Happy 2023! John from Journey with Johnbo is leading off 2023’s first Lens-Artist Photo Challenge, reflecting on our favorite photos from 2022.

I previously posted a reflection on the year 2022 along with my favorite photos. You can check that post out. I will, however, feature my most memorable photos of 2022 here along with a quick story about them.

Before the year of 2022 ended, I took advantage of the last official sunny day of 2022 and headed up the nearby canyon (about a 15-minute drive from home base) with my hand-made wool hat and scarf and gloves along with a special slip-on for my shoes in case of ice.

Except in the parking lot, where there were patches of ice, the trail was covered in day-old snow. Along the trail that day, every time I looked up, the trees were in the perfect spot to create a sun-star. After mastering the art of sun-star photos, I became enamored with taking sun-star photos. It is just so fascinating how the camera does that.

This was one of the many photos I took that day featuring a sun-star and it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite photos from 2022.

This photo looks a lot like John’s photo though mine was not taken with a phone. That day was definitely memorable because I haven’t showered or slept in over 24 hours. That’s a first for me. My 2022 vacation began on the afternoon of September 20th (at around 2PM) when I began my journey from Salt Lake City to Buffalo, NY began. Because the flight was inexpensive, I had a 4-hour layover in Las Vegas before continuing to Buffalo.

Due to flight delays, I didn’t arrive in Buffalo until around 6:30 AM on the 21st.

While eating breakfast, I checked and double-checked, hoping the weather would change from rain to sunny or at least to cloudy. The last thing I wanted was to rain when I got to Niagara Falls. Surprisingly, the weather held and I was granted spectacular blue skies.

We did the boat ride – Maid of the Mist – which was not only refreshing but it also gave me the drench I so needed after over 24 hours not showering. As I got drenched by the waterfall, my camera got drenched, too, and suddenly, I was glad to had brought my new lens as it was weather-proofed. So no water would get inside the body of my DSLR.

I couldn’t believe my luck that day. The weather was perfect until I checked into the hotel on the Canadian side of the Falls. Then it started drizzling.

This is Mount Timpanogos and will now be on my list of must-see places in autumn. I honestly did not think I would go to see Mount Timpanogos that day. The destination was Bridal Veil Falls in nearby Provo Canyon, which was also beautiful.

I had this place marked as “Want to go” on my Google Maps after reading a news article about how this was a top-10 destination to see autumn colors in Utah but I figured on finding a way to come here by myself instead of being in a car with my whiney mother along with her sister and my least-favorite-person, her brother-in-law.

He drove fast in the canyons like, instead of enjoying the views, he’s in a hurry to be somewhere. If my mom or aunt didn’t tell him to slow down or stop, he wouldn’t and I didn’t dare to tell him to stop.

This picture was taken shortly after we passed Sundance Ski Resort but had not yet reached the entrance of the Unita National Forest. It was fortunate my aunt requested stop as she, too, wanted to take some photos of this ever-changing scenery.