Happy New Year! My Top 10 Photos Of 2022

It's been a busy busy year. For landscape photography, art sales, and with the commercial photography side of my business. It's been great!

It's also been a couple years since I've done a top 10 post. But so many new images were shot this year, I was feeling inspired. These aren't necessarily my best performing images on social media, or my new best sellers. These are my personal favorites that bring the biggest smile to my face when I look at them.

The photos are numbered, I'm curious, which one is your favorite?

1. "Boca Reservoir Ice 2" - Sunrise photograph of ice on a frozen over Boca Reservoir in Truckee, California. This one was a bit sketchy. The ice was thick enough but it sure didn't look like it as it had broken up then refroze.

2. "Icy Eagle Falls 8" - Photograph of frozen and flowing water at Eagle Falls above Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe in the winter. Another sketchy photography adventure. I needed my ice crampons to get down to the bottom of of these falls. Not an easy shot but I loved the results!

3. "Donner Lake Sunrise 31" - Sunrise photograph of sheets of ice piled up along the shoreline of Donner Lake in Truckee, California. More ice! But a lot safer. It was slippery but at least I didn't have to worry about falling down a icy waterfall.

4. "Sunset at Lake Tahoe 48" - Wide angle panoramic photograph of a colorful pink sunset and a bench above Lake Tahoe. I was so happy I decided to stop and hike to this bench after a real estate photography shoot. Not bad for an unplanned shoot!

5. "Lupine Sunset 9" Photograph of a large lupine wildflower field and an incredible sunset in Tahoe City, California. Ah, the lupine. When lake water levels are low, the lupine around the shorelines can bloom big. This year was a very BIG year for them. And I was lucky to catch this big pink cloud at sunset with the purple lupine. All the other photographers who where there left very happy that evening.

 6. "Lupine at Prosser Reservoir 5" - Sunset photograph of lupine wildflowers along the shoreline and in the water at Prosser Reservoir, near Truckee, California.
A smaller different type of lupine at a smaller nearby lake. The water had risen after they bloomed, creating a very cool look to the flowers at sunset.

7. "Fireworks at Donner Lake 6" - Panoramic photograph of Independence Day fireworks at Donner Lake in Truckee, California. A favorite spot at a favorite time of year. Donner Lake fireworks shows are always great! And usually quite photogenic too.

 8. "Donner Lake Sunset 63" - Sunset photograph of boulders and plants above Donner Lake and Truckee, California. Quill dog was with me for this little photo adventure. It was a beautiful sunset and some little flowers blooming made it a little better.

9. "Full Moon Over Star Lake" - Panoramic photograph of the full moon and stars above Star Lake, located on the Tahoe Rim Trail near South Lake Tahoe. What a fun adventure this trip was! Shot during an overnight backpacking adventure with a couple friends. 25 miles with the backpack and camera gear was tough, but totally worth it.

10. "Downtown Truckee 90" - Sunrise photograph of historic Downtown Truckee covered in snow during the holidays. Many new snowy Christmasy photos were shot this year. Here's a favorite, but if you like more Christmas lights and decorations, check some out some of my other recent blog posts...

Unfortunately, I can not embed one of my slideshows here. However, if you would like to see these images full screen, please follow this Scott Shots Photography top 10 slideshow link. All the images above can be purchased as prints and as gift items through my website, just follow the link under the images, the click "add to cart" for info.

As always, thank you for looking! I hope you have enjoyed seeing my photos and adventures this past year. I hope to share many many more in 2023. CHEERS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Scott Thompson
Scott Shots Photography
www.ScottShotsPhoto.com

My Top 10 Tahoe Area Photos of 2020

I shot many photo this year but I do believe it was a lot less than last year. Print sales have been great and I now sell out of two galleries. Art Obsessions in Reno, Nevada and Art Truckee in Downtown Truckee, California.  Despite this year's challenges, things have been going pretty well.

Here are my favorite top 10 images that I shot in 2020, in the order that they were shot:

 

1. I'll start with a couple puppy photos. It's not my usual subject matter but early in the year my family brought this little guy home and wow, has he taken up a lot of time... We love him and he's modeled for me many times now.

1. "Puppy in Snowy Sagehen Meadows 5" - Photograph of a Golden Retriever puppy "Quill" playing in the snow and Camas wildflowers at Sagehen Meadows, a little north of Truckee, California.

 

2. Here's another shot of Quill below. This image ended up as a cover shot on the August 2020 issue of Tahoe Weekly.

2. "Puppy Above Lake Tahoe 2" - Photograph of Golden Retriever puppy "Quill" above Lake Tahoe.

3. Boca Reservoir is a nearby spot that I brought the pup to many times over the spring and summer. This year, the little lupine wildflowers at the lake bloomed bigger than I had ever seen at the reservoir. Add and nice sunset and BAM! I love this shot.

3. "Lupine at Boca Reservoir Sunset 3" - Photograph of Lupine wildflowers growing along the shore at Boca Reservoir in Truckee, California.

 

4. I am very excited about a new art gallery in Reno, Nevada that I am selling prints out of, Art Obsessions.  I know, Reno is technically not Tahoe, but it my nearest city where I do much of my shopping. 

It was a tough year for my friends to open a gallery... but the new shopping center and gallery are looking great and all the restaurants and other shops should be open in a few months. The photo below is the Rancharrah mansion, it is the "backdrop" to the shopping center, you can see the mansion from the shopping center's courtyard.

4. "Rancharrah Sunset 2" - Sunset photograph of the famous Rancharrah mansion in Reno, Nevada.

5. I love this Nevada shaped horse corral, it is located very near the Art Obsessions gallery. In fact, this sunset shot below was shot on the same evening as the Rancharrah sunset photo above. I was able to hop in the car and drive up to this spot before the amazing colors of this sunset disappeared. Downtown Reno can be seen in the distant left and the Rancharrah mansion can be seen in the right of the photo.

5. "Reno, Nevada Sunset 1" - Photograph of a Nevada shaped horse corral and Reno, Nevada shot at sunset.

 

6. I had a lot of fun with shooting abstracts in Reno and Truckee this year. This is a new temporary neon sign in Truckee that made for a great subject matter.

6. "Truckee Lights 1" - Photograph of the Truckee sign outside of Moody's Bistro Bar and Beats in Downtown Truckee, California. The abstract effect was obtained in camera by long exposure mixed with intentional camera movement.

7. Yup, I also had fun shooting abstracts of the fall colors up here in the Tahoe area. This one was my favorite of what I captured. My son wanted a canvas print of this one for his college dorm. Done, it looks great as a print!

7. "Autumn Abstract 1" - Photograph of Aspen trees at Paige Meadows, near Lake Tahoe in the fall. The abstract effect is achieved by intentional camera movement while hand holding the camera.

8. This is a spot I've driven by many many times over the last 18 years. I finally stopped and got some photos of it this fall. I'm glad I did! This one is another one that should look great as a very large print.

8. "Truckee River in Autumn 32" - Photograph of the Truckee River in the fall, shot off of Hwy 80, in California, just west of Nevada.

9. Fall is a great time of year for photography. The yellow and orange foliage makes for attention grabbing subject matter. Mix that with a little fresh snow and YES! I love how this photo turned out. The contrasting colors really make my eyes happy.

9. "Donner Lake in Autumn 15" - Photograph of fall foliage, snow, and a dock along the shore of Donner Lake in Truckee, California.

10. I'm finishing off the top ten list with this snowy Christmas photo in Downtown Truckee, California. It's an incredible location for photography during the holidays, Truckee really goes all out with the lights. It's tricky shooting in these kind of heavy snowy conditions but so worth it when you get a shot like the one below.

10. "Snowy Christmas Tree in Truckee 12" - Photograph of a snow-covered Christmas tree at night, during a snowstorm, in Historic Downtown Truckee, California.

Thank you for checking out my top 10 photos of 2020 list. I know it's been a tough year for many people, I hope you were all able to have a few highlights and beautiful moments in order to make things a bit easier. 

Happy Hew Year and Cheers to 2021!

Scott Thompson
Scott Shots Photography
www.ScottShotsPhoto.com

Large canvas and metal prints are available of the images above. The images can be found on my website by clicking on the photos above. Click "add to cart" for a pricelist.

Prints can also be seen and purchased at the following locations:

• Art Obsessions art gallery in Reno, Nevada
• Art Truckee in Downtown Truckee, CA
  
• Glenshire Pizza Company in Truckee, CA
• The Lift in Truckee, CA
• The Pub in Truckee, CA

My 10 Best Tahoe Photos of 2015

It's that time of year again. Time for one of my favorite blog posts. Where I look back at all the photos I took during the year and pick my 10 favorite. I shot many cool photos this year but these stood out as my best Tahoe area photos. Please enjoy, and Happy New Year!



This one looks amazing as a 40"x60" canvas print. You can check the big canvas out at the Vista Gallery in Kings Beach.  I knew when I was shooting it that was a special sunset.

"Sunset at Lake Tahoe 32" - Photograph of a pink sunset over Heavenly Ski Resort and Lake Tahoe, shot from Tahoe City. Shot 2015-02-02

A classic angle at Rainbow Bridge. I usually shoot at this spot a few times a year. And I finally got a fog covered Donner Lake with an amazing sunrise. You can check out this as a 40"x60" canvas at Art Obsessions art gallery in Downtown Truckee. 

"Sunrise at Rainbow Bridge 1" - This colorful sunrise was photographed at Rainbow Bridge, above a fog covered Donner Lake and Truckee, California. Shot 2015-02-19

The iconic "Bonsai Rock" at lake Tahoe is shot by many photographers. I have shot it many times myself. But on this visit I found some wildflowers blooming. It made for a great foreground and a different look to Bonsai Rock.

"Wildflowers at Bonsai Rock 1" - These wildflowers were photographed along the East shore of Lake Tahoe at Bonsai Rock. Shot 2015-04-30

Sometimes the colors of Lake Tahoe's water is unreal. But it is real. The blues, greens, and aquas are something you need to check out it person to believe.

"Boulders at Lake Tahoe 43" - Photograph of boulders along the East shore of a very blue Lake Tahoe, just north of Sand Harbor. Shot 2015-04-30

Well, this might be my favorite for the year.  The lupine blooms were amazing all around Lake Tahoe. The last time I saw it bloom this big was in 2004. I shot many photos of the lupine but this one at night with the Milky Way was awesome.

"Tahoe Lupine at Night 2" - Photograph taken just before sunrise of Lupine wildflowers, the night's sky, the Milky Way, and Lake Tahoe. Shot 2015-06-17

I love shooting Donner Lake from Donner Summit. There's such a variety of foreground subjects and the lake always makes a beautiful addition to any photo.  Add a stunning sunset and you get this.

"Wildflowers Above Donner Lake 1" - These wildflowers were photographed at sunset above Donner Lake in Truckee, California. Shot 2015-07-01

This was a fun one to shoot while hanging out with my friend Tony Spiker of www.spikerphotography.com. The Milky Way, Lake Tahoe, and some trees on the side of a granite cliff. It all made for a pretty cool shot. 

"Milky Way Over Lake Tahoe 1" - Photograph of the Milky Way and other stars over Lake Tahoe at night. Shot 2015-09-07

Another spot I go to on a regular basis. Sometimes to walk my dog, sometimes for photography fun. It's a spot that only takes a couple minutes to get to after I drop my son off at school in the morning. Some mornings are better than others, I thought this was one of those better mornings. 

"Donner Lake Morning 9" - Donner Lake and Donner Summit photographed from the East end of the lake, also know as "dog beach". Shot 2015-09-17

It was cold on this morning. The early season snow blanketed the Martis Valley, the trees, and the mountains. I found this one lone tree that made for a simple yet cool composition. I like looking as this photo as I find it calming. 

"Snowy Martis Valley 4" - Photograph of a lone tree in a snow covered Martis Valley in Truckee, California. Shot 2015-11-05

This photo went "viral" and was shared on Facebook over 1,000 times. It was my most shared and liked image of all time! Like I said in it's post, Truckee is one of those towns that is magical during the holidays. Downtown gets a little extra light from all the Christmas lights. And we had snow this year, a great relief for everyone! Here's a link to the post that went viral:  Facebook Post Link While your there, please give my page a like!

"Downtown Truckee 22" - Photograph of historic Downtown Truckee, California, shot at dusk. Shot 2015-12-12

I would say that it was a good year for Scott Shots Photography. I added a ton of new photos to my archive and business was up. Thank you to everyone who enjoys, likes and shares my photos! And thank you to everyone who has bought prints, licensed images, or hired me for photo shoots! I'm a lucky man to be able to make a living with a camera. 

Cheers to 2015! May 2016 be even better!

-Scott Thompson 

For a larger view of these photos and for purchasing information, please click on the images. These images are available to order from ScottShotsPhoto.com or from local fine art galleries as large fine art prints, printed by Scott Thompson personally. Images are also available as photo gift items or as stock photography.