Best 5 of ‘25
2025 was a year of transition for me. After 20 years of living in Portland, our family moved across the Columbia River to Washougal, Washington. Much of my energy this past year was spent on that, but I still managed to lead a dozen classes for Road Scholar and shoot a mess of images. In our new home, I’ve taken up mentoring the local high school yearbook and newspaper photographers which brought me to a lot of sporting events. In my last post I shared some of my experiences reconnecting with football. Thanks to the snappy pace of sports shooting, I racked up over 30,000 keepers in 2025. That’s over twice as many images as the past several years, so the tempo has ramped up considerably. As anyone who engages in creative efforts could tell you, the more you do - the more you do it better. I feel like my photography has become more thoughtful and satisfying. I’m headed into this new year with renewed energy and I’m excited to see what I can accomplish in 2026.
That said, here is my favorite five images from 2025. Enjoy!
One of the best things about our new home is the incredible view we have of the Columbia River and Mount Hood. We’ve enjoyed so many dazzling sunrises and sunsets from our perch atop Lookout Ridge. This shot was made from my drone hovering above our house during an especially colorful sunrise.
I had the absolute pleasure of photographing several shows by two local bands I adore. The wonderful members of Tigers on Opium and Hippie Death Cult have been so appreciative of my work and I enjoy great access to them on stage. Here is Eddie from HDC as he completely shreds during a show last summer. I love the challenge of capturing these awesome artists at work.
I had the chance to photograph a couple of Crossfit competitions this past year, and the sheer emotion of these athletes pushing themselves to the edge is a thrill to see. This is Alex, who aside from lifting way more than I could ever lift, is a wonderfully-sweet guy. It was his first big competition and he did very well.
Perhaps the best time I had all year was a weekend backpacking adventure with my daughter, Claire. After the madness of the move and months of feeling like I was caught up in whirlwind, a quiet couple of days walking in the woods with her was all I needed to get my head back on straight.
Covering the Camas High School football team was so much fun. Being around young men doing their absolute best is inspiring.
OK, so I snuck in an extra shot. Shooting the Camas High Homecoming dance along with some student photographers was a lot of fun. The energy of a bunch of kids living their best lives is compelling stuff, and I think this shot captures the chaos of the teenage years.
