Looking Back: Twenty Images From 2025

January 1, 2026

2025 was quite a year. It came with plenty of highs, followed by some difficult lows.

Our travels took us all over the United States, much of it in familiar places: Death Valley, Yellowstone, Anza-Borrego, and Crested Butte. We also spent time along the California coast, and made a trip to the Florida Keys for an experience that, for me, wasn't about photography at all. I didn't come home with any images from that trip because the camera wasn't the point. The experience was.

That journey was tied to loss. We said goodbye to our cat this year, and the trip became a space for mourning, reflection, and being present. It was needed. And then, as it always does, life continued.

From a creative standpoint, the year was still very productive. As usual, I struggled to keep up with processing my images, something that comes with traveling full-time while also running multiple businesses. So, as tradition seems to dictate, I found myself catching up at the end of the year.

Initially, I decided to process and share one hundred images from 2025. It sounded daunting, but thanks to the Rethink Toolkit, it came together surprisingly quickly. The system allowed me to move efficiently without feeling rushed, and I'm proud to say that every one of those images was completed entirely in Lightroom. No Photoshop. Just a thoughtful, consistent workflow.

Rather than sharing all one hundred at once, I've decided to start with my twenty favorites. Over the coming weeks, I'll be sharing one additional image per day from the full set. All of them will appear on my Photostream, where I will post daily.

If you're not already subscribed, I'd love for you to join me there. This feels less like a release and more like an ongoing conversation, one image at a time. You will receive only one email per week containing all images from that week.

It was one of those mornings in Yellowstone where the cold is so deep it feels like a physical presence. Negative twenty, and...
Halo of Ice
Yellowstone National Park
I came across this stand of 'bobby socks trees,' their lower trunks bleached by the thermal waters they once stood in. They just...
Fading into White
Yellowstone National Park
Profile of Silence
Profile of Silence
Death Valley National Park
You can feel a storm coming in the desert long before it hits. The air gets thick, the temperature plummets, and a strange silence...
Before the Deluge
Death Valley National Park
Everyone knows about 'The Slot' in Anza-Borrego, but I'd heard rumors of other, quieter canyons. It took some searching, but...
Anza's Sinuous Secret
Anza-Boreggo State Park
You find these places by just wandering. This particular canyon in central Utah isn't on most maps, which is exactly why I was...
Hollow Earth
Central Utah
You find the most interesting things when you slow down. I was deep in a narrow canyon in Capitol Reef, and the air was cool...
Stone Strike
Capitol Reef National Park
I was out near Crested Butte in the early morning when this storm just exploded over the mountains. The air grew cold and heavy...
Firestarter
Crested Butte, CO
The air was thick and heavy with the coming storm, and we were completely torn on where to go. Head for the high ground for a...
Gothic Mountain's Promise
Crested Butte, CO
We were exploring high up on Paradise Divide near Crested Butte when we came across these small tarns. The water became a perfect...
A Divided Paradise
Crested Butte, CO
You can feel the storm coming in this one. The air was thick and you could smell the rain on the wind, but the sun found one...
Tempest and Bloom
Crested Butte, CO
Walking through Norris Geyser Basin always feels a bit like stepping onto another planet. The air has that sharp, sulfurous smell...
Geyser Basin Sentinels
Yellowstone National Park
It's funny how the best scenes are often tucked away where no one else is looking. I was driving a well-known wash in Capitol...
Ephemeral Atlas
Capitol Reef National Park
I spend a lot of time on coastlines looking for grand scenes, but sometimes the most compelling landscapes are right at your...
Stone Sierras of Weston Beach
Point Lobos State Park
I almost walked right past this. After a rare rain in Death Valley, I was exploring some back areas and found this tiny scene...
Ephemeral Embrace
Death Valley National Park
It's always a gamble returning to a spot, hoping it will deliver again. We'd found these incredible mud cracks in Death Valley...
Lunar Tides on the Playa
Death Valley National Park
People think of Death Valley as just this harsh, dry place, but if you're there at the right time, it completely transforms....
Ephemeral Shoreline
Death Valley National Park
Badwater's Fleeting Mirror
Badwater's Fleeting Mirror
Death Valley National Park
You never really know what you'll find in Death Valley, especially after a good rain. The Mesquite dunes are usually so dry and...
Desert's Pastel Memory
Death Valley National Park
We'd been planning for the Geminids for a while, and when the rains brought back Lake Manly, I knew we had a rare opportunity...
The Sky Falls Twice
Death Valley National Park

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