Because I often get questions about the photos that appear in the Stevens Family Calendar, I write a monthly blog that explains each month. It features the photos we used and, more importantly, the photos we didn't use.
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| For example, this photo of the Chena River in Fairbanks, Alaska, didn't fit anywhere |
I send the link to everyone that we gave a calendar to (well, all the ones I have email addresses for). So, if you are new to my calendar list (or, if I just got your email address), welcome!
A little background: we have produced a calendar featuring photos we have taken throughout the previous year for 20 or more years.
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| We give them as Christmas gifts |
The steps to creating the calendar include: taking the photographs; processing the photos (yay, PhotoShop and Topaz AI!); gathering the photos from all the contributors (including some nagging) ...
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| Unused contributions from Scott, Caty, Becca and me |
... converting all the photos from the standard RGB color profile to the CMYK required for digital printing and insuring that all the photos have the correct resolution (this is the tedious part); sorting the photos into "buckets" that will eventually become the pages (there are always too many buckets, so there is a certain amount of sorting, resorting, culling and resorting that goes on); designing the main pages (I may do anywhere from one to 12 designs per bucket) ...
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| Two page designs that didn't make it |
... selecting small photos to place on the blank days on the actual calendar page; creating the pages, following exact specifications; designing the cover, back cover and opening (which I added a few years ago to use for photos that just didn't fit anywhere else); writing the captions (including trying to nail down where every photo was taken); selecting and confirming which holidays to include ...
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If I could earmark photos for holidays, this unused shot of the USS Constitution in Boston
would be good for for Independence Day |
... working with a local graphic artist (Lourn Eidal at Crystal Peak Design) to get all the type set, everything placed just so and to get the calendars printed; sorting and wrapping the calendars; mailing calendars across the country and delivering them locally. Plus, there's the process of writing, designing and posting the blogs.
We take lots and lots of photos in a year, so it is difficult to narrow down thousands to just a few. Many great photos don't make it in. Ironically, my favorite photo that I took in 2025 is not in the calendar.
That's because Scott had one that was almost identical, with a different color profile. His fit better with the other photo on the page where it is featured (December).
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| My shot of kayakers in front of an iceberg in Immikkeertikajik, Greenland |
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| Scott's warmer version |
That hurt (and I did it to myself!).
The family -- me, Scott, Caty and Becca -- take the photos. I do almost all of the coordination, design and production and I use Scott, Caty and Becca as the editorial board for helping to pick the pages.
Normally, most of the photos come from Scott, Caty and me; Becca is not as enamored of photography and often does not contribute many photos.
This year was an exception. Becca and Aaron traveled to Croatia, Slovenia and Italy and came back with many gorgeous photos.
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Too many to choose from: Bled, Slovenia; Hvar, Croatia; and Rome, Italy
(these didn't make it); Photos: Becca Stevens |
Plus, Becca, Caty and I all took photos (most underwater) when we traveled with Aaron, his mom and his brother to Roatán, Honduras, last year.
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| A little too cheesy for the calendar |
So, Becca became a major contributor this year, actually clocking in more photos than Caty, who did not travel as much in 2025.
Most of our photos are taken when traveling. Locations other than the ones I already mentioned reflected in the calendar include (these are all rejected photos) ...
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| Florida (Scott and Janet); This is a Manatee in Crystal River |
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Two balloon festivals (Scott, Janet and Caty);
Here's the Bluff Balloon Festival In Utah; Photo: Scott Stevens |
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| This is the Labor Day Lift Off in Colorado Springs |
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The southeastern U.S., including Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Scott);
This is Cades Cove; Photo: Scott Stevens |
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Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado; (Scott, Janet and Caty);
Twin baby Moose; Photo: Scott Stevens |
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| Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming; (Scott, Janet and Caty); We used a very similar shot to this photo by Scott Stevens in April |
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Alaska (Scott and Janet); Yes, this is Denali; Photo: Scott Stevens
 | | Iceland (Scott and Janet); Selfie with the Sun Voyager statue in Reykjavik: Scott Stevens |
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| Greenland (Scott and Janet) This is Ittoqqortoormiit; Photo: Scott Stevens |
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| Boston (Scott and Janet); Photos: Scott Stevens |
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New Mexico and Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado (Scott);
Photo of the dunes: Scott Stevens |
Obviously, most of our trips include at least two contributors, so it is possible to have similar photos by multiple people (even multiple similar photos by multiple people). To keep captions a reasonable length, I don't identify photographers in the calendar. In these blogs, I do. To save space in the blog, I do not credit myself (if the photo has no credit, I took it).
The 2026 calendar photos were mostly taken in 2025. But, because I completed the 2025 calendar before we traveled for a wedding in November 2024, there are some late 2024 photos, as well.
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| Our Florida trip was in 2024; Photo: Scott Stevens |
This year, it was tough to complete the calendar by Christmas, so I think I will back up the deadline for 2027 so I can finish it before Thanksgiving. That means a slightly shorter time for photo collection. We already have trips planned for Florida, a Blues Cruise in the Caribbean, Colombia, Alaska, Grand Teton and Yellowstone, Hawaii and American Samoa. We'll be fine!
Of course, the content of the calendar is determined by travel. Some years are nature-heavy; some feature a bit more architecture and culture. After having only one Bear in 2025's, we got back to featuring our favorite critter. This year, it's in September.
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| What is the calendar with a Bear or two (or 10)? |
We try not to be too repetitive, but we keep getting good Bear shots.
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And how can you pass up snow in Garden of the Gods even though
we feature it almost every year? Photo: Scott Stevens |
Full Calendar
That's enough background. Here's what I'll be writing about this year ...
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| All the months |
I will cover each page separately during my monthly posts. In this post, I will concentrate solely on the front and back covers and the opening. Then, very soon, I'll cover January. By February, I should be able to get my posts out at the beginning of each month. Quite frankly, because Thanksgiving was so late this year, I got a little behind!
Front Cover
This year, I again used a design element that I really like: selecting photos with contrasting color profiles that roughly reflect four seasons. This is a bit inaccurate because, as last year with Antarctica, many "winter" photos in the calendar were not actually taken in winter and many "summer" photos were not taken in summer.
With glaciers and icebergs, Greenland and Iceland were the source of a lot of the "cold" shots, even though we visited in early fall.
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Believe me, when you look at the chilly photos, you can quickly see that you wouldn't want
to go to Greenland in actual winter |
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Likewise, photos taken in tropical Roatan represented summer
even though they were taken in spring |
The upper left cover photo (the "winter" shot) is a close-up of an iceberg taken at the Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon in south Iceland.
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| I liked the see-through hole in the giant berg with a view of the tranquil lake through it |
This is a special spot for us and it has been featured prominently in past calendars and shows up again on some of the pages to come. We went to Iceland and Greenland last year, so this calendar has lots (LOTS) of ice.
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| Diamond Beach, just across from the Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon is all about ice |
I have blogged about Jökulsárlón before, but haven't gotten around to writing about our 2025 trip. Yes, yes, it was ages ago in September/October, but with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, I haven't gotten to it yet. So, you'll just have to wait for that.
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We saw glaciers in Iceland; This is Svínafellsjökull
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Then, we saw more glaciers in Greenland; This is Sefstrøm Glacier
in Alpefjord Fjord; Photo: Scott Stevens |
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And, there were icebergs in both places; This is Jökulsárlón again;
Photo: Scott Stevens |
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| This monster was in Immikkeertikajik; Photo: Scott Stevens |
The upper righthand cover photo signifies spring and was actually taken in spring! It's a Green Frog that I shot while on a birding trip to northwestern Ohio. I keep trying to call it a Bullfrog, but, while related, it's different.
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| I just love the calm pose and reflection in the water |
This frog was one of the many fascinating animals I saw from the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area boardwalk, including enough birds to fill several calendars themselves. More on those later.
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This part of Ohio is called the "Warbler Capital of the World;"
This is a Black-throated Blue Warbler |
The lower right cover photo is another season fake: what looks like a fall leaf hanging on at the end of the season is an early red maple leaf, also taken on that birding trip. I captured it on a rainy afternoon when I stopped in Hartwick Pines State Park in Michigan on my way home.
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| It was mid-May, but with the chilly rain and fog, it felt like November |
I went to Hartwick Pines looking for a Kirtland's Warbler after missing that particular bird in Ohio. I didn't see one (I hardly saw any birds), but I did see some gorgeous trees and that lovely leaf.
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| Hartwick Pines' old growth forest is home to many birds (I could hear most, but not see them), including these Rose-breasted Grosbeaks |
The final shot is a Caribbean Reef Octopus that Becca captured while snorkeling at night in Roatan.
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| This one is a beauty; Photo: Becca Stevens |
I chose not to go along with "the youngsters" because of my poor night vision. I regret that decision. Later, you'll see more photos of this guy plus some of the other creatures they saw that evening and on other dives. And, yeah, it represents summer, but was taken in spring.
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The colors! Left is flying over the Florida Keys; Right is a Green Sea Turtle;
Right photo: Becca Stevens |
Lies, lies and more lies!
But, you get the point.
Opening
The two-page opening section of the calendar gives us a chance to share a message with our friends and family and to squeeze in a lot of additional photos that didn't make it on the main pages.
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| A sampling of the year |
Usually, I slip in random photos that just didn't fit and, sometimes, I include family photos. I didn't have a lot of outliers this year and I couldn't really find perfect family shots, so this year's opening is mainly just favorite photos that got booted.
But, the opening does have a couple of shots that didn't go with any page themes, including ...
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The Tetons in all their glory |
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| Lake Yellowstone from nearby Steamboat Point |
We travel frequently to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks and have used many photos from those Parks in past calendars. I prefer to feature NEW subjects, but the Tetons always sneak up with another "just can't leave it out" shot.
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| But, I did leave these out; Top left: Scott Stevens; Bottom photos: Caty Stevens |
And, while usually featured on our Bear pages, the two Parks do yield other critters, as well.
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The calendar features the right photo of this North American Beaver,
taken in Grand Teton, rather than the left one |
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Here's a Beaver that didn't make it in; Photo: Scott Stevens
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I considered multiple Bison shots (these are in Grand Teton),
but they just didn't fit; Photos: Scott Stevens |
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| And, some of my best Ravens come from Yellowstone |
We traveled to Florida on our way to the wedding in Georgia that I referenced above. We didn't gather a lot of photos on that trip, but we did get a few that we used.
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| Here's a beautiful Florida sunset, taken in late 2024 in Crystal River; Photo: Scott Stevens |
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And, a mother and baby Manatee, also taken in Crystal River |
We don't feature lots of urban shots, but how could you leave out ...
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| ... this Boston skyline taken from a whale-watching boat as we leave Boston Harbor |
We did capture some other pretty Boston shots on our quick trip there on the way home from Iceland, but I couldn't find a home for them in the calendar.
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But, there were some good ones; Photos except cat, Paul Revere statue, Bunker Hill monument
and red brick building alley: Scott Stevens |
We also frequently travel to Rocky Mountain National Park and often use photos taken there in the calendar. We go so often, in fact, that I don't take as many scenic photos as I used to. But, last year, Scott, Caty and I took a trip specifically to try to find some twin Moose calves we had heard about. We had been trying to get a good shot of twins for years and we didn't want to miss out.
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| Bingo! They were right where we heard they would be! Photo: Caty Stevens |
We got lots of other shots that just didn't fit. All three of us submitted photos for consideration.
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| More of Caty's |
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| Mine |
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| Scott's |
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| Plus, some from Scott without calves |
When Scott and I took an impromptu trip to Alaska, we didn't capture as many great shots as we usually do, but we did get a few. Some will show up later, but some just didn't fit in any buckets, including this singer/dancer at the World Eskimo Indian Olympics (WEIO) in Fairbanks, Alaska. This is the only portrait of a person in the entire calendar
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We used the photo on the right, but there were so many
(some examples on the left) we didn't use; Photos: Scott Stevens |
WEIO is fascinating and entertaining, but also chaotic and a bit tricky to photograph because of poor lighting, messy backgrounds and milling crowds that often block the shot.
While some of our Alaska shots fit nicely on other pages, some, like that Chena River photo I started with didn't.
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| Native costumes; Photos: Scott Stevens |
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| Chena riverboat |
Other shots in the opening section include two shots from Great Smoky Mountains National Park ...
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| A feeding Black Bear and dense woods with green, green trees; Photos: Scott Stevens |
The Smokies almost got their own page in the calendar because Scott got so many beautiful photos (including some great close-up encounters with Black Bears). Instead, I sprinkled shots in the opening, April and September that you'll see later.
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| This is just one of many we didn't use; Photo: Scott Stevens |
Becca's trip to Europe produced many beautiful shots. They comprise the full May page and some of the beach shots appear in July. But, there were so many. On these pages, you can see ...
St. Martin's Chapel in Split, Croatia, shown in the middle; We didn't use the similar photos of Dubrovnik, also in Croatia, on the left and right; Photos: Becca Stevens
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| Pokonji Dol Beach in Hvar, Croatia; Photo: Becca Stevens |
Becca also provided a night shot of the Coliseum in Rome for this opening section.
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| Pretty glow; Photo: Becca Stevens |
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| Two other shots of Rome at night that didn't make it; Photos: Becca Stevens |
I'll share lots more Europe pictures in May, but there were a few that didn't fit anywhere, but were quite good.
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| Nowhere to put these shots of Postojna Cave, Slovenia; Photos: Becca Stevens |
Iceland shows up twice in the opening ...
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| A fairy hut on the South Coast |
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Ásólfsskálakirkja, also on the South Coast; we used the long shot on the right, not the close-up on the left |
These are a few of many photos you'll see from Iceland as we move through the year (August is dedicated expressly to Iceland and shots also appear on the front and back covers, in February and in November). I'll show you lots of photos when I cover those months, but I want to share some rejected buildings here. The country is studded with a wide variety of charming structures, many with a mystical feel.
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A farm tucked at the base of a cliff on the South Coast
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| A seaside farm in Grundarfjörður; Photo: Scott Stevens |
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Another shot of Ásólfsskálakirkja
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| Reykjanes Light |
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Garður Lighthouse, Garður Old Lighthouse, Súgandisey Island Light Beacon; Middle photo: Scott Stevens |
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| Sod house at the Skógar Museum |
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| Another perspective |
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| Inside a church and a sod house at the Skógar Museum |
The opening also has another photo of the magical Immikkeertikajik, Greenland.
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| Every angle looks like a postcard; we used this one |
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We could have used this
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| Or this; Photo: Scott Stevens |
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| Or this |
You'll see more photos of Greenland on January, February, November and December.
The top opening page has one of a few photos I took of Monument Rocks, Kansas, a place I discovered when I was driving to Ohio last May.
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| The brilliant white rock formations against the stunningly blue Kansas sky was incredible |
This and a lot of other shots I took that day just didn't fit anywhere else in the calendar, although I considered putting some in March along with some southwestern U.S. shots.
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| Other shots of Monuments Rocks |
And, even though I had many spectacular bird photos, I couldn't fit in the all-bird page I designed ...
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I was sure 2026 would rate a bird page! The Ohio birds on this page (some you have seen) are a Northern Yellow Warbler in the center, flanked by, traveling clockwise from the upper left: Magnolia Warbler; Canada Warbler; Golden-winged Warbler; Cape May Warbler; American redstart; Wilson's Warbler; Prothonotary Warbler; Blue-headed Vireo; Chesnut-sided Warbler; Blackburnian Warbler; Northern Parula; Bay-breasted Warbler |
But, you'll see some of these shots (and other bird shots) in the calendar, including three in the opening section ...
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| A nesting Prothonotary Warbler and a male American Redstart from Magee Marsh |
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A Common Nighthawk that I caught out on the prairie near our house and
an Eastern Whip-poor-will and an eastern Screech-Owl from Ohio |
I had so many more that didn't make it ...
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| A reclusive King Rail |
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| Top: Baltimore Oriole; Brown Thrasher; Gray Catbird; American White Pelicans; Bottom: Wood Duck; Killdeer; Green-throated Black Warbler; Black-capped Chickadee |
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| A Common Grackle chasing a Northern Flicker |
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| Great Egret |
The bottom of the opening starts off with the petroglyphs in Sand Island, Utah, which we photographed while attending the nearby Bluff Balloon Festival.
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| Maybe this is a calendar! Photo: Scott Stevens |
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These balloons are from the Labor day Lift Off in Colorado Springs;
we used the one on the left
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You'll see more balloon photos later.
In October, you'll see a whole month dedicated to the aurora borealis (AKA northern lights), taken in Greenland (expected) and Colorado Springs (not expected).
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| We used the one on the left, but had to reject so many! |
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| Aurora borealis over Garden of the Gods, right down the road! Photo: Scott Stevens |
When I traveled to California in February, I gathered quite a few calendar-worthy pictures. And, while the Golden State didn't rate its own page, you'll see shots in the opening, April and June.
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| Here is a photo of a Northern Elephant Seal pup taken in Piedra Blancas that appears in the opening |
The male Elephant Seals are more interesting, but not quite as pretty.
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| Well, they are kind of cute |
I mentioned Roatán when discussing the cover. We used another shot in the opening ...
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We used the Blue Tang on the left, but didn't feature
the adult and juvenile Redlip Parrotfishes on the right; Photos: Caty Stevens |
You'll see more sea critters in June and July.
Back Cover
Normally, I feature travel-related photos on our back cover (roads, boats, trails, planes ...), but this year I was captivated by a couple of silly animals.
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| Why not end on an up note? |
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First is a wild-eyed Icelandic Sheep from Grundarfjörður, Iceland
(where else would you find an Icelandic Sheep?); Photo: Scott Stevens |
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This Bear on the right, named Jam, was taken in Yellowstone by Caty;
A few years ago, she captured the same Bear as a cub with the same silly face |
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A North American Beaver, taken in Grand Teton National Park, was doing the hokey pokey
(I cropped out his buddy for the calendar); Photo: Caty Stevens |
The photo of the Northern Yellow Warbler on the left below, taken in Magee Marsh, is the only photo that appears twice in the calendar (a smaller version can also be found on the April page).
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| I couldn't resist its unabashed joy (the right photo is a "normal" pose of the same species) |
Next?
In this blog, I showed you the shots we used and shared many from the cutting room floor. You'll see even more later.
In my next blog, we'll start getting more specific, starting with some wintery shots.
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Greenland is ideal for winter shots
And, feel free to read any of my other posts! |
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