Top nine instagram photos

I want to tell you about my top nine Instagram photos for 2018 if you want to hear a little behind the scenes of each shot or just more about the location keep reading. If you are just here to grab your own top nine instagram photos you could head over to the website. Beware that it took two tries and several hours for them to send me my grid. It is always really fun to see what my top nine photos are. I’ve done this every year for the past three years at least. It’s nice to look back and see what made the cut. Now, if only I could figure out how to knock it out of the park every time I post on Instagram.

Descriptions are left to right, top to bottom.

THE PNW tree:

If you google the PNW tree you get this tree to come up. It’s such a beautiful tree all year long but there’s about a week when it’s extra pretty. That weeks happens sometime in the fall, usually at the beginning of October but it can vary depending on weather. You really only have a couple of days to see it at its peak. It happens fast! You’ve got to be on call if you want to get “the shot” of the PNW tree. I am so bummed that I missed this year’s peak so this photo is actually from 2017 but I never posted it. I know that many people wonder why I posted it because I’m not in the shot. Well…besides wanting to just show off this tight crop of the tree, I really don’t fit anywhere close to this tree as it is kept under guard to protect the moss from even a tripod. You can get a couple feet away but the other side is a no go unless you are 100 feet away across the pond.

Superhero reflections:

I am so happy that this photo did well. This was a vision I had for so long. I wanted to create my alter ego photo but I had to find just the right puddle to make it happen. Although this was never my first thought that it would happen at the tulip fields, I’m actually really glad it did. I think it looks a little like I’m a flower too! Instead, this is just me in my everyday wear dreaming of being all fancy in my red dress. I mean, who doesn’t feel pretty when they put on a fancy dress?

Moody tractor dreams:

I was initially displeased that there wasn’t a sunrise on this day because I didn’t get out there many days for sunrise. I wanted at least one good one. Instead of the beautiful red skies we saw a stormy sky and that actually ended up to be better I think. I wanted a shot with the tractor in it so naturally I had to wear my new farm girl dress for the part and sit there lovingly admiring the hundreds of tulips. It’s always a race to get a shot without people in it too. This farm gets flooded with folks the later in the day you go. Although, at sunrise there’s always a line up of photographers. Don’t ever be that guy in front in the bright colored jacket or you’ll get yelled at. Maybe they would have forgiven the dress though?

Abiqua Falls reflection:

This has to be one of my all time favorite waterfalls even though I’ve only been here four times. I was so happy to go this particular time because of the puddle. It was so perfect for a reflection. If you didn’t know already I love a good reflection and this day was no exception. I had to get assistance to keep my lens clear of the mist but I think it turned out exactly as I wanted. That hasn’t stopped me from going back and getting some more photos that you’ll be seeing soon!

Perfectly colored clover:

Each year there are clover fields planted to help the other crops in the area. I never knew when and where the fields were so I had to ask some friends. I was so happy that I finally got to see them in full bloom. So many people thought that these were tulips in the frame. No clover was harmed in the making of this photo either. That’s a big pet peeve of mine is when people trample the flowers or grass just to get the shot. Once one person does it then another and pretty soon you have a permanent path and nothing is going to grow there. Please be mindful when taking photos. Be kind to nature. It can rebound but that can take many years and who has time to wait for that?

Balloons and pockets:

My friend Tim Reed is an amazing portrait photographer and I really love to shoot with him especially when he brings me balloons. This was such a fun shot to do in my new red dress with pockets. If you give a girl a dress with pockets and balloons, look out world! She’s a happy girl that twirls and frolics in the fields. I was so happy how this shot turned out even with me facing the camera. It’s so much easier when someone else is taking the photos to get a good shot of my face. I am terrible at making myself smile when I’m doing my normal selfie thing.

St Johns Bridge:

A girl can dream! Some days those dreams come true. This is a shot I wanted to do for awhile but I couldn’t do it alone. This bridge has almost constant traffic on it. If you go early in the morning you can get more space between the cars but you still have to play a game of frogger so that no one gets hurt. My friend, and fellow photographer Jake Egbert, helped me create my vision by letting me model for him and help me not to get hit by a car. This is not something I could ever do by myself with just my tripod. I’d fear for both my camera and myself.

Snow covered Portland:

It’s not often that you get to see a blanket of snow covering downtown Portland so when it happens photographers, like myself, rush to the scene and take tons of photos before it all melts. This day was no exception. I was out shooting with my husband and the water was so calm I had to get this reflection shot framed with all the pretty snowy branches. It might be my favorite shot of Portland! I’ve even sold some prints. Yay!

Complementary bamboo forest:

For my last top nine instagram shot we have the bamboo forest in Haleakalā National Park. Most people that think of this park only for sunrise on the crater. That’s cool too but I love my greens. For this shot we were in between rains and racing against the looming darkness. I was so thankful that I got the shot.

It was a hike to get here and we didn’t even go to the end of the trail with the waterfall because I took so long getting different shots in order to get just the right one. It’s not often I get the shot with everything perfect on the first try and even if I do I usually don’t believe I did and I’ll take 20 more. Good think I’m all digital now! I know that I’m a good photographer but I never quite trust the back of my camera screen to see if everything is just so. It’s not until I get home that I figure out if it’s perfectly focused or the perfect dynamic range. Maybe it’s because I’m getting old eyes or my camera is old but I trust my computer monitor and the zoom more than the camera in the moment. And with that, I say that trusting the histogram is also a lifesaver.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this behind the scenes take on my top nine Instagram photos of 2018. If there’s anything else you want to know, as always, reach out. Curious about previous years top nine instagram photos check out 2017 and 2016. If you aren’t following me on Instagram would love to connect on there too!

If you are looking for some new Instagram travel accounts to follow for the new year there’s a lot out there! So many good accounts.

If you’re ready to take your instagram up a notch there’s hope for that too in 2019! I know I need to follow some lessons on how to grow and get more business.