(I’ve closed comments on this post, since the voting deadline has passed. You can see the final selections here. 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 35 of my best photographs from 2017 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 Tuesday, January 2nd, 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

1. Ross's geese at sunrise, San Joaquin Valley, CA, USA

1. Ross’s geese at sunrise, San Joaquin Valley, CA, USA

2. Half Dome, North Dome, and Yosemite Valley at sunrise, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

2. Half Dome, North Dome, and Yosemite Valley at sunrise, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

3. Oaks, mist, and snow, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

3. Oaks, mist, and snow, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

4. Reflections in the Merced River, winter, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

4. Reflections in the Merced River, winter, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

5. Sunset over Yosemite Valley with Cathedral Rocks, El Capitan, and Horsetail Fall, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

5. Sunset over Yosemite Valley with Cathedral Rocks, El Capitan, and Horsetail Fall, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

6. Sunset from Twenty Mule Team Canyon, Death Valley NP, CA, USA

6. Sunset from Twenty Mule Team Canyon, Death Valley NP, CA, USA

7. Wildflowers in the Temblor Range, with desert candles, blazing stars, tansy phacelia, and hillside daisies, Carrizo Plain NM, CA, USA

7. Wildflowers in the Temblor Range, with desert candles, blazing stars, tansy phacelia, and hillside daisies, Carrizo Plain NM, CA, USA

8. Endless flowers, Carrizo Plain NM, CA, USA

8. Endless flowers, Carrizo Plain NM, CA, USA

9. Wind and sand, Mesquite Flat Dunes, Death Valley NP, CA, USA

9. Wind and sand, Mesquite Flat Dunes, Death Valley NP, CA, USA

10. Milky Way over sand dunes, Death Valley NP, CA, USA

10. Milky Way over sand dunes, Death Valley NP, CA, USA

11. Sand dune, Death Valley NP, CA, USA

11. Sand dune, Death Valley NP, CA, USA

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

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

13. Wind-blown spray above Horsetail Fall, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

13. Wind-blown spray above Horsetail Fall, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

14. Half Dome and oaks in flooded Leidig Meadow, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

14. Half Dome and oaks in flooded Leidig Meadow, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

15. Swirling dogwood blossoms, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

15. Swirling dogwood blossoms, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

16. Dogwood branches hanging over the Merced River, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

16. Dogwood branches hanging over the Merced River, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

17. Dogwoods in fog, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

17. Dogwoods in fog, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

19. Moon setting over Yosemite Valley and Horsetail Fall, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

18. Moon setting over Yosemite Valley and Horsetail Fall, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

18. Sun rising over a field of lupines, Redwood NP, CA, USA

19. Sun rising over a field of lupines, Redwood NP, CA, USA

20. Clouds and sea stacks at sunset, Crescent City, CA, USA

20. Clouds and sea stacks at sunset, Crescent City, CA, USA

21. Double rainbow from Tunnel View, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

21. Double rainbow from Tunnel View, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

22. Sunset in El Capitan Meadow with oaks, pines, azaleas, and Lower Cathedral Rock, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

22. Sunset in El Capitan Meadow with oaks, pines, azaleas, and Lower Cathedral Rock, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

23. Reflections in melting ice, Saddlebag Lake, Inyo NF, CA, USA

23. Reflections in melting ice, Saddlebag Lake, Inyo NF, CA, USA

24. Clouds and Milky Way reflected in Tenaya Lake, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

24. Clouds and Milky Way reflected in Tenaya Lake, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

25. Solar eclipse sequence, Sawtooth Mountains, ID, USA

25. Solar eclipse sequence, Sawtooth Mountains, ID, USA

26. Milky over Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone NP, WY, USA

26. Milky Way over Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone NP, WY, USA

27. Great Fountain Geyser and the Milky Way, Yellowstone NP, WY, USA

27. Great Fountain Geyser and the Milky Way, Yellowstone NP, WY, USA

28. Autumn hillside with aspen and spruce trees, Pike-San Isabel NF, CO, USA

28. Autumn hillside with aspen and spruce trees, Pike-San Isabel NF, CO, USA

29. Maroon Bells in autumn, White River NF, CO, USA

29. Maroon Bells in autumn, White River NF, CO, USA

30. Spruce, firs, and aspens after an autumn snowstorm, Medicine Bow-Routt NF, CO, USA

30. Spruce, firs, and aspens after an autumn snowstorm, Medicine Bow-Routt NF, CO, USA

31. Aspens in fog, White River NF, CO, USA

31. Aspens in fog, White River NF, CO, USA

32. Aspens and ferns, autumn, Gunnison NF, CO, USA

32. Aspens and ferns, autumn, Gunnison NF, CO, USA

33. Backlit aspens, Toiyabe NF, CA, USA

33. Backlit aspens, Toiyabe NF, CA, USA

34. Aspens and pines, Tioyabe NF, CA, USA

34. Aspens and pines, Tioyabe NF, CA, USA

35. Reeds and aspen leaves, Inyo NF, CA, USA

35. Reeds and aspen leaves, Inyo NF, CA, USA



Related Posts: My Top Photographs of 2016; My Top Photographs of 2015; My Top Photographs of 2014

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.

(I’ve closed comments on this post, since the voting deadline has passed. You can see the final selections here. Thanks to all of you who voted!)