by NIck Kelsh | Dec 18, 2021 | Top 50 2021, Uncategorized
#34. Wanda Raines Collins Sometimes it’s several things that come together to make a picture—or anything else—work. The out-of-focus background is beautiful. That’s the result of a telephoto lens and a large aperture. The monarch is placed off-center making for...
by NIck Kelsh | Dec 17, 2021 | Top 50 2021, Uncategorized
#35. Kellie Anderson Llewellyn This is a a high-end self-portrait. Kellie set up the camera on a tripod and jumped in the frame. She is star, director, lighting consultant, the whole works. Beautiful. I suppose in the end if you wanted to really clean it up you...
by NIck Kelsh | Dec 16, 2021 | Top 50 2021, Uncategorized
#36. Jude Hunt Wildhagen If you are near any body of water just head over there and something photographically delightful is going to happen. If it happens to be a black swan swimming by so much the better. Red beak? No problem. But I’m serious about the water....
by NIck Kelsh | Dec 15, 2021 | Top 50 2021, Uncategorized
#37. Sue Creager As strange as it sounds it’s what Sue decided not to put in this picture that makes it so strong. I love this photograph! What a beautiful crop this is. That black dress behind his face makes all the difference, too. He sounds like a wonderful...
by NIck Kelsh | Dec 14, 2021 | Top 50 2021, Uncategorized
#38. Petra Corcoran A bunch of good things came together here for Petra. But in the end, she stood back, let the mood happen and pushed the button. Standing back and doing nothing can be extremely difficult. Really nice photograph. Here’s what she said: “Teen...
by NIck Kelsh | Dec 12, 2021 | Top 50 2021, Uncategorized
#39. Cathy Carbajal Buchanan Well, if the matching Christmas sweater ritual isn’t all fun at least it’s two-thirds fun. Here are two consecutive years. It gets to be so much fun sometimes you have to climb inside the sweaters. Hilarious. Are you seeing our...
by NIck Kelsh | Dec 11, 2021 | Top 50 2021, Uncategorized
#40. Susanne Merry Lewis The little boy in red is embracing a beautiful universe of blue – sky and water. Of course, saying it is not the same as seeing it and that’s what we get to do with this photograph. What a joyful moment has been captured. He’s...
by NIck Kelsh | Dec 10, 2021 | Top 50 2021, Uncategorized
#41. April Isbell Lewis Nothing changes the mood of a landscape quicker than a bank of fog. (A bank of snow is a very different animal.) Anyway, if you find yourself in the vicinity of fog get your camera and get out there. Just about everything looks good in...
by NIck Kelsh | Dec 10, 2021 | Top 50 2021, Uncategorized
#42. Sarah McGurk This is one of those photographs that I just don’t feel like I’m doing it justice if I just babble on a little bit. All of the simple pieces come together for a bold, intriguing image. I think that what makes it so special is the perfect...
by NIck Kelsh | Dec 9, 2021 | Top 50 2021, Uncategorized
#43. Liz Sharp Griffin OK, there are some words required. But the story is so great. Enjoy. Thank you for this, Liz. (I will admit, I did think that cowboying was all galloping and yehawing. Who knew?) Liz said: “On a recent cattle drive I took photos for, this...
by NIck Kelsh | Dec 8, 2021 | Top 50 2021, Uncategorized
#44. Heather Baker First of all, I think we can all agree that the shapes and timing and black and white are all really lovely here. OK, good. Anne, my wife, asked me how I felt about the one dark piece of window blind behind the cat. I said that I was rather...
by NIck Kelsh | Dec 7, 2021 | Top 50 2021, Uncategorized
#45. Tom Reese I have a couple of reactions to this photo. First, mirrors are so cool. Look at the way Tom has used that reflection to to create a composition that completely draws us in with a story that is told and then retold again. Secondly, the “double the...
by NIck Kelsh | Dec 5, 2021 | Top 50 2021, Uncategorized
#46. Sue Thorson Hecker This is pretty amazing. Sue has successfully survived the 7 year old / 70 year old comparison photo. Few of us have the courage. But it’s just incredible, isn’t it?! I mean, it really is. Here are her words: “One morning, I looked at my face...
by NIck Kelsh | Dec 4, 2021 | Top 50 2021, Uncategorized
#47. Rochelle Hepworth The little guy is sharing his beloved stuffed animal with the littler guy. The bird’s eye view has made the image bold and and easy to read. It’s totally immediate. Using an unexpected camera angle to rearrange the elements in a picture...
by NIck Kelsh | Dec 3, 2021 | Top 50 2021, Uncategorized
#48. Heidi Basford Kerkhof The girls are learning to eat lobster for the first time. This tells the story so well. It’s actually a wonderful food photograph. I love it. There are certain people in the world who should not eat lobster. I’m not exactly sure why...
by NIck Kelsh | Dec 2, 2021 | Top 50 2021, Uncategorized
#49. Trudy McWilliams Johnson Trudy has been to several of our workshops around the country so I know what Trudy looks like. She looks like this little boy, her grandson. Well not exactly like this little boy but close enough to completely get that genetics...
by NIck Kelsh | Nov 30, 2021 | Top 50 2021, Uncategorized
#50. Eva Brantuas Greenberg Hooray for photographers kids! Here is what Eva had to say: “It took the coach a little while to get everyone organized. He wanted the picture a certain way. Everyone was complaining..But not mine! He is trained!...
by NIck Kelsh | Nov 30, 2021 | Top 50 2021, Uncategorized
IN MEMORIUM: Laverne King Photograph by Terry Lodise Our beloved Vernie died in July 2021. Our community has been graced with so many kind, thoughtful, and generous people that it almost seems silly to say one of them was at the top. But Vernie was among the top of...
by NIck Kelsh | Mar 3, 2021 | Blog, Top 50 2021
Click to view photos I am proud to present How to Photograph Your Life’s TOP 50 FAN PHOTOS OF 2021. Each New Year we’re proud to take a good look back at our top Fan Photos of the past year. This annual celebration of the best of the best of our Fan Photos of the Day...
by NIck Kelsh | Jan 14, 2021 | Uncategorized
#6. Betsy Ambrose I can clearly remember my father getting all twisted when a six-year-old me did this mid-sermon. (My shoes were not as nice.) He was a decent photographer but I don’t think it ever dawned on him to shoot a photograph. Betsy, however, recognized the...
