2024 Year in Review

One of my favorite things to do at the end of the year is to go back through my image galleries from the previous 12 months to remind myself of all the adventures I’ve had, and relive all the stunningly beautiful moments I’ve been so fortunate to experience. I am eternally grateful for the life that photography has given me, and in this article I’d like to share some of my favorite moments with you.

Favorite Sunrise of the Year – Lone Pine

Let’s start with my favorite time of day, the sunrise. One of my ironclad rules is “ALWAYS get up for sunrise the day after a clearing storm.” This particular morning in February showed why I have that rule. A clearing snowstorm left feet of fresh powder on the mountains, along with vicious winds whipping the fresh snow into thousand-foot-tall plumes. When the rising sun hit the scene, it made the snow plumes look as though they were ablaze. In fact, the entire mountain range appeared to be engulfed in a conflagration. It was dramatic, exciting, and beautiful.

Favorite Sunset of the Year – French Pyrenees

In June I went on a weeklong hiking trip with some friends through the Pyrenees, a spectacular mountain range that spans the border between Spain and France. Our second day of the trip saw us climbing over 4,000 ft from beautiful grassy meadows in Spain, up and over the French border, and then a further few hours through snow to reach a high mountain hut.

After dinner my companions and I ventured out onto the snow to check out the sunset. Although I was somewhat disappointed by completely clear skies as we left the hut, as soon as we rounded a nearby corner, I saw something that completely changed my mood: the valleys stretching out in front of us were filled with a rich blanket of low cloud which separated and punctuated each of the dramatic mountain ridges emerging from the white shroud.

Favorite Astro Shoot of the Year – Comet ATLAS-Tsuchinshan

I repeatedly maintain that I am NOT an astrophotographer, although I do love teaching Milky Way and Night Sky Photography workshops. Still, when something special occurs in our night skies, I do enjoy trying to capture it. Such was the case when comet ATLAS-Tsuchinshan broke into our collective awareness in September. News articles touted it to be the most visibly spectacular comet since Neowise in 2020. Though when I first heard about it it seemed like it would be difficult to photograph due to a combination of being very close to the sun, getting gradually fainter each night as it moved away from the sun in the sky, and the moon getting brighter and brighter each night in the meantime, potentially washing out the comet.

Although I didn’t have much hope, I dutifully went outside each evening in the middle of October, when the viewing was meant to be best in the northern hemisphere. Imagine my surprise then when on my first night of viewing, I was just able to spy the comet with my bare eye about 40 minutes after the sun went down. Over the next few nights the comet became more and more visible after dark, and I had an idea to photograph it over Mt Whitney with the mountain bathed in moonlight. I drove to a viewpoint some 20 miles from the mountain, and zoomed in to 240 mm, which helped the comet appear massive next to the mountain. As the moon rose and illuminated the peak I captured a series of 75 photos I combined in post to create this final, noise-free image.

Best “Blast From the Past” Moment – Hole in the Wall Beach

Although I am known as a mountain photographer, seascapes live in a very special spot in my heart. I started my career with four years of coastal photography while living in Santa Cruz, California. And if there was one beach that stole my heart more than any other, it was Hole in the Wall.

This spring I was back at the California coast to teach at a conference in Big Sur. After the event ended I drove the hour north to Santa Cruz to spend a few days shooting for myself. First stop, naturally, was Hole in the Wall Beach. The place was just as fascinating and photogenic as I’d remembered. As dramatic clouds unfolded overhead, roaring waves crashed and swirled around my legs, bringing back endless memories of those early joyful days on the coast.

Best Wildflower Experience – 9 Mile Canyon

California enjoyed a wonderful wildflower season this year, in all elevations from desert to mountains. It was a helpful reminder to me to not fixate on one single location like I am too often prone to do. Instead of waiting for the flowers to hit the foothills around Lone Pine, I went searching for them in other locations I’d never explored. Along 9 Mile Canyon road I was floored to find some of the best displays I’ve ever seen in the state. Vast carpets of lupine mixed with tickweed in a vivid contrast of warm and cool colors. But perhaps even more engaging was how the flowers grew in abundance around the base of various stands of Joshua Trees dotting the canyon’s hillsides. Photographing this unique combination of flora in a new-to-me location gave me a feeling of novelty and discovery that I absolutely cherish.

Best Fall Color Moment – Lone Pine

Much like the spring flowers, the Sierra enjoyed a particularly long and colorful fall season. Starting at the high elevations like North Lake, stunning aspen trees turned lime, the yellow, then gold, then crimson. They refused to let go of their leaves as the color change progressed, leading to rainbows of differently-hued leaves stretching up the Eastern Sierra canyons.

However, thanks to a 10-day bout with covid followed by a photo tour that took me out of the country for three weeks, I completely missed the peak of this fall splendor. By the time I got back home to Lone Pine in mid November, all the aspens in the mountains were sadly bare. However, to my delight, I found that the cottonwood trees scattered around the Owens Valley were just reaching their fall peak. On a beautiful day I went for an afternoon stroll near my house. A localized snowstorm was sweeping quickly across the mountains, giving them a beautiful fresh coat of white. The bright sun shone through breaks in the clouds and backlit the cottonwoods, turning them blazing gold. The color contrast with the blue sky and mountains was stunning and I was able to capture these fall color photos.

Favorite Self Portrait – Alabama Hills

Ever since I started photographing the moon I’ve enjoyed taking photos of people in front of it. A person gives such an immediate sense of scale to the moon, and can provide an incredible wow factor if the moon is very large compared to the subject. In my mind, the ultimate technical challenge when shooting a person with the moon is a self portrait. In particular, a self portrait where the camera is far away from the subject, which makes the moon look huge. Because of this distance (in the case of this photo around 1500 feet), the calculations have to be incredibly precise with regard to altitude, camera placement, and timing. I’ve attempted a shot like this a number of times, and finally in January of this year on a beautiful clear night, I got all the math and conditions right to pull of this photo, which is a single exposure.

Best Moon Redemption Moment – Mt Whitney

Although the photo above is my favorite self portrait of the year, it’s not my favorite moon photo. No, that distinction belongs to the February full moon….not. You see, in February I was teaching a full moon photography and planning workshop. We calculated the exact spot to stand to see the moon set over Mt Whitney at sunrise. We were on location and got to watch both things happen, just not at the same time. First, the moon sank into position perfectly above the mountain, as you can see in the photo below on the left. Sadly, clouds obscured the moon. Of course, as soon as the moon disappeared from view behind the mountains, the clouds moved away and rich golden light struck the mountain (right photo). I kept telling the class, “We almost had a unicorn moon shot! If we’d had both the moon in place, and that gorgeous light at the same time I would have printed that shot 72″ wide for the gallery!”

Sadly, it didn’t for us, but rather than feeling too frustrated I resolved to try the shot again when the alignment next worked, which wouldn’t be until August.

Fast forward 6 months and I found myself once again on location in the Alabama Hills. This time conditions couldn’t be more perfect with absolutely crystal clear skies and a scorchingly bright full moon. From the way the mountain was turning pink long before the sunrise, I knew I was in for a good light show. Sure enough, as the moon dropped into position above Mt Whitney, the sun emerged above the horizon, painting the peak with crimson and ruby tones, and I was able to capture this photo. The lesson is an obvious one: if things don’t work out the way you hoped, try try try try try try try try try again.

Best Shaky Legs Moment – Mt Russell

In addition to photography, I was lucky to get out for some all-time great hikes this summer. One of the most intense was when my buddy Farooq and climbed Mt Russell via its infamous East Ridge. Summiting this mountain requires ascending 6,000 vertical feet in just 3.75 miles. And if that isn’t enough, the final climb to the summit is over class 3 blocks skinnier than a sidewalk with a 800-1000 foot death fall on each side. There is literally no room for error as you scramble up to the summit. Farooq decided to stop at a wide saddle on the shoulder of the mountain, leaving me to do the final 1200 feet on my own. It was an exhilarating climb, one that had my heart pounding and adrenaline pumping, but ultimately left me feeling strong and confident in my abilities. However, my knees were less than happy with me after the punishing 6,000 ft descent to the car.

Most “I Wasn’t Expecting That!” View – Bench Lake

For my birthday this year I went out for a 5-day solo backpacking trip through Kings Canyon. This trip was physically challenging, with over 7000 feet of climbing on the first day, and lots of cross-country, off-trail miles. On my third day of the trip I had come down a loose cross country pass to an exposed bench of granite where I wanted to camp. In looking for a good place to spend the night, I analyze a few criteria: is there access to water? Is there somewhere flat and sheltered from the wind and elements? And most importantly, is there a good view???

After checking numerous spots and rejecting them, I was getting close to my exhaustion limit for the day. I need to find a campsite stat. About 1/2 mile away from me, my topo map showed a small flat area near a lake. And intriguingly, just a few hundred yards past that, the map also showed a vertiginous ridge dropping a thousand feet to a massive lake. I made my way to the flat spot, dropped my pack, then ventured on a few more minutes to the ridge. After pushing through a few final pine trees I reached the edge of the ridge and gasped out loud in delight. The lake was reflecting the sky like an enormous jewel embedded in the granite. And the ridges of mountains stretched away into the distance like glacially-carved sculptures. The vista was mesmerizing and I spent hours soaking it in.

Best “I Have to Come Back Here” Experience – SEKI

Speaking of backpacking, in August I set out with four other intrepid dudes for an 8-day hike into the heart of the Sequoia Kings Canyon Wilderness. As the “local expert” I created an itinerary that would take us to some of the most remote parts of the park, almost all of them places I had never been before. It ended up being one of the most physically strenuous trips I’ve ever done, but the grandeur of the landscape was well worth the struggle to get there.

During our eight days we encountered towering granite mountains rising 3000 feet straight out of aquamarine lakes, sheer vertical cliffs, improbable rocky spires, countless waterfalls and cascades, school-bus-sized rock bivvies, gobsmacking reflecting pools, and endless forests of gnarled foxtail pines.

The one thing we didn’t have was clouds! Although I love shooting small, intimate scenes, I have to admit that when I am in the backcountry I want dramatic light and color in the sky to complement the stunning scenery. And for the entire time we were on the trip, I saw only a small handful of clouds. Consequently, from a photographic standpoint, I didn’t find this trip particularly satisfying. (Here I feel I must clarify that on a personal level, it was one of of the best trips I’ve ever done. The quality of the route and the quality of the company was second to none). But because the photography didn’t quite scratch the itch for me, I was left with a deep need to go back!!

In fact, there are a few spots from this trip already occupying priority locations in my mind for next year’s hiking season. Now, if only I can order up a few clouds…

Most “Holy Crap I Can’t Believe I’m Seeing This” Moment – Alabama Hills

As I mentioned earlier, I’m not an astro photographer, except in unique situations. And on the evening of May 10th, when virtually every photographer I knew in the Pacific Northwest was frantically posting on social media about a massive incoming auroral display, I decided to consider that a unique situation.

Not expecting to see much from my fairly southerly latitude in Lone Pine, I set my camera up in my backyard, pointed it north, and snapped a shot. Holy crap!! Thy sky is purple!! That unexpected color in the sky shocked me into motion as I threw my camera and a jacket in my truck and burned rubber out to the Alabama Hills.

Not wanting to miss any of what I figured would be an ephemeral show, I stopped every few minutes to take mediocre photos of the northern lights. But in each photo, the color and vibrancy of the aurora only increased, and I decided to risk taking the time to get to a location where I could set up an interesting composition. Hence how I found myself in front of the Eye of the Alabama Hills, mouth agape as pillars of colored light danced in the sky. Never in my life did I expect to see the aurora in Lone Pine.

Most Indescribably Unique Experience – Total Solar Eclipse

I’ve seen quite a few eclipses in my life. At least half a dozen lunar eclipses, two annular solar eclipses, and one or two partial solar eclipses. Still, none of those experiences prepared me for the sheer, unbelievable splendor of witnessing my first total solar eclipse in April. I’m not a poet; I’m barely a writer. So rather than clumsily try and fail to describe the power and impact of seeing something so utterly strange and hypnotic, I’ll only say, seeing a total solar eclipse is something I truly hope you all get to experience at least once in your life. It’s absolutely mesmerizing.

Most Jaw-On-The-Floor Gobsmacking Experience – New Zealand

Ah, New Zealand, my favorite place in the world, next to California. It’s a country of profound beauty and contrasts, and it’s home to some of the most superlative scenery on the planet. New Zealand also has a rich ecotourism industry, and scenic flights over some of the most stunning parts of the country are commonplace.

Still, the availability of these experiences doesn’t do anything to diminish their power and impact. I took two scenic flights in New Zealand this year while leading my NZ photo tour, and both were among the most beautiful experiences I’ve had in my life. Somehow, looking down on these landscapes from the sky only adds to their majesty. For me, scenic beauty is closely linked to the feelings of love, joy, and contentment. And these two flights had me feeling these emotions so deeply it was nearly overwhelming. I think our whole group felt the same way, as after the flights, everyone was silent, lost in reverie and reverence for this special corner of the world.

Favorite Photo of the Year – Royce Lakes

I don’t think this is the best, most interesting, or even most beautiful photograph I created this year. However, I’m placing it on top of the pile of my favorites because of what it represents. Backpacking deep into the Sierra Nevada wilderness is my favorite thing to do in life. It has given me more profoundly meaningful experiences than anything else I’ve ever undertaken. Being alone in the mountains with a camera in hand makes me feel purposeful, connected, centered, and fully myself.

On this particular trip I found everything I was looking for: adventure, tumultuous weather, a few sketchy hours on the side of a mountain in a hail storm, glorious light, and countless moments of beauty so rich they overwhelmed me with joy and well-being.

Waking up after a night of wildly stormy weather to a morning of breathless calm was one such moment, and I recall shaking my head in disbelief as I gazed in wonder at this scene. When I view this image now, it transports me back to that special morning and reminds me of just how much beauty there is out there to experience.

That’s it for me for 2024. A huge thanks to everyone who has been part of this journey, from all the wonderful people who joined me on tours and workshops and conferences, to my dear friends and family who encourage me, let me crash on their couches, and put up with my prodigious backcountry gas, to my excellent photography colleagues who continue to inspire and uplift me.

I hope you all had an equally lovely year of photographic adventures. Feel free to drop a comment down below with some of your most special experiences.

Can’t wait to see what 2025 has in store!

-Joshua