2023: The Year of Fire and Ice

Swoosh, Northern Lights Over Kirkjufell, Iceland

Fountain of Fire, Kilauea, Hawaii

Blue View, Vatnajökull Glacier, Iceland

Sunset Lightning, Desert View, Grand Canyon

Making Mountains, Kilauea, Hawaii

One of my favorite things to do at year’s end is to look back at the images that made the year especially memorable. And my favorite part of this exercise is the realization that, even though I can’t say how, I know I’ll be similarly rewarded in the coming year.

But what to do with the images I’ve selected? I’ve always struggled with the popular “top-whatever” end-of-year countdowns because the choices are so subjective and criteria dependent. Am I trying to identify my “best” images (and anyway, how is “best” defined?), or should I focus on my most memorable experiences?

Instead, I simply prefer identifying the images that make me happiest, using a variety of criteria that can include special memories, great effort, personal creativity, or just plain gifts from Nature that are so beautiful my only job is to not screw the moment up. And I’ve done enough of these end of year retrospectives to know that my favorites won’t necessarily be yours—and vice versa.

Among 2023’s unforgettable experiences were the two greatest northern lights shows I’ve ever witnessed, a volcanic eruption, a photobombing rocketship, and a lightning display that was as thrilling as it was unexpected. But also in there are some quiet moments, like wandering through a stand of blooming dogwood in a light rain, or exploring fall color draped cascades and pools beneath a towering waterfall. It was especially gratifying to share most of these experiences with workshop students.

Coming up with a predetermined number of images, then putting those selections in some kind of order, is arbitrary and inevitably requires choices I don’t want to make—and will almost certainly regret. So I just put them all in a gallery, set them to sort randomly (the order will be different for each viewer and each visit), and let you pick your own favorites. One year the Highlights gallery might have only seven or eight images; the next year there could be two dozen. Maybe 2023 was an especially bountiful year, or maybe it’s just that my standards have dropped, but this year I ended up with 36 images—and reserve the right to add more. And since virtually every one of them was featured in a blog, you can browse 2023 blog history (just keep scrolling down until you get to the image you’re looking for) to read the story of any image that especially strikes you.

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2023 Highlights (Unabridged)

Twilight Moon, Zabriskie Point, Death Valley

Aurora Ribbons, Dyrhólaey Coastline, Iceland

Wings of Angels, Aurora Above Dyrhólaey, Iceland

Rivers of Fire, Kilauea, Hawaii

Big Moon, Mt. Williamson, California

Milky Way and SpaceX Falcon 9, Wotan’s Throne, Grand Canyon

Autumn Spiral, Bridalveil Creek, Yosemite

Glacial Twilight, Tasman Lake Reflection, New Zealand

Sunset Lightning, Desert View, Grand Canyon

Day’s End on the Rim, Desert View, Grand Canyon

Golden Sunset, Lake Wakatipu, New Zealand

Sapphire Sanctuary, Vatnajökull Glacier, Iceland

Beams of Gold, Desert View, Grand Canyon

Last Light, Schulman Grove, White Mountains Bristlecone Pine Forest (California)

Dawn Moonset, Mt. Williamson and the Alabama Hills, California

Fire and Rainbow, Kilauea, Hawaii

Electric Twilight, Desert View Lightning, Grand Canyon

Rise and Shine, Mather Point, Grand Canyon

Milky Way and the Southern Alps, Mt. Cook / Aoraki National Park, New Zealand

Making Mountains, Kilauea, Hawaii

Winter Chill, Kirkjufell and Kirkjufellsfoss, Iceland

Middle Earth Morning, Matagouri Trees Near Glenorchy, New Zealand

Winter Chill, Lake Wanaka, New Zealand

Afloat, Raindrops on Dogwood, Yosemite

Fountain of Fire, Kilauea, Hawaii

Reflection, Wairepo Arm, New Zealand

Electric Sunset, Desert View Lightning, Grand Canyon

Hell on Earth, Kilauea, Hawaii

Early Morning Moonset, Zabriskie Point, Death Valley

Nature’s Light Show, Aurora Over Dyrhólaey Coast, Iceland

Milky Way Reflection, Lake Wakatipu, New Zealand

Dogwood Blooms, Yosemite

Swoosh, Northern Lights Over Kirkjufell, Iceland

Inner Beauty, Japanese Maple, Portland Japanese Garden

Last Light, Cape Royal, Grand Canyon

Trees and Reflection, Wairepo Arm, New Zealand