Top 10 Landscape Photos of 2018

Happy New Year everyone!

Are you looking forward to the new year? Or saying good riddance to the last one?

It’s that time of year when I like to look back over the previous year and remember all the good times, all the fun times, all the beautiful skies and pleasant surprises. That’s why I do this after all.

Photography not only helps me notice the beautiful and good things in day to day life, but looking back on my photography from the past year helps me realize and remember that most of it was truly wonderful. It was a year full of adventure!

We all face challenges, and some years are better (or worse) than others. Last year was also full of a lot of physical pain for me, and sometimes it feels like that’s all there is. But rather than say “good riddance” I’d rather forget the pain and remember all the good parts. So I hope you’ll join me in looking back over your photographs from the past year and remembering all the good things that happened too.

As always, I just pick my favourites. These are not my most technically perfect images, or the ones that were most popular on social media. They are just my personal favourites.

Here are my top 10 landscape photos from 2018.

1. Ajo Scenic Drive, Arizona

Just outside of Organ Pipe National Monument, this spot has become one of my favourite places in the world and one of my favourite camping spots in the American Southwest. The desert is lush and when the golden hour light comes through clouds on a winter evening, it can be magical.

See more photos from this location.

2. Khutzemateen Provincial Park, British Columbia

Northern British Columbia has a special atmosphere that is quite different from what we experience in the south where I am from. I love how the fog settles in the valleys and weaves its mist through the forest. I went up here to photography grizzly bears, but I couldn’t resist making some landscape photos too.

See more photos from this location.

3. Lagangarbh Cottage, Glencoe, Scotland

I went to Scotland in late 2017, so most of the photos didn’t get processed until 2018. It was a fantastic trip, and while my primary goal was photographing the Isle of Skye, I discovered many beautiful places on the way there.

See more photos from this location.

4. Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland

This is a memorable evening! I came within seconds of missing the sunset and then afterwards, when driving back to my hotel, I pulled off the (ridiculously narrow) road to let some cars go by. I was new to driving on the left and it was dark after all. When I was about to pull back on to the road, I was inching closer going dead slow, and I bumped a large rock that I didn’t see. Oops. Hope there isn’t a scratch on my rental car. Pffffft …. it was crumpled!!!! OMG. Anyway, it was worth it for the photos of the castle 🙂

See more photos from this location.

5. Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye, Scotland

The Isle of Skye did not disappoint. Dramatic skies, striking mountains, graceful waterfalls – and the ability to get all those things in one shot!

See more photos from this location.

6. Superstition Mountain, Arizona

After scouting out this location years ago, Ray and I returned to spend a week camping here at the base of this gorgeous mountain. Every day was clear blue sky until the last day when I got a small, but good enough, pink cloud at sunset.

See more photos from this location.

7. Blood Moon over Organ Pipe Cactus near Ajo, Arizona

The super bloody blue moon! While moonrise didn’t go well due to clouds, I got up super bloody early in the morning to photograph moonset during the eclipse. Not only was it a blood moon because of the eclipse, it was also a super moon and a blue moon. This photo was made at the same location as photo #1.

8. Rock Art at Saddle Mountain, Arizona

Oddly, this is the location I am at right now as I write this post! A new find last year, we have returned to this incredible spot already. When we found this rock art, Ray carried our ladder over there for me so I could get some elevation for my shot.

See more photos from this location.

9. Ray at Bandon Beach, Oregon

This is one of my favourite spots on the Oregon coast, but on this night it was low tide and no clouds. Ray to the rescue!!

I just realized I don’t have a decent blog post about Bandon, which is odd since we go there all the time. Now it’s on my to do list. But you might enjoy my post about photo locations along the Oregon coast.

See my 8 Favourite Photography Locations on the Oregon Coast.

10. Rainbow at the Cape Mudge Lighthouse, British Columbia

This was one of my first boating days of the year. It was a little windy, but I went anyway because I was anxious to get out on the water. I went farther than I should have, got on the wrong side of the weather, and had a bumpy ride coming home. But it was all worth it when I caught this incredible rainbow over the Cape Mudge Lighthouse. This photo is not saturated, it really did look like this. It was a dandy.

Thanks for taking the time to look at my fave’s from last year. If you enjoyed these, I also have a collection of my Top 10 Wildlife Photos of 2018.

If you have compiled a collection of your own favourites from last year, feel free to leave a link to your post in the comments. I’d love to see them.