The YEAR IN REVIEW
2025 turned out to be a good year for my photography. I started the year living and working near the south rim of the Grand Canyon. I then took a several week trip to Bali, then to New Zealand on a working holiday visa. I finished the year working in the rainforest of Franz Josef on New Zealand’s south island. I didn’t purchase any new gear this year, rather focused on new locations and experiences. In this article I will feature and discuss my best/ favorite images from 2025.
Image #1: Northern Arizona
In Northern Arizona the weather was usually always sunny and clear. Not the best for landscape images when there is a cloudless sky. But when clouds were out the sunsets could be stunning, producing all sorts of vibrant colors. This image was easy. I scouted the location a few weeks prior. When the cloud cover was right, I drove to this locations. Dodging pot holes and corrugation, I made it just in time to capture this stunning sunset.
Image #2: Northern Arizona
This image was taken within a half mile of the previous image. It took about 45 minutes driving along a dirt road to reach this spot. I like the simplicity of the image. I carefully lined up the tree with the mountain in the background to get a composition I was happy with. It was a slightly windy day and I took a several minute exposure, so if you notice the laves in the tree are not 100% sharp.
Image #3: Northern Arizona
This is my favorite image from my time in Arizona. I hiked off trail up a butte for sunset to capture this image. In the 90’F heat the hike was brutal. I like the atmosphere, light and composition. Hiking to the top I was rewarded with 360’ views of the surrounding desert. Image opportunities were everywhere. I chose to put the rock in the center of the foreground. Doing this split the foreground light in half, with the left being in shadow and the right illuminated by the sun.
Image #4: Northern Arizona
Sometimes you get lucky and an image will appear out of nowhere. This was the case with this image. Its taken from the same location as the previous image except I am looking to the east. I hiked up the butte again to recapture the previous image, because I liked the composition so much, but there were no clouds. Without clouds the image I was originally going for wouldn’t work. So I put on my 70-200mm lens and started to pick out details in the far off landscape. Just before all the light faded from the hills and mountains, the full moon appeared. It was in the perfect location between the mountains and I didn’t even have to move my tripod from the other shot I was planning to take for sunset.
It goes to show that you never know what will happen when out taking images. Sometimes the light and subjects will surprise you.
This video documents how I have taken the above image
Image #5: Petrified Forest, Arizona
This image was taken in April, just before the summer heat set in. I was on a solo backcountry camping trip with the intention to shoot some images. I avoided using trails for most of the hike, following a wash for a few miles until I came across this location. After several hours of hiking I set up camp, then scouted for a photograph. This image was a 2 minute 47 second exposure during blue hour. I think the composition could have been a bit stronger, but I do like the calm blue hour light and the pink hills of the painted desert.
Backpacking Petrified Forest NAtional Park
Image #6: Bali
I was able to capture this image on my friends fathers boat near Lovina Beach. We were out looking for dolphins at sunrise. The light was stunning, and there were many of these boats out early along side us. I used my 70-200mm lens to capture this image. There are many things I like about this shot. First would be the simplicity. I love minimalism, there were a lot of boats and isolating one was quite the challenge. The light is peaceful, and balanced as the sun was 90’ to my right. The style of boat helps speak to the region, but the defining detail is the Indonesian flag on top.
Image #7: Bali
This image was taken after a Ngiring ceremony. I enjoy street photography, especially in another country. You never know what to expect, and you there is very little planning, just reacting to the scenes and light around you in the moment. The women, with their offerings are taking cover from the rain that held off until the very end of the ceremony. I was taking cover on the opposite side of the street attempting to stay dry as everyone left the temple. This image appeared suddenly, the man was isolated, framed perfectly by the buildings. The rain adds a bit of atmosphere to the image as well. Taken with a 50mm prime lens.
Image #8: New Zealand
In late August I arrived in Christchurch, bought a car and immediately hit the road to explore the landscapes of New Zealand. This image was taken north of Westport, the most north you can drive on the West Coast. I then hiked about 2 hours to this beach and was treated to an amazing sunset. There were compositions everywhere and the light was just right. I used a long exposure to capture the water flowing around the rock. I had to time the water just right as the tide would come in and out surrounding the rock. This is my favorite image of 2025.
Image #9: New Zealand
The West Coast of New Zealand gets a lot of rain. I was living in Franz Josef when I took this image. The weather was just right, and the light was good. I used this kettle pool to carefully frame the mountains. I used a long exposure to smooth out the water making for a perfectly clear reflection. It was only a short hike from the carpark.
Image #10: New Zealand
Kea are mountain parrots that are endemic to New Zealand. They are very intelligent and curious birds. I was out shooting landscapes when I was visited by a pair of Kea. They kept trying to get in my bag and steal what they could, as kea do (see below picture). As I chased them from my bag, they would land I and used my 70-200mm lens to try and photograph them. This game of cat and mouse went on for several minutes before they became bored and flew off.
