Another year has flown by, and as 2025 winds to a close, I have the great honor of looking back at a year of New England stories from our print pages. Yankee is fortunate to work with so many talented writers and photographers who bring our unique region to life. Among some of my favorites are dramatic ice climbing photos from Joe Klementovich (“Cold Rush” ), Benjamin Williamson ‘s exploration with photography students of Acadia National Park (“Acadia in Winter” ), and Cait Bourgault ’s yuletide take of the White Mountains of New Hampshire (“Peak Holidays” ). Plus a homage to time and place with behind-the-scenes photos of the classic film that put Martha’s Vineyard on the map from Peter Vandermark (“Fantastic Voyage” ). We explored Distant Hills in Walpole, New Hampshire (“The Garden That Keeps Growing” ) from editor at large Mel Allen with photographer Greta Rybus , Vermont’s Route 100 (“Autumn from the Top” ) with photographer Oliver Parini and mouthwatering food photography from Liz Neily ‘s Vermont studio (“Soup’s On” ) with recipes from senior food editor Amy Traverso . Please enjoy this gallery of some favorite moments our photographers captured this year. We hope you will also take away some inspiration from this beautiful place we call home.
Yankee ’s Favorite Photos for 2025Alexa Siegel checks her harness for another ice screw as she leads the way up Chia Direct in Crawford Notch State Park. Siegel met the author while both were working as winter climbing guides; now married, they often climb in the White Mountains together near their home in North Conway. Photographer Joe Klementovich ‘s unique perspective highlights the beauty of the landscape and challenges of the sport and season for writer Michael Wejchert ‘s love letter to ice climbing in our winter issue. (“Cold Rush”, January/February ) Credit: Joe Klementovich NEWPORT MANSIONS (RI): The sheer amount of money that went into Newport’s Gilded Age estates (The Elms , shown, cost $1.4 million in 1901, or more than $50 million today) is impressive. What inspires real awe, though, is the exquisite artistry and craftsmanship on display here—a tribute not to the wealth made by some, but to the beauty created by many. This grand interior speaks to the beauty of another time and place for our ode to beautiful places from our travel issue. (“The Beauty of It All”, May/June ) Credit: Courtesy of the Preservation Society of Newport County/Gavin Ashworth “A monster sunset at one of the most iconic locations in Acadia” made shooting at Jordan Pond the highlight of the trip for many, says Benjamin Williamson , who found inspiration for this dramatic composition in one little heart-shaped chunk of ice. A master of his craft, Ben always finds visual interest, including this off-season landscape of “The Bubbles” in our winter issue. (“Acadia in Winter”, January/February ) Credit: Benjamin Williamson A profusion of hydrangeas in Chatham, Massachusetts, one of the towns that has gardens on display for the annual Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival. A classic New England home captured beautifully by Betty Wiley during the height of hydrangea season on the Cape for Kate Whouley ‘s home feature in our summer issue. (“True Blue”, July/August ) Credit: Betty Wiley Dos Gatos’s Seared Scallop Tacos from season 9 of Weekends with Yankee I love the light, color, and composition of this photo from Clare Barboza and Gretchen Rude for a celebration of our TV show in five recipes . (“Season’s Greetings”, March/April ) Credit: Clare Barboza/styling by Gretchen Rude Highly trained swimmers are on hand to guide Alvin each time it launches from or returns to its support ship, the RV Atlantis. Always interesting to see and capture a unique perspective to tell the story about underwater exploration from Michael Wejchert ‘s piece. (“Deep Impact”, November/December ) Credit: Luis Lamar, ©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Jacques Pépin in a portrait taken for The New York Times in 2022. In that article, Pépin mused about life before the celebrity-chef era, noting that when he was personal chef to Charles de Gaulle, “the cook in the kitchen was never interviewed by a magazine or radio, and television barely existed. If someone came to the kitchen, it was to complain that something went wrong.” I always love a candid, unguarded moment, including this photo of the legendary Jacques Pépin from senior food editor Amy Traverso’s piece in our special holiday food issue. (“Conversations: Jacques Pepin”, November/December ) Credit: Jillian Freyer/The New York Times/Redux Crystalline waters cradled between Mount Hor and Mount Pisgah give Vermont’s Lake Willoughby a beauty all its own. This film photo from Bob O’Connor captures this serene, iconic landscape perfectly for our special summer travel package story on lakes versus oceans. (“Testing the Waters”, July/August ) Credit: Bob O’Connor Steven Spielberg, far left, and the Jaws crew aboard the tugboat Whitefoot, which served as the staging area for filming off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. As the director later told Vanity Fair, “The audience would not have connected with the movie unless it looked real, and that’s why I insisted on shooting the picture on open sea in the Atlantic Ocean.” Jaws holds such a special place for so many of us, and to see the action and moments behind the making of the movie is so compelling. (“Fantastic Voyage”, July/August ) Credit: Peter Vandermark Spanning the Androscoggin River between Brunswick and Topsham, the Swinging Bridge was designed by the same company that built the world-famous Brooklyn Bridge. The lines of the bridge pull your eye into the frame with pops of color highlighting the fall season from frequent contributor Michael D. Wilson for Brian Kevin ‘s piece. (“Weekend Away: Brunswick, Maine”, September/October ) Credit: Michael D. Wilson A special gathering spot on the winter solstice, Distant Hill ’s circle of hand-placed slabs offers a touch of mystical interest all year round. Greta always captures moments so beautifully, including this scene for editor at large Mel Allen ‘s piece in our autumn issue.(“The Garden That Keeps Growing”, September/October ) Credit: Greta Rybus Sausage Tomato Gnocchi Soup from senior food editor Amy Traverso is a welcome winter warmer. This just felt like comfort in a bowl. Liz Neily ‘s composition, propping, and styling are always so strong, taken for our winter In Season column. (“In Season: Soup’s On”, January/February ) Credit: Liz Neily Aerial view of Lake Eden in Vermont surrounded by vibrant autumn foliage and distant hills under a blue sky. The colors of the water and foliage are so vivid in this aerial perspective captured by Oliver Parini for writer Bill Scheller’s journey along this iconic route. (“Autumn from the Top”, September/October ) Credit: Oliver Parini The outdoor “rooms” at Rhode Island’s Sakonnet Garden come complete with their own art, including topiaries and hand-carved Nupe house posts from Nigeria. This one felt very Suessish to me with the topiaries and decorative posts. From travel editor Kim Knox Beckius’ ode to historic gardens in our spring issue. (“Estates of Grace”, March/April ). Credit: Brian Reyes Santa comes along for the ride on a sleigh-bell-jingling wagon tour at the Omni Mount Washington Resort & Spa in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. This photo from Cait Bourgault for Meg Lukens Noonan’s holiday adventures in New Hampshire’s White Mountains is such a classic winter holiday scene, and I loved seeing the little red figure of Santa in the back of the sleigh. (“Peak Holidays”, November/December ) Credit: Cait Bourgault Zurich-style cheese fondue at Zuzu’s Petals, a dining lure in Inman Square. Michael Piazza always captures food and place beautifully, and this composition is no exceptionfor Courtney Holland’s travel piece. (“Weekend Away: Cambridge, Massachusetts”, November/December ) Credit: Michael Piazza The Fifield Lobster Co. wharf was flooded by storm surge during the January 2024 nor’easters despite having been recently rebuilt more than a foot higher from the water. This is such a classic Maine coastal landscape of the working harbor in Stonington. Tristan Spinski always captures a strong sense of place for executive editor Ian Aldrich’s feature. (“The Lobster Trap”, March/April ) Credit: Tristan Spinski Among the Canal District’s eclectic retail offerings is Seed to Stem, a boutique filled with wow-worthy plants and one-of-a-kind home decor. A profusion of plants set the scene for this appealing interior from Linda Campos for writer Annie Sherman ‘s travel story. (“Weekend Away: Worcester, Massachusetts”, March/April ) Credit: Linda Campos A peek inside Sargent Metal Works reveals an Aladdin’s cave of rare cars, including (from left) a 1953 Hudson, a 1936 Delahaye Figoni, and a 1937 Bugatti Vanvooren. Corey Hendrickson spent the day capturing the meticulous work of restoring these vintage cars, including this workshop scene. (“Dream Machines”, July/August )Credit: Corey Hendrickson Jess Kirby photographed on board the antique motor yacht Temma I love the movement in her scarf ; you can almost feel the breeze. Just a pretty put-yourself-in-the-picture kind of moment. (“Cover”, May/June ) Credit: Craig MacKay
Heather Marcus
Heather Marcus is the senior photo editor for Yankee . She works closely with the art director and contributing photographers to tell our stories about people and place in a compelling way. Living and growing up in New England, she continues to be inspired by the communities, the landscape, and the wonderful visual opportunities the region affords.
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