The Malibu Artist: 5, 4, 3, 2,....Photo Moments of 2015

So in 2015 I was lucky enough to visit Iceland twice. It is my favorite place to photograph and I plan to return there at least once per year. It's just that amazing. So it's no surprise to you then, that most of my favorite photo moments occurred there in 2015.

#5
Vesturhorn-

Vesturhorn, often called "Batman Mountain," is a beautiful mountain (454 m/1450 ft high) where very steep cliffs meet a flat, black sand beach. In my two previous trips to Iceland, somehow, I skipped this magnificent view. Either weather or timing got in the way, but in September 2015 there was no way I was going to miss this shot. The third time was the charm. I battled some pretty stiff and freezing winds and this was the result. Here are a series of images from a few different view points. Clearly this was one of my favorite moments in my life.

This is a panoramic view as the Super Moon rose above Iceland.

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#4
Winter Wonderland in Yosemite

A place I travel to every single winter is Yosemite. I think this National Park is at it's most beautiful state after a winter snow storm. Last year, due to the drought, that snow storm didn't appear. But despite that, I still had a favorite image make it to last year's list so that should say something about why I go there right? This year, however, Yosemite was a winter wonderland. And it was even more special because it was the first time my wife got to see snow fall from the sky! And it was a lot of snow let me tell you! We shot in 18 degrees of temperature for 3 straight days but when the storm's subsided, it gave way to a dreamlike scene that can only be made at Yosemite.

Shot with a Canon 5DS that Canon let me borrow, this two image pano was the last image I captured at Yosemite this year. When I saw this on a 4K screen, my jaw dropped. Taken at night with a Full Moon above.

Tunnel View, one of the few view points in the world that never gets old to a photographer.

I always wanted to shoot a star trail image on the Valley floor. So I finally checked this off my bucket list.

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#3
Waterfalls of Iceland...
So my list is not really a Top 10 List of photos right?...haha. I had countless bucket list moments visiting the various waterfalls of Iceland. So at my #3 spot I want to share this as a collective moment. Ya, I'm cheating, this isn't a true top ten list I know, but you have to give me the benefit of the doubt. It's been a pretty awesome year. So here's the waterfalls....

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#2
March 17th-18th, 2015
I love the Northern Lights. In fact, I'm obsessed with them. I've researched them exhaustively and learned that in the days before and after the Fall and Spring Equinoxes the chances of magnetic induced auroras are the greatest. There is no reasons as to why, but the numbers don't lie. So I timed both of my trips to Iceland during the Spring and Fall Equinox. As luck would have it, the Sun happened to be very active in March 2015. So active that on the evening of March 17th a Coronal Mass Ejection struck the Earth directly from the sun. Combined with a high solar wind, the Spring Equinox, and a New Moon, it was a recipe for a once in a lifetime experience. Luckily, my brother and I were there to witness it.

To date, the CME that struck the Earth was the largest to strike in the current Solar Cycle. It was the strongest in about 12 years, and the auroras caused by it were nothing short of amazing. Here's just a handful of over 1200 photos (timelapse included) I took that night.

This image is possibly my favorite of the night. It was featured by the European Space Agency, AstronomyNow and Huffington Post among many others that covered the story regarding the CME impact.