My Favorite Pictures of 2025
Back in May and June, I would make the long journey to Argentina and Chile. They say it isn't an adventure until something goes wrong. There was plenty that went wrong. Missed flights due to delays, rental cars with broken axels and flat tires, as well as bad weather. However, the scenery is among the best in the world. That is when you can see the mountains. Low ceilings and nearly constant rain in the Chilean Fjords can make seeing the top of the mountains sometimes difficult. However, in the brief intervals of dry weather between showers, you could catch a glimpse of the mountains tops. The fjords in Chile are among some of the wettest places in the world. With the copious rain that falls, you also have spectacular temperate rain forests.
Some of these trees have an almost big bonzai appearance to them. In between showers, when the ceiling lifted enough, it was time to fly the drone to get a different perspective.
This is a glacial freshwater river flowing into the ocean. The fresh water from melting ice flows over denser saltwater. This creates distinct colorful layers with little mixing. The most productive day was at Torres del Paine National Park in Chile. Although there was a lot of wind, there was a nice break in the rain and mountain snow for a change. I was able to get colorful views of iconic and jagged peaks of the Cuernos del Paine.
One of my favorite moments of the year was while I was shooting light beams and lenticular clouds over the Cuenos del Paine. A gust of wind would also produce a "gustnado" over Lago Pehoe (above). Another great moment (below) was when a guanaco looked up at me with the same mountain backdrop.
In July, I would do a backpacking trip in North Cascades National Park in Washington. It is an over 4,000 foot gain from the trailhead to Sahale Glacier Camp. This was the most elevation gain I have ever done while carrying overnight gear. Along the way, I had seen numerous mountain goats. Probably more mountain goats than I had seen on any hike before.
It was quite a physical challenge, but the rewards are great to see mile after mile and ridge after ridge of the Cascade Range.
This was the tent I camped in. Spending the night above treeline next to boulder fields and permanent snow fields is also quite a treat! I would make another trip to Washington in October. The majority of trees in Washington are evergreens. However, you will also find some fall color, especially in the understory along the Wenatchee River near the town of Leavenworth.
Here are some forest scenes from the Wenatchee National Forest in Central Washington.
Below is a more abstract version of a "motion blur" scene from the same forest floor.
It was a better than average year for fall photography in Arkansas. Here a couple scenes along the Buffalo River near Steel Creek Campground.
Here a couple of scenes from the Upper Buffalo Wilderness in Newton County.
A view of the Ouachita National Forest from Flatside Pinnacle:
Now some drone photos:
Above is an aerial image of Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville. Below is from Harris Brake Lake in Central Arkansas.
Forked Mountain is one of my favorite mountains in Arkansas. On to 2026... A second visit to New Zealand
Back in August and September, I made a second trip to the South Island of New Zealand. This time I would visit in their winter in the Southern Hemisphere. I met up once again with James Kay for his final tour of New Zealand. I would fly into the resort town of Queenstown. Above the town is the mountain range appropriately named "The Remarkables".
It would then be on to the dramatic scenery at Milford Sound. It is home to some of the largest fjords and waterfalls in the world. At an average of 268 inches of rain each year, it is also one of the wettest places in the world. It rains roughly half of the year here and it has rained heavily for both of my visits here.
With the abundant rainfall, it also has plenty of rivers with temperature rain forests containing lush vegetation.
Thankfully, it will clear up the following morning for a fabulous helicopter ride above Fjordlands National Park. Below is Sutherland Falls and Mount Tutuko.
It was a perfect flight with a nice mix of blue sky, sun and snow!
I would also visit Wanaka and the world famous Wanaka. Last time I caught a colorful rainbow over Lake Wanaka so I thought I would try a black and white scene for something a little different.
Tasman Lake (below) can look interesting in both color or black and white.
Tasman Lake is located next to the highest mountain in New Zealand (Mount Cook, also known as its native name of Mount Aoraki). Mount Cook/Aoraki was cloaked in clouds for much my stay there but it made a brief but spectacular appearance.
The Swamps of Caddo Lake Texas
Back in November, I made the drive to Caddo Lake. This lake, located along the Texas/Louisiana border, is only about an hour south of Texarkana. It was once a completely natural lake, that was enlarged by a dam. It has a unique feel and has become a photo hot spot in recent years. I joined up with Mike Mez for guided boat tours of this lake filled with cypress trees. Early to mid November is one of the best times to visit Caddo Lake. At this time of the year, it is the peak of the fall color and also the chilly mornings tend to form fog over the lakes at sunrise.
One morning we were treated with dense fog. The dense fog makes for scenes that can also make for great photos in black and white.
One evening, we were treated with a clear sky and a full moon rising in the eastern sky.
Caddo Lake is a treasure trove of great scenes, especially in the right conditions.
Comet Atlas over Mid-Missouri
On Monday night, I spent the night in the central part of Missouri. This is a picture of the Comet Atlas seen from a bluff above the Osage River, south of Jefferson City. What makes this comet unique are a couple of things. One it was located not far above the horizon and you could see it with some daylight still on the western horizon. Also, it is comet that comes around only 80,000 years. This is the 4th comet I have seen in my lifetime (Haley's, Hale-Bopp and Neowise are the others). This year, I have seen an eclipse, northern lights and now a comet! Northern Lights Seen Over Arkansas
The Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) made an appearance to much of the United States last night. I saw reports in Florida, Texas and even The Bahamas. I had seen northern lights in Alaska before an it is a cool experience but my expectations were pretty low if it was worth photographing, especially inside areas of light pollution were I live. However, it was bright enough at least for a few minutes to overcome some of the light pollution. This was shortly after 9pm last night from my backyard in Rogers, Arkansas. Thankfully, there is a field with no development to the north of my backyard so I was able to even see with the naked eye for a few minutes.
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