My Best Images Captured in 2020.
The year of “Stay at Home”. No travel.
No in-person events. No gatherings. Every interaction online.
Alcohol wipes, gloves, hand sanitizer and washing hands was the norm.
Face masks of varying types, colors and designs
were seen at the medical offices and on the streets.
Photography was not the priority.
But it is very hard to separate a photographer from her camera.
I had a brand new Mini 4-door Cooper,
an almost new Sony a7R III camera, a new iPhone 12 Pro,
and I wanted to use them all.
While social distancing, wearing a mask,
washing my hands often, and staying at home.
Not to mention, masks+winter = fogged eye glasses!
Selecting about 20 of the best images of a year is not easy. In 2020, a little more so. Unlike other years, the images I captured were in my house, in my yard, at a few neighboring forest preserves, and walks in the ‘hood. But it is a great practice to choose the best, the favorites. I discovered I captured more beauty than I realized!
—Becky Jane Davis
The Amaryllis, February 2020
The cover image shows the four buds of the amaryllis from last winter. I captured images every day, including when the blossoms crinkled up as they died. A magnificent flower! Each of the four blossoms was huge. And yes, a stake was required to keep it from falling over. Every morning was exciting! What had changed overnight? When would it bloom? Which was all prefaced by, would it bloom? Yes, it did!
Pink Lenten Rose, April 2020
The Lenten Rose plant, Hellebores, is a perennial and an evergreen. In early Spring, the flowers bloom. The flower heads face down, all the better for the bumble bees. To capture the beauty of the flowers takes patience, year after year, to get the light, the framing, and the face of the flower. In 2020, I captured this pink flower.
Raindrops on Hosta, May 2020
Right after a Spring rain, water drops collect on the Hosta leaves.
This macro capture creates an abstract of nature.
Purple Clematis, June 2020
Clematis blooms have always drawn me closer. This macro capture of the profile of the Clematis gives a full view of the velvety petals and the strong contrast of yellow stigma and stamen.
Decomposing Red Bud Leaves, September 2020
We had to cut down a Red Bud tree last Spring. It was towering over an oak tree we’ve been encouraging to grow. Not to fear, as we have plenty of Red Bud trees. The side of our house is like a Nursery, with sprouts and small trees ready to take over when the big ones get brittle. I watched the pile of leaves and branches dry out and then begin decomposing. There was enough variation in the color to make a black and white version very interesting. The texture and overlap of the leaves gave me hours of enjoyment.
Fall Crocus, November 2020
Called the Meadow Saffron, and a member of the Lily family, this flower is entirely different than the Spring Crocus, which is a member of the Iris family. The fall crocus just appears, with no advanced sign. After the summer is over, and Fall color has not quite appeared, these purple blossoms with the bright orange stamen, hug the ground. Maybe 6 inches tall with few leaves, the blossoms appear with little foliage. And then they are gone in a few days. And yes, you can harvest the saffron. I never do because I love the flowers and the color contrast. This image was captured as the sun was setting, casting shadows of the stamen on the petals.
Straggling Leaves over the River, November 2020
I have a river in my backyard. I often capture interesting images on the river bank. This one, with just a couple of leaves stubborn about falling off, was backlit by the setting sun. The sky was still blue and reflected the color on the river. With the orange and yellow leaves, the color contrast is pleasant. The texture of the river water rippling is an added bonus.
Backlit Sawtooth Sunflower, October 2020
Helianthus grosseserratus is in the Aster family. The sky was blue. The sun was bright in the late afternoon. I captured this image positioned to get the maximum natural back-lighting, so the petals would seem transparent.
River Reflections, December 2020
It may not be apparent at first, but this was captured in Winter. Looking closely, you can see the beginnings of ice crystals forming on the surface. Add to the ice crystals the rippling water and reflection, and a lovely abstract reveals itself.
Sunrise, West Shore of Houghton Lake, February 2020
These images were captured in February in northern Michigan over a span of four days. Same tree, same point of view, incredibly different lighting from the sunrise. Most were captured between 6-7am in cold temperatures. My Dad was in the hospital and I was staying by myself at his house. The sunrises and activities on the lake always interest me. I took a Diptych/Triptych workshop and decided to try a 5-tych image. The full sized image could cover a wall.
Spring Flowers Collage, April-May 2020
I love Spring ephemeral. So much so that I’ve planted a number of native ephemeral in my yard over the years. I have at least three months of entertainment each Spring as I capture the leaves emerging from the brown soil, the buds first forming, and the blossoms. If I were to be honest, I’d say that more than a fair share of my images are Spring ephemeral. It is always hard to pick my favorite or best images of Spring flowers. Here we have Spring Beauty, Blood Root and a Red Tulip after a Spring rain.
So hard to choose a favorite as they are all so beautiful!