2011 is almost over and this is the time I began to take a look at all of my past works. I found during the growth of my personal style, no matter it's good or bad from the present standpoint, i actually have a few pictures that i've never got tired of. The reasons for these favorite ones might not be understandable from others, as photography itself is kind of subjective art, everyone could have a Shakespeare in their eyes. For me, I like them because during the composition and capture, I felt something by heart, something that will never fade with time. So here they are, the top 10 pictures that I took in 2011 in my personal favor:
#10: Horse Race
Canon 5D Mark II + Canon EF 135 f/2L
This picture was shot in Saratoga Springs with a Canon EF 135 f/2L and it is one of the rare sport shots i've ever taken. I really like the dynamic elements in this picture, which gave me a strong 3D look and feel.
#9: The Couple
Canon 5D Mark II + Leitz R90 f/2
I seldom processed pictures in this antique tone, but this scene really gave me an intense inspiration to treat it like this. The big ship behind the couple built a Titanic-like ambience into this picture.
#8: The Shadow, The Light
Canon 5D Mark II + Leitz R50 f/2
I took this picture with my Leica R50 f/2 lens in a campus church in Cornell University, but for a long time I didn't know how to appropriately process it. And finally I realized that it was not the people and sculpture that can make this picture out of ordinary quality, it was the light and shadow in the scene that made me get back to it time and time again.
#7: Japanese Cosplay
Canon 5D Mark II + Canon EF 50 f/1.4
The only reason for me to show this picture to many people is that I began to notice that to create stunning pictures I should always try to hunt the light in directions.
#6: Sweetness
Canon 5D Mark II + Canon EF 85 f/1.2L II
I shot it with the legendary Canon EF 85L II, but only notice the extremely shallow depth of field made me lost focus frequently. This is a technically failed sample, but that's one of my favorite one along the time. I like the looks on the bride and this female guest, which made me feel so warm in my heart.
#5: The Grave
Canon 5D Mark II + Leitz R90 f/2
OK, this is a picture taken by using HDR, which gave it a very intense and exaggerated look, which is not favored by quite many naturalists. I no longer tried to make pictures in these kinds of cartoon look any more, but this one is my long-time favorite because it created such a thriller-movie-like ambience that you may be amazed from the first look.
#4: The Whisper
Canon 5D Mark II + Canon EF 50 f/1.4
Love is not honey, but it can glue everything. And when a woman whispers into a man's ear, the world is in peace and happiness.
#3: The Kiss
Canon 5D Mark II + Canon EF 135 f/2L
This picture brought me a sweet while complicatedly struggling feeling. The man anxiously exhibited his love to this girl in his arms, while the girl didn't know if she should accept or refuse at the moment. Sometimes, love and like are just one inch in difference, she might like him stand there, but might not love him to get closer.
#2: Adirondack Sunset
Canon 5D Mark II + Canon EF 17-40 f/4L
This is my favorite landscape shot in this year. Whenever I felt anxious, I would hide behind it to chill myself.
#1: The Magician
Canon 5D Mark II + Carl Zeiss ZE 35 f/2
This is my TOP 1 favorite in 2011, and Kikyou is my #1 super model in my portrait shooting. I really appreciate her cooperation and participation in the path of my photography career. Since this picture I began to feel the magic of portrait capture, which is not simply click and shoot. You need to do it at the right time, right place under the right light. Yes, it needs luck from my point of view then, but when you notice it, you know where you can wait for the falling of this luck. That's what I got, that's the most delicate moment I enjoyed with Kikyou.