Favorites from 2023

How many photographs did I make in 2023? That’s a good question and I don’t have an answer, but it certainly numbered in the thousands. Many went directly into the computer’s trash bin after they’d been downloaded from the camera; others were edited, still found wanting and then trashed.

Of the thousands of photos taken in 2023, somewhere between 2,000 and 2,500 were deemed worthy of being saved. Of all those photographs these few may not be the best from an artistic standpoint or the most technically proficient but, for one reason or another, became favorites. For those of you that are photographers the metadata is included for each photograph. Here are 12 of my favorite photographs from 2023, not in any particular order –

A Pennsylvania elk photographed on a foggy morning in September at 6:51 am. This was at the peak of the rut, he had a band of four cows in the field with him. Olympus E-M1 ii camera, Olympus 100-400mm lens, 1/3 second, f/9, ISO 3200.

Fly aminita is one of the mycorrhizal fungi growing on trees’ roots that provide water and nutrients to trees in exchange for sugars produced by the tree. This is the “toadstool” that’s often seen in artwork and cartoons. Photographed in October. Olympus E-M10 ii camera, Olympus 60mm macro lens, 1/200 second, f/8, ISO 1000.

A pair of filmy dome spiders, female above, male below; photographed in our garden in August. Olympus E-M10 ii camera, Olympus 60mm macro lens, 1/125 second, f/10, ISO 400 with flash.

Green-headed coneflower photographed in August in State Game Lands on Barkley Mountain. Olympus E-M10 ii camera, Olympus 60mm macro lens, 1/400 second, f/10, ISO 1000.

The hummingbird clearwing moth is a day-flying moth often mistaken for a butterfly or a hummingbird. Wild bergamot is one of their favorite flowers, here at the peak of its bloom in July. Olympus E-M1 ii camera, Olympus 100-400mm lens with 1.4X teleconverter, 1/2500 second, f/9, ISO 1000.

A red-bellied woodpecker showing the color on its abdomen for which it was named, while clinging to an old fencepost in November. The species has expanded its range northward in the last 50 years. Olympus E-M10 ii camera with Olympus 75-300mm lens, 1/200 second, f/8, ISO 1000.

A bald eagle feeding her chicks in April. The nest is at eye level in a large sycamore growing on a steep bank below a well-traveled road. Olympus E-M10 ii camera, Olympus 100-400mm lens, 1/800 second, f/6.3, ISO 1000.

Jumping spiders, like this tan jumping spider, have personalities and often jump on the camera as I attempt to photograph them. In November this was one of the last spiders still active in 2023. Olympus E-M10 ii camera, Olympus 60mm macro lens, 1/60 second, f/10, ISO 400 with flash.

A young white-tailed deer photographed on the hill above the house in June. She had a brother born at the same time since most female white-tails have twins each year. Olympus E-M10 ii camera with Olympus 75-300mm lens, 1/125 second, f/11, ISO 1000.

This female wood duck seemed to be saying “Who’re you lookin' at?” as she stood on an old stump in a beaver pond in April. Olympus E-M1 ii camera, Olympus 100-400mm lens with 1.4X teleconverter, 1/500 second, f/9, ISO 1000.

Wood lily photographed after a rain in July in the Quehanna Wild Area. This was the first blooming wood lily that I’d seen in years, but just one of several I found that day. Olympus E-M10 ii camera, Lumix 45-150mm lens, 1/160 second, f/10, ISO 1000.

This male yellow-bellied sapsucker was busy working on a series of holes in our apple tree. He’ll feed on the sap and any insects that might still come to the sap in December. Olympus E-M1 ii camera, Olympus 100-400mm lens with the camera’s 2X digital teleconverter, 1/320 second, f/6.3, ISO 1000.

Would other photographers say they’re the best photos I made in 2023? Probably not, but they're my favorites.