My 10 Best Photos of 2024

It is time for one of my favorite annual traditions – my top ten photos! I am especially excited for this one after a truly stellar year. I traveled for photography more, got out of my comfort zone, and tried new techniques and shooting styles… I even got into film!

Strictly speaking, these might not be my best shots of 2024. They do, however, represent some of my best efforts for one reason or another. So, with that caveat out of the way, let’s dive right in!

10. Two Moose

First, we have a chance encounter with a couple of moose while scouting Rocky Mountain National Park back in May. Afternoon storms just rolled through the park, with clear skies following to the west. This let the sun fill the valley and illuminate the storm clouds from behind.

I loved the way the sunlight played off the golden grass, not to mention the near perfect posing of the moose. I do not think I have previously published this photo, so I hope you enjoy this “exclusive” look!

9. Nighttime in the Bear Lake Corridor

My next entry is this Milky Way photo, predictably from Rocky Mountain National Park. This, however, was the first time I successfully “stacked” images to enhance detail in the night sky. I considered this a “practice run” for potential night shoots later in the year.

I broke the lens I used not long after I took this photo, which unfortunately knocked it out of use for a couple months while I waited for repairs. Still though, I learned a lot and had fun honing this skill throughout the year!

8. Lightspeed

We got an unexpected gift this year – solar maximum! Much like changing seasons on Earth, the sun goes through cycles of high and low activity, about once every 11 years. This year ultimately shook out to be the peak of one of these cycles, the solar maximum.

High solar activity is usually accompanied by an increase in solar flares and coronal mass ejections – the sun flinging waves of charged particles into space. Some of these waves hit the Earth back in May, leading to auroras being spotted as far south as the tropics.

When I heard the news that a rare G5 geomagnetic storm was forecasted, I hit the road to southern Wyoming to try to catch a glimpse. The skies remained dark… until suddenly they weren’t! I pulled over to the side of I-25 to take this photo looking northeast.

Although I wasn’t thrilled to be shooting from the literal side of the highway, I still considered this the completion of a lifetime goal. But I vowed that if the aurora returned, I would be ready...

7. Bear in Yellowstone

Coming in at Number Seven we have this mama grizzly bear! This was absolutely not on my bingo card for 2024, but may now be on it for every year from here on out!

I spotted this bear back in July, after spending just 20 minutes in Yellowstone National Park. A young cub romped in the alpine grass just out of frame, but he was moving so much he was hard to shoot. So, I focused my efforts following mama grizzly up the mountain.

In this photo, she almost appears to be looking back down the mountain at the gaggle of tourists that form to watch her – myself included!

6. American Pyramid

Despite some incredible wildlife photos on my trip through North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming, one thing I struggled with was shooting the Milky Way. Unpredictable weather, clouds, and high winds made attempting to capture the night sky a real gamble. I really had to play it by ear throughout the whole trip.

I eventually found this pyramid on Google Maps and, after confirming the dark skies and clear forecast, made the trek to check it out. I employed the techniques I practiced earlier this year to get one of my clearest photos yet, which was a nice bonus.

For me, this photo probably represents me at my best – finding opportunities to shoot nightscapes and capitalizing on them when I can. I have to say, I am pretty happy with the result!

5. Loch Vale on Film

I mentioned earlier in this post that I took up film – and here we finally see evidence of that! I picked up a Voigtlander Bessa T this spring and immediately got to work ruining a ton of film. As a fun byproduct, I actually got better at shooting with said film.

One of my favorite film photos this year comes from a hike up to the Lake of Glass in Rocky Mountain National Park. I went during peak fall colors, or at least as close as I could, to see how the film would capture the scene.

This particular shot is of Loch Vale, about 2/3 of the way up the hike. The trees that lined the lake seemingly parted, forming a window into a tiny alpine haven. I love the greens and blues, plus the details in the distant mountains.

4. Boulderfield on Film

Here we have another film photo, though not necessarily as “good” of a shot. This one comes from a roll of film I shot during one of my most challenging outings yet – backpacking on Long’s Peak.

My original plan was to camp near the summit at 12,800 feet for two nights and capture the Milky Way. I was, quite frankly, ill-prepared for how physically demanding it would be to carry my supplies and gear up 3,500 vertical feet over 6 miles. I think maybe someday I will write a blog post on “how not to backpack,” and other lessons learned, but we will see.

Ultimately, I was too tired to even consider staying out all night, so I only had the photos I took during the day. This view of the summit from my campsite is a good reminder that even though I failed to accomplish what I set out to, I still got to see some incredible things from places I had never been. And I’ll take that consolation any day.

3. Aurora on the Tundra

And now we get into the top three! I mentioned earlier that if the aurora borealis returned, I would be ready. Well, the aurora did return and I stayed true to my word. I practically dropped everything and raced out to the mountains for another long night of aurora chasing.

Back in May, I wound up shooting the aurora from the side of the road. But for the October geomagnetic storm, I wanted to do something a little more... arctic. I drove up to the roof of Rocky Mountain National Park and took a trail out onto the alpine tundra. Despite the high winds and intermittent cloud cover, I managed to get this shot.

I am pleased to share that this photo has since been admitted into the Bruce Murray Space Image Library, maintained by the Planetary Society!

2. Comet A3

Coming in at a close second for the year is C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS! Frequent readers will know I commonly cite Comet NEOWISE as the catalyst for my first camera purchase in 2020. When Comet A3 came up on my radar earlier this summer, I was cautiously optimistic I might get a chance to shoot it.

I was absolutely over the moon when Comet A3 brightened in early October, but I was dismayed by the forecast. Several cloudy nights ruined multiple viewing attempts in Rocky Mountain National Park, but I remained determined to see it. On my fifth night making the 150 mile round-trip trek, I finally got to see what I have waited four years to recreate – the comet.

This stacked photo is not just the culmination of my practice throughout the summer, it represents a full circle moment taking me all the way back to what got me into photography in the first place.

This photo was also admitted into the Bruce Murray Space Image Library, my fifth overall!

1. Full Circle

Speaking of “full circles,” my favorite shot from 2024 was seven years in the making – the solar eclipse. I have wanted to get a photo of a solar eclipse ever since seeing my first one in 2017. But I did not know where I would be (in life or location) for the next one, so I had to wait to begin planning until 2023.

After a year’s worth of planning and 1,200 miles driven in two days, I was met with cloudy skies. Totality came behind a thick veil of clouds and I could do nothing but keep my camera pointed at the sky, hoping to catch a break.

An eternity later, the clouds finally parted and I took one of my favorite photos not just of the year, but probably of all time.  

Looking back - and ahead

As I look back on 2024, I see a year of planning and spontaneity, failure and success, and growth and creativity. I did not embark on as many adventures as I have in the past, but the ones I did were tougher and more rewarding than ever.

This is always a fun exercise for me because I get to think back to where I was when I began this year, and compare it with what I got to accomplish. And this year? Well, I did a lot.

I have already made a few plans for 2025 and I am so excited to set them in motion. I do not want to jinx them, but I think (and hope) you will enjoy seeing the results, too.

And that brings me to my final sign-off for 2024! Thank you for your print orders, your postcard signups... thank you for everything. I am glad to have had you along this entire journey, and if this is your first blog post I am glad you're starting with me for next year!

Thanks for reading. Stay tuned and, as always, fly safe!

-Zaak