A week ago I did a retrospective posting on some of my favorite photos from the first half of 2019 and alerted readers that a second posting would appear “in the next few days.” Here at last is part two—click here if you missed the first installment. As was the case in the initial posting, I went through my postings month by month and selected two photos for each month. I have provided a link to the individual postings in the captions of the photos to make it easier for interested readers to see the images in the context of the original postings, which often include additional photos and explanatory information.
If you look carefully at the dates, you may notice that I did not include any photos from November in this posting. As many of you may recall, I was in Paris for three weeks in November. After my first posting, one reader suggested that I do a separate posting for Paris, rather than be forced to select two photos from the many that I posted of my adventures in Paris. I decided to follow that recommendation, so hopefully there will be a third and final posting of my look back at 2019 sometime “soon.”
Sable Clubtail dragonfly, July 6, 2019 Sable Clubtail
Halloween Pennant dragonfly July 31, 2019 Perching Halloween Pennant
Osprey, August 3, 2019, No sushi for me
Eastern Ringtail dragonfly, August 5, 2019 Getting down with an Eastern Ringtail
Crab spider, September 7, 2019, White-banded Crab Spider
Handsome Meadow Katydid September 10, 2019 My favorite insect?
Blue-faced Meadowhawk dragonfly, October 2, 2019 Blue-faced Meadowhawk in October
Bald Eagle October 16, 2019 Bald Eagle Takeoff
Hooded Merganser duck December 7, 2019 Hoodie Season
Pied-billed Grebe December 24, 2019 Portrait of a Pied-billed Grebe
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
That meadow katydid photo is great — as much for the curled leaves and complimentary colors as for the insect itself.
Have you ever seen a pied-billed grebe fly? I did, last weekend. It was the most astonishing sight ever. I’ve only seen them dive in the past. I figured they could fly — now I have proof!
Thanks. I love dragonflies, but the Handsome Meadow Katydid is probably me favorite insect. As for the Pied-billed Grebe, I don’t think that I have ever seen one fly–they always just swim away from me.
Marvelous shots, Mike.The shot of the Halloween Pennant is an excellent composition.
Kudos for the shot of the Bald Eagle, too.
Thanks. Thanks for providing some feedback. Everyone seems to have favorites for different reasons, which is why I could never try to rank the images. It was actually pretty hard for me to select just two photos for each month–there were lots of others that could easily have been featured. I sometimes forget the shots that I have taken in my zeal to capture new ones, so it was a useful exercise for me to look back and reflect a bit on the past.
My pleasure; and I understand the difficulty in selecting just two images per month!
Nice seeing the series of images! Sorry I can not pick a favorite! I like them all. But for different reasons! Well done! We have similar subjects we like to photograph!
I have no idea how judges choose winners for photo contests–there are just too many variables that come into play. Even with these images, I know that on a different day I might chose some other images as my favorites. I’ve noticed that we do seem to be attracted to the same kind of subjects and I am always interested to see how you approach them.
What a great collection. Thank you.
Remarkable images, Mike. Congratulations. M 🙂
Good ones, Mike! I like the idea of keeping Paris on its own. You can’t just pick two.
I think my favorites are the meadow Katydid and the Kissing eagles, that crab spider scares the bejaysus out of me!! Stunning photography as always Mike 👏👏👏
Thanks, Damien. I love dragonflies, but the rainbow-colored katydid is my favorite insect (which sounds a little weird, considering that most people don’t have favorite insects). It is particularly cool, because I captured the katydid in a very photogenic pose.
He was defiantly having his own vogue moment!!!
Wonderful! I love the eagle takeoff shot but I think my favourite in this group is the katydid.
Thanks, Laura, for your input. By itself the katydid is pretty spectacular, but the curling leaf helps to make that image even more distinctive.
Precisely. There’s a harmony to the colours and then all those interesting intersecting shapes and visual textures.
Fantastic shots – such patience must be needed
Love these, Mike, esp. the 7/31 Halloween Pennant. Fantastic!
Thanks, Eliza. I am always intrigued to hear which images people like the most. I personally have trouble being objective in choosing favorites, because I often remember the circumstances under which I captured the images, which definitely influences my judgement.
Understood. For that shot it was the profile, light and the curly vine that caught my eye.
Great photos! They are all interesting and well-done. The katydid is very catchy. The water in the Pied-billed Grebe looks like feathers to me! Beautiful! They all are. It’s like trying to choose ones favorite child. We have 5. While I do not have favorites, there are days when perhaps I like one better than another. 🙂
Looks like you saved the best for last, Mike. Good work, buddy!