El Divo Presents: The Year Michael Took Too Many Pictures...Again.

My favorites from my favorite photographer’s never-ending avalanche of photos.

Buongiorno, dear readers!

Come, sit. After another year wandering the world and taking pictures with Michael, El Divo is as spent as a Vespa climbing a Roman hill while carrying a gigante opera singer.

What’s that? Who am I? Santa Lasagna, have you really made it this far without knowing? I’m Michael’s Pixel — his ever-faithful camera — and much like an industrious Italian nonna holding the household together as everyone else takes the credit, I’m the one doing the real heavy lifting while Michael gallivants around the world.

This year, Michael and I explored some of Asia’s great cities, ventured into the Chinese hinterlands, hiked to Mexican waterfalls, and much more.

How many pictures did our erstwhile leader take? How many stars are there in the sky? No, mi amores, he didn’t take quite that many, but he edited more than 20,000 photos alone — and he's tasked me with winnowing them down to just 24 for this newsletter.

Mamma mia!

El Divo loves a challenge, but he must admit this was almost — but not quite! — beyond him.

Here are the ones your divo chose for 2025.

January — Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Ah, Puerto Vallarta. We swept into Mexico just hours before the New Year, and honestly, what an entrance. Muy fabuloso.

Especially the sunsets—por favor. The universe has blessed Puerto Vallarta as the Land of Endless Flaming Skies. Trust me, I lost count. Michael didn’t, of course. He photographed every single one.

Now, Michael may swoon over his pretty colors, but he also tries to tell the whole story of a place. Beauty, grit, charm, chaos — he wants it all in the frame.

And let me tell you, wander just a few blocks away from Puerto Vallarta’s glossy tourist zones, and the mood shifts fast. It’s real, it’s raw, and Michael went straight for it with his camera like a moth to a slightly dingy flame.

February — Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Honestly, we cannot talk about Mexico without bowing dramatically to its food. The flavors alone could make a grown diva weep, and half the dishes look like they were plated by Aztec gods moonlighting as artists. It’s delicious, it’s gorgeous, and Michael photographed it like it was a runway model.

Michael isn’t really a “bucket list” traveler — he rolls his eyes at the phrase, trust me. But even he had one secret wish tucked away since his very first trip to Puerto Vallarta: a private whale-watching adventure. Yes, private. The man wanted his own boat, his own captain, and his own whales. And this year, he finally made it happen.

March — Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

But don’t let me fool you — Puerto Vallarta is far more than food, whales, and those sunsets Michael won’t stop photographing.

It’s one of the most LGBTQ-friendly corners of the planet, darling. It’s got lush hikes that practically beg for a dramatic entrance, and it’s bursting with art — sculptures along the Malecón, fantastic galleries, and street art that’s so good even I had to stop and pose.

But let’s be honest: at its core, Puerto Vallarta is about pure, unfiltered fun. Sunshine, cocktails, and — yes, I’m not blind — the parade of hot, Speedo-clad men splashing around like they’re in a very spirited cologne commercial. Michael noticed. I noticed. We all noticed.

Alas, Michael’s self-restraint was stronger than his shutter finger, so you’ll have to imagine the whole cannoli.

April — San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Brent and Michael traded Puerto Vallarta’s beaches for the high-desert drama of San Miguel de Allende. But how to choose only two photos to capture this wildly colorful city?

Please. A divo rises to the moment.

Behold the Parroquia, the church as glorious as ever, revealed from a vantage point only a true divo would dare.

San Miguel isn’t only pastel facades and graceful churches. Not everyone there gets to live in a villa and bask in the city’t beauty; many are fighting each day just to earn a few extra pesos. Even a photographer and his divo must pause and acknowledge that truth.

May — Mineral de Pozos and Guanajuato, México

Of all the trials this mission put El Divo through, picking just one photo from the dazzling parade of Indigenous tribes at a festival in Mineral de Pozos was the cruelest.

So many extraordinary outfits, so much color — how’s a divo to choose?

And Guanajuato — the most colorful city in all of Mexico — was no kinder. That choice was every bit as daunting!

June — Seoul, South Korea

Ah, Seoul! Immense! Vibrant! Scorching beyond reason! No matter — Michael and El Divo do not know the meaning of “surrender.”

Cheonggyecheon Stream — a revelation! A miles-long ribbon of water threading through the heart of Seoul, offering shade, respite, and a spot to dip one’s toes.

El Divo nearly felt like an 50s movie star dancing in Trevi Fountain itself, La Dolce Vita style.

July — Taipei, Taiwan

In Taiwan, Michael discovered a stream of a very different sort — Taipei’s legendary scooter waterfall. Every morning, thousands upon thousands of scooters cascade off the Taipei Bridge into the city’s heart.

Bellissimo!

El Divo could have chosen so many other photos — the glorious Taipei 101; the temples; the endless night markets, easily the best in the world.

But sometimes a photographer must reveal another face of the city — something unexpected, a glimpse of the everyday, the quietly ordinary beneath the spectacle.

August — Ping’an, China

El Divo risks sounding like a broken record, endlessly mourning the difficulty of his task. But oh — it remains undeniable!

How to capture nine days in Southern China? By choosing a single, humble village, home to some of the most breathtaking rice terraces on Earth.

While Michael delighted in photographing this extraordinary place, one must not forget that it exists only because of the tireless labor of those who cannot roam the world as he is fortunate enough to do.

Life, mi amores…is never fair.

September — Hong Kong, China

Yes, it’s a cliché that Hong Kong is a forest of skyscrapers clawing at the heavens. But just because it’s a cliché… does not make it any less magnificent.

Alas, even beneath Hong Kong’s glittering skyline lies a shadow. “Cardboard grannies” — elderly women, and occasionally even men — scour the streets, gathering cardboard to sell for a few yuan, eking out a meager living.

October — the mountains of central Japan

Michael traded Hong Kong’s blazing heat and chaos for the serene embrace of Japan’s mountains.

Glorious, simply glorious.

The purpose of the journey? To witness Japan’s trees shedding their summer hues for autumn’s exquisite wardrobe. Is there anything more enchanting than a Japanese lake shrouded in morning mist?

El Divo doubts it.

November — Osaka, Japan

El Divo cannot speak of Osaka without speaking of food. Japan’s second city is called “the nation’s kitchen” for a reason, beloved for everything from takoyaki to okonomiyaki.

And let me tell you — Osakans take fierce pride in what they cook…and in what they devour.

How El Divo agonized over the second photo to show Osaka’s charms. Dotonbori’s wild neon? The endless covered shopping arcades known as shotengai? The regal beauty of Osaka Castle?

In the end, El Divo chose a quiet street corner and a restaurant aglow.

December — Kyoto, Japan

What can El Divo possibly say about Kyoto, Japan’s temple-and-shrine-stuffed wonderland?

Well… it’s gorgeous, obviously. It’s also absolutely, unapologetically overrun with tourists. Michael and Brent spent two days there, and at times it felt less like a serene cultural escape and more like a mosh pit in the Roman Forum during the Festival of Absolutely Too Many People.

Go — of course. Just be prepared to use your gladiator skills to navigate the crowds.

Kyoto is a city built for reflection: temples, shrines, and quietly meandering paths that practically dare El Divo not to ponder the meaning of life. And tucked among those sacred spaces are countless cemeteries — quiet stone reminders that contemplation here isn’t just encouraged, it’s woven into the landscape.

As autumn slipped into winter, the trees giving up their last flashes of color before spring calls everything back to life, that atmosphere hit especially hard. Just before arriving in Kyoto, Michael and Brent had lost a friend.

And honestly, where better than this place—this soft, thoughtful, ancient city—to stop for a while and remember her?

And with that, we close the curtain on our year. El Divo hopes 2025 was kind to you — and if it wasn’t, may 2026 have the decency to overcompensate. Michael an I shall see you in the next one.

If you enjoyed this newsletter, I would appreciate your sharing it with someone you think might also like it.

Michael Jensen is a travel writer, amateur photographer, and novelist. Check out his other newsletter about his travels at BrentAndMichaelAreGoingPlaces.com.