Last year I reentered the natural world to regularly take pictures.

I did this in the midst of mental illness. I have been depressed and needed to start to do something that I enjoyed again. Taking pictures was an obvious one. It was an opportunity for me to get into nature, find peace and be calm.

“Calm” is a particular word I use because I always remember someone saying to me that it is the overriding impression they get from my pictures. When I am calm I take the best images and the animals also seem to appreciate it. They will get on with their lives with me close by.

So with all this in mind here are my favorite images of 2016. All were taken in quiet moments. I chose three  – two wildlife and a landscape – and also included a people’s favorite based on feedback from friends.

# 1: Grooming

Black Noddy, Lady Elliot Island, southern Great Barrier Reef. These birds are everywhere on the island. Must be thousands upon thousands of them. My personal challenge was to take a picture of a very common animal and do something different. This is my favorite (close second is here). To me, the angle of the head, the grooming, and curve of the feathers paint the bird in a different light. I also like the softness and colour generated by the She Oak the bird is nesting in. Patience, observation and not rushing paid off.

Nikon D3s, AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/4G ED VR, AF-S Teleconverter TC-17E II, f/6.7, 1/1000 sec, ISO 2200, tripod.

# 2: One among many

Red-necked stint, Kirk Point, Werribee Treatment Plant, Melbourne. Took this the weekend after Trump was elected. Needed some quiet to grieve so headed to Werribee to spend time with the waders that fly in from Siberia every year. Lying in the mud and rain as these guys rested and fed around me was lovely. This image was also my most popular on social media for the year and had over 10,000 views.

Nikon D3s, AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/4G ED VR, AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E II, 1/800sec, ISO 1600, f/5.6, beanbag.

 # 3: Edge of the World

Arthur River, Tarkine Coast, north-west Tasmania. This is my favorite landscape image for the year and taken at a place called the Edge of the World. Given the amount of people I saw on the day I can see why i.e. zero. Taken just after sunset after sitting and watching the waves come in for a couple of hours.

Nikon D600, Nikon 16-35mm f/4 VR at 24mm, tripod. Three one stop bracketed images in HDR merge. Base settings:  f/22, 5 sec, ISO 200)

People’s favorite: A crab’s universe

Rock crab, Lady Elliot Island, southern Great Barrier Reef. This image was completely unplanned. I was sitting calmly waiting to take a sunset landscape when I saw this guy heading for the edge of the rocks. Leaned over and got the camera that I had been using for taking pictures of birds and waiting until the surf came in. Was slightly surprised by how much people liked it but a friend explained why. It is a window into the crab’s universe.

Nikon D3s, AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/4G ED VR, f/4, 1/500 sec, ISO 320, beanbag.