Gary Randall’s Favorite Photos of 2025

I can hardly believe that 2025 is over. While I was experiencing it the year seemed as if it was just crawling by. I spent a large part of the year convalescing – recuperating from, shoulder surgery. Last March found me under the surgeons knife. I had torn the rotator cuff tendons in my right shoulder. I would have had a much easier time with the recovery if it wasn’t for the complications that I had. It seems that the anesthesiologist pierced the main nerve that runs down my arm to my hand while administering a nerve block. I’m not sure that I have felt that kind of pain before. It was like feeling hot lava running down the length of my arm and it lasted for months. It was terrible. Even now, ten months later, I’m still feeling the effects.

Because of that I was unable to go out for about the first six months or so. This certainly put a damper on my adventuring. I’m so looking forward to what comes along in 2026. I’m anxious to get back out on the trails and in the field surrounded once more by Nature’s beauty, camera in hand.

Because of all of that my folder of photos from 2025 is very limited, but that doesn’t mean that I have nothing to show. I spent some time close to home here around Mount Hood and I had an amazing trip to Texas and Caddo Lake. This was my fourth time in the bayou and I’m looking forward to returning again this coming Fall to conduct another workshop with my good friend Alyce Bender.

And so, without further delay, here are ten photos that I made in 2025 in the order that they were taken. Gary Randall’s Favorite Photos of 2025.

White River Aurora

I made this photograph on a night when I simply couldn’t sit at home in pain. I figured I could endure it indoors—or beside a river beneath aurora-lit skies.

Hazel came with me. She stood next to me the entire time we were along the river. She’s a good dog, and an excellent adventure partner.

Mount Hood at Blue Hour

I made this photograph just up the road from my home. I was restless, unable to wander far, and needed to get out and make an image.

Although this is a familiar—and common—view, especially for me, it turned into a calm and peaceful photograph.

The End of Autumn

This photograph was made in the Hunchback Mountain Wilderness, near my home and close to Mount Hood. I wanted to capture a forest scene as it settles in for a long, cold winter.

The small creeks in this area are seasonal. They often dry up during hot, dry summers and freeze solid in winter. My favorite times to photograph them are spring and fall, but I was drawn to the quiet uniqueness of this moment.

Gunsight Peak, Anthony Lakes Oregon

I love the Blue Mountains of Oregon. Their open pine forests are a stark contrast to the lush, moss-covered Douglas fir forests near my home on Mount Hood.

Anthony Lakes isn’t far from Baker City, where we hold our annual Dead Ox Ranch Photographers Campout. When conditions are right, we like to bring our guests to these beautiful subalpine lakes.

In this photograph, Gunsight Peak dominates the scene. Wind broke the surface of the water and prevented a reflection, but a longer exposure helped smooth the surface and quiet the motion.

Autumn Magic On The Salmon River

This photograph was made along the South Fork Salmon River, near Mount Hood. The vine maples were glowing yellow on the day I was there.

This is a familiar place for me, as I don’t live far away. I enjoy it in every season, but autumn here is especially incredible.

Sunset On The Bayou

I was grateful to have recovered enough from my shoulder injury to co-lead my annual Caddo Lake photography workshop in the small but lively town of Uncertain. Over the past four years, I’ve grown to love this remarkable place and the people who call it home.

We rely on our good friends at Johnson’s Ranch Marina to guide us to the best locations on the bayou. That often includes venturing into open water to photograph submerged bald cypress trees. These scenes are especially beautiful at sunrise and sunset.

A White Bird In a Red Forest

Caddo Lake is a wonderful place to photograph birds. Egrets and herons are the most common, but many other species live here as well—from eagles and hawks to woodpeckers and kingfishers.

I’m always excited when we spot the beautiful white ibis. Caddo Lake offers incredible bird photography set within a truly unique landscape. In this image, the bird was perched atop a cypress tree, framed by a backdrop of deep autumn reds.

Inside The Swamp

This scene is dominated by orange, submerged bald cypress, with splashes of yellow mixed in. The reflections in the bayou are incredible and play a large role in the images I make there.

This year was an exceptional one for color in the swamp. Pockets of vivid fall foliage appeared throughout the bayou and truly stole the show.

A Pretty Passage

This canal is probably my favorite place at Caddo Lake. Each time we pass through, it seems to offer something new.

This year brought beautiful fall color and a view into a wall of Spanish moss–draped cypress trees. I can’t wait to see what the next year has in store.

Aurora on The Bayou

There are times when it pays to simply get up and go. Just days before our photography workshop, the aurora put on a show that reached as far south as southeast Texas and the Louisiana border. I was convinced there was no chance we would see it from where we were.

Still, I decided to step outside and check the sky—and I’m very glad I did. My workshop co-leader, Alyce Bender, and I rushed out of the lodge with cameras and tripods in hand and captured some incredible images.

You can read more about that unforgettable night HERE.

BONUS PHOTO

Our 2025 Caddo Lake Crew

This photograph shows our 2025 workshop group out on Caddo Lake, just before sunset. We were photographing the cypress trees as the light softened and the day came to a close.

My good friend and workshop co-leader, Alyce Bender, and I would love to be your hosts at this unique location. We use pontoon boats that are easy to board and unboard, providing a smooth and stable ride into the bayou.

Our guide, Todd Fyfe, along with Alyce and me, will take you to the best locations and offer guidance on techniques for photographing Caddo Lake. This photo was taken by Todd.