Our photographer picks one of his best images of 2025
For our "What We Do" series and marking the end of 2025, we asked our three photo journalists to pick one of their favorite photos of the year and share information about the photo. Today we talk to Andrew West about the photo he took at the top of this page:
Question: Where and when was this photo taken and time of day?
Answer:It was photographed from Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in the evening around dusk.
What were you trying to capture or express?
This was a total surprise to see, so the idea was to capture anything and everything as the SpaceX Starship 8 rocket broke apart in the atmosphere.
What type of lens/equipment did you use to get this image?
Sony A7iV with a 200-600 mm lens.
Any challenges with lighting, or anything else environmental?
How this unfolded, was total luck. I was on a swamp buggy with my colleague and others doing a story about the Florida Wildlife Corridor. We were heading back in as the sun was setting. This was just after sunset. Someone in our party looked up and saw a white light and we all started looking to the skies. It was surreal. It seemed as it was spiraling right toward us, it then started moving away to east. The debris then rained down east of us. I just happened to have my camera ready in case we saw a panther or other wildlife. My settings happened to be near perfect when I pointed the camera at the spiraling light. So I just motordrived it and hoped that I got it in focus. There was a ton of luck involved. One of those right time, right place situations.
When you narrowed it down, what were the factors for this photo we are looking at for making the cut and being published?
I liked the spiraling effect of the image. It looks like something otherworldly, which is what some of us thought it may be. We didn't know there was SpaceX Starship 8 rocket launch that evening, so we were definitely surprised to see this unfolding.
Did this photo/video teach you anything new as a photographer or remind you of things you have learned?
Not really, after 30 years of shooting, being prepared is a must.
Was there anything else you recall from this assignment, or this photos, you'd like to share with the audience?
I love this job. There are challenges, but this was an amazing experience to witness and document. Just glad I was able capture something.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Best photos of 2025 highlighted by SpaceX ship breaking apart
