A Look Back at 2025
Twenty-seven years ago, I made the decision to move to Alaska. While my photography was serious and I had earned income from photography as a sports and portrait photographer, it was not a career goal. I was a fresh law school graduate with a sense of adventure to seek out what Alaska had to offer. Over time, I came to realize how amazing of an inspiration was, and how important it was for me to move to Alaska to become a full-time photographer.
Fast forward from 1999 to 2026, and Alaska still inspires. While I continue to visit locations I have countless times before, like the Brooks Range in the Arctic of Alaska to "backyard" locations in Chugach State Park in Anchorage or the Turnagain Arm immediately to the south, I keep seeing things that are new. Even with familiar locations, there is always a chance for something new. I learned this in my first photography class at the University of Minnesota, and it is something I continue to embrace today. It requires slowing down and taking a moment to connect with your surroundings, and see. It also requires getting out there, pushing yourself, thinking about how to do things differently.
I have also been fortunate to help David Shaw guide his Discover Botswana photo safari since 2021. In 2025 I joined him as a co-guide for the third time, and I will be returning for a fourth trip in April this year. While we go to the same areas each trip, it is always new as well. The light changes, the wildlife presences change, migrations and rut seasons vary.
Below are my twelve favorite images of the year, but if you would like to see an extended visual journey for my 2025, check out this video.
Wind shapes and packs drifts of snow near Finger Mountain along the Dalton Highway in northern Alaska.
Evening sun lowers on the landscape behind a group of Cape Buffalo in Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana.
Morning sun backlights a Devil's Club plant in early summer in Anchorage.
A spring moose calf peeks out from a cluster of Cow Parsnip in Anchorage.
Of all the many times I have photographed along the Turnagain Arm, this was a special morning. I arose early to photograph sunrise on the summer solstice and found perfectly calm conditions at a second location I visited after sunrise. The light, the calm waters, and abundant Nootka Lupine blooms made for a perfect photo.
This was an amazing wildflower year, with abundant flowers from the coast to the alpine zone. This was one of my favorite alpine wildflower scenes.
While guiding clients, I visited a new location in the Knik River valley overlooking the Knik Glacier. It was an amazing location. Even though it was cloudy and the light was flat, the autumn colors were magical and the scene stunning.
This summer saw a lot of rainfall in northern Alaska, leaving standing puddles to use for foreground to photograph a cabin in Wiseman.
Mud is often a stunning element to include in photos. While walking along the Dietrich River in the Brooks Range, I came upon this repeating pattern caused by river overflow from high rain levels. Sukakpak Mountain stands in the background.
While driving from Fairbanks back to Anchorage, I found a cluster of burned trees in the snow. Using Intentional Camera Movement, I created an image that took advantage of the stark contrast of the black on white.
On the night of Veteran's Day, a massive G4 Geomagnetic Storm slammed into the Earth. Unfortunately, I had a flight to catch that night to Washington, D.C. But I took a few hours before the flight to go out and shoot some scenery with a crazy pink and red aurora borealis.
While in Washington, D.C. for the "Wild Speak" conference of the International League of Conservation Photographers, I explored the area near my hotel for some nighttime photography. I came upon one of the most stunning war memorials, the Word War I Memorial. While it may not be as famous or large as others, it was incredibly powerful.