Best of 2021

[Mark_Seaver]

Here are my not posted favorites from 2021. It’s been a good photographic year include a return to our Montana home for the first time in two years and a Florida photo adventure with Mike Ramy. These are in chronological order, with a few of them being alternate views of photos already posted.

1. Ice Feathers: A dramatic look at the optical phenomenon of Birefringence in thin ice. A polarizer is needed to let the colors show.
   

   

2. Cold Milking: This ice view reminds me of my grandparents milking their cows.
   

   

3. Grackle Drinking: Catching the droplets flying as this Common Grackle took a drink from my pond was a delightful surprise.
   

   

4. Great Egrets at the nest: A pair of Egrets dance their greeting as the male returns to the nest.
   

   

5. Dragonfly metamorphosis: On a morning walk past the next door pond, I spotted this Common Whitetail emerging from it’s exoskeleton and managed a number of shots during the transformation. This is the start of it pumping up its wings and abdomen.
   

   

6. Those Blue Eyes: A tight view of a male Blue Dasher watching from a milkweed leaf.
   

   

7. Palette Springs, west flow: A close look at some of the terraces created by the westerm flow of Palette Springs at Mammoth Hot Springs, YNP. The changes at Mammoth over two years were very dramatic.
   

   

8. Bugling while resting: This resting bull let out a few weak bugles in response to a much smaller & younger bull bugling a hundred yards away. Clearly this guy wasn’t worried enough to even stand up.
   

   

9. Runoff from Mound Springs: Mound Spring was much bigger and more dramatic on this visit. This view is of the runoff below all the terraces.
   

   

10. Neighborhood sunrise: There were multiple glorious sunrises during this fall’s stay in MT, this one was the morning that we left.
    

    

[Harley_Goldman]

Excellent collection, Mark. The feathers and the two spring images are my favorites. The feathers is extremely unique.

[linda_mellor]

Wonderful series, Mark. All of them are outstanding in their own right. The Egrets is, at least for me, a specular capture and the “ice feathers” always amaze me with the colors and detail you’ve gotten. Wish you many happy shooting days in 2022!

[Bonnie_Lampley]

Lovely collection! Your dragonfly is superb. The leading line of the leaf edge, pointing to the dragonfly’s “come hither” leg gesture is perfect.

[Jim_Gavin]

“Cold Milking” (the title is perfect) is my favorite with the bull elk (a bit nonchalant but still in the game) in second. Others are wonderful, but these two stand out for me.

[David_Schoen]

These are all outstanding images Mark. I really like the first one and did when you first posted. It is amazing from the standpoint of color, texture, and formation. Really well composed. Your scientific background added immensely to the success of this image.

[Paul_Breitkreuz]

Mark, a truly wonderful cross section of our natural world and obviously your photographic world in this series. Congrats on being able to return to your Montana home as well. That always opens up another frontier of scenes to work with too…

[Vanessa_Hill]

@Mark_Seaver

…rites from 2021. It’s been a good photographic year include a return to our Montana home for the first time in two years and a Florida photo adventure with Mike Ramy. These are in chronological order, with a few of them being alternate views of photos already posted.Ice Feathers: A dramatic look at the optical phenomenon of Birefringence in thin ice. A polarizer is needed to let the colors show.

Beautiful photos, Mark! I really love #7 and # 9 . They have an abstract look to them.

[Ola_Jovall]

A great set of images, Mark. Like them all a lot. They are covering an impressive large variety of type of nature images. My favorite is the ice feathers, a truly unique image.

[Shirley_Freeman]

Mark, that is a wonderful collection of images. I can see why you consider them your “Best of 2021”.