A fireworks distribution center in the Yolo County community of Esparto, explodes, Tuesday, July 1, 2025. (Kent Porter/The Press Democrat)
A large coronal mass ejection, or CME, hurtled through space and hit Earth square on, creating a mid-latitude aurora borealis sub-storm, Tuesday night, Nov. 11, 2025. The photo was made along Dry Creek Road viewing north at Timber Crest Farms in Healdsburg. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Firefighters turn away from rotor wash debris kicked up by Cal Fire’s Boggs Forest Helitack as the craft is used to help extinguish a house fire which nearly gutted the structure, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Cazadero. The fire also spread in to vegetation, burning about 2.5 acres. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Casa Grande right fielder Gavin Lee dives for a bloop single in the first inning against Sacred Heart Cathedral, Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Petaluma. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
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A fireworks distribution center in the Yolo County community of Esparto, explodes, Tuesday, July 1, 2025. (Kent Porter/The Press Democrat)
Editor’s note: At the end of each year, we ask The Press Democrat photographers to supply us with their favorite choices for photos of the year. Photojournalist Kent Porter captured a once-in-a-lifetime photo when responding to some breaking news earlier in the year. He talks about it in his own words.
My favorite images this year have a lot to do with being in the right place at the right time. I’m a very curious person, which sometimes puts me in the line of fire, or very close to it. Take the Esparto fireworks explosion in which seven people tragically lost their lives. I followed my instincts, honed by five decades of spot news coverage, resulting in a dramatic storytelling image.
With the aurora borealis photograph, I follow the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) space weather website for the latest updates on sunspot activities. Sometimes I get lucky with the foreground as a sense of place, although I have several go-to spots for sub-storms.
Cal Fire’s Boggs Mountain Helitack dropping water on a house fire above Cazadero is a one-off. It took me an hour to reach the fire and I was quite surprised when the helicopter swooped overhead. The rotor wash tossed my fire helmet 25 yards away.
The image of a Casa Grande baseball player catching a flyball is my best sports photo of 2025 and was also the first baseball game I’d covered in a year.
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