yeah I know my best images of 2018 all in one video you can barely contain your
excitement
but before I start with that I just want to thank a few people that have made
2018 such a good year especially for my youtube channel and the first person I
want to thank is Thomas Heaton because Tom gave my channel a huge boost
we met in Moab in Utah just a few months ago and we went a couple of shoots
together hit it off and when I got back I posted a bunch of videos and Tom was
kind enough to share those for me and that exposed my videos to a whole new
audience and really gained a bit of traction so thanks a lot Tom you've
really helped me get some momentum on the channel next up I want to thank Adam
Gibbs for his patience and putting up with my ridiculous ideas on these videos
that we've been doing we've we've made quite a few videos in the last few
months and hopefully we'll be making a lot more we're having a blast doing
these videos but who knew that the Adam was so funny I think he must have been a
thespian in a former life because he he takes really well to doing character
roles and he seems to just accept any ridiculous idea that I gave him so
thanks a lot Adam. Hope we can do some more of that in 2019 I also want to
thank Brent Henderson for getting me out of my photography funk that I was in at
the beginning of this year I just really wasn't in the mood to go out and suffer
and get out in the cold and the wind and the rain and the wet and Brent flew up
to the island and he dragged me off all over the place and said no we're gonna
go shoot this and we're gonna go and shoot that and it kind of rekindled my
excitement for photography and you've probably been through this yourself
where you go through a bit of a low point with it and you think I'm sick of
chasing it and that rekindled my excitement so thanks a lot Brent so
before I get into my best of 2018 I just want to show you this deleted scene that
I took out of that Payzant Creek video and if you watch that video to the to
the very end you'll remember a scene where Adam made a comment which made me
spew my beer all over the lens great thank you thanks for coming out I
had a brilliant day today. Even though you sh*t yer self? and it you'll
probably wondered what what was he referring to well now that you see this
deleted scene it'll start to make sense to you
where is he?
oh there you are! I've been looking for you Gavin where you been?
well....
You know that fart that I did?
Yeah?
Wasn't a fart
I've err.......
I've sh*t me self....
Oh god!
Have you er... av got some bogroll?
No. What's bogroll?
You know 'sh*t tickets'?
Err.............................no.
What about Kleenex or even a lens wipe?
Hang on.
Well I got this.......
I'll have it. I'll have that.
Well hang on a minute this is my lens cloth..
come on let's have it!
Well it cost me at least....I dunno... $15....$20 bucks!
Cor fekk off! Come on I'm desperate man!
I'm sorry but if you wanna wipe your arse, you're gonna have to pay me $15, $20 bucks for this!
$15 for crappy lens wipe??
all right $10!
Ok, tell you what. I'll give you $5 and I'll wash it for you and give it you back?
Alright. And burger and beer too!
Burger and beer yeah!
THANK YOU!!!!!
was that a bit too much so now that I've gone and blown all of my artistic
credibility and any chance you thought of me being a photography professional
let me try and redeem myself by showing you my best images of 2018 so number one
what is number one number one the fairy tree at fairy Lake this this kinda means
a lot to me because like I explained earlier this is the first shot 2018 I've
been chasing this shot for a few years and I've got some pretty decent ones but
I've never got a blue our shot and whenever you go there you always get
different conditions the the water level is different but this day we got there
this is the first shot that took of this year Brent dragged me all the way out to
the west coast to get it and we stuck around for blue hour that the water was
flat calm and then this mist started to roll in just as it was turning into blue
hour and I got that perfect reflection I got the mist coming all along in the
distance so yeah this was my very first shot 2018 and it really means something
to me so I hope you enjoy that one number two drainpipe Falls it's
difficult to take a bad picture of this place it's so easy to get
picture and this was a second day that Brent took me out and this was the first
vlog of 2018 so it was kind of like a the video that kick-started this channel
for this year and we hiked into the canyon and the conditions were
absolutely perfect the water floor was ideal
we had gorgeous texture and we had lovely color in the mosque so yeah this
was a really sweet shot to get even though I've been shooting this place for
years finally I got the ideal conditions number three the third cascade at
Stocking Creek here on Vancouver Island this was the month of light race think
this was this was April May sometime and it was that it was that month where
there was loads of Sun but the water levels were still high enough that they
were creating lots of spray and when they when the water hits the ground and
then the Sun would hit that and light it up and give you these beautiful light
rays so that's why I called it the third cascade because it kind of looks like
there's two cascades of water and then the third one made entirely of light so
this was a quite a lovely shot but again I've been there many many times never
got anything quite as special as this so I was very happy to get this one
number four roots and rays this is another it's one of those moments where
it's the very first time I ever went there so thanks to Tanya for showing me
this spot I just showed up and literally within five minutes of showing up I
spotted this composition with these gorgeous roots in the foreground and
then the Sun poked through the trees and lit the spray that was coming up off of
the waterfall to create these gorgeous light rays by the way I've just released
a new photography course how to photograph waterfalls you're gonna get
three hours of HD video tutorials that are start to finish and you also get 10
bonus content videos access to a closed Facebook group and one personalised
image critique nice number 5 Pacific light at botanical beach on the west
coast this was one of those shots to just cut me all of a quiver you've
probably experienced this way you walk into a scene and at first you don't
really see anything turn around and you look behind you and
that's it I was like shaking I was so excited these light rays the Sun was
just blasting in because it was a bright sunny day and it was hitting the spray
that was coming off of the waves and the spray wafts into the trees and then the
light hit it at that exact moment and it was moving so fast that I was kind of
literally chasing these light rays as they receded back along the trail and I
was kind of really panicked that was going to miss it and all I had on was an
18 millimeter Prime I didn't have time to change and switch to a zoom so it's
kind of like panic mode but I managed to get the shot in the end it wasn't quite
exactly what I would have composed had I had a zoom lens and a bit more time but
when you get the best conditions you usually don't have time so yeah this was
a this was a pretty sweet shot that I'm still very happy with number 6 caramel
swirl the Cumberland potholes again here on the island and I've been at this
place so many times and only that one time the day that I got this shot did I
get the ideal water level so I think it must be fed from a reservoir or
something it must be some runoff from somewhere because you either you go
there and it's either blasting and you can't even see anything like it was the
last time that Adam and I was there about a month ago or it's just hardly
anything and it's completely born dry and the solar so to get it perfect like
this I was overjoyed and and what I love about this location is it kind of looks
like somewhere out of Western Australia it doesn't look like Vancouver Island
you know it's sort these colors and those lovely brown rusty caramel tones
are absolutely gorgeous and then with a little bit of water that's cascading
through or very juicy number 7 molar fossa waterfall in the Faroe Islands oh
my god at this day you don't get like like this very often and for me to get
this on my second visit to this waterfall well to say that I needed this
moment I needed this light is an understatement because it was like all
my Christmases birthdays came all at once I was shooting for literally an
hour I think I must have shot 200 frames just constantly because the light kept
changing it was doing all of these amazing pyrotechnics in the sky and to
get a shot like that on your second visit
that was that was pretty sweet and I've got to thank Warren my friend and client
Warren for dragging me there and showing me all around the islands it was a real
pleasure to to go there with someone who knew where to go and showed me how I get
all the best shots even though I was supposed to be helping him get the best
shots and he wasn't too pleased when I got that shot about two hours after he
left and gone home sorry mate did I mention that I'm doing a workshop
in Mir in the Faroe Islands sure I mentioned that at some point but if you
didn't know I've got two spots left on that workshop head over to phototrophic
arm I'll put a link there be sure to check that out because it's gonna be
magnificent number eight - triple Moonglow a triple peak here on Vancouver
Island this is my absolute favorite shot of 2018 primarily because it's gorgeous
I like the look of it but it was very hard Warner I suffered so badly to get
this shot well we all suffered because the whole bunch of us went up there on
two occasions and on the third occasion that's when I got this shot I got over
300 mosquito bites I mean look it looked like I'd been buckshot only some kind of
explosion it was terrible but it was totally worth it because at the perfect
moment of getting the stars all focused and getting my composition right with my
friend Kathryn who kindly sat in this shot and sat perfectly still for 30
seconds just as I got everything lined up perfectly the moon popped on in the
east just a little sliver of a moon I'd say like a quarter of a moon and just
let the scene from the side so if you look at the peaks there it's got this
gorgeous moon glow to it this lovely blue hue which I kind of love that I
just totally love that type of light while I decided it was a little bit too
cold and noisy out on the streets of Lady Smith who knew that lady Smith
would be so busy on Boxing Day night it was like bloody Times Square anyway I've
come home where it's marginally warmer and I've got this bit of Christmas cheer
I've got golden honey ale by the local Wolf's Brewing Company and no they don't
pay me to say that and I don't even get free beer but anyway let's enjoy a nice
bit of Christmas cheer Cheers yes I am drinking beer out of a
wineglass you'll get over it sorry it's not be a it's it's Shandy
yeah no alcohol number nine dragon year the
Faroe Islands I've had many many stupid moments in photography moments where
I've risked my life just for a picture and this was a pretty stupid moment so I
hiked all the way out there and I got right down to the level of the water to
get my composition I composed this gorgeous shot I was loving the shot but
then I had second thoughts after the sixth wave almost took me out into the
ocean I have water up to my knees and my camera was going over so then I moved
the camera up six feet to this spot that you see now and that was almost as good
a composition but at least I lived to tell that tale I think what I love about
dragon ear is just the sheer drama of a place like that and it's kind of like
Scotland in some respects where even on a crappy horrible gray day where you
think you wouldn't get a picture you actually can get a spectacularly
dramatic intense image such is the power of that landscape now did I mention that
I'm doing a workshop in the fat yeah I mentioned the animal I just thought I'd
ask us you don't seem to have booked it yet what's next our number 10 the
Sentinels San Joseph Bay right here on Vancouver Island I've been dreaming
about this shot for years and I kind of had a feeling that the Milky Way would
just line up perfectly with those gorgeous vertical sea stacks on the
beach but I never quite managed to get my timing right and get out there on
those few days of the year where the conditions are gonna make that shot
possible but brent was over on the island because we were supposed to be
traveling to Baffin Island anyway that trip got canceled at the last minute and
so we were scrambling around for somewhere to go and Brent had never been
up there I'd never seen these sea stacks and they are just epic hmm number 11 a
spur or the LaSalle mountains in Utah and
again I've got to thank Thomas Heaton for this shot because it was his idea to
go out there with a whole bunch of instructors from this conference that we
were at so off we went a whole gang of us we had an absolutely brilliant day so
I love this shot because of the shot itself has got that gorgeous contrast in
the clouds that mountain peak looks really impressive and of course the way
that the Sun is hitting those Aspen's and making them glow in certain parts of
the shot and then of course I love the shot because it's a fun reminder of a
really fun day out with really good people and lots of laughs were had
number 12 thus opening the Crystal mill in Colorado this shot has a great story
and an entire vlog dedicated to how I got that shot and the huge journey and
the planning and the effort but suffice it to say I mean I'll put a link there
you can watch that but suffice it to say it was thousands of miles of driving I
had to hike through thunder and lightning and rain I got completely
soaked and drenched and I couldn't have been happier struggling against all odds
to get a shot and then you do get that shot you know you have to suffer a
little bit for your art and when it all comes through it's it's so worth it for
me it's that brief moment in time where there was just a little gap and then the
Sun put through lit up those rocks and created this gorgeous contrast and I
love how contrasted the clouds are the beautiful aspen trees and of course that
that structure is so impressive so yeah that was definitely worth the drive
definitely worth the hike and I think if there's ever a shot that defines my
style of photography and my style of processing the so cunning at the crystal
mill is the shot number 13 water sprite Lake moonrise so this is a shot that
again I'd planned on getting this quite a long time ago and for whatever reason
I could never quite make it out there anyway we finally made it out there in
October a whole bunch of us went out there and I wanted to capture the moon
as it rose just above the peaks there but on the first night I totally messed
it up I thought everything was good my composition was great the light was
great but somehow I'd nudged the the focus wheel and hadn't realized it was
out of focus so you know with the moonrise you've only got a certain
amount of time and then it's over right but I messed it up I thought all my
exposures were good and when I checked them afterwards they were all blurred
but luckily I had a second go at this the next night and it turned out better
because the moon was a little bit lower down on the ridge and I thought it was a
slightly more pleasing composition and this time I made sure not to mess up my
focus and that's my top tip in all of your photography adventures the only
thing that you can truly truly mess up with no chance of recovery its focus
it's time for some red stuff now that just grape juice non-alcoholic number 14
lit from within this is another one of those shots that have been after for
quite some time I've been going to the Butchart Gardens year after year trying
to time it just right so that are getting that bounce light that the Sun
that comes down hits the pond bounces up and lights that tree from underneath
well finally this time this year I got it and I made an entire vlog episode
dedicated to this day and it just kind of goes to show that with a bit of
perseverance if you keep trying they keep plugging away at a shot you will
eventually get the perfect conditions and I like this shot because I feel like
you could just walk straight into this composition straight onto that little
pathway and become part of the scene number 15 the last one on the edge the
Faroe Islands my image of the cliffs and lighthouse at the dramatic location of
calcite in the Faroe Islands what an absolutely fantastic place this is I
think the word epic is completely overused in landscape photography but I
think that the word epic was created specifically for this scene in the Faroe
Islands if you don't like the weather you've only got to wait 5 10 15 minutes
and it will change dramatically so one minute you can have a dingy gray day
with miserable rain clouds and within 15 minutes it's blue skies and you're
wondering where did all the clouds go so there you go those are my
best images of 2018 I hope you enjoyed looking at them as much as I enjoyed
creating them it's been a fantastic year with so many adventures and I can't wait
to see what 2019 holds oh and please post a comment let me know which of
these images you like best and why you like those images best and last but not
least I want to say a big thank you to you because it's the subscribers the
people that like the people that comment that really make this all worthwhile and
I love the comments because they help me to create better content so let me know
what you like and if I like to create it then I'm gonna create it and Gavin
Hardcastle from photo triple comm Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
thanks for watching bye bye juicy