Favorite Photo from 2007 - Updated!

Update: I have added the six meme questions and my answers at the bottom of this post. Mari kindly sent me English translations for the Finnish questions. I just love the many ways the Internet makes communication possible!
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Mari from Finland invited me to join a meme and post my favorite photo from 2007 that I have taken myself. Mari posted hers here. She posted three photos because she couldn't decide on only one. In the "comments" section she says:

What about Sara, are you joining us - tell us your favourite picture year 2007 and put it to your blog? "Mother" of this meme is Neulekirppu (you can see her bloglink at my sidebar).

Having visited Mari's blog for a while now, with her help I have learned a few Finnish words, but certainly cannot read the language. However, I do love the look of printed Finnish, with all those double i's and k's and a's with umlauts (dots) over them. That's because I love dots and dashes (I know, I know, I'm weird!). But, to get to the point of all this, I do not know what the six questions in the Finnish meme are asking. It's probably photographer talk; that's my guess anyway.

So, even though I can't answer the questions, I would like to post the favorite photo that I have taken in 2007. And here it is:

Click on photo to enlarge.

Why is this my favorite photo? Because of the way the water drops hold the light, and because of the clarity of the photo and the vivid colors. When I saw this photo in large format by double clicking on it, I was stunned at the beauty of it. (This has nothing to do with any skill on my part, by the way. All I did was see the picture and record it.)

Where was this photo taken? Murietta Hot Springs, California

What camera did I use to take this photo? I used my first-ever digital camera, Canon PowerShot A710IS. I have only had it for a few months and am still learning about everything that this little camera can do. I am constantly amazed at what great photos it takes.

What do I love about digital photography? The fact that you can instantly see the result, and recompose and retake the photo if you don't like it. And that photos can be posted online, stored at places like Snapfish, and put into blogs. I also like the creativity.

I mentioned above how much I love dots and dashes. And that reminds me, here is another favorite photo from 2007 - nature's dots and dashes:

Taken near the Los Angeles Zoo.

And I offer one last favorite photograph:

Taken at the Getty Villa (museum) in Pacific Palisades, California. The theme is light, but this time with glass instead of water drops on roses.

Here's another idea: Why not post an A to Z of your photos for the year? I did this the other day and it was fun to put together. You can see mine here.

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UPDATE: Mari sent me English translations for the 6 meme questions. We are having fun trying to get it right between Finnish and English, so here goes:

1)Which were your main subjects this year? Something special or whatever you saw? Everything I saw fascinated me and I found myself looking at it for just the right angle for a photo. Probably the beauties of nature were the most special to me.

2)Did you join any challenges during year 2007? I joined the Thursday Photo Challenge.

3) What was your favourite photo of 2007? Why - you don´t have to tell if you don´t like to.
You can see my favorite above and read why it is my favorite.

4) What have you learned this year? This year I learned how to use a digital camera, and I've learned that I still love looking for that perfect photo. I had not done any photography for a few years before getting the digital camera.

5) Have you bought any new equipment for your camera and are you satisfied with your purchase? No, but I would like to buy a lense for close up magnification--maybe in 2008.

6) What are you planning to photograph in the year 2008? I do not have specific plans about what to photograph. Whatever I see that is unusual or beautiful or fun or ironic . . .

If you are inspired and would like to join this "favorite photo in 2007" meme, create and publish your post and then leave a comment on Nuelekirppu's blog with your link. Her URL is:
http://neulekirppu.wordpress.com/2007/12/17/mista-vuonna-2007-ottamastasi-kuvasta-pidat-eniten or you can only put main address http://neulekirppu.wordpress.com