Annual Favorites, Commentary, Gallery

2025 (Almost) Favorite Photographs

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G Dan Mitchell's 2025 (Almost) Favorite Photographs
“G Dan Mitchell’s 2025 (Almost) Favorite Photographs” — 16 photographs that almost made it into G Dan Mitchell’s 2025 Favorite Photographs.

Each winter I go review the year’s work and select a set of “annual favorites.”I enjoy reviewing all of my photographs each year, but it is difficult to winnow them down to a manageable 12 to 16 images. As I created my 2025 Favorite Photographs I had to make hard decisions near the end of the process, and inevitably some photographs I liked were left out.

So this year I’m trying something new: I have assembled this set of 2025 (Almost) Favorite Photographs, selected from those I like that did not quite make the cut for my the 2025 Favorite Photographs.

Why didn’t they make it? I photograph a variety of subjects — from landscapes to travel to street photography. Since I want to include multiple genres I must eliminate photographs of one type to make room for others. Sometimes the issue is that I have a lot of photographs of certain subjects. For example, this year I had many photographs of trees and desert landscapes, and I couldn’t include them all.

With this in mind, here’s a set of 2025 (Almost) Favorite Photographs that didn’t quite make it into the final set. Continue reading to view them individually below and then in a gallery at the end of the article, where you can click on an image to view the set as a slideshow.)

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Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Evening Road, Death Valley

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Evening Road, Death Valley
“Evening Road, Death Valley” — A gravel road descends toward desert playa under evening skies, Death Valley

Sights like this become familiar if you spend much time exploring Death Valley National Park — a deserted gravel track heading off into the arid landscape with hills in the distance. There are variations: a narrow track following a streamed winding between high walls, a road crossing high desert mountains, and others. This particular example is not all that isolated — though it doesn’t get a lot of visitors.

It was late in the day and we had hurried back down into the Valley in hopes of low-angle sunlight on the terrain between the road and the far hills. That did not happen, and the light was somewhat flat. But the same clouds that blocked the late-day sun also filled the sky above the desert terrain in this photograph.

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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Zion High Country, Evening

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Zion High Country, Evening
“Zion High Country, Evening” — Autumn evening in Zion National Park high country.

I made this photograph very close to the end of a lengthy photography trip to Southern Utah. After shooting on my own for days and then working collaboratively with friends and fellow photographers, I left the others behind and joined my family for a few days in Zion National Park.

We stayed outside of the park boundary, a short distance up a side road that leads way back into the park’s less-known high country. We decided to follow that road and see where it would take us. Eventually it arrived at a sort of plateau — high country ringed by red rock formations and cut through by deep valleys. I made this photograph close to sunset along that road.

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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Receding Desert Ridges

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Receding Desert Ridges
“Receding Desert Ridges” — Desert ridges recede into the distance, Death Valley.

The desert is a fine place to photograph basic geological forms and effects of light. At first glance this may appear to be a monochromatic photograph, but it is just that the colors are so soft and subtle, being muted by the desert atmospheric haze. That haze is also responsible for the lighter tones of the distant mountains — an effect known as “atmospheric recession.”

Now, weeks after I made the photograph, I can only recall the location in general terms. It certainly was not an iconic spot nor a location where most people would stop. But these patterns speak to me, and I’m fascinated by the conjunctions and relationships of lines and by the layers of tonality in a such scenes.

Leave a comment or question using the form. (Click the title to see the full article and to comment if you are viewing it on the home page.)

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.