My personal favourites

As always it is hard to pick 10 when you have so many to choose from. These are my personal favourites for 2015.

10

Because I’m Dutch, and because I love tulips. From the first day I can buy them, even if it is still winter, I feel spring is coming. The Keukenhof  near Amsterdam is a sensational place to photograph these beautiful flowers, they have hundreds of variaties there. I love the colour and the spiky edge on this one.

9

This one took quite some research and effort. All the other photographers were at Zabinsky Point, not me ! The Salt Flats at Badlands are a mess, I found this “alternative site” on another photographers webpage, this is what it is supposed to look like. We checked it out the day before, but Jürg didn’t want to come along. I parked the jeep, walked to this spot, being very careful not to touch the salt rims. If you do it sounds like breaking glass, and I didn’t wan’t to break anything here ! Me, all alone in the middle of the immense Death Valley at 05:30 in the morning already sweating at 39°C,  and I had a sensational sunrise all to myself. Pitty nobody saw or heard me….

8

This baby elephant stole my heart. Playing in the sand like a little kid on the beach. We saw a lot of elephant crossings this year and I loved them all. But no matter how impressive the big ones are, the young ones always get all the attention, and this junior was the cutest of them all.  Whenever I am on a safari jeep I am the happiest person around, I wish I could sit and watch forever. Am already looking forward to our next safari in Mana Pools, Zimbabwe this year.

7

My favourites on  the Indian Canyon Photo Tour were the Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend near Page and  Dead Horse Point in Canyonlands near Moab. The Antelope Canyon tour was much too short, the canyon was overly crowded with  busloads of tourists being driven through by ever so patient guides, but even that couldn’t spoil the amazement we felt walking through this slot canyon. New photogenic motives around every corner you turn, where ever you look. This is so creatively, abstractly beautiful it was one of the best moments on the tour, and believe me, there were many good moments !

6

The Svalbard Photo Tour was another highlight this year. We were so very very lucky to witness these cubs. This was just such a perfectly peaceful scene of the litlle polar bear family, plus taking it standing up in the wobbly zodiac added to the challenge, making this one of my favourite polar bear shots. Don’t they look like you would want to hug and cuddle them right away ?

5

Mala Mala is my favourite game reserve in South Africa. Even my own husband wonders why I keep wanting to return. He tells me: it can’t get better than last time, can it ? I keep proving him wrong ! Something new, something different shows up evertime we are there. These fighting black maned lions were the highlight of my last trip.

4

Just a small canyon on an Indian Reservation, but a wonderful sunset and our model added just the extra touch. To me that made it extra special, more private and to be honest more spectacular than the better known Grand Canyon or the famous Bryce Canyon. Here we were all alone, this was our very own, very special canyon.

3

I know it was a landscape tour, but I seriously prefer  people or animals, just a little more action and exitement. So this turned out to be my favourite shoot of the Indian Canyon Photo Tour. At last something different than red rocks,  a model and okay, some red rocks in the background. Maybe its also because I learnt something new here. As we were photographing her silhouette Christian showed us the possibilities of a remote flash. Suddenly our model and the background were visible !

2

We went to bed around midnight saying to ourselves no sane bear would show up here, just big chunks of ice in a freezing cold ocean and so far away from the mainland. Wrong ! This is exactly what they love, this is their habitat. Sneeking up, swimming behind big clumps of ice they can get close to their prey. This big male  had killed a seal shortly before we arrived. This photo is special to me because it shows the bear in its habitat, the solitude of the landscape and the incredible light from a sun that never sets at this time of year ( this photo was taken at 23:29 pm).

1

This one makes everybody smile and that is why it is my Nr.1,  I am such a sucker for a feel good photo !  These guys were so relaxed, friendly and so absolutely fit “in the picture”, sitting in their rocking chairs in front of the store, chatting away.  I just had to go up to them and get a photo.  As I shot it, I immediately knew it was my favourite photo of that day. So thank you guys, for making my day !