It’s a photo new year, and as 2026 begins it feels like the perfect time to pause and reflect on the images, places, and projects that defined my photography in the past twelve months. This blog is a look back at 2025. A year of woodland photography, travel, exhibitions, workshops, and creative experiments across the UK and beyond, bringing together some of what I consider my best photo 2025 moments.

The year began on a real high with my work receiving Highly Recommended in the British Wildlife Photography Awards 2025, in the Wild Woods category. Woodland photography has always been at the heart of my work, so having an image recognised at this level was especially meaningful. The photograph, titled Woodland Oasis, went on to be published in the official BWPA book and exhibited later in the year. This was a strong and encouraging start to what became a memorable photo year.

*Woodland Oasis, Highly Commended in the BWPA 2025*

I also had a few other pieces published during the year, including an article for GB News on winter walks across England, Scotland, and Wales. The idea was to inspire people to get outside during the Christmas and New Year while showcasing some of my winter images from those areas. Living proof that winter really can be one of the most rewarding times to explore.

Towards the end of the year, I was delighted to be featured by Szeroki Kadar, a Polish photography website sponsored by Nikon. They published a selection of my work and billed me as their Inspiration Photographer of the month. It’s a fantastic site, covering a wide range of genres and showcasing some very talented photographers. It is well worth a visit if you haven’t seen it before. Google will easily translate it for you. You may even see some places you had never thought of visiting before

Sunflowers in Oxfordshire at sunrise — *Sunflowers in Stonor Valley, Oxfordshire*

This year I only took part in one exhibition selling framed prints. That was a conscious decision. Much of my focus shifted towards developing my website, building connections with other photographers, exploring additional income streams, and writing a new guide. Add in more travel than usual, both around the UK and a little further afield, and exhibitions naturally took a back seat.

One of the bigger milestones was completing my woodland photography eBook, “Order in the Chaos.” It’s now available through my online store and is aimed at anyone looking to improve how they approach woodland scenes. It is directed towards those just starting out through to the more experienced photographers looking for fresh inspiration. I’m still experimenting with how best to promote it, so if you have ideas, I’d genuinely love to hear them in the comments.

In late summer, I ran my first woodland workshop in the Chiltern Hills, Oxfordshire. I keep these deliberately small - just two people - and it was a really enjoyable experience. One of the participants even had an image from the day receive Highly Commended in a recent camera club competition, which is always great to see.

After a fairly grim UK winter, February saw me heading north to Scotland, photographing the Highlands and the Assynt area. I took the VW camper van and braved proper Scottish winter conditions: cold, wild, and wonderfully atmospheric. It was only a whistle-stop trip of about a week, but I knew I’d be back for a longer stretch later in the year.

Mountains in Assynt Scottish Highlands at sunset in the winter — *Assynt, Scotland*

Not long after, I got a call from my friend David Roth, who suggested meeting in the USA. Dave lives near Boston, and together we drove his rather enormous camper van down to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. We spent a week photographing misty forests, fog-draped slopes, and sweeping mountain views — with the added excitement of spotting black bears lurking in the shadows. It was quite something. The drive itself was no small undertaking — about 15 hours each way — but absolutely worth it.

Forest and trees in the Smoky mountains, USA — *Rivers in the Smoky Mountains, USA*

On the way back, I made a short stop in New York and met up with my wife. It was my first time in the city, and I loved it. Something about being there reignited an old interest in street photography. Around the same time, I was approached by Dehancer, a film-emulation software company, and asked to test and review their software once I returned to the UK.

As much as I love landscape photography, the height of summer, with those 4am sunrise alarms, it can start to feel a little relentless. So I took my analogue film camera out alongside my digital kit and began revisiting street photography back on familiar ground in central London. I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed it again.

I’ve always had a soft spot for analogue film. I still occasionally develop and print my own black-and-white negatives, and there’s something deeply comforting about the process. It takes me right back to my younger days, when time felt far less pressured.

With the UK summer settling into bright, sunny days, I dusted off my infrared camera. It really comes into its own at this time of year, especially for foliage and water in black and white. Some of those images are already featured in previous blogs, and I still find the results endlessly fascinating.

I also squeezed in a two-day paddleboard trip with my friend Adrian, paddling along the River Thames from Pangbourne to my hometown of Henley-on-Thames. We packed tents and sleeping bags onto the boards and camped overnight, along with the added luxury of riverside pubs along the way. The infrared camera made another appearance here too.

Closer to home, I continued exploring the Chilterns while also taking a few trips further west and around the southeast of England.

In September, we spent two weeks house-sitting in South Devon, which gave me the chance to really explore an area I’d never quite had time to wait for the right conditions. Rugged cliffs, sea stacks, windswept headlands, and the iconic lighthouse at Start Point made for some dramatic shooting.

While there, I tackled sections of the South West Coast Path, carrying my pack, tent, and sleeping bag. One overnight camp delivered sunset, the Milky Way, and sunrise within a few short hours. I followed this up by visits to ancient woodlands on the edge of Dartmoor. Gnarly oaks, winding rivers, and forest light - perfect territory for a tree geek.

Unsurprisingly, October drew me back to Scotland once again. This time I covered Glencoe, Skye, the Outer Hebrides, Assynt, and even the Cairngorms. Day after day was spent hiking and climbing in some of the most beautiful landscapes the UK has to offer.

One of my favourite images from the trip was taken at the sea stacks of Mangersta. It’s a tricky, slightly risky location to reach, especially as the light fades, and one you really don’t want to misjudge in such a remote place. But when it works, it really works.

The year wrapped up with a Christmas trip to Morocco. While it was primarily a family holiday, I did manage to sneak off with the camera now and then. It felt rather satisfying to enjoy a white Christmas in Morocco while the UK had none.

I’ve trekked in Morocco before, deep into the Atlas Mountains, but this time the range was covered in snow. The road over the pass was even closed for a couple of days before we set off, and we were lucky to avoid a long detour. Once over, we headed into the Sahara Desert. This was my first time there, and it was nothing short of inspiring. The light, the textures, the deep shadows, and endless tones of orange make it a photographer’s dream. Absolute wall-art territory, and somewhere I know I’ll return to… possibly with the VW camper van for added adventure.

That just about wraps up 2025. I hope you’ve enjoyed this look back and the images that go with it. If you’d like to support my work, a like, comment, or share always makes a big difference — as does following along on the website, YouTube, or Instagram.

I’ve also recently become an affiliate for the DxO Nik Collection, another company that approached me to review their software. If you’re interested, there’s a discount available via the link and it helps support my work too. (DxO 15% Discount Link: https://tidd.ly/42bLV8M 👉 Discount Code: FastFox)

As for 2026? There’ll almost certainly be another Scotland trip, an exhibition here in Henley-on-Thames in April, and everything else will probably be made up as I go along.

Thanks for reading, and here’s to the year ahead.

Photo New Year 2026: A Photographer’s Look Back at 2025

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