Favorite Photo of 2011 by Derek Griggs

Gooseberry Falls State Park, Minnesota

 Nikon D7000, 24mm, f13, ISO 200, 2 seconds

Choosing just one photo this year proved to be more difficult than I expected. Maybe it was because last year I had a clear favorite? Or I took better photos? I'm not sure. I can say that I had a great year of photography. It started with picking up a new camera (Nikon D7000). No, its not a pro camera body, however, It does produce excellent photos. My very first outing with it was at the Minneapolis Auto Show. Then it's true test came when I was visiting Pensacola, Florida. I was extremely impressed with the cameras speed and auto focus. The rest is history

Back in August, I headed north from my home to Gooseberry State Park in northern Minnesota. Gooseberry was my last stop on a one day adventure. As I arrived the clouds rolled in and harsh light was gone. As I was making my way down to the falls and passed a professional Canon photographer that was talking with several people. As I passed him he gave me a look like that I didn't know what I was doing as to say all the "good light" was gone. Well, it wasn't. I took my time moving around the falls to an area that I was alone. After some minor rock climbing and walking across rocks so my feet wouldn't get wet I arrived at this location. Then made my way to a small sand bar to set up my tripod.

On my trek back home all I could think about was how the images looked on the back on my camera. As soon as I got home I ran upstairs and started downloading the photos. I started processing an image without the log. Once I finished it, there was something missing, so moved onto the photo with the log. As I completed it, I knew that my long day trip was worth it!

I can't wait to see what 2012 brings! I'm hopeful that I can make it out to Yellowstone again this time for a spring trip among others. Have a great 2012!