Note: I’ve closed comments on this post because the voting deadline has passed. I’ll be posting the results soon!

Happy New Year!

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 44 of my best photographs from 2019 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 or twelve 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 Friday, 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

1. Mossy oaks, Mariposa County, CA, USA

1. Mossy oaks, Mariposa County, California

2. Lunar eclipse sequence, Trona Pinnacles, California, January 20, 2019

2. Lunar eclipse sequence, Trona Pinnacles, California, January 20, 2019

3. Reeds and red-winged blackbird, San Joaquin Valley, California

3. Reeds and red-winged blackbird, San Joaquin Valley, California

4. Reeds and cottonwoods, San Joaquin Valley, California

4. Reeds and cottonwoods, San Joaquin Valley, California

5. Ice-coated oaks at sunset, Mariposa County, California

5. Ice-coated oaks at sunset, Mariposa County, California

6. Snow falling from trees, Yosemite NP, California

6. Snow falling from trees, Yosemite

7. Stormy skies over the valley, Yosemite NP, California

7. Stormy skies over the valley, Yosemite

8. El Capitan by moonlight, winter, Yosemite NP, California

8. El Capitan by moonlight, winter, Yosemite

9. Sandhill cranes at sunset, San Joaquin Valley, California

9. Sandhill cranes at sunset, San Joaquin Valley, California

10. Sunrise from Tunnel View, Yosemite NP, California

10. Sunrise from Tunnel View, Yosemite

11. Misty trees from Tunnel View, Yosemite NP, California

11. Misty trees from Tunnel View, Yosemite

12. Desert in bloom at sunset, Joshua Tree NP, California

12. Desert in bloom at sunset, Joshua Tree NP, California

13. Sandstorm, Mesquite Flat Dunes, Death Valley NP, California

13. Dunes in a sandstorm, Death Valley NP, California

14. Stars, Orion, and zodiacal light over an eroded gully, Death Valley NP, California

14. Stars, Orion, and zodiacal light over an eroded gully, Death Valley NP, California

15. Sand dune and star trails, Death Valley NP, California

15. Sand dune and star trails, Death Valley NP, California

16. Rolling dunes, Death Valley NP, California

16. Rolling dunes, Death Valley NP, California

17. Dogwood and late-afternoon light along the Merced River, Yosemite NP, California

17. Dogwood and late-afternoon light along the Merced River, Yosemite

18. Alder and dogwood above the Merced River, Yosemite NP, California

18. Alder and dogwood above the Merced River, Yosemite

19. Wildflowers and oaks in the fog, Table Mountain, California

19. Wildflowers and oaks in the fog, Table Mountain, California

20. Swirling Clouds and Mist, Sunrise, Yosemite NP, California

20. Swirling Clouds and Mist, Sunrise, Yosemite

21. Redwood and rhododendron in the fog, northern California

21. Redwood and rhododendron in the fog, northern California

22. Sea stacks, late afternoon, northern California coast

22. Sea stacks, late afternoon, northern California coast

23. Redwoods, rhododendron, and sunbeams, northern California

23. Redwoods, rhododendron, and sunbeams, northern California

24. "Twins" - sun breaking through fog in a redwood forest, northern California

24. “Twins” – sun breaking through fog in a redwood forest, northern California

25. Old truck and shed underneath the Milky Way, Bodie SHP, California

25. Old truck and shed underneath the Milky Way, Bodie SHP, California

26. Wagons and star trails, Bodie SHP, California

26. Wagons and star trails, Bodie SHP, California

27. Creek flowing into the Pacific Ocean, Oregon coast

27. Creek flowing into the Pacific Ocean, Oregon coast

28. Autumn kaleidoscope, Manti-La Sal NF, Utah

28. Autumn kaleidoscope, Manti-La Sal NF, Utah

29. Sunbeams, mountains, and autumn maples, Utah

29. Sunbeams, mountains, and autumn maples, Utah

30. Autumn waterfall, Colorado

30. Autumn waterfall, Colorado

31. Lenticular cloud at sunset, Mono Lake, California

31. Lenticular cloud at sunset, Mono Lake, California

32. Big-leaf maple in a burned forest, Yosemite NP, California

32. Big-leaf maple in a burned forest, Yosemite

33. Autumn lakeshore, Yosemite NP, California

33. Autumn lakeshore, Yosemite

34. Leaf stack in the Merced River, Yosemite NP, California

34. Leaf stack in the Merced River, Yosemite

35. Cliffs, mist, and snow, Yosemite NP, California

35. Cliffs, mist, and snow, Yosemite

36. Snowy night along the Merced River, Yosemite NP, California

36. Snowy night along the Merced River, Yosemite

37. Cottonwood trees, winter, Yosemite NP, California

37. Cottonwood trees, winter, Yosemite

38. Oak and frost-tipped ponderosa pine, Yosemite NP, California

38. Oak and frost-tipped ponderosa pine, Yosemite

39. Half Dome and El Capitan during a clearing storm, Yosemite NP, California

39. Half Dome and El Capitan during a clearing storm, Yosemite

40. The heart of El Capitan, Yosemite NP, California

40. The heart of El Capitan, Yosemite

41. Bridalveil Fall and El Capitan, sunrise, Yosemite NP, California

41. Bridalveil Fall and El Capitan, sunrise, Yosemite

42. Pintails at sunrise, San Joaquin Valley, California

42. Pintails at sunrise, San Joaquin Valley, California

43. Ross's geese taking flight at sunset, San Joaquin Valley, California

43. Ross’s geese taking flight at sunset, San Joaquin Valley, California

44. Ross's geese and crescent moon at sunset, San Joaquin Valley, California

44. Ross’s geese and crescent moon at sunset, San Joaquin Valley, California



Thanks for voting!

Related Posts: My Top Photographs of 2018;My Top Photographs of 2017; My Top Photographs of 2016

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.