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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)

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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.