Last year, I published an article highlighting what I thought were my best photos of 2024.  I decided to do it again this year, and it was MUCH harder this time around.  I took so many more photos during 2025 that it was very difficult making choices in most of the categories.

STREET

You don’t really get much better than Paris for street photography – which is where both of these first two photos were taken.

Canon R6 Mark II, Voigtlander 50mm f1.0 @f1.4

CanonR5 Mark II, RF 15-35 f2.8@ f5.6

Rounding out the set is one taken on streets of NYC – another top location for street photography.

Fujifilm X100VI @f2

LANDSCAPE

This year I really leaned into long exposure photography.  All three of these landscape photos are long exposure shots:

Canon R5 Mark II, RF15-35 f2.8 @f16

Canon R5 Mark II, RF 24-70 f2.8 @F18

Canon R6 Mark II, Voigtlander 50mm f1.0 @f16

BLACK & WHITE

I’m starting to really appreciate black and white photography, and got some nice b&w shots this year:

Canon R5 Mark II, RF 15-35 f2.8 @f3.5

Fujifilm X100VI @f2 (Acros Film Simulation)

Fujifilm X100VI @f2 (Acros Film Simulation)

PET

2025 was the year of AI.  And I practiced with incorporating it into my photography where it made sense.  The first photo of my Rottweiler Athena was taken by me, but I replaced the background with an elegant living room generated with an early version of Adobe Firefly:

Fujifilm X100VI @f2

This next fall photo of Thor and Athena was also taken by me against a burning bush, but using AI I combine two different photos of the dogs into one and expanded the leaves on the ground and the burning bush by using Google’s Nano Banana once it was integrated into Photoshop and available.

Canon R5 Mark II, RF 24-70 f2.8 @f2.8

No AI needed in this final photo – just a nice one of them playing in the snow:

Canon R5 Mark II, RF 70-200 f2.8 @f2.8

PRODUCT

Product shots are another great area where AI can be incorporated.  The camera, watch, key, book, and glasses are all from the original photo I took.  Adobe Firefly just changed the background.

Canon R5 Mark II, RF 24-70 f2.8 @f8

I used to do a lot of macro photography so this image has a special place in my heart.

Canon R6 Mark II, Laowa 100mm Macro f2.8 @f2.8

AUTOMOTIVE

Canon R6 Mark II, Voitlander 50mm f1.0 @f1.6

Canon R5 Mark II, EF 100-400mm, 400mm @f5.6

FILM

Hopefully I can take my Canon A-1 one out more next year – I had big fun with it this year.

Canon A-1, FD 35mm Concave

Canon A-1, FD 35mm Concave

Canon A-1, FD 35mm Concave

IPHONE

iPhone 16 Pro, 24mm @f1.8

Canon iPhone 16 Pro, Adobe Indigo Project, 24mm @f1.8

Photographically speaking, 2025 was easily my best year ever.  With all the traveling I did this year, it will be tough to top the sheer variety of locations I’ll be able to photograph in 2026.  Without question, my craft elevated across the board in 2025 – I forced myself into photographic situations which were new or different for me which really helped me grow.

I’m not anticipating any big trips next year at this point.  I’ve been wrestling with where I might want to vacation and so far haven’t been able to decide on anything.  I’m leaning toward maybe a couple of longer weekend getaways in 2026 with perhaps a trip to Italy or Japan in 2027.  Outside of that, I really want to do more portrait work in 2026 – I might even get a newer strobe and modifier suitable for outdoor portraits.  I look forward to continuing to push boundaries and growing my photography.