My Top 10 Photos of 2025

Back for its second year, my Top 10 list is here! Of the 150+ shoots this year, these are my favourites based on photojournalistic strength, meaningfulness, backstory, creativity and being straight-up cool shots. As customary I included a few honourable mentions.

HM 1 - OUA (Charlie Winser/Trent Men’s Volleyball)

20250214 - 1/1000, f/2.8, ISO 4000

Canon R6M2, RF 15-35mm

The only remote shot on this year’s list is this bird’s eye photo of Trent’s Charlie Winser. This photo was one that took a bit more elbow grease than normal as the only spot to mount an above-court camera in Trent’s gym is on the basketball nets. It took a while to dial in the exact position/angle that I wanted but after multiple attempts, I was happy with its orientation being directly above the Ontario University Athletics logo with the all green court isolating Charlie nicely. This was the volleyball team’s first year on the refurbished court so it was fulfilling to include a photo on the list.

HM 2 - Mist (Mack Weil/Mack Weil Racing)

20250406 - 1/200, f/6.3, ISO 100

Canon R6M2, RF 15-35mm

I was commissioned to take some photos of local sportbike racer Mack Weil. His team was looking to have a media day to grab some photos that could be used for promotional and marketing purposes. We completed a variety of looks throughout the shoot from all white backdrop to coloured flashes and intense one light set-us but this one stood out for its immersiveness. I just think it’s a cool shot and I felt it deserved at least an honourable mention this year.

HM 3 - Canal Open (Men’s Novice 8+/Trent Rowing)

20251004 - 1/2500, f/1.7, ISO 100

DJI Mini 3 Pro

My only drone photo on this year’s list, this one comes from the Head of the Trent (HOTT) regatta that is held every year at Trent University during their homecoming on the Otonabee River. The canal is an iconic piece of the HOTT, filled with friends, families, supporters and fellow rowers, just a few hundred meters from the finish line. In addition, the novice races are some of the most entertaining of the day featuring oar wars and questionable techniques. I think this, in addition to the fall colours poking out, is what earned this photo an honourable mention nod.

10 - Take A Moment (Natalie Fournier/Trent Women’s Volleyball)

20251025 - 1/4, f/4.0, ISO 100

Canon R6, EF 70-200mm

In becoming more comfortable with slow shutter speeds, I am now looking for every opportunity I can to utilize it. I saw throughout this match that Nat was holding her position for an extra second when Trent was serving. I immediately changed my settings and held my camera as steady as possible. The movement that surrounds her as she stays perfectly still makes for an interesting shot, similar to the curling photo that was on last year’s list. This is my favourite motion blur photo of the year. 

9 - Reach Out (Scott Anderson/Finger Eleven)

20251207 - 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 1000

Canon R6M2, RF 15-35mm

I shot a few different concerts this year but this one stood out for the energy and performance. Finger Eleven put on a great show and I think this shot of lead singer Scott Anderson is cool, almost as if he’s reaching out to the crowd. This was my favourite black and white and concert photo of the year. 

8 - Force (Caesar Augustus/Trent Men’s Soccer)

20250830 - 1/3200, f/2.8, ISO 160

Canon R6M2, RF 15-35mm

One of my luckier photos this year in terms of timing, this shot is of Trent’s Caesar Augustus catching a ball moments before taking a throw-in. The focus in his eyes makes it look like he is using the force to levitate the ball in mid-air, neither pushing or pulling it. Staying close to the sideline and chasing the action allowed me to grab this one. 

7 - Boathouse (Avery Nelder, Nina Sadlik/Trent Women’s Rowing)

20250921 - 1/200, f/4.0, ISO 100

Canon R6M2, RF 15-35mm

I had a lot of fun with this shoot. I was asked by Trent athletics and the rowing team to do a rowing specific media day to supplement the lack of coverage throughout the season due to there being only one home competition per year (Head of the Trent). We completed both an on-water and off-water component throughout this session; however with the off-water shots I wanted to incorporate the team’s boat house. I wanted to include the boats on their racks and a boat stand as a makeshift chair. The straight faces add to this eerie feel that I was after and I’m happy with how unique this one looks in comparison to some other media day shoots I did this year. 

6 - Pagans Hard (Melvin Alexis/Peterborough Pagans)

20250726 - 1/1000, f/4.5, ISO 400

Canon R6, EF 100-400mm

This one also caught me by surprise as I made my way down the field to get ahead of the action. It’s always cool to capture a monster athlete and when it’s also my good friend Melvin it makes it extra special. Melvin has made some incredible strides in his rugby career as of late and this photo is a metaphor for his sheer domination of the sport with the Pagans over the past couple years. Lucky timing allowed for me to grab this shot and the straight lines from both players make it compositionally appealing to me. 

5 - McJesus (Connor McDavid/Edmonton Oilers)

20251229 - 1/1250, f/2.8, ISO 1250

Canon R5M2, EF 70-200mm

The last thing I photographed this year was also the coolest, my first NHL game. It’s been a dream of mine to shoot an NHL game ever since I started taking photos and it came true this year. I managed to meet some cool people on this trip to Winnipeg and it’s so interesting to see the inner workings of a league like the NHL. This photo is on here for no other reason than personal significance and that it's Connor McDavid. It would be higher if it was a little more interesting but I couldn’t bring myself to put McDavid any lower than 5. 

4 - Rosey (Nick Rose/Peterborough Century 21 Lakers)

20250724 - 1/200, f/2.8, ISO 100

Canon R6M2, RF 15-35mm

I’m very curious about using strobes in-game and I experimented with using them during a box lacrosse game this year. I’m a big fan of how nicely the colours pop, how dark the background can get and the isolation of Rosey here. Something I am definitely looking to build on in the future but it was nice to gain a little bit of an understanding as to how they work and the potential that they can bring to my photography style. 

3 - Sword School (Tyler McDonald/Trent Women’s Lacrosse)

20250901 - 1/400, f/2.8, ISO 1250

Canon R6M2, 15-35mm

Making an appearance in back-to-back years, Tyler McDonald is seen here wielding a real Excalibur sword that I purchased second hand and a homemade backdrop that took way more work, material and money than I thought. It was all worth it when I saw the reactions from the athletes throughout the day culminated by an intense shot of Ty looking straight through the camera with her eyes reflected in the sword. I was happy that the backdrop and props came together during this media day and I hope to make it even better next year. 

2 - Bo-Time (Zach Bowen/Peterborough Petes)

20250215 - 1/800, f/2.8, ISO 800

Canon R6, EF 70-200mm

With somewhere around 150 games under my belt with the Petes it can be difficult to find new and interesting angles to photograph the players in. When walking on the ice pre-game I saw a position near the corner as a potential side angle shot to player intros. I was happy to see that the sparklers contrasted nicely against the rest of the rink and Bowen. My favourite Petes photo of the year. 

1 - New Heights (Trent Men’s Volleyball)

20250131 - 1/500, f/2.8, ISO 4000

Canon R6M2, 15-35mm

Another celebration photo takes first place this year as the Trent men’s volleyball team erupted with joy after taking down the Brock Badgers for the first time in program history on their way to a team best record in the OUA. This photo always draws my eyes to Aly Saydam, praying on the court while his teammates show a variety of emotions. I find it fun to look at each player in this photo and guess what they are thinking and feeling in the moment. It’s impressive to see the improvement this team has had over the past few years and I hope they can continue this success into the future. 

Let me know what you think of this list and if you thought that I got it right. Hoping 2026 makes for another fun and diverse Top 10 list. Thanks to Luke Vink for helping me narrow these down.