I talk about how I enhanced the sky in Lightroom: here. I also added a lens flare overlay. The colors were very beautiful, even right out of the camera. I just happened to catch a really interesting sunset.

9.) The Ring of Fire and Water

I love this one, as I have shared it before. My kids were playing outside on the splash pad. The sun was very low in the sky. I used the copper pipe, AKA the ring of fire as described: here. I underexposed and this is how it turned out. I added more contrast post production.

8.) Fall Leaves and the Aqua Coat

It seems like we get one really good week of fall here in Columbus, Indiana. And I was not going to waste it. Fall is my favorite and I photographed as much as I could that one colorful week. This was taken right before Halloween.

7.) Lensbaby Flare

We were in Gatlinburg, Tennessee during the time I photographed this one. The cabin was up in the mountains, and the sun was setting. It was time for golden hour. When I shoot rim light I like to place my subject in front of a dark background. This helps to separate that golden light around your subject. The Lensbaby has a unique flare as you can see. I talk about my Lensbaby Twist 60 here.

6.) A Ghostly Haunting

This one was taken in October. I had my daughter stand in a small patch of light and underexposed the scene around her to give her a glow. This is a perfect way to create mood to your photos. Especially a spooky one!

5.) Spinning In Yellow Flowers

This one was taken at Muscatatuck Wildlife Refuge in Seymour, Indiana. It was taken in the spring fairly early in the day. The sun was barely directional in the afternoon this was taken. I saw the light filtering through the trees onto this patch of mustard. One farmers weeds are another photographers dream!

4.) The Cabin in the Storm

This was a composite I did and talked about here. I actually took this the same day as the one above in Muscatatuck Wildlife Refuge. As soon as I saw this cabin I knew what I wanted to do. I shot with the intention of cutting it out and replacing the scene later in Photoshop.

3.) Pigtail Twirl

I am kind of surprised this one did as well as it did. This is the ring of fire as well. Only this one was taken mid day, full sun. It was very bright outside. I love to experiment and try new techniques. This one screams childhood to me.

2.) Cardboard Playhouse

I love this one! We had just bought a new washer and dryer. I used the boxes and put this together for my girls. It took some work! The door handle is actually a vitamin bottle. My favorite part is the smoke from the chimney. I had stuffing left over from making pillows and I taped it inside the chimney. Word of advice, use packing tape, not duct tape. Lesson learned, but it still turned out as a cute photograph.

1.) Petals Falling Like Snow

This is one of my all time favorite photos, so I am thrilled everyone liked it as much as I do. This was taken midday. This was actually an old one of mine taken in May of 2018. The light was perfect, even though it was bright out, it was filtered through the trees. The apple trees were covered in blossoms, and I had my kiddo jump up and down and pull on the branch to release all of those little petals. The dark background helped them to show up in the light.

Well there you have it! Hoping for a great 2020! Happy New Year everyone!