As the end of 2019 approaches, I find myself contemplating my top 10 favorites blog. Although I had good intentions of creating other blogs between now and last year’s top 10 blog, it didn’t happen. The first eight months of the year was consumed with other obligations, yet not without opportunities to be rejuvenated by the beauty of my local region and to expand my portfolio as well. I actively made trips to both new and old familiar places and, looking back at the images from these trips, I can see that my hands were not idle. In fact, it was hard to narrow down my 10 favorite images. In retrospect, I realize that I made about twenty day trips, which sometimes included multiple locations. The above image “View Over Fall Colors On Marble Creek 1” is a result of one of my trips into the St. Francois Mountains of the southern Missouri Ozarks. Marble Creek is a location I know well, but I still find opportunities to create fresh images. In fact, six of my top 10 images this year come from the St. Francois Mountains, all of them being at familiar locations. You can see more from the above location in my Marble Creek gallery.

What is it about the St. Francois Mountains that keeps me coming back? I’m not sure that any one factor can be pinpointed. Is it the draw of the ancient rocks, the clear flowing streams or the rugged beauty? Or could it be that it brings back memories, some of which reach far back, into my childhood. Maybe it is all of them combined. Yet even with all of this familiarity I still find new and fresh images. For example, I spent an entire day at Elephant Rocks State Park in September. Usually this is a stopover place on my way home from other locations. This particular day was pleasant and the sky was overcast with clouds lifting in the late afternoon. Under those light conditions, I moved slowly throughout the park, photographing spots that had formerly been passed by or not been seen in such light. The image below is one of the results of my day’s labor. These images were added to my Elephant Rocks gallery.

Throughout the year I also visited new locations at familiar places. For example, I have visited Ferne Clyffe State Park in the Shawnee National Forest of southern Illinois on numerous occasions. Big Rocky Hollow is a favorite spot to shoot. However, I decided to check out another location in the park, Bork’s Waterfall, which is not accessed from the main part of the park. The falls were flowing and I had the place to myself for the most part. The image below captures the beauty of this spot well. More shots of this waterfall can be seen in my Shawnee National Forest gallery

During my trips to southern Illinois, I twice visited Heron Pond, also part of Shawnee National Forest. Southern Illinois has several cypress swamps and Heron Pond is part of the Cache River watershed. I am fascinated and intrigued by the cypress swamp ecosystem as it has a primordial feel, so different from any of the other places I frequent. I made two visits during the year, one in early spring and the other in late spring/early summer. Although the lush green of the latter visit captures the feel of such a place, it is the images from early spring which I particularly like. In the cool evening light, the bare trees exhibited wonderful color contrasts. The image below is such an example. More images from these swamps can be found in my Illinois Swamps gallery.

I also made several trips to Hawn State Park, in both spring and fall. I have so many images of Hawn in my portfolio one would think that I am there all the time. However, with the exception of a winter visit in January 2018, it had actually been two years since I last visited. That being said, I still created quite a number of new images. As I expand my portfolio to include the trail system I continue to be drawn to Pickle Creek. Changes in water flow/levels, lighting and seasonal variations all contribute to new scenes, including this one of the golden afternoon light reflecting in a pool just below a small waterfall. You can see the entire portfolio in my Hawn State Park gallery

Speaking of reflections, I cannot overlook the image below, which I captured at Johnson’s Shut Ins State Park. It was my second most “liked” image on Instagram this year and I sold a framed print of it at Green Door Gallery as well. I love wandering among the rocks at these shut ins in autumn. Rarely do I find anyone else there in the evening, when the sun has dipped behind the hills and the fall colors glow in the pools among the grey dolomite that takes on a bluish cast, reflecting the evening sky.

Golden Reflections In a Pool at Johnsons Shut Ins

During that same visit I captured the entire valley of the shut ins in the image below. The evening sky creating a blue cast as it reflects off the grey dolomite, the golden light reflecting in pools to accent the cascades of the Black River forcing its way through the bedrock, the texture of the geology and the fall foliage on the surrounding hillside - it all captures the beauty of this area. While taking the photograph below I encountered a man from the east coast who was visiting. He said he was so struck by the beauty of this region he intended to return home, sell his house and move to the area. You can see all of this portfolio in my Johnson’s Shut Ins gallery.

Another familiar place I returned to was Millstream Gardens Conservation Area in the St. Francois Mountains. Memories of this area reach back to my childhood. I have fond memories of camping downstream at Silver Mines Recreation Area and swimming in the river around the remnants of an old dam. This stretch of the St. Francis River has a truly wild feel about it and the trail that connects these two areas has beautiful spots to look out over the rugged river valley below. Along one of the lower elevations of the trail is a wooden footbridge which is usually rather mundane in appearance. However, the autumn colors and light on this particular day were just right to create the image below. Many more images of Millstream Gardens can be found in my Millstream Gardens gallery.

Among the new places I visited was Rockwoods Reservation, which is very near my home and is one of the oldest conservation areas managed by the state. I say new only in the context of my photography career however. I used to hike this park frequently in high school. It was one of our favorite hangouts being less than a 30 minute drive from home. Yet, being so close to home, I hadn’t been there in over 40 years. Late in the fall, after most of the leaves had fallen from the trees, I decided to hike part of the Green Rock Trail. My first impression was the large number of fallen trees scattered across the hillsides. I don’t believe I have hiked another area in Missouri so affected by storms and high winds. The day started cloudy and dull but soon the cloud cover changed to bright and overcast. The sparse fall colors among bare trees under such lighting conditions is on of my favorite subjects for photography. The image below is my favorite from that trip. You can seen more in my Rockwoods Reservation gallery.

Towards the end of autumn I made the decision to acquire a new lens and add a fresh dimension to the familiar places that I frequent. For those who know me, I am not a gear-head so to speak when it comes to camera equipment. Although I use quality equipment I do not have a large arsenal of tools. My photographic style for many years has been that of capturing images on a more intimate level with a longer lens range (not the conventional style for landscape photographers). I decided to add a 16mm wide angle zoom to my repertoire and step out of my comfort zone. With fall colors gone, I decided to head back to the St. Francois Mountains for a couple of short trips to give it a try. One of those trips included a visit to Amidon Memorial Conservation Area and the Castor River Shut Ins. The beauty of this place is truly unique. The river runs through “shut ins”, a place where it has eroded the valley down to the bedrock of ancient igneous formations. The pink granite, covered with lichens and surrounded by pines and cedars, creates a wonderful juxtaposition for the scenery. With the new lens I captured the valley of the Castor River Shut Ins below. You can see more images from this place in in my Amidon Conservation Area gallery.

Although I set out to create a Top 10 list, I decided to add a bonus image. The year ended with an unexpected surprise. In December, I decided to make a day trip into southern Illinois, Shawnee National Forest. I intended to go to a location closer to home. However, despite the clues along the way, I realized as I approached the Indiana/Kentucky border that I had missed a turn. Having gone so far out of my way, and with remarkable resiliency, I re-routed myself and decided to visit Garden of the Gods. The day turned out to be raw, partly cloudy and extremely windy, but I was determined to make the most of it. The hours up on the bluffs were not the most pleasant and I watched visitors come and go, shivering and taking quick snaps before heading back to the warmth of their cars. I too was not prepared for the cold winds but stuck it out. As clouds came and went the light changed sometimes very rapidly. The result were a number of photographs capturing the beauty of this place. The image below ended up being the most “liked” of my nature images on Instagram for the year. See more of my images from this place in my Garden of the Gods gallery.

Yes, it was a good year indeed. My obligations in the first half of the year involved, not my photography but my spiritual life (which is my greatest passion), and created memories I will cherish. Yet, I was able to achieve balance and give attention to my photography as well. It confirmed to me that, if we keep our priorities in focus everything comes together. What is in store for 2020? That remains to be seen, but it certainly has potential.