2016 – My Favorite Images of the Year

It is that time of year once again where all of us look back at the last 365 days and reflect on our experiences, adventures, challenges, and accomplishments. For me, 2016 was a year of both adventure and change. I was able to explore countless countries including Cuba, Iceland, Norway, Chile and Argentina while also taking much of the last half of the year off to be with my family as we moved from Boulder, Colorado to Eastern Pennsylvania. After years of extensive travel throughout each given 12 month cycle, it was nice to take a bit of a break and spend more time with those that matter most to me.

While some might think that all of this would have cut into the success and momentum of my various photography businesses, the truth is that my companies made more money in 2016 than any other year previously. It looks like my mantra of “working smarter….but not harder” is starting to pay off! 😉

Photographing glaciers in the South of Iceland this past winter

As for life moving into 2017, I couldn’t be more excited about what is to come. I start off the year teaching a series of new classes on “Social Media for Photographers” with Creative Live (January 18th & 19th) before starting my busy photography workshop schedule: Iceland Winter Wonderland (Feb 15th – 21st), Lofoten Islands in Winter (Feb 25th – March 3rd), Cuba Alpha Universe Experience (March 12th – 19th), Wild Patagonia (April 5th – 14th), two Iceland Summer Adventures (June 24th – July 1st & July 2nd – 9th) and Myanmar (November 2017). In addition, I am working closely with ON1 Software on a number of great projects and I will be rounding out the year creating a number of new eBooks/Video Tutorials as well as working on a few large marketing campaigns for both tech and tourism based entities. I am also looking forward to adding a number of new locations to my passport in 2017, including Uganda, Ethiopia, India and Antarctica.

Photographer Northern Lights Iceland — Photo of me photographing the Northern Lights. Photo by Toby Harriman

I am also excited to see my humanitarian photography company, The Giving Lens, continue to grow and see success. For those that do not know, TGL is an organization that blends photo education with support for sustainable development initiatives in developing countries around the world. We partner with local NGOs that are fighting for a variety of different causes, such as youth education, clean drinking water projects, species preservation, women’s rights and much more. Each trip acts as a fundraiser for the NGOs and communities we work in.

In 2017 TGL is offering once in a lifetime experiences to Peru, Thailand, Tanzania, Cuba, India, Morocco, Cambodia, Nicaragua and Jordan. For more information, be sure to check out The Giving Len’s Website/Instagram/Facebook.

Favorite Images of 2016

After looking back over the 25,000 images I took last near across 4 different continents and a variety of different countries, I was able to narrow down 16 of my favorite images of the year. These photos might not be my best images taken in 2016 nor the ones that brought in the most money via licenses…but I do love how they remind me of the experiences I had that made 2016 unique. I hope you enjoy!

Bruarfoss Waterfall in Winter in Iceland by Colby Brown — **Bruarfoss Waterfall in Winter – Iceland**
Sony a7R II – Sony 16-35 f/4 FE – ISO 100 | f/11 | 1.6 Sec

cuban_tobacco_farmer_vinales_colby_brown — **Cuban Tobacco Farmer – Vinales**
Sony a7R II – Sony 70-200 f/2.8 GM – ISO 1600 | f/2.8 | 1/125th Sec

ice_cave_iceland_colby_brown — **Crystal Ice Cave – Iceland**
Sony a7R II – Sony 16-35 f/4 FE – ISO 100 | f/13 | Multi-image blend

cerro_torre_sunrise_patagonia_argentina_colby_brown — **Cerro Torre Sunrise Panorama – Patagonia**
Sony a7R II – Sony 24-70 f/2.8 GM – ISO 100 | f/5 | 30 Secs

**Sunrise Iceberg Glow – Jokulsarlon, Iceland**
Sony a7R II – Sony 16-35 f/4 FE – ISO 100 | f/11 | 1/6 Sec

iceland_abstract_aerial_colby_brown — **Aerial Abstract, Iceland**
Sony a7R II – Sony 24-70 f/2.8 GM – ISO 1000 | f/4 | 1/1000th Sec

Laguna Amarga, Torres Del Paine National Park, Chile — **Laguna Amarga Sunrise Panorama – Torres del Paine, Chile**
Sony a7R II – Sony 24-70 f/2.8 GM – ISO 64 | f/16 | 2 Secs

**Puffin Feeding – Grimsey Island, Iceland**
Sony a6300 – Sony 70-200 f/4 FE – ISO 100 | f/5 | 1/500th Sec

Skogafoss, Iceland — **Aurora Above Skogafoss Waterfall, Iceland**
Sony a7S II – Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 Loxia – ISO 1600 | f/2.8 | 20 Secs

sunrise_reine_lofot_islands_hamnoy_colby_brown — **Sunrise Reine, Lofoten Islands of Norway**
Sony a7R II – Sony 16-35 f/4 FE – ISO 100 | f/11 | 2.5 Sec

iceland_aerial_highlands_colby_brown — **Highlands Aerial, Iceland**
Sony a7R II – Sony 24-70 f/2.8 GM – ISO 200 | f/4.5 | 1/1000 Sec

Torres del Paine National Park, Chile - Patagonia — **Sunrise Over Torres del Paine, Chile**
Sony a7S II – Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 Loxia – ISO 160 | f/11 | 1/5th Sec

sunset_seljanlandsfoss_waterfall_iceland_colby_brown — **Sunset over Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, Iceland**
Sony a7R II – Sony 16-35 f/4 FE – ISO 100 | f/11 | 1/3 Sec

torres_del_paine_national_park_chile_patagonia_sunset_colby_brown — **Dead Tree Sunset – Torres del Paine, Chile**
Sony a7R II – Sony 16-35 f/4 FE – ISO 100 | f/16 | 13 Secs

iceberg_sunrise_jokulsarlon_iceland_colby_brown — **Iceberg Sunrise – Jokulsarlon, Iceland**
Sony a7R II – Sony 16-35 f/4 FE – ISO 100 | f/14 | .5 Sec

vesturhorn_panorama_iceland_colby_brown — **Vesturhorn Panorama, South Iceland**
Sony a7R II – Sony 24-70 f/2.8 GM – ISO 100 | f/11 | 1/160th Sec

Camera Gear Used

Here is a list of the gear I used to create all of the images in this blog post.

Share Your Favorite Images of 2016

In the comments below, I would love to see some of your favorite images of 2016. Feel free to upload photos in the comments and or leave hyperlinks back to your own collection of 2016 images you are proud of![/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][/cs_content]

About the Author

Colby Brown

Colby Brown is a photographer, photo educator and author that specializes in landscape, travel and wildlife photography. His photographic portfolio spans the four corners of the globe and all 7 continents. He has worked as a photo instructor for National Geographic and founded The Giving Lens, an organization that blends photo education with support for various non-governmental organizations (NGO) and causes around the world, such as child education, clean drinking water projects, and women’s rights.

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Come join us on an adventure of a lifetime to the amazing Italian Dolomites. We will photograph and explore incredible mountain peaks, beautiful reflected lakes and gorgeous fall colors as we move throughout one of the most impressive mountain ranges in the world.

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January 6th – 14th, 2025

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The Great Migration – Kenya Wildlife Photo Safari

The Great Migration – Kenya Wildlife Safari Come join me on an amazing adventure to Kenya to witness one of the most incredible wildlife migrations on the planet. Here we will not only attempt to capture the river crossings of thousands of wildebeests, but also spend our time learning a variety of different camera techniques

Patagonia Photography Workshop Adventure

April 1st – 10th, 2025

Patagonia is one of the most wild, beautiful & dramatic mountain ranges on the planet. We split our time between the incredible Torres del Paine National Park in Southern Chile and Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina, home to both Cerro Torre and Mt. Fitz Roy.