It isn't exactly the point of this thread, but I'm currently working to select the photographs for my "favorites of 2005" post at my website. I've been doing these collections for probably a couple of decades now, since they became a thing on the web and social mediate in the early 2000s.
I like the idea of reviewing all of the past year's work at the end of each year. It isn't just about coming up with that list. I enjoy reliving the experiences associated with making the photographs: the places I went, the people I met, the subjects I chased, and more.
(I was pleased to see this thread refer to "favorite" rather than "best" images of the year, since that's really what we're sharing — the work that we feel the strongest about.)
But selecting a small number is hard work! (I'm not sure I could ever get it down to five — I'd have to ask others to make the final selections for me.) For me, the process starts with a fairly large, amorphous group of photographs that I like, selected from the 365 that I shared on my website and social media last year. The first cut isn't too difficult, though in includes way too many images — this years first cut left me with 91 photographs!
I did the second cut this morning, after group the original 91 by subject, location, and so forth and stripping out any that probably would not interest others as much as they interest me, while trying to keep at least one to represent each of the various categories of my work This process eliminated a bit more than 50% of the original group — I'm now down to "only" 44!
I'm aiming for 12-15 in the end. I'm hopeful that the next pass will eliminate 50% of the 44 in this group. Then comes the hardest part — taking out half of the remaining photographs, all of which mean a lot to me.
From quiet wildlife moments to crowded festival energy, from intimate forest trails to familiar night skies over Tahoe—this year was about contrast. Stillness and chaos. Patience and timing. Solitary moments alongside shared ones.
It was also a full-circle year behind the camera. I originally grew up shooting Nikon, later switching to Canon for the autofocus with the R and R5. Midway through the year, I found myself coming back to Nikon—not because the gear was “better,” but because I missed the system and the way it felt to shoot. That transition meant relearning muscle memory, trusting new tools, and adapting my workflow while still chasing moments that felt honest.
Narrowing this down to five was incredibly difficult, but these images stuck because they represent growth, familiarity, and why I keep picking up a camera in the first place.
Canon EOS R5RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM lens500mmf/7.11/1600s500 ISO0.0 EV
Canon EOS R5RF24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM lens24mmf/5.01/2s100 ISO0.0 EV
Canon EOS R5RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM lens500mmf/7.11/1000s3200 ISO+0.3 EV
NIKON Z 8NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S lens200mmf/2.81/200s64 ISO0.0 EV
Canon EOS R5RF14-35mm F4 L IS USM lens14mmf/4.013s10000 ISO0.0 EV
An extremely slow photographic year for me due to intensity at my real job.
These images are shot across a variety of cameras: Sony A7R V, 907x 100C, Fujifilm X100VI, and X2D II.
gdanmitchell wrote:
But selecting a small number is hard work! (I'm not sure I could ever get it down to five — I'd have to ask others to make the final selections for me.)
That’s exactly the point. It’s supposed to be hard and we all had to exclude images we really like. Of course you could get down to five, too, you just don’t want to because it’s hard.
Now that I’m done ranting, I’d love to see your top five from 2025, because I think they’d be really good
fjablo wrote:
That’s exactly the point. It’s supposed to be hard and we all had to exclude images we really like. Of course you could get down to five, too, you just don’t want to because it’s hard.
Now that I’m done ranting, I’d love to see your top five from 2025, because I think they’d be really good
My top five will be among the top 12-16 or so that I share at my website soon. But you’ll have to figure out which five they are. ;-)
(BTW, I’m not averse to doing hard things, so it isn’t quite that simple.)
It is pretty humbling to be a member of such a talented community. Amazing collection of great photos! Thanks to Ross Martin for steering me to this location. Here are a few pictures taken in 2025:
First two – from Crested Butte, third from Prague and last two – from Utah Badlands.
Best New Year wishes to everyone.
jacob
Z 7_2, 24-120mm f/4 S, 35 mm, f/11, 1/320 sec, ISO=800
Z 7_2, 24-120mm f/4 S, 24 mm, f/11, 1/500 sec, ISO=640
Z 7_2, 24-120mm f/4 S, 52 mm, f/11, 2.5 sec, ISO=64
Always so humbling to see the great artists on here. Here's a few of my favorites, many bringing back the memories of family trips this year. I wasn't always so motivated for photography the second half of the year. Happy New Year all!
You guys really got me banned so you could do this thread without me, huh? I'll remember this...
I also did a 365 challenge this year for the first time if you want to see #6-365. In no particular order...
1) Arrival from Kypton, happened to be out and about and ran into this massive cell in May, which is usually when we get our most wicked weather. Zf + CV 35 APO
2) Night Court, a recreation of a shot I took in 2024 with my X100V, but this time shot with an X2D + 55V on a similarly foggy night.
3) Couple of Ol' Timers, a chance scene while filling up with gas one day in the summer, Zf + TTArtisan 75/2
4) Down at the Diner, maybe one of my favorite shots I've ever taken honestly...everything just worked so nicely in the late day light, Zf + TTArtisan 40/2
5) Slice of East Texas, on a hot afternoon in June, shot at 55mph "from the hip" hanging out the driver window after making a u-turn, completely bamboozled by this scene and hoping I got it. I got it.
