Announcements

Winter Speaker Series: Lightroom Masking

Sunbeams, mist, Half Dome, and the Merced River, Yosemite National Park, California

Sunbeams, mist, Half Dome, and the Merced River, Yosemite National Park, California

Just a reminder that next Monday I’ll be doing a presentation about Lightroom Masking for Nature Photography Classes as part of of their Winter Speaker Series. (That’s Monday, January 16th, at 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time.) This winter series also includes online presentations by David Kingham, Nick Page, and Sean Bagshaw – all focused on image processing.

You can sign up for these talks individually for $27 each, or register for all four speakers for $87 (which seems like a great bargain). And 10% of the proceeds go to individual charities chosen by the speaker (I’ve chosen the Yosemite Conservancy):

Click here to register for the Winter Speaker Series.

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My Top Photographs of 2022

The votes are all in and counted, and here are my top photographs of 2022!

We had a great response this year: 672 people looked through my initial selection of 42 images and voted for their favorites. That’s the second-highest total ever! (The most was 728 votes in 2016; I’ve been doing this every year since 2010.) A big thank you to everyone who took the time to look through these photographs and voice your opinions! I also really appreciate the kind words so many people posted in the comments or sent by email. I wish I could respond to everyone, but please know that I’ve read them all and am very grateful for all your support.

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Voting Deadline is Midnight Tonight!

Curves at dusk, Death Valley NP, California

Curves at dusk, Death Valley NP, California

Just a reminder that this is the last day to cast your votes for my best photographs of 2022. You have until midnight! Again, please don’t send your votes to me by email, or post them in the comments, or they won’t be counted. Use the form at the end of the original post to cast your votes.

Click here to see the nominees and cast your vote.

The voting is closed! I’ll be posting the results soon.

Thanks to everyone who already voted! I appreciate your help. 🙂

— Michael Frye

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My Best Images of 2022: the Nominees

Once again I’m inviting you to help me choose my best photographs from the past year! I’ve posted 42 of my favorite images from 2022 below, in chronological order. After you look through these, please use the form at the bottom of this post to list your ten favorites.

Please don’t post your votes in the comments, or send them by email, because they won’t be counted! Use the form at the bottom of this post instead.

The voting is closed! I’ll be posting the results soon.

You don’t have to list your ten favorites in any order; just pick up to ten images. (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.

The voting deadline is Wednesday, January 4th, 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!

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Merry Christmas!

Moonlit clouds over El Capitan, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

Moonlit clouds over El Capitan, Yosemite



While snow is rare at our house in the Sierra foothills, Yosemite Valley has received a few early-winter snowstorms, so Claudia and I have been able to go up there and enjoy the snow on several occasions, which is always a treat. To me, the holidays always feel more festive with snow. I made this photograph of El Capitan after one of those storms, as the setting moon lit El Capitan and the fast-moving clouds overhead.

For many people in North America, however, things probably seem a bit too wintry. It’s one thing to watch snowflakes floating gently to the ground outside while you sit around a cozy fire; it’s another to endure blizzard conditions, whiteouts, sub-zero temperatures, flight delays, and power outages.

Claudia and I hope everyone is able to stay safe, and warm, and to spend time with their loved ones (at least eventually) during this holiday season. Whatever the circumstances, we hope you’re able to make the best of things, and wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.

— Michael Frye

Winter Speaker Series

Sun setting over an alpine lake, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

Sun setting over an alpine lake, Yosemite

I’m pleased to be joining the Winter Speaker Series on Nic Stover’s Nature Photography Classes site. The Winter Speaker Series will be focused on image processing, and includes online presentations by David Kingham, Nick Page, Sean Bagshaw, and me.

My talk will be about the Masking Panel and local adjustments in Lightroom Classic. The Masking Panel is incredibly powerful, allowing you make and combine selections in almost infinite ways, and add sophisticated touches to your images that you previously needed Photoshop for.

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