Top Nine, 2025
Selecting my favorite nine images from the past year has become a tradition for me. It’s something I look forward to—not just as an exercise in editing, but as a reminder that no matter how complicated or busy life becomes, I still managed to make time for photography that genuinely made me happy. Reducing a year’s worth of work down to nine images is never easy, but the process always reveals patterns.
As I started building my short list for 2025, one thing became immediately clear: I had fewer images in serious contention than in some previous years. But unlike other moments when that realization might have felt discouraging, this time it didn’t. The images I did have, I was genuinely proud of. Much like last year, I was intentional with the time I had available and focused on making the most of it. The result was a smaller, more refined set of photographs that feel deliberate.
Another theme that stood out this year was a shift toward a calmer, more serene visual style. I’ve found myself increasingly comfortable zooming out, placing animals more thoughtfully within their environment, and allowing negative space to play a larger role in the frame. When I do crop tightly, it’s with more selectivity and purpose, often in pursuit of simpler, more minimal compositions. That shift has carried through to my editing as well. I’ve been gravitating toward more muted tones and resisting the pull of high contrast or saturated color.
Alongside that change, I literally broadened my horizons this year, rediscovering a real enjoyment of landscape photography. Our summer trip to Skye was a major catalyst. Even when wildlife wasn’t the primary subject, the experience informed how I approach scenes back home, reinforcing the idea that context can be just as powerful as action. I’d like to expand my wildlife photography with more environmental images, so it all relates.
In terms of wildlife specifically, I’ve been thinking a lot about variety. I’m not dismissive of so-called “bird on stick” images—some of my favorite photographs over the years fall squarely into that category—but capturing birds in flight is usually a greater technical and creative challenge, so I’ve been intentionally pushing myself in that direction. The goal isn’t to replace one with the other, but to expand the range of images I’m capable of making.
Another significant influence on my photography this year has been video. In 2025, video projects became a major creative driver, shaping not just how often I went into the field, but where I went and what I paid attention to. Working on videos about sharks, tide pools, and my native garden led to multiple trips to the Farallon Islands and Duxbury Reef, as well as a much closer study of my own backyard. Many of the still images I’m most fond of this year came directly from those projects; moments discovered while thinking in sequences rather than single frames.
One of the more humbling realizations that comes with reflection is how easy it is to overvalue effort. Long drives, early starts, late nights, and hours of waiting can make an image feel more “earned,” and therefore more important. But effort and outcome aren’t always aligned. Some of the hardest-won images aren’t necessarily the strongest, while a photograph made opportunistically by stepping outside and noticing a bee in the garden, can be stronger. This year reinforced for me that subjectivity matters more than struggle, and that good images don’t keep score of how difficult they were to make.
Looking back on 2025 through these nine photographs, I see intention, restraint, and a gradual evolution rather than a dramatic shift. That feels right. I’m excited to keep building on this foundation, to keep refining how I see, and to stay open to where curiosity leads next. I can’t wait to keep going in 2026.
