2025 presented Tracy and me with a variety of highs and lows — mostly highs. We travelled quite a bit with family and friends. I did a little more travel on my own beyond that. All of which was wonderful. However, hanging over everything this year was the passing of my father, Coleman Colla, in September after 89 years of life. He had a long successful career in aerospace and was active in his Los Angeles community. Among the many keen-minded people I have known, he was one of the very smartest. He lived a robust life full of family and friends, especially the last few decades. During the holidays he always found time to discuss with me my annual end-of-year favorite photos. I would relate to him the backstories on the images, what I got lucky with and what I missed. He would ask how the pictures were made, how big the animals were and what I was feeling seeing them. Well Dad, here are my favorites this year … I miss sharing them with you.
This is the 19th year I have done an annual photography retrospective. My favorite images of the past year are below, roughly in chronological order. My goal for any one year is always to shoot 3-4 world-class images and 10-15 portfolio-quality images. If you like these feel free to check out previous years’ favorites as well: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007. Cheers and thanks for looking!
A California Brown Pelican flying over the Pacific Ocean, spreads its large wings wide to slow down as it slows to land on seacliffs in La Jolla. Adult winter breeding plumage with yellow head, red throat and brown hindneck.
Image ID: 40806
Species: Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus
Location: La Jolla, California
Brandt's Cormorant Spreading Wings to Land on sea cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Image ID: 40813
Location: La Jolla, California
A California sea lions leap high out of the water, jumping clear of a wave while bodysurfing at Boomer Beach in La Jolla.
Image ID: 40835
Location: La Jolla, California
Extreme closeup view of a Western Grebe as it rushes, running across the water as part of an elaborate courtship behavior.
Image ID: 40845
Species: Western Grebe, Aechmophorus occidentalis
Location: Lake Wohlford, Escondido, California
Two Western Grebes Walk on Water. Grebe rushing, a courtship behavior, happens when the birds slap the lake surface up to 20 times per second, literally running across the water.
Image ID: 40887
Species: Western Grebe, Aechmophorus occidentalis
Location: Lake Wohlford, Escondido, California
Humpback whales bubblenet feeding in Southeast Alaska. Coordinated bubble-net feeding is a specialized cooperative feeding technique used by humpback whales, where a group of whales works together to trap fish or krill in a net of bubbles then lunge through to feed.
Image ID: 40921
Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Location: Sitka Sound, Alaska
Humpback Whale Raising Fluke Before Diving in Southeast Alaska.
Image ID: 40949
Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Location: Sitka Sound, Alaska
Ocean Sunfish (Mola mola) Offshore of San Diego.
Image ID: 40982
Species: Ocean sunfish, Mola mola
Location: San Diego, California
Peregrine Falcon attacking brown pelican while in flight.
Image ID: 40985
Species: Peregrine Falcon, Falco peregrinus
Location: Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego, California
Royal Tern in flight, adult breeding plumage with black head cap, La Jolla.
Image ID: 41002
Species: Royal tern, Sterna maxima, Thalasseus maximus
Location: La Jolla, California
Tracy swimming alongside beautiful Dendronephthya soft corals displaying incredible color on a Fijian coral reef. Soft corals swell when the current is running and extend outward to capture passing plankton and food.
Image ID: 41021
Species: Dendronephthya soft coral, Black sun coral, Dendronephthya, Tubastrea micrantha
Location: Vatu I Ra Passage, Bligh Waters, Viti Levu Island, Fiji
Tracy and Chironephthya soft corals on the wall of Mount Mutiny, a spectacular deepwater sea mount in the Bligh Waters of Fiji.
Image ID: 41022
Species: Chironephthya soft coral, Chironephthya
Location: Vatu I Ra Passage, Bligh Waters, Viti Levu Island, Fiji
Photographer captures a spectacular display of Dendronephthya Soft Coral on the wall of the deepwater pinnacle Mount Mutiny in the Bligh Waters of Fiji.
Image ID: 41024
Species: Dendronephthya soft coral, Dendronephthya
Location: Fiji
Purple is the new Black. Anthias swarm around a huge purple sea fan gorgonian which lies perpendicular to prevailing currents so that it can capture plankton passing by. Gorgonians and Hard Corals on Tropical Coral Reef, Fiji Islands.
Image ID: 41026
Species: Gorgonian, Gorgonacea
Location: Namena Marine Reserve, Namena Island, Fiji
Tracy peers through a dense school of purple anthias fishes and sea fans in a natural coral arch at the dive site Kansas. Beautiful Fijian Coral Reef with a Mix of Hard and Colorful Soft Corals.
Image ID: 41035
Species: Anthias, Pseudanthias
Location: Namena Marine Reserve, Namena Island, Fiji
Aerial View of Namena Marine Reserve and Coral Reefs, Namena Island, Fiji.
Image ID: 41049
Location: Namena Marine Reserve, Namena Island, Fiji
Aerial View of the extensive coral reefs offshore of Rakiraki, Fiji Islands.
Image ID: 41083
Location: Viti Levu Island, Fiji
Portrait of an adult Southern Right Whale Underwater, Eubalaena australis, hovering over sand bottom on Golfo Nuevo, Peninsula Valdes. By permission of the Government of Argentina, Chubut, permit # 51 / 2025-SsCyA.
Image ID: 41175
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Portrait of Mother and Calf Southern Right Whales Underwater, Eubalaena australis, hovering over sand bottom on Golfo Nuevo, Peninsula Valdes. By permission of the Government of Argentina, Chubut, permit # 51 / 2025-SsCyA.
Image ID: 41183
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Closeup underwater view of a Southern right whale eyeball, Eubalaena australis. Whale lice can be seen clearly in the folds and crevices around the whales eye and lip groove. By permission of the Government of Argentina, Chubut, permit # 51 / 2025-SsCyA.
Image ID: 41190
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Aerial photo of the Puerto Piramides headlands, part of Golfo Nuevo on Peninsula Valdes, Argentina. By permission of the Government of Argentina, Chubut, permit # 51 / 2025-SsCyA.
Image ID: 41192
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Copulating Southern Right Whales, aerial photo. The male is upside down (belly up) and trying to copulate with the female who is also belly up and being evasive of the male. The female's calf is at lower right. By permission of the Government of Argentina, Chubut, permit # 51 / 2025-SsCyA.
Image ID: 41234
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Aerial photo of white Southern Right Whale calf with its mother. The mother is gray in color, rather than dark black, since she was a white calf herself and gradually darkened to gray as she matured. About five per cent of southern right whales are born white due to a condition known as grey morphism and will gradually turn dark as they age. They are not albino (which is a complete lack of pigmentation). The white coloration is a recessive genetic trait and only lasts a few months. Typically white calves become much darker as they mature but will still be lighter than normal even as adults. By permission of the Government of Argentina, Chubut, permit # 51 / 2025-SsCyA.
Image ID: 41260
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Humpback Whale Breaching near Tahiti and Moorea, French Polynesia.
Image ID: 41331
Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Location: Moorea, French Polynesia, France
Solitary inquisitive humpback whale underwater near the island of Moorea, French Polynesia.
Image ID: 41335
Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Location: Moorea, French Polynesia, France
Solitary inquisitive humpback whale underwater near the island of Moorea, French Polynesia.
Image ID: 41336
Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Location: Tahiti, French Polynesia, France
Humpback mother and calf swimming together underwater, Moorea Island, French Polynesia.
Image ID: 41341
Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Location: Moorea, French Polynesia, France
Aerial Panorama of the Barrier Reef around Moorea Island, French Polynesia. The outer reef slope is seen adjacent to deep blue oceanic water with white waves breaking against the reef edge. Next, a wide shallow reef flat occurs dotted with coral bommies. Inside of that, a shallow protected lagoon is formed against the island. Tall, rugged, eroded mountains are seen hinting at the age of the ancient volcano that originally formed the island and that is now sinking back down, leaving the encircling reef behind.
Image ID: 41358
Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Location: Moorea, French Polynesia, France
March 14, 2025, total lunar eclipse from my backyard
Iceland with Mom and her entire progeny, July
Iceland pony
Glacier visit, Iceland
Fiji in August, thank you Adriana and Naia!
Argentina in September, thank you Adriana, Hector, Kike and Jorge!
Moorea in October, thank you Pierre and Temana!
Bass Lake, October
