I’ve closed comments on this post, since the voting deadline has passed. You can see how the votes went in this post with the top ten. Thanks to all of you who voted!

Happy New Year!

Like champagne, Auld Land Syne, and the Tournament of Roses Parade, it’s become a New Year’s tradition on this blog to pick my best images from the past year, and once again I’m inviting you to help me make these difficult choices. I’ve posted 46 of my best photographs from 2015 below, in chronological order. After you look through these, please post a comment listing your ten favorites.

You don’t have to list your ten favorites in any order, or even name them – just numbers will do. (The numbers are in the captions underneath the photographs. Also, you can click on the images to see them larger.) Once the votes are in I’ll post the top ten on this blog, and submit the final group to Jim Goldstein’s blog project, where he’ll be showcasing the best images of the year from over 300 photographers. The voting deadline is this Sunday, January 3rd, at midnight Pacific time.

As always, I reserve the right to override the votes if one of my favorites gets panned. But I’ve rarely had to exercise this power because my readers have excellent taste. 🙂

Thanks for your input — I appreciate your help!

— Michael Frye

Blue oaks and misty ridges, Sierra Nevada foothills, Mariposa County, CA, USA

1. Blue oaks and misty ridges, Sierra Nevada foothills, Mariposa County, CA, USA

Ross's geese taking flight in the fog, San Joaquin Valley, CA, USA

2. Ross’s geese taking flight in the fog, San Joaquin Valley, CA, USA

Sunrise above a fog layer, Sierra Nevada foothills, Mariposa County, CA, USA

3. Sunrise above a fog layer, Sierra Nevada foothills, Mariposa County, CA, USA

Foothill ridges rising above the fog with southern Sierra Nevada peaks in the distance, Mariposa County, CA, USA

4. Foothill ridges rising above the fog with southern Sierra Nevada peaks in the distance, Mariposa County, CA, USA

Ross's geese taking flight at sunset, San Joaquin Valley, CA, USA

5. Ross’s geese taking flight at sunset, San Joaquin Valley, CA, USA

Moon rising above Half Dome from Tunnel View, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

6. Moon rising above Half Dome from Tunnel View, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

Upper Yosemite Fall illuminated by the rising moon, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

7. Upper Yosemite Fall illuminated by the rising moon, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

Dogwood along the Merced River, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

8. Dogwood along the Merced River, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

Trees and mist from Tunnel View, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

9. Trees and mist from Tunnel View, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

Sand dune, Mesquite Flat dunes, Death Valley NP, CA, USA

10. Sand dune, Mesquite Flat dunes, Death Valley NP, CA, USA

Manly Beacon at night with star trails, Death Valley NP, CA, USA

11. Manly Beacon at night with star trails, Death Valley NP, CA, USA

Trona Pinnacles and the Milky Way, Trona Pinnacles National Natural Landmark, CA, USA

12. Trona Pinnacles and the Milky Way, Trona Pinnacles National Natural Landmark, CA, USA

Sand dune and the Milky Way at night, Death Valley NP, CA, USA

13. Sand dune and the Milky Way at night, Death Valley NP, CA, USA

Dogwoods, mist, and ponderosa pines, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

14. Dogwoods, mist, and ponderosa pines, Yosemite NP, CA, USA


 

Pines, sunbeams, and mist, Cook's Meadow, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

15. Pines, sunbeams, and mist, Cook’s Meadow, Yosemite NP, CA, USA


 

Sunbeams in a redwood forest along the Northern California coast

16. Sunbeams in a redwood forest along the Northern California coast

Sea stacks at sunset , Redwood NP, CA, USA

17. Sea stacks at sunset , Redwood NP, CA, USA

18. Sunrise, Mono Lake, CA, USA

18. Sunrise, Mono Lake, CA, USA

Sunset over tufa formations at Mono Lake, CA, USA

19. Sunset over tufa formations at Mono Lake, CA, USA

Sunrise at South Tufa, Mono Lake, CA, USA

20. Sunrise at South Tufa, Mono Lake, CA, USA

Lightning over the San Joaquin Valley from the Sierra Nevada foothills, California, USA

21. Lightning over the San Joaquin Valley from the Sierra Nevada foothills, California, USA

Tufa and stars (with Perseus and the Pleiades), Mono Lake, CA, USA

22. Tufa and stars (with Perseus and the Pleiades), Mono Lake, CA, USA

Tufa and Milky Way, Mono Lake, CA, USA

23. Tufa and Milky Way, Mono Lake, CA, USA

Green light, Wheaton and Hollis Hotel, Bodie State Historic Park, CA, USA

24. Green light, Wheaton and Hollis Hotel, Bodie State Historic Park, CA, USA

1927 Dodge Graham with gas pumps at night, Bodie State Historic Park, CA, USA

25. 1927 Dodge Graham with gas pumps at night, Bodie State Historic Park, CA, USA

Wagon wheel behind the Dechambeau Hotel, Bodie State Historic Park, CA, USA

26. Wagon wheel behind the Dechambeau Hotel, Bodie State Historic Park, CA, USA

Lunar eclipse sequence with light-painted Joshua trees, September 27th, 2015, Joshua Tree NP, CA, USA

27. Lunar eclipse sequence with light-painted Joshua trees, September 27th, 2015, Joshua Tree NP, CA, USA

Aspens and reflections, Uncompahgre NF, CO, USA

28. Aspens and reflections, Uncompahgre NF, CO, USA

Aspen trunks near Telluride, CO, USA

29. Aspen trunks near Telluride, CO, USA

Sunbeams, San Juan Mountains, CO, USA

30. Sunbeams, San Juan Mountains, CO, USA

Sunlight on aspens, Umcompahgre NF, CO, USA

31. Sunlight on aspens, Umcompahgre NF, CO, USA

Autumn sunrise over the Sneffels Range from the Dallas Divide, CO, USA

32. Autumn sunrise over the Sneffels Range from the Dallas Divide, CO, USA

Aspens along a creek in the eastern Sierra Nevada, CA, USA

33. Aspens along a creek in the eastern Sierra Nevada, CA, USA

Rainbow over Black Point, Mono Lake, CA, USA

34. Rainbow over Black Point, Mono Lake, CA, USA

Aspens reflected in a beaver pond, Inyo NF, CA, USA

35. Aspens reflected in a beaver pond, Inyo NF, CA, USA

Fog and clouds over Mono Lake with the White Mountains in the distance, CA, USA

36. Fog and clouds over Mono Lake with the White Mountains in the distance, CA, USA

Clearing storm by moonlight from Tunnel View, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

37. Clearing storm by moonlight from Tunnel View, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

El Capitan by moonlight, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

38. El Capitan by moonlight, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

Reflections along the Merced River, winter, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

39. Reflections along the Merced River, winter, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

Ross's geese taking flight at sunrise, San Joaquin Valley, CA, USA

40. Ross’s geese taking flight at sunrise, San Joaquin Valley, CA, USA

Ross's geese lifting off from a San Joaquin Valley marsh, CA, USA

41. Ross’s geese lifting off from a San Joaquin Valley marsh, CA, USA


 

Half Dome, North Dome, and the Merced River by moonlight, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

42. Half Dome, North Dome, and the Merced River by moonlight, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

Gates of the Valley by moonlight, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

43. Gates of the Valley by moonlight, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

Yosemite Valley lit by the setting moon, with Jupiter above, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

44. Yosemite Valley lit by the setting moon, with Jupiter above, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

Star trails over Yosemite Valley from Tunnel View, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

45. Star trails over Yosemite Valley from Tunnel View, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

Morning light, Gates of the Valley, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

46. Morning light, Gates of the Valley, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

Related Posts: My Top Photographs of 2014; 2013: My Top Ten Images

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Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He is the author or principal photographer of The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite, Yosemite Meditations, Yosemite Meditations for Women, Yosemite Meditations for Adventurers, and Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters. He has also written three eBooks: Light & Land: Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom, Exposure for Outdoor Photography, and Landscapes in Lightroom: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide. Michael has written numerous magazine articles on the art and technique of photography, and his images have been published in over thirty countries around the world. Michael has lived either in or near Yosemite National Park since 1983, currently residing just outside the park in Mariposa, California.