My Favorite Pictures of 2025
Below are my favorite photographs that I took during 2025. It features pictures from Arkansas, Washington as well as from the Patagonia region of Chile.
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...