A look back at my top five photos from 2025, the stories behind them and why are they my favourite.

 It really does go without saying that 2025 has been a rather interesting year. I look back at 2024 and whilst 2024 was a good year for landscape photography, 2025 has been a little more complex, challenging in some ways, but the weather of 2025 - well that has also been strange, an incredibly warm spring, followed by an incredibly warm summer followed of course by the arrival of autumn, and autumn to begin with, well that was rather warm - still though that could be down to that little element of something called "Global Warming." But in terms of photography this year, well it has been a year that I have managed to capture some really quite interesting photos, and of course selecting my top five, well that has been a challenge. That being said though these top five photos, well they have a certain story to them as to why they have made it onto this top five photos from 2025. 

"Art in the Sky from 400ft." - Now the photo on the left was actually taken in June of 2025, and yes whilst June (and of course Summer of 2025 was incredibly warm) June itself did throw up some surprises and one of those surprises of course was one particular afternoon in which I noticed outside that the clouds were beginning to change, darker skies to the east, and out of the window I could see a rainbow, or the elements of a rainbow. 

Now yes, I have attempted to take photos of rainbows before, but they always end up being a bit "meh!" To, say the least - but this time around I decided to very quickly grab the drone aka "the flying tripod with a camera attached to it" and send that into the air, I turned the drone towards the east and I could see right ahead of me a truly glorious Rainbow in the distance, Coronation Park down below and of course to the right, Winston the infamous Wind Turbine in The Erewash Valley and the glorious rainbow ahead of me, when I launched the drone, I had only x2 bars of battery, just enough time to capture some photos and then bring the drone down, but something told me that I needed to put the camera into Wide Angle Panorama Mode and capture the entire rainbow, I did and this was the end result, something truly amazing that I doubt I shall be seeing for a while. Yes I did get some other photos of the Rainbow, but to me this is one of my favourite photos from 2025, and it is not that hard to see why. But it also goes to show "that you really should have your camera at the ready for any eventuality, no matter what camera you have, then you can capture that one incredible moment in time."

But of course I have to fast forward from there to November of 2025, and well November has been a month in previous years that I have always had the following thought about,

"As soon as October has gone, that is it, Autumn as a season is over and immediately Winter arrives. For November is the month in which colours fade away and the dull bland elements of Winter seemingly arrive."

But even that is wrong and I have learnt that this year. Yes the month of November is a month of transition, it is a month that can "still very much hold the elements of Autumn Colours within it" and it is still a month of Autumn, well the first few weeks are, and it was at the beginning of November 2025 that I was at Shipley Country Park, over in Derbyshire, an area of Parkland that I have visited over the many years that I have been alive, and it is a parkland that is located between Ilkeston, Heanor and Smalley, and would look like a roughly triangular shape parkland if you were to sketch it out in a rough manner as well. Now throughout the years I have loved capturing the seasons at Shipley Country Park, especially in the Autumn, but one Saturday in November of 2025 and there was something magical, for the conditions were perfect and a walk was on the cards. 

"A moment of Autumn Gold." The walk this Saturday afternoon of course just so happened to be at one of my favourite places within Shipley Country Park, and that is an area called Horsepool Hill (if anyone knows the naming convention behind that, then do let me know.) And having had a lovely and delightful lunch at the fantastic Barefeet Lodge Tearooms, it was then time to start the walk, all around me I could see things had changed, and I had also noticed,

"That the colours this time around seemed a little bit more slightly sporadic, yes there were colours of Autumn, but a few weeks before hand that I had visited, there was a lot more Autumn Foliage."

This time around though, that Autumn foliage was as I said above, seemingly gone into a more sporadic stage, there was colour, but there was also signals of Winter waiting patiently in the metaphorical wings, and amongst the Autumnal colours, bare, dull trees without life, without leaves could also be seen, in the back of the mind though, part of it was thinking - at least the spring will bring with it a welcome return of colour. But as I was walking along the footpath through the woodland at Horsepool Hill, I had arrived at a corner, in front of me a glorious light shone through the canopy and it was just something else to behold, magical, fleeting golden light and wow! I was literally astounded, I got the camera out and captured the photo that you can see here, which is aptly named "A moment of Autumn Gold." for obvious reasons, for it was just something else to behold and it was nature creating a work of art in front of me. But as I look back on Autumn of 2025, it was just something else to behold quite literally. 

Now though I travel slightly back in time to Spring of 2025 and something that came about after watching a Photography Video, on the channel of Craig Yates, a superb landscape photographer from the Nottinghamshire area, and it was one that involved an Iron Giant, plus a sunrise and the third favourite photo of mine from 2025 has to be the following, 

"That light, a Purple, and Pink Hue, the valley Shines Below." Now me I am really more of a "Sunset over a Sunrise Photographer." And that goes without saying, but there are exceptions and it was towards the end of February 2025, that I had sent a message to Craig Yates, a fellow landscape photographer from the Nottinghamshire, the following message, or something at least along the following lines, 

"Bennerley Viaduct and a Sunrise would be something interesting to capture."

And well the reply to that was a sure yes it would be, but we need the conditions to be right. And sure enough one early March Morning, the sound of the alarm went off, silly o clock had arrived and it was time to venture out, for in the distance I could see a rather dark kind of sky, but thankfully it had a streak, an element of colour within it, a deep orange/red glow and it was rather promising to see, but was it going to turn into anything? For that was the question. After a short drive I had arrived at the location where Craig was waiting, and then it was time to head down through the Erewash Valley, and onto the top of the Iron Giant, otherwise known as The Bennerley Viaduct, one of only a few remaining Iron Built and Constructed Viaducts still within the UK that can be visited, at one time a railway used to run over the top of it, now though it has people, pedestrians and visitors, although at silly o clock, that really was not the case, instead a glorious silence could be heard, the odd break in that silence a freight or passenger train passing by, and as we were walking to the viaduct, emerging light could be seen. Once on top of the viaduct, my jaw dropped, and the light was just magical. 

Me though I wanted to capture the sunset using the drone, Craig, he was busy vlogging for his channel, and also getting some footage and photographs, and well I just had to send the drone into the air, and that is what I did, I turned the drone slightly and in a due south direction towards Ilkeston, this is what I could see, a truly glorious sunrise and a truly glorious and beautiful work of art being created right in front of me, for it was ethereal to witness and was magical. Now how many others saw this sunrise, probably not that many, and if you want to see the vlog that Craig did, it can be found here, 

But after that Sunrise photo shoot, even I was kind of converted to the beauty that early mornings can hold, the works of art that nature can also produce and the stillness and magic of being with nature and the surroundings of beauty without other people to spoil it, and that was just something else to behold, for I think that everyone needs to experience and photograph a sunrise at least some point in their lives, and to me at least it was nothing short of beauty, the beauty of being at one with nature. But also do give Craig's channel a Subscribe!

Now of course I head back to Autumn, but this time around October of 2025, and I look back at Autumn of 2025 and think the following, 

"Autumn of 2025 really was something else to behold, for it really was an Autumn of vast theatrical colour and beauty, nature really was putting on a bit of a show in terms of arts, and those arts made the landscape look like a painting, even the colours of Autumn 2025 they seemed to stand out a lot more, and yet all of that colour after what had been an incredibly warm Spring and Summer. Nature eh? It never ceases to amaze and surprise us all."

"Along The Autumn Pathway." To the right is a photo that I just love - and it was taken one October afternoon whilst on a walk along the footpath that runs alongside Moorgreen Reservoir (heading in the direction of Felley Mill/Felley). For this is of course a footpath that throughout the years I have always loved walking along and that throughout each season constantly changes, in the Spring and Summer it is full of foliage, greenery and of course colour, come the Autumn the greenery and foliage begin to change and of course Autumn colours begin to get painted and that is what I had managed to capture just here, that change from the summer greenery giving way to the Autumn Elements and that was just spectacular to see, for no matter what the woodlands at the side of Moorgreen Reservoir that lead to Felley and the woodlands of Felley, well me I think they are akin to a truly magical and magnificent Art Gallery of living works of art, those living works of art being the nature, the soundtrack of nature that plays in the background as you walk along and the various shapes, textures, colours and layers of foliage, and of course the sculpture of the trees that can be found, and that is what makes this stretch of pathway so magical and magnificent to capture throughout the year, but in the Autumn well that is when things truly excel and shine through. 

"Floating Above The Christmas Lights Of Suburbia." December 2025, Winter and well Winter of 2025 so far has been an interesting one, mild to some extent, and also cold at times, but a lack of Snowfall as well. But it was earlier in December that I had visited an ordinary looking part of Suburbia, that ordinary looking part of Suburbia being, 

"Giltbrook, and a seemingly ordinary looking street called Brackenfield Drive."

Which throughout the rest of the year you would just think looks like any ordinary street and it does, yet in December that changes and what happens? Well it completely changes as the whole street lights up and is transformed into a festive Christmas Wonderland with LED Christmas Lights creating a magical glow, and with a bit of careful flying with the metaphorical flying tripod with a camera attached to it, I had managed to capture this photo showing a unique view and perspective of the Christmas Lights on Brackenfield Drive in Giltbrook which was something else to behold. 

For they are my five top photos from 2025 and the stories behind them, and well 2025 what an interesting and curious year you have been for photography, from glorious sunrises, sunsets and scenes of colour and beauty, I just wonder if 2026 will be even more spectacular? I for one certainly hope so, but looking back at things, at 2025 it has also been a year of many surprises in which you have just moments to capture scenes that are in front of you, and that is one of the best things about photography, the documentation process involved within it and the stories that it can tell. 

"Floating Above A Nuthall Kind Of Christmas." To the right is another photo, a bonus photo and one that has made it to this list, and it is a photo that I captured with a window of opportunity, for I had been out one Weekend afternoon and the rain and wind well that was certainly not going to be the ideal conditions for sending the metaphorical tripod with the camera attached to it into the sky, but at the same time I was hoping for a break in the weather to happen, even if it was for just a few minutes, and thankfully that did happen, thankfully as well I was also in the vicinity of the fantastic Nuthall Christmas Lights, which this year is the last time that they will be on display. However though the break in the weather meant that I was able to capture this photo that you can see of the fantastic Nuthall Christmas Lights from above, and Nuthall Christmas Lights, is again another location that from the ground I have captured, but from above, well that was just something else to behold and see, even if I did have just a small break in the weather to capture this stunning perspective and view of Nuthall Christmas Lights. 

And of course I do have to say, that if you get the chance to visit Nuthall Christmas Lights, then you certainly should do, more information about these fantastic lights can be found here: facebook.com/nuthallchristmaslights14