2025 was a pretty bad year in general. I’m not sad it’s over. Hopefully, 2026 will be so much better.
It was a year where quite a few things changed. I turned 66, and as much as I know that is just a number, it’s a lot bigger when you actually think about it. We are approaching the 25th Anniversary of 9/11 and it does not feel like it was that long ago. But as my friend, Chuck Bigger told me, over 30% of the US population was born since 9/11/2001. It is our job as stewards of history to pass on this information before its too late.
But for now, let’s look back at 2025 as I documented it on southbrooklyn.com and my other outlets……
I can’t end this year without a tribute to my mom, Mary Teresa (Luszcz) Phillips. Losing her in June was one of the worst experiences of my life. I have watched the world change so much in my career, and now I don’t have her to call when things seem so bad, and have her talk me down.
Mary Phillips was a beautiful woman, proud of her children, and with faith that the world was actually a good place. She always kept me centered when the world was getting crazier and crazier. She accepted everyone. I never met a single person who ever said anything but “What an amazing mother you have.” And I knew it. The only thing I can do is try to keep her spirit alive within me.
I had the distinct honor of helping my Mom finish and publish her memoir, an auto-biographical journey from a depression-era birth, through the dark times of World War II, and a lifetime of happiness. There were multiple relocations while raising five children, a New Englander in Virginia and North Carolina.
Everywhere we moved, she made sure we became a part of the community, something I definitely learned from her. Family meant everything to her. Her memoir was titled “The Sixth Child” but she became the glue that held multiple generations together. It was her super power. I hope I inherited just a little of her magic. She was and is my hero.
So this was a down year and it shows in my end of year photographs. But, there were some good moments as my Mom would make me say.
This year’s big moment came for me on September 28th as I listened to Eric Gales debut his new album A Tribute to LJK, honoring his late brother Little Jimmy King (Manuel Gales), at the Foothills Grange stage at the Black Mountain Blues Festival on September 28, 2025, just days past my first anniversary of my trip to NC with my Mom.
As I listened to Eric talk about his brother and his music, I knew my Mom was there with me. His show had special meaning to me and I worked hard to find the best photograph I could of this remarkable artist. My Instagram reel from the show still has legs.
Celebration of Resiliency: Black Mountain Blues is my take on the remarkable festival bringing together the best of blues on the first anniversary of Hurricane Helene, which devastated the rural area of Black Mountain, NC. I met residents who shared heart-rending stories of survival yet never wavered for a moment in knowing that their town would survive and prosper. It’s something that we all need to remember.
2025 was another spectacular season on the US Masters Ski racing circuit across Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and New York. I also had the honor of documenting the 2025 A Racer’s Edge Masters National Championships at Gore Mountain, NY, from March 18-22.
Ski racing is still an art to photograph. There are so many variables, most of which are totally beyond your imagination. I thought Justin Lorino hit the flag and saw it go flying. With an exposure of 1600th of a second, it almost carried the thrill of seeing the negative through a loupe. But it was nearly instantaneous and in living color on a tiny monitor on the back of the camera.
I’ve discovered a whole new love of the sport and am spending this season in the quest for inexpensive skiing. How can a middle class family keep up in this sport as lift tickets rise astronomically?
Hockey has become my favorite sport in retirement and I will continue to find ways to photograph it. I am lucky to have a daughter working with the Holy Cross Crusaders in Worcester, MA, and there rink has become one of my havens for keeping my photography action skills alive.
I love black and white and find myself looking for it. Certain sports seem to shout out for the monochrome existence and my two favorite hockey photos from the Crusaders are from two seasons in one year.
The first comes from a day I decided to only photograph Thomas Gale, the award-winning goalie of the Holy Cross Crusaders. Players have their rituals, and his was spraying his water bottle at every break. I found it fun and tried to capture an image that showed how he used this to relax during the game.
On the other hand, I have come to respect Coach Bill Riga for his leadership of the team. His players never give up and his presence on the bench is towering. His players are finding their way to bigger and better, with several graduates moving to the AHL and NHL. This is where champions are made.
The Ride for the Brand Ranch Rodeo at the Norris Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs, CO, was a welcome addition to my repertoire in 2025. Teams of real working cowboys competed in events that are actually routine on a real, working ranch, all to raise funds for the Working Ranch Cowboys Association Foundation.
At the start of the night, one of those crazy, Colorado rainstorms came through across the front range. Shooting with a 600mm through the torrential downpour produced a surreal image of a bronc rider in a sea of raindrops. The effect is stunning.
The three hats became a unique symbol for me of the working cowboys, roping and preparing a steer for branding. I loved the moment and the photographs before and after were so close. I chose this one for the steer’s eye.
On Southbrooklyn.com, I celebrated the anniversary of several photographs that were accomplishments in my career. I also produced several stories that I am proud of and hope you will take the time to read and share them. 2026 is a big year for me. The 25th Anniversary of 9/11 will be on my mind for nine long months.
The 30th Anniversary of The Great China Skywalk by Jay Cochrane in Qutang Gorge on October 28, 1995. ©Mark D Phillips
Qutang Gorge before Three Gorges Dam: An ancient location forever gone. ©Mark D Phillips
The Surly Bonds of Earth revisits my personal history with Discovery and Challenger, and a tribute to those who ‘slipped the surly bonds of earth’ to ‘touch the face of God.’” ©Mark D Phillips
Nelson Mandela, South Africa and The End of Apartheid brings the viewer back to apartheid and the election of Nelson Mandela in the first all-inclusive election in the nation’s history.
Andrea Peyser and I had one of our greatest experiences as foreign correspondents during the campaign. Accompanying Agnes Nyamende and her family in Soweto as they cast their first votes in a lifetime under apartheid, and witnessing their jubilation, brings us back to the freedoms we need to hold dear in the United States. Freedom is something we all strive for and never should be taken for granted.
