It’s that time–time to look back, to review the year’s photographic efforts. If you were to ask me earlier, I’d say that I hadn’t made very many significant photographs this past year. But, like presents set aside to unwrap later, I’ve found, hidden away, a number of worthy images to share with you. They’re now unwrapped and presented to you here in a review of some of my favorite photos of 2022!

Please scroll down to see the selections. Each photo is linked to its page on the website. The complete collection can also be found here: 2022 Favorite Photos.

editor’s tip: while viewing some of the vertical images on my website, you may not see the complete image without scrolling. Simply click on the image again and it will resize to fit your screen completely.

New Year’s Day Geese, January 1
Starting the year off right, my wife Jean and I celebrated the morning of her birthday with a walk in the Point Reyes Wetlands. We heard the geese honking as they approached quickly from the north. My small Sony camera was in my pocket. I quickly pointed it overhead, and hoped my shutter was set fast enough!

Three Lilies, February 9
A warm spell and again a morning walk. Just around the corner from my house, the rising sun pointed at these perfectly formed blossoms.

Spring Afternoon at Lagunitas Creek, March 17
There are only two places along the Greenbridge trail where you can see Lagunitas Creek. I go there often to check on the changing view.

Forest Canopy, Rush Creek, April 6
With the changing light there are moments when you notice hitherto unremarkable shapes in the forest. I wandered from the Rush Creek trail to look closer at these branches.

Two Oaks, Rush Creek, April 6
These trees, seemingly unrelated, became connected when I found the right place to stand with camera.

Verdant Path, Muddy Hollow Trail, April 7
I began exploring this trail for the first time last April. Sunlit greenery turns radiant with infrared capture. I could not resist!

Spring Oasis, Muddy Hollow Creek, April 7
On a late afternoon walk, I was drawn to the sunlight streaming through the trees at Muddy Hollow Creek. I paused to look deeper as the new spring growth became radiant in the last light.

Blazing Sun Surprise, June 9
Afternoon on the Greenbridge Trail. A patch of tall grass seemed ablaze.

Dewdrop Bouquet, July 30
Morning sun lit up this dew-covered web near my front porch. I walked back in the house to get my camera. The light was just so….

Morning Dewdrop Closeup, July 30
I got down on my knees to explore this jewelled fabric more deeply.

Giacomini Wetlands Barn, August Evening, August 22
A recurring theme–a road to somewhere, something, some place.

Sunrise Sky, Point Reyes Wetlands, September 6
How did this happen?

Night Sky at Salt Point, October 24
Jean and I spent one night in the motorhome on the Sonoma coast. It was clear enough to photograph the Milky Way.

Papermill Creek on Thanksgiving Eve, November 23
I returned to the creek to see what changes the autumn brought. This year has not ended but I’ll pause here for now.

“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s
not the same river and he’s not the same man.”
–Heraclitus, Greek philosopher, circa 6th c. B.C.

In my case, I did not “step into” the same river twice, because both the river and I have changed. I have photographed Lagunitas Creek for more than 30 years. The river changed each time–with the seasons, the weather and the hour of day. I too am different, tempered by what I saw. I was drawn first by the spectacular light I found there. Later, I was seduced by the mystery of fog-dampened shapes along the banks, and, most recently I stood in awe at the water’s edge when the moon shone or stars reflected on the still waters. What follows are the highlights, in pictures, of my thirty-year journey along Lagunitas Creek.

A dramatic display of sunbeams discovered in August, 1990 from the Green Bridge.

Lagunitas Creek is also known as Papermill Creek. On maps it’s always spelled Lagunitas, but the locals have long called this beautiful channel Papermill Creek, named for the Pioneer Paper Mill that produced its products adjacent to the creek in Lagunitas from 1856 – 1915. I have used both names in the titles of my photographs.

Lagunitas Creek courses some 24 miles through west Marin county. The creek’s headwaters are on the northern slope of Mount Tamalpais. The stream steps down, passing through several reservoir lakes, eventually winding through the Samuel P Taylor redwoods park. From there it passes just west of Point Reyes Station before turning north to empty into Tomales Bay at Inverness.

More dramatic light at the Green Bridge, June, 1991

Just south of town it flows under The Green Bridge, an old steel bridge spanning Highway One. Then it courses gently though the wetlands of Point Reyes as it heads toward a bend in the creek known as White House Pool. It is at these two places, near my home, the Green Bridge/Wetlands and White House Pool that I have created my most memorable creekside photographs.

My art career began in 1986 when I found these clouds painting the water at White House Pool.

These favored nearby places have provided many distinctly different views and moods. I am grateful to live in such a visually rich natural environment and to have access to the ever-changing beauty that surrounds us here.

Scroll down for some more photographs I’ve made at Lagunitas Creek during the last 30+ years. As with all photographs on this site, prints and framed editions in varying sizes may be ordered online. They are cataloged here: Lagunitas Creek Collection.

A rare hot summer afternoon – seen from the Green Bridge (near infrared photograph.

A flood tide at White House Pool and brilliant clouds above Black Mountain herald spring.

Fog lifts at Lagunitas Creek (cover photo of One Place Deeply.)

Mysterious fog–shapes and reflections seen on an October morning.

The morning light at Lagunitas Creek softens this view at the Point Reyes Wetlands.

Another view from the Green Bridge, looking east this time.

A full moon shines in the waters at White House Pool.

A fountain of stars from the Milky Way shine above and reflects below in the creek.

The bright galactic center of the Milky Way shot up from the horizon—a fountain of light bursting high into the night sky…

June in Point Reyes Starry Nights 2023 calendar

Lake Nicasio has long been a favorite haunt of mine. Since arriving in West Marin County in 1973, I’ve been drawn to photograph the shapes and light at the placid waters there. I drive past the lake often while leaving Point Reyes for destinations beyond here. To this day, I’m struck by its sensual, curving shoreline ringed by rounded hills and ridges. It’s an ethereal place and during quiet times, the waters reflect the soft hills that ring the lake. On certain days, I’ve walked along the edges of the lake with my camera, lost in sweet reverie. I went there on sunny afternoons and foggy mornings, when the air was still, and photographed the reflections I found there.

In 2016 I began photographing the wonders of the starry night sky. I returned to some of my favorite vistas not far from my Point Reyes home. I wondered what a starry sky would look like reflecting in still waters. Lake Nicasio came to mind—how could I forget! So, in late October, I arrived at a roadside turnout near the lake. It was several hours after sunset on a moonless night. The air was clear and still and the Milky Way was rising just south of the iconic folds of Black Mountain.

As I walked along the roadside, I noticed a sign prohibiting visits to the lake after sunset. It was there to discourage fishing or camping at night. Since I was doing neither, I decided to take my chances. Still, though, I felt like a thief in the night as I prepared to make my way toward the water’s edge. I looked around then ducked low and quickly wove my way through the brush to the lake’s shore. I was cautious, not wanting to draw attention to my “stealth” visit there.

In a couple of minutes I was standing on the shore. A wondrous sight was revealed. With no wind, the still water reflected the brightest stars above. The bright galactic center of the Milky Way shot up from the horizon— a fountain of light bursting high into the night sky. For a moment I was struck still by the sight. Then, regaining my composure, I set my camera on the tripod. I aimed it for a composition that I hoped would express some of the wonder I felt as I witnessed the galactic display. Milky Way Reflecting at Lake Nicasio is the featured photo for June in the Point Reyes Starry Nights 2023 wall calendar.

A few weeks later, I went to the coast to find stars reflecting on still waters.  Abbotts Lagoon, Stars from the Bridge, heads the month of September in the 2023 wall calendar.

Abbotts Lagoon Stars Reflecting

And in 2018, just a couple of hundred yards from my home, I photographed Milky Way Rises, Lagunitas Creek in the wetlands along the Green Bridge Trail. It is November in my Starry Nights 2023 wall calendar.

Milky Way Rises at Lagunitas Creek