Year in Pictures 2025: Personal

When I worked for The Dubois County Herald as a staff photographer, almost 15 years ago, we always had a Year in Pictures Saturday Feature story. Now, if you’re not familiar with The Herald, you probably don’t realize what a gem of a newspaper it used to be, especially for a photojournalist. The paper was a perfect example of community journalism. It ran full-spread photos above the fold and a 3–5-page photo story, called a Saturday Feature, every week.

At the end of every year, the photography staff and interns would choose one photo taken during the year and write a couple of paragraphs about why the photo was significant or a favorite out of all the images created. I genuinely hated the writing side of that assignment, and often turned to my writer friend Scott Saalman for critique and suggestions. But I loved the process of looking through the body of work I created over the year. It allowed me to see what I did well and areas to focus on for improvement the next year.

I haven’t worked for the paper in many, many years, but I still go through my photos at the end of each year, choose my favorites, and try to wax poetic about them.

That brings you to this blog post.

I would be lying to you if I told you 2025 was a great year. It was a very difficult year, and I’m happy to kiss it goodbye. I may have walked (or rolled—IYKYK) through a difficult season, but the photos I took tell a different story: health, happiness, fun adventures and new experiences, lots of love, growth.

So, while this year was heavy, it was also full. These images remind me that even in a hard year, there were moments worth holding onto—moments I might have missed if I wasn’t paying attention. Photography has always helped me slow down, notice the good, and make sense of the messy middle. This collection isn’t about pretending the year was something it wasn’t; it’s about acknowledging that joy, connection, and growth still found their way in. These are the moments I’m carrying forward with me.