It’s once again time for my annual look at the last twelve months. I’ve been doing these articles for over a decade, and while I personally see the new year as a bit of an arbitrary date on a calendar it still helps to put these images together into a post to catalog what I’ve been up to. A year is a long time, and it is also a short time. It can be hard to fathom that the months flew by, but looking at the images slows my brain down and helps me grab onto specific memories. As photographers we often want more: more travel, more time behind the camera, more beautiful sunrises and sunsets. It can also be easy to compare ourselves to others in a world of social media but that’s never really a fair benchmark in a creative field. In a way, these posts help show my progress - and how I want to grow - from one year to the next. It’s a bit of a year to year comparison of myself through time.
“Chair Mountain Moonrise” - The moon rises over Chair Mountain, with the valley of autumn aspen below glowing in twilight. Gunnison National Forest, Colorado - October 2025. E100 4×5, 125mm lens, 40 seconds at f22, 812 and 1 stop soft GND filter. 2nd short exposure on same sheet of film for the moon.
As I put these images together I realized it has actually been quite a year! I had almost forgotten about my week of great light in Death Valley back in January, and of course just a month later I had a very memorable trip to New Zealand. I could have easily filled this post with only images from that trip, but since there’s already a detailed article about my experience there I made an effort to (mostly) pull my images from elsewhere. I also had my photographically best trip to the Wind River Range later on in the summer, as well as a good time shooting fall color in Colorado.
“Brewster Lakes” - Late evening light over glacial lakes with mountain fog. New Zealand - February 2025. Ektar 100 4x5, 75mm lens, 1/4 second at f32, no filters.
It was also a year of change for me. After 18 years of living in Greeley, Colorado I moved to Denver. The move happened in the summer which added to the chaos of the busy season, but it’s been great to be closer to friends and to live with a partner that I love. While my access to photograph the prairie is a little more challenging in the big city, it’s been wonderful to have more of a social life and also explore some of the mountains that are closer now. After a few months I’m now fully settled in and should be able to have a more normal year for backpacking next summer.
“Prairie Grass Barn” - A barn and tall grasses catch the last light of the day. Western Montana - May 2025. Portra 160 4×5, 200mm lens, ¼ second at f22, no filters.
I also want to thank all of you for reading these blog posts, purchasing my ebooks and prints, and using my scanning service. I really couldn’t live this life and take these photos without your continued support! Now it’s time to share my personal favorite images from 2025, in no particular order. As always, all of these images are available as prints so reach out if you’re interested. Please leave a comment if any stand out to you, I really appreciate the feedback on the types of images that resonate with viewers. Thanks again and have a great 2026!
“Salt Flat Sunset” - Vibrant sunset light reflects off the salty white surface of Badwater Basin. Death Valley National Park, California - January 2025. Ektar 100 4×5, 90mm lens, 4 seconds at f32, 1 stop soft GND filter.
“River of Lilies” - Corn Lilies and yellow flowers fill the mountain meadows in the spring. Gunnison National Forest, Colorado - June 2025. Velvia 50 4×5, 125mm lens, 2 seconds at f32, no filters.
“Frosty Dawn” - Morning light through fog and frost, a lone cottonwood creates beams of light. Weld County, Colorado - January 2025. E100 4×5, 200mm lens, 1/2 second at f32, no filters.
“Barn, Moon, Wheat” - First light on a spring-green wheat field and a large barn. Western Montana - May 2025. Portra 160 4×5, 125mm lens, 1 second at f32, 1 stop soft GND filter.
“Sisters Sunrise” - Sunrise on The Sisters through layers of fog. McKenzie Pass, Oregon - June 2025. E100 4×5, 200mm lens, 2 seconds at f32, 1 stop soft GND and 812 filters.
“Fall Creek Falls” - A powerful waterfall flows through a lush green canyon. Washington - June 2025. E100 4×5, 90mm lens, 1 second at f22, polarizing filter.
“Courthouse Sunset” - Sunset over The Courthouse from a high viewpoint with golden autumn aspen in the foreground. San Juan Mountains, Colorado - October 2025. Ektar 100 4x5, 90mm lens, 1/4 second at f22, no filters. Prints available here.
“Windmill Snow” - A windmill at sunset on the snow-covered prairie. Weld County, Colorado - January 2025. E100 4x5, 200mm lens, 1/2 second at f32, 812 filter.
“Mount Cook Dawn” - Morning light on glacier-covered mountains, with Mount Cook rising out of a sea of fog. New Zealand - February 2025. E100 4x5, 200mm lens, 1/4 second at f32, 812 filter. Prints available here.
“Stone Pillar Storm” - Deep red sunset color illuminates a stone pillar on top of a mountain while a passing storm glows in the sky. Lost Creek Wilderness, Colorado - August 2025. Ektar 100 4x5, 75mm lens, 1/2 second at f22, no filters.
“Rudyard Barn” - A barn at sunset in a field of green wheat. Northern Montana - May 2025. Portra 160 4x5, 200mm lens, 10 seconds at f32, 2 stop soft GND filter.
“Mesquite Winds” - Winds blow a stream of sand off the top of a dune in late afternoon light. Death Valley National Park, California - January 2025. E100 4x5, 125mm lens, 1/8th second at f32, 812 filter.
“Pronghorn Glow” - Pronghorn Peak glows in morning twilight. Wind River Range, Wyoming - August 2025. Ektar 100 4x5, 75mm lens, 20 seconds at f22, 1 stop soft GND filter.
“Bighorn Lupine Sunrise” - Sunrise over a vast hillside of lupine. Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming - June 2025. Ektar 100 4x5, 75mm lens, 1/4 second at f16, 2 stop soft GND filter.