Best of 2025

[BlackRockArt]

Hi everyone,

Over the past year, between traveling and leading photography workshops, I’ve been shooting more and more with a drone. A few of these places are familiar, but revisiting them across different seasons revealed fresh and unexpected views.

Thanks for taking a look, I’d love to hear your thoughts, comments, or critiques.


Oliver

#01 Yosemite Fall Moonbow

I have taken pictures of the moonbow a few times, it's a real challenge, the gusty wind would flip over any tripods. This year I was much better prepared.

#02 The Arch

This panorama milkyway was taken at Glacier Point Rd, on that night I was very lucky because the shop is not open yet, there were no lights shinning onto the trees.

#03 The Factory Butte Under The Night Sky

#04 Mono Lake Moonrise

The tufa lined up with the moonrise direction.

#05 McGee Creek Autumn

#06 Storm Cell

Taken from the I-5 road side.

#07 Palace Of Fine Art

Aerial view of the building during the festival season.

#08 Eastern Sierra Autumn

#09 Elm Tree

This is the vision I have had for many years until this February, when a late snow covered the valley.

#10 Moon Valley

Just before the sunrise

#11 The Macy's Holiday Ice Skating Rink

#12 San Francisco City Hall

Gotta give it to San Francisco City who put on such a great light show.

 

[AlanLichty]

Looks like had a great year with all the places you visited. Always hard to pick favorites but #1, #3, and #4 keep my eyes lingering. Very nice work.

 

[Michael13]

A wide variety of town & country images here, and very eye pleasing! I will say #9 for my favorite - the light on the frozen tree really pops against the background shadows!

 

[JimFox]

Very nice year Oliver. You scored some truly amazing photos.

#2, 4 and 9 are my favorites. Though I have to say #11 is super cool and special as well. Your #1 is a great shot, and it's such a difficult shot to take, even if a tripod wasn't needed the mist there makes that image so hard to capture as the lens gets covered with water immediately. I will suggest one change on #1, I would crop it into a 4:5 format and crop out the bottom with the shadow of the bridge in it. It could just be me, but I find the shadow of the bridge distracting and it pulls my eye. Cropping that out, I think the image really pops to a whole new level.

 

[BlackRockArt]

Looks like had a great year with all the places you visited. Always hard to pick favorites but #1, #3, and #4 keep my eyes lingering. Very nice work.

Thanks, Alan, #1 is my most satisfying photo in Yosemite too, everybody knows the location, the time, but the execution is just damn difficult.

Oliver

 

[BlackRockArt]

A wide variety of town & country images here, and very eye pleasing! I will say #9 for my favorite - the light on the frozen tree really pops against the background shadows!

Thanks Michael, I was lucky to have the favorable weather conditions during that week.

Very nice year Oliver. You scored some truly amazing photos.

#2, 4 and 9 are my favorites. Though I have to say #11 is super cool and special as well. Your #1 is a great shot, and it's such a difficult shot to take, even if a tripod wasn't needed the mist there makes that image so hard to capture as the lens gets covered with water immediately. I will suggest one change on #1, I would crop it into a 4:5 format and crop out the bottom with the shadow of the bridge in it. It could just be me, but I find the shadow of the bridge distracting and it pulls my eye. Cropping that out, I think the image really pops to a whole new level.

Thank you so much, Jim, you are right.

I once thought of cropping it but decided to keep it. you are quite right about the bridge shadows, I cloned out the bridge shadows.

This is the updated version.

Oliver

 

[Roger Bailey]

Oliver, Love the Variety of photo's here. All are very interesting, and many familiar places having come from the bay area. Nice rendering of great locations!

 

[Kyle Jones]

Nice variety of photos - I love #9 with the frozen frost on the tree. That one really stands out for me. I like the aerial view of the Palace of Fine Arts in #7 as weel - neat to see the bridge behind it.

I'm always a sucker for moonbow photos at Lower Yosemite. I like that you got close to the water and there is plenty of flow in that one. That event gets crowded enough these days that it is tough to avoid having people (and lights) in the frame.

 

[Jameel Hyder]

Quite a variety of subjects from landscape to MW to city shots. Hard to chose favorites here.