The votes are in, and here are my top ten photographs for 2011 as chosen by you, the readers!

The response was truly extraordinary. 225 people looked through my initial selection of 41 images and posted their picks here on the blog, on Facebook, Google+, and by email. My deepest thanks to all of you who took the time to look through these photographs and voice your opinions. I really appreciate your help in making these difficult choices! And thanks to my most excellent assistant Claudia for tallying all those votes and running the print contest.

Did I say contest? Yes! We were so blown away by the response from all of you that we wanted to express our appreciation by giving away a print. We assigned a number to everyone who voted and used a random number generator to pick the recipient. And the winner is… (drumroll please) Earl Robicheaux! Earl will receive a signed, numbered, matted 16×20 print of his choice from among the 41 original selections. Congratulations Earl!

If you’re thinking, “Gee, I wish I’d known,” well we didn’t know either—it was a spontaneous reaction, out of gratitude, for the wonderful response. But maybe we’ll do something like this again—and let you know in advance!

So here’s the list of the ten images which received the most picks, and the number of votes they each received:

  1. Image #14, Sunbeams from Tunnel View, 109 votes
  2. Image #20, Redwoods, ferns, and rhododendrons, 99 votes
  3. Image #38, Eastatoe Falls, Nantahala NF, NC, 98 votes
  4. Image #11, Double fall, Yosemite, 88 votes
  5. Image #19, Sunset at Tenaya Lake, 87 votes
  6. Image #1, Moonrise from Valley View, 81 votes
  7. Image #41, Oak tree and lunar eclipse sequence, Sierra foothills, 79 votes
  8. Image #18, Half Dome, oaks, and high water, 75 votes
  9. Image #15, Dogwoods in mist, Yosemite, 66 votes
  10. Image #32, Eastside aspen reflections, 56 votes

And just out of the top ten were #24, Juniper and star trails near Olmsted Point, Yosemite, with 54 votes; #33, Aspens, willows, and an America coot, also with 54 votes, and #12, Bridalveil Fall and rainbow, with 53 votes.

I’m sorry if your favorites didn’t make the final cut— some of my favorites didn’t make it either! But overall I think this is a great selection with a good mix of grand landscapes and more intimate and abstract compositions. Nice work everyone! I’ll be submitting this post shortly to Jim Goldstein’s blog project.

Again, thank you so much for your participation. This has been really fun for me, and I hope you’ve enjoyed it too. Here are the top ten images:

14. Sunbeams from Tunnel View

14. Sunbeams from Tunnel View

 

20. Redwoods, ferns, and rhododendrons

20. Redwoods, ferns, and rhododendrons

 

37. Eastatoe Falls, Nantahala NF, NC

37. Eastatoe Falls, Nantahala NF, NC

 

11. Double fall

11. Double fall, Yosemite

 

19. Sunset at Tenaya Lake

19. Sunset at Tenaya LakeMoonrise from Valley View

 

1. Moonrise from Valley View

1. Moonrise from Valley View

 

41. Oak tree and lunar eclipse sequence, Sierra foothills

41. Oak tree and lunar eclipse sequence, Sierra foothills

 

18. Half Dome, oaks, and high water

18. Half Dome, oaks, and high water

 

Dogwoods in mist, Yosemite

Dogwoods in mist, Yosemite

 

31. Eastside aspen reflections

31. Eastside aspen reflections



 

—Michael Frye

Related Posts: 2011: My Best ImagesTop Ten Images of 2010

Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He is the author and photographer of The Photographer’s Guide to YosemiteYosemite Meditations, and Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters, plus the eBook Light & Land: Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom. He 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.