Botswana,  California,  Lens-Artists,  Nepal,  Philippines,  Rajasthan,  Themed galleries

Gallery: best ever? Who am I to say?!

August 16, 2026 / 68 Comments

Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop

Ansel Adams

Can anyone honestly assess for themselves which are their ‘best ever’ photos? I know I can’t! The best I can do is choose photos that I personally love and am proud of.

But this week’s guest host for the Lens Artists Challenge, Steve, has invited us to share our ‘best ever’ photos for World Photography Day. I do love that idea! But there are several challenges in being asked to do this.

Firstly the sheer difficulty of choosing. I’m not very good at self-criticism!

Secondly, I have probably posted all my favourites previously, some several times.

And thirdly, I set a very similar challenge myself when invited to be a guest host back in 2022: https://www.toonsarah-travels.blog/lens-artists-challenge-picking-favourites/.

I considered resolving all three of these issues by choosing five favourites that I’ve never before shared here. But that presented its own kind of challenge as I’ve shared so many over the six years I’ve been blogging. There’s also the difficulty of finding just five ‘best’ images in a digital archive that stretches back for about twenty years (not to mention the physical one, prints and 35mm slides, that stretches back nearly forty years before that!)

Which of my photographs is my favourite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow.

Imogen Cunningham

So in the end I simply opted for five images that I like for various reasons, and/or am proud of, and/or have a bit of a story behind them. I just hope that I haven’t shared them too many times before!

A mokoro ride in the Okavango Delta

I’m starting with this photo because it brings back such wonderful memories of our mokoro rides in the Okavango Delta. A mokoro is a traditional boat of this region, historically made by digging out the trunk of a large straight tree. These days most are made from fibre-glass, which, while not so traditional, is much better for the environment as fewer trees are felled.

A ride in one of these boats is such a peaceful way to explore this special environment. There is no engine noise to disturb the calm or frighten the birds. You can explore the narrower channels from a low viewpoint that gives you a better appreciation of the way animals, mainly hippos, have carved out these routes through the papyrus and reeds.

Riding at sunset brings another huge benefit as the wide skies of the delta are reflected in the still waters. I was pleased with a lot of the shots I took on two separate rides; this is just one of many.

I visited the Okavango Delta in July 2018

Sunrise over the Himalayas from Sarangkot near Pokhara, Nepal

I know I’m not the only visitor to Pokhara, Nepal, to have taken photos of the sun rising over the Himalaya range. I saw the crowds there for myself! So I can’t claim to be proud of this image; I simply captured what was there. But I was rather pleased to see that light aircraft approaching and get a shot of it nicely positioned between two pink-hued clouds. That’s the only reason it made the cut today!

I visited Pokhara in November 2022

Mono Lake, California

Back in 1991 we did our first ever road trip in the US, spending two weeks exploring California. We fell in love with the state and with the whole road trip experience. One of the places we both loved the most was Mono Lake, with its incredible tufa formations.

This is what is known as a terminal lake, as it has no outlet. It is fed by a number of tributaries and also by underwater springs. Because these waters have nowhere to go, they evaporate in the desert air. The combination of this natural process with unnatural human interventions has resulted in a captivating and unworldly landscape. A world of jagged rocky outcrops known as tufa towers reflected in perfectly still waters.

Back in 1991 I took as many photos as my limited budget would allow (film and processing was expensive back then). I thought I’d captured its beauty but looking back at them in recent years I was disappointed with the results. In 2024 I got a second chance as we planned a northern California itinerary to revisit some favourite sights from that first trip. This time of course I was able to take as many photos as I wanted. And visiting first thing in the morning meant that the light was much better than our previous mid-afternoon visit, and the lake almost perfectly still. This is just one of a number of images that sum up the beauty of this spot for me.

I visited Mono Lake in October 2024 (and in June 1991)

And now for two photos I’m proud of for reasons other than the quality of the photo …

Bangaan and the rice terraces, Luzon Island, Philippines

They say there is no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothing. But it’s certainly true that while travelling some kinds of weather seem better than others. And to have rain throughout our visit to the famed rice terraces of Luzon Island was a bit of a disappointment. However I have to admit that the low cloud, although obscuring distant views, added atmosphere to those closer at hand.

But that’s not why I’m proud of this shot. I’d told our guide that I didn’t feel able to do a long hike in this region, so she proposed what she called an easy walk to visit one of the villages, Bangaan. However her notion of an easy walk was anything but to me! It involved a descent of around 500 stairs, varying in depth from just a couple of centimetres to probably more than 20! As I made my way very cautiously down those steps, often slippery and very uneven, I stopped often for photos as the views of the village below changed and new angles on both buildings and rice terraces opened up.

I was proud of making it down without falling, proud to have taken some decent photos in the process, and even more proud of making it back up again!

I visited Bangaan in February 2025

Tiger in Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan

I’ll say straightaway that this is far from being the best photo I ever took, or even close to it! But I’m proud of this photo, as with the one above, because getting it was a challenge. We had a less-than-ideal guide here, who spoiled what should have been a magical encounter with a tigress and her nearly adult cub by standing up in the vehicle to take his own photos, thus blocking our view. By the time we’d shouted at him to sit down, the tigers had almost past us and this shot of the cub was the only half-decent one I managed to capture.

At the time I was disappointed with it, but with improvements in the editing tools I possess I’ve been able to create an image that better reflects what I saw, which is always my aim in editing. I cropped it, used Topaz AI to upscale and sharpen it, then used Nik Color Efex filters to increase the contrast and boost the colour a little. I’m not claiming that this is a great photo, or even a good one, but I am pleased that I managed to rescue something from that day.

I visited Ranthambore in October 2015

NB Ask me to do this exercise tomorrow and I guarantee I’ll choose five different photos!

68 Comments

  • wetanddustyroads

    August 22, 2026 at 14:33 Reply

    I can completely understand that you would find it difficult to choose your ‘best ever’ photos – there must be an archive full of them 😊. I’m glad to see your photo of the Okavango Delta ranks among your best, because it’s probably also one of my all-time favourites!

  • Vicki

    August 21, 2026 at 02:01 Reply

    What a great selection, Sarah.

    I think you’ve made the best of some challenging situations and overcast skies. I think we all find it hard to choose our ‘best ever’ images. It’s hard to be our own critic. Sharing our favourite images (and why) is probably the best way to approach the challenge.

    I love the the sunrise over the Himalayas and can never explain the awe and majesty of them to myself, but I do have Galen Rowell’s Moutain Light book which helps. (Sad to read he died young in a plane crash).

    Mono lake is another lovely scene. How lucky you were to capture that tiger (after the foolish guide stood up).

  • Leya

    August 20, 2026 at 19:57 Reply

    Where do my comments go? This is thethird try. Loved your choices and the stories coming with them. I can sense your pride after that strenous walk too. And mastering the weather. Loved your post as always, that Nepal shot and the Ocavango – mezmerising.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      August 21, 2026 at 09:20 Reply

      Thank you very much Ann-Christine 😊 Both for the lovely comment and for persevering! Your previous comment ended up in my pending folder for moderation – I’m not sure why except that it seems you might not have been logged into WP when you left it, judging by the email notification. And I’m afraid it arrived after I’d packed in my online activities for the evening so I only saw it this morning. I really appreciate your feedback on the photos and the stories that accompanied them 🙂

  • Anonymous

    August 20, 2026 at 19:50 Reply

    Wonderful stories and images!I can totally understand how proud you felt making that difficult walk. And saving photos. Things that brings even more value to the images. Thank you for another interesting post.

  • the eternal traveller

    August 20, 2026 at 04:23 Reply

    This is a lovely selection. And your tiger cub is amazing. I know what you mean about over enthusiastic guides. We had a man on our Kimberley trip who was an expert in Indigenous rock art and had some excellent knowledge. But like your guide, he would be so excited about seeing it all, not for the first time, that he would be standing right up close to it all the time. It was a little frustrating.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      August 18, 2026 at 18:30 Reply

      Thank you very much Meg 😊 It was a relief to get any sort of sight of that tiger – I’d love to go somewhere else to see them in the wild one day and hopefully get more and better shots!

  • Sofia Alves

    August 17, 2026 at 17:06 Reply

    I always praise you for your street photography and I’m glad you reminded me how your landscapes are just as good. It is hard to pick favourites, even for me to pick from this selection. Thank you for the stories behind the photos, they make them even more interesting.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      August 17, 2026 at 17:16 Reply

      Thank you very much Sofia 😊 You’ve made me wonder why I didn’t include any street photos in this selection as it’s a favourite genre of mine. As I said, on another day I would choose differently!

  • Tina Schell

    August 17, 2026 at 17:01 Reply

    I expected nothing less than wonderful from you this week Sarah and happy was not disappointed. I loved all of your choices as well as your reasons for choosing them. The tiger story infuriated me!!! I sincerely hope you complained and that the guide lost his job 😡. Your rice fields story reminded me of my own. My guide (I’d specifically asked for a photographer) pushed me out at 3 pm which I thought was much too early. NO! Because of the fields’ location “sunset” was at 4 and the light for our session was perfect! If I’d waited until normal sunset hours I’d have missed the whole thing. Terrific choices for the week.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      August 17, 2026 at 17:15 Reply

      Thanks so much Tina 😊 I certainly complained about that guide and was told that he’d been spoken to but I don’t know if he lost his job. I think I would prefer it didn’t do so but learned his lesson and never repeated this behaviour. His ‘excuse’ at the time was that he wanted to get photos to show his future guests, to which I retorted that today we were his guests!

  • Annie Berger

    August 17, 2026 at 04:08 Reply

    What an exacting challenge, but you mastered it beautifully, Sarah, in my humble opinion. As a fw others wrote, I like the stories behind the photos , for the context they provide. I’ll have to look to find where Mono Lake is, as I’m not familiar with it. Loved the mirage effect in the Delta – looking forward to discovering it for ourselves next year.We’ve already got three back-to-back trips booked for Africa and will add Botswana and Namibia to do on our own. Your photos helped me get in the mood!

    • Sarah Wilkie

      August 17, 2026 at 08:58 Reply

      Thank you very much Annie 😊 Mono Lake is near the eastern end of the Tioga Pass after you exit Yosemite NP. The nearest town is Lee Vining – we stayed in a motel there to get an early start for the lake which was definitely worth doing. You’re going to love Africa – Botswana and Namibia are two of my favourite countries from all our trips!

        • Sarah Wilkie

          August 17, 2026 at 17:09 Reply

          They were two separate trips, some years apart. Namibia was first and we were both still working back then so we were limited to two weeks. We organised it through a company but had a hire car and drove ourselves (well, Chris drove) between the various accommodation bases. The roads were mostly not made up but manageable, with care, in a regular 2 wheel drive car.

          Botswana was some years later but again I was still working although Chris was retired by then. We stayed in just two places, Chobe NP in the north and a lodge in the Okavango Delta. I think we just had four nights in each. We combined it with a couple of nights beforehand in Nairobi and three at Victoria Falls afterwards.

  • Egídio

    August 16, 2026 at 23:55 Reply

    Sarah, thanks for sharing these beautiful photos. Each one is singularly outstanding and breathtaking. The delta opener is mind blowing with the sky and its reflections dazzling in the frame. I also enjoyed the otherworldly view at Mono Lake. Congratulations on the tiger rescue. Excellent work all around.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      August 17, 2026 at 08:54 Reply

      Thank you so much Egidio 😊 I’m always happy to hear which ones you like best, especially as your own photos are often so striking and beautiful! Haha, you make it sound as if I rescued an actual tiger – that would be something to be proud of!!

  • Anonymous

    August 16, 2026 at 16:25 Reply

    Superb Sarah. I love the pics but really enjoyed your stories behind them, especially the Tiger incident. That little plane in the Himalayas takes a brilliant image up a notch. It gives a whole sense of scale to those mountains. BTW I was swapping and changing images for this challenge during the last week! 🙂

    • Sarah Wilkie

      August 16, 2026 at 16:55 Reply

      Thanks so much for the lovely comment and feedback 😊 I wish I knew who you were – I’m guessing one of the LAC team if you already knew the theme last week?

  • Anne Sandler

    August 16, 2026 at 15:42 Reply

    Sarah, I love all these and the many more I’ve seen traveling the world through your blog. I’m working on picking out my photos. It’s a hard task. Thanks for Mono Lake and California. I love my state!

  • Sue

    August 16, 2026 at 14:48 Reply

    Totally with you on the impossibility of picking one’s own best images,, Sarah! Loved your image of the rice terraces, a little mysterious in that weather

  • photobyjohnbo

    August 16, 2026 at 13:57 Reply

    Sarah, one can never share a beautiful photo too many times. I’m sure that will be my story line as well. The sunrise over the Himalayas is gorgeous with golden-hour light, but that photo of the terraces of Luzon Island has a moodiness that tells a wonderful story about the scene.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      August 16, 2026 at 14:18 Reply

      Thanks so much John 😊 I suspected that I wouldn’t be the only person tempted to share already-posted shots! I’m glad you liked the light in the Himalayas shot and the moodiness of the rice terraces.

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