From the badlands to the Sahara, unexpected shifts in the sky took Whitefish photographer Chuck Haney’s year by storm.  

Haney’s been shooting in the badlands since his humble beginnings as photographer, where he had one of his first big breaks. He produced a coffee table book – one of 16 over his 30-plues year career – that showcases the grand landscapes of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  

Now, with a new presidential library under construction in Madura, North Dakota, 2025 was a fitting time to capture new scenes for a new book.  

“I usually go in June, but the smoke was so bad from the wildfires, so I went back in July,” Haney recalled. “There were different wildfires, the Milky Way was showing, I camped at the river and shot at night.  

“Then, the last night I was there, right around sunset, was the storm of the year.”  

Haney jumped into action and started shooting dramatic lightning. He bailed for a moment as the storm got intense, then jumped back in and followed the storm cell east through the park, while double rainbows appeared, mammatus clouds billowed above, and wild horses bolted past. 

“It was a good cap for the new book,” Haney said.  

Haney’s book is set to be published this spring by Montana’s Farcountry Press. 

The presidential library, located about 1.5 miles west of Medora near the south unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, is scheduled to open in July. 

IN NOVEMBER 2025, Haney was in the Sahara Desert in Morrocco when another memorable storm hit.  

“Camping in the troughs in the dunes... you can’t see the other people, it feels like you’re out there,” he said.  

The first night, the wind blew in a storm. 

“I woke up in the morning to big clouds,” he said. “I got my shots, then it started thundering, lightning, raining all morning ... in the Sahara.”  

Clouds are the most important part of a landscape, Haney reflected.  

“The worst thing is clear, blue sky,” he said. 

Haney then visited Chefchaouen, known as the “blue city” for its blue-painted buildings, and Fez, a historic city with over 9,000 streets.  

Haney said people were so friendly that their driver, taking them from Marrakesh to the desert, made a several-hour stop at their family home and invited them in for dinner.  

“They seemed happy; they get by on very little,” he said. “There was a lot of brotherhood amongst the guys.” 

Other highlights from Haney’s year included interesting bits of wildlife and humanity, from teaching workshops in Portugal to seeing Amsterdam’s red-light district, to shooting Joshua Tree National Park, and of course, photographing a good number of birds in Glacier National Park. 

Haney’s annual photography show, presenting the best images and time lapses of the year, plus a few stories behind them, is Friday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. at the O'Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish. Price of admission is a cash donation, with all proceeds benefiting North Valley Food Bank and Whitefish Theater Company.