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My favorite photos of 2015





Girl cooking off after Fourth of July parade in Hailey, Idaho
MacArthur Park, Los Angeles


Tiny car and sign along Interstate 84 in very rural eastern Oregon.


In the past, I've tended to skew my year-end lists toward photos that I thought others may like -- or did like on social media.

This year I took a different tack: when reviewing I made in the past 12 months, I had one and only criteria: I picked the 10 that for whatever my reason were my personal favorites. I didn't worry about whether other people may like them or how accessible they may be to others.

If there's a tie that binds these images, it's this: I felt like I caught a good moment in each of the situations. A Special Olympian tracking a shuttlecock. A girl cooling off in the spray of a fire hose on the Fourth of July.  A singer reaching for the notes that would come next. A car on a lonely freeway onramp in eastern Oregon. Surfers swimming through a big wave.

In some ways, the past year was a transitional one for me as a photographer on two fronts. I was able to finally get a little bit of paid work. More importantly, I concentrated on taking photos of people, something I was previously reluctant to do -- and no good at. I'm still not really good, but I took some good steps in the right direction.

I've also spent a lot of time thinking about style -- if I had one, if I should have one, and how style may reflect my interests. Another thread that runs through many of the photos in this post: a lot of context. I often could have cropped some of these images tighter, but didn't.

Take, for example, the photo above of the figure skater. I shot hundreds of photos of a local competition that weekend and many of them feature skaters at their most graceful. But this one, I think, gets the essence of the sport: someone out there all alone being judged -- and, in the case above, being judged while no one else is much interested.

Of course, by tomorrow I may choose another 10 photos. In that spirit, after the jump I've posted some other photos from 2015 that I liked. Thanks for looking!

Captain Phasma on the subway










Shot these for work--went down to the subway and shot a bunch of setups quickly. There's something about the L.A. subway that is a little reminiscent of the set designs in the original Star Wars movie -- Captain Phasma looks at home on the escalator. 

--S.H.

Return to the Central Coast

Avila Beach Piers
Surfers in Cayucos
Pelican in Morro Bay
Vineyard in winter, Edna Valley
Morro Rock and dunes on the sandspit
Monarch butterfly, Pismo Butterfly Grove
Vineyard and barn, Edna Valley
Great blue heron on boat, Morro Bay
Egret, Pismo Beach
Pelican in flight, Pismo Beach
Sailboats, Morro Bay
Avila Beach Pier
Cerro Grande, San Luis Obispo
Egret, Morro Strand State Beach
Pismo Monarch Butterfly Grove

The pics were taken on the stretch of coast between Pismo and Cayucos. The surfers are my favorite and I really like the pelican that buzzed me while kayaking. 

Looking for a nice gift this holiday season? Give the gift of my photography :) 

Interested in purchasing a print or digital license? Click on a photo above and hit the red 'buy' button at bottom right. Questions: email me. All my galleries are here.

--S.H.

The above photo is ©Steve Hymon and may not be used elsewhere without my advanced written permission. All rights reserved.

Old trains at Travel Town, Griffith Park







After 21 years, I finally got around to visiting the Travel Town rail museum in Griffith Park in L.A. Neat place but hard to take good images of the trains because of all the things in the way -- poles, trees, people. 

So I concentrated on closeups, thinking it might be fun to create some prints that would work tell together as well decor. Thus, the photos above are part of a work-in-progress collection. 

Looking for a nice gift this holiday season? Give the gift of my photography :) 

Interested in purchasing a print or digital license? Click on a photo above and hit the red 'buy' button at bottom right. Questions: email me. All my galleries are here.

--S.H.

The above photo is ©Steve Hymon and may not be used elsewhere without my advanced written permission. All rights reserved.

Night on the Angeles Crest



This is from one of the lower pullouts on Highway 2, aka the Angeles Crest Highway. Pretty decent sunset although better immediately after a storm. 

My favorite Angeles Crest Highway pic remains this one.

Looking for a nice gift this holiday season? Give the gift of my photography :) 

Interested in purchasing a print or digital license? Click on a photo above and hit the red 'buy' button at bottom right. Questions: email me. All my galleries are here.

--S.H.

The above photo is ©Steve Hymon and may not be used elsewhere without my advanced written permission. All rights reserved.

Give the gift of photography this holiday season!

Arroyo Burro sunset
This sunset took place at Arroyo Burro beach in Santa Barbara in Dec. 2013 -- perhaps the most spectacular sunset I've seen in my 21 years in Southern California. BUY IT

***

It's that time of year: you need to find an easy hassle-free gift for that certain someone that can be easily purchased over the internet.

My prints can be purchased as ready-to-hang. All you have to do is pick out the image you want and select a size.

I offer two easy choices:

Ready-to-hang metal prints are actually printed on aluminum with rounded corners. Here's a video showing what they look like. An 8 x 12 print is $70 and 12 x 18 is $95.

Ready-to-hang thin wraps are printed on photo paper and then wrapped around gator board. Here's a video. An 8 x 12 print is $70 and 12 x 18 is $95.

Shipping to addresses in the lower 48 typically costs $17 for three-to-five days, $24 for FedEx two-day delivery and $33 for overnight delivery.

To purchase a print, click on the link below each photo, then select "Wall Art" and then pick either the "Thin Wrap" or "Metal option."

That's it! Below are some more photos that I think make good gifts along with some information about where they were taken.


A few minutes before another great sunset, this time with entirely different light and color. The photo was taken just south of the Santa Monica Pier.  BUY IT


Oak trees, Cheeseboro Canyon in Agoura Hills. A classic Southern California landscape that was once the domain of grizzly bears, which were pushed out of the state for good in the early 1900s. BUY IT

Elephant seal pup, San Simeon, CA
Elephant seal pup, San Simeon. There are several great places to see elephant seals along Highway 1 on the California Central Coast. Bring a telephoto lens! BUY IT

Tenaya Lake, Yosemite National Park
Tenaya Lake, Yosemite National Park, autumn 2010. BUY IT

Morro Rock and Morro Bay at sunset on California's Central Coats.
Morro Rock and Morro Bay at sunset, March 2014. BUY IT


Horse in pasture near Stanley, Idaho, in the Sawtooth Mountains National Recreation Area, July 2015. BUY IT


Horse in pasture near Stanley, Idaho, in the Sawtooth Mountains National Recreation Area, July 2015. BUY IT

More pics after the jump! 


Jackson Lake from a kayak


Morning kayak on Jackson Lake, Grand Teton National Park

Mergansers on Jackson Lake as morning clouds lift, Grand Teton National Park

A few photos I took in July during an early morning paddle on Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park. I had forgotten to process these -- the top of which I really like.

Interested in purchasing a print or digital license? Click on a photo above and hit the red 'buy' button at bottom right. Questions: email me. All my galleries are here.

--S.H.

The above photos are ©Steve Hymon and may not be used elsewhere without my advanced written permission. All rights reserved.