Robert G Allen Photography 2025 year in review

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2025 was a year in contrasts. On one hand, I had a banner year with my event photography business. My gross sales and the number of events has never been higher. So, good news on the business side of things which I’m grateful for. On the other hand, due to the success of my business, it left little time for my general photography interests which is what I showcase and blog about on this site, and hence, I don’t have much to show for it in my yearly review.

However, I did manage to sneak out a few times to get some non event content as the following photos show (all photos processed with Capture One and are real photos, none were AI generated):

Nikon COOLPIX P950 camera

First up, one of the last photos I took with the P950 camera before I sold it. I purchased the COOLPIX P1100 as a replacement and have been pretty happy with it so far. Expect a review of the P1100 camera in the near future.

Nikon Z6II with the NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens

Next up, an Alaska Airlines (operated by Horizon Air) taxis into position and after a brief hold, the first officer and captain are instructed by ATC to taxi to the active runway for a clear sky departure from BOI. Designed for short to mid-range flights, the Embraer 175 features 76 seats with no middle ones, every passenger has either a window or aisle seat. Alaska has eliminated all prop aircraft and now operates an all jet powered fleet.

Nikon Z8 with the NIKKOR Z 28-75mm f/2.8 lens

I normally wouldn’t share event type photos on this site but when you are providing event coverage for a famous actor, I think I can justify it. In case you don’t recognize the person kneeling front and center, that’s Cary Elwes of Princess Bride fame. If you are one of the 3 people who haven't seen the 1987 film, it’s a fairy tale adventure about a beautiful young woman and her one true love. He must find her after a long separation and save her. They must battle the evils of the mythical kingdom of Florin to be reunited with each other.

Nikon Z5II with the NIKKOR Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S lens

A landscape scene just outside of Stanley Idaho. It was a little early for the trees to start turning but these ones were getting a head start.

Nikon Z8 with the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4E PF ED VR lens

A styled wedding shoot, or as I like to call them, fake weddings. Either way, they are fun when working with talented subjects, such as this one, who knows how to pose and put on a happy face. If you noticed, the lens I shot this with (the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4E PF ED VR) is my last remnant of Nikon’s F mount lens heritage. Until Nikon comes up with the equivalent in the Z mount, I will continue to use this lens. I love the background rendering and the in-focus part is always sharp with high contrast.

Nikon Z7II with the NIKKOR Z 28-75mm f/2.8 lens.

A maternity studio session with a former wedding client. We have stayed in touch over the years and she reaches out occasionally for me to do family related photos. I also reach out to her and her family if I need subjects for a studio session. This was during her pregnancy with her second child which has now been born.

Nikon Z6II with the NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens

Yes, another Alaska Airlines photo. I’m not necessary a big fan of the airline (although I have nothing bad to say ether) it’s that we have a lot of Alaska flights that service BOI. This photo combines both aviation and portrait photography. I did have to clean up the tail a lot with the healing tool in Capture One but eventually managed to get it to the point I was happy with how it looked.

Nikon Z7II with the NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 S lens

I met her at a local shoot out at one of our local studio rental businesses. She agreed to work with me on a future occasion and this is one of the photos from that subsequent studio session. All my studio work is lighted with Nikon Speedlights with umbrellas as modifiers. For this one, I used a red gel to get a more toned down look to the image.

Nikon Z5II with the NIKKOR Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens

Another landscape shot near Stanley Idaho. This is little Redfish lake, one of my favorite places to photograph. The 24-200mm Z lens sure is convenient. One notable drawback is the lack of contrast but other than that, it’s a great walk around lens.

Nikon Z5II with the NIKKOR Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens

Once again, this is near Stanley Idaho. The Sawtooth mountains provide for dramatic backdrops for this pictures small town in the middle of Idaho.

Nikon Zf with the NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2 SE lens.

The Grand Canyon as seen from 32K feet. This was taken while flying from PHX to BOI just a few days ago. Did you notice the camera that was used? I have not formally announced the Zf yet but I took delivery of it recently. So far, so good. Expect a review sometime during 2026.

That’s about it for memorable non-event photos from 2025. I had a few others that I picked out and included in my end of year album in Capture One but I think these suffice for now.

Let me know in the comments below how 2025 was for you and your photography.