Shift’s Boxing Day gift to our readers is courtesy of our good friend Rod Chandler. Those who read the Daily Briefing know we feature the former congressman’s pictures on Mondays.  Every December Rod (who now lives in the Skagit Valley) emails to his friends his favorite photographs of the year along with a brief description.  Rod has given us permission to send those amazing images, along with his comments, to all of you. While he calls them his “Top Ten,” there are often two or three photographs assembled together per selection.

You can read Shift’s interview with Rod which we posted last June.  And to view more of Rod’s photography, please visit his website at: RodChandlerPhotography.com

“I had my Top Ten all put to bed and ready to send. Then, last Monday, I was out in the farming area of Skagit County and I happened on to this beautiful creature. Eagles stir my soul and I was so grateful to this gorgeous bird for sitting in pose long enough for me to make some really nice images.  (Eagles are far more tolerant of humans than hawks and other birds.)  One of the important lessons I have learned from accomplished wildlife photographers is to focus on the eye(s). With the cooperative subject, I was able to get a nice eye in this image.   The light for this image was absolutely perfect, bright enough to avoid a high ISO setting but filtered by thin, high clouds to mute the contrast between brights and shadows. I simply could not leave this one out, even if it did mean having a 10A.”

“There are times when the elements simply come together for the photographer. We were at Cannon Beach on the Oregon coast in February for a week. The sunset on this evening was absolutely perfect. Haystack Rock was framed by a gorgeous sky of many hues and the water reflected the colors beautifully. A couple, like us, were there to enjoy the splendor and they were perfectly placed for the picture. There was never a doubt in my mind that this one would be among the Top Ten.”

” I loved the way the elements of this image came together to complement one another. By itself, the old barn was just an interesting building. By itself the tree in autumn foliage was nice but just a tree. Put them together and look at the patterns, the color contrasts, the lines leading the eye through the image. I admit that this image was nothing close to what I was hoping for that day. It was October 18^th and I had heard that a flock of snow geese had arrived in the valley. I never found a goose but, because I was out there, I saw and photographed this wonderful scene. I say again, ‘Ninety percent of good photography is being there.'”

“This image was made under very controlled circumstances. The rose is from my backyard but I clipped it and took into my shop/photo-studio. I put some red roses far in the background and out of focus. I draped a canvas behind that to create a pleasing background without distractions. The dew came from one of those spray bottles like Mom used when she ironed shirts. I used a “stacking” technique to photograph focus-layers through the flower and stack them, using a program that yields an image with every level in perfect focus. It is a time-consuming and exacting process and I love every instant of it. I hope it was worth the effort.”

“Wildlife photography requires time and patience. Thankfully I have an abundance of time and just enough of the latter to sit for long periods, awaiting the perfect moment for a good image. Hummingbirds are enormously challenging to photograph. They are small. They move quickly. Maintaining focus is maddeningly difficult. However, I spent many delightful hours, watching and making pictures of these little guys and I am more than happy with the results. If we take the time to really observe wildlife, regardless of the animal, the experience is fascinating and rewarding. These guys come and go, chase one another, feed ravenously and, occasionally, pause for a rest in a perfect spot for a portrait. How could one ever tire of witnessing all of that?”

“Tulip Town is one of two farms where visitors are allowed to walk among the fields and make pictures. The red barn at Tulip Town is perfect for a sunset shot. That one, red tulip among the yellow ones caught my eye and became the center of foreground interest for this image. As gorgeous as the fields are, nothing compares, in my mind, with the delicate beauty of a tulip up close. I have a heap of bulbs planted in my yard so I am hoping for some nice color to emerge this spring and, maybe, some pretty images to share with you next year.”

“In September, I joined four other avid photographers for a trip to South Dakota. We are a loose-knit group that includes a retired surgeon, an accountant, an electronics genius, a realtor and me. We call ourselves “The Breakin’ Wind Photographers.” We try to have an annual trip and, when we do, there is nothing like it. One minute we are engaged in deep, technical discussions of photography technique, the next instant we are behaving like fourteen year olds. I love these guys and look forward to our outing in 2022. We hiked to Spearfish Falls, a cascade on a creek in the Black Hills and made some nice images. While in Badlands National Park, we enjoyed the rare full moon setting at sunrise.”

“During the past year, I spent countless happy hours looking for, observing and photographing swans and snow geese. Roughly 17-thousand swans winter in the Skagit Valley and, of those, about two-thirds are the larger, trumpeter swans. They feed in fields of harvested corn, winter grain and other crops. There is abundant water for protection from predators. The birds above were photographed just as the sun was setting. Normally, I try to have the sun behind me when I photograph birds. This time, I liked the backlight effect in their wings. Snow geese come here by the many thousands. This group in flight was setting wings to land among several thousand birds feeding in a field of alfalfa. When one of those flocks blasts off at once, the sight is unbelievable. Joyce and I often wonder, ‘How do they fly in such a packed group and not collide with one another and which one leads?’”

“Through the year I photographed elk, bison, swans, hummingbirds and bees. This little guy gets the nod as most delicate and picturesque. I had been working in my garden when I noticed several of these butterflies flitting about. I put on my macro lens and began the pursuit. Did you know that once you find a butterfly on a flower, get there and focus on it, that the little critter flies away before you can get a picture? Yep! Over and over again. But, never give up. Heh heh! I managed this shot after considerable effort and time. There are other images as well but this one was the best. I was with my sister-in-law, Betty Chandler, when I made the image of the bison. We were in Antelope Island State Park, northeast of Salt Lake City. From delicate to brutish, I think we could say, still beautiful but in a very different way.”

“The Mount Baker Ski area, Picture Lake and Mount Shuksin are a little over 60-miles from where we live in the Skagit Valley. We go there often. In early July we had a picnic supper by the lake and awaited the rise of the Milky Way Galactic Core. We had the place all to ourselves and the lake became a perfect mirror for the amazing sky above. By the time I arrived back at the truck, Joyce and Sadie-Doodle were fast asleep. It was a phenomenal day followed by a night with a sky of wonder and mystery. We were at Picture Lake again on October 1^st and conditions were near perfect that day as well. The lake was a mirror, the fall colors were gorgeous and rimmed the lake. The mountain was snow-covered and the sky took on a slight pink as the sun dipped below the horizon. I am so delighted that I was there on both occasions to witness this incredible beauty.”

“Number one was an easy choice this year. The Conway Lutheran Church with Mount Baker in the background creates an idyllic setting, one with a bit of an European flavor. I was somewhat frustrated that afternoon as sunset neared; I was having little luck finding interesting birds or landscapes on my drive through the valley. I decided to check a good spot for birds near the Skagit Wildlife Area Wiley Slough. Nope! Not a thing. So, why not see how the mountain looks for sunset. Result? This image. I returned to this spot numerous times through the year, and made other images. None came close to this one. I would love to get an image with swans flying through the scene or maybe a flock of snow geese landing in that field. Well, there is a goal for 2022.”

Thank you Rod for the wonderful images!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to Shift’s supporters and friends!