Everyone is tempted to draw a certain line at the end of the year, which I guess provides psychological closure on a pathway to a better and newer you… at least in theory.
Last year was quite an amazing year for me professionally, and in terms of my personal photography as well. I met so many great people, some of who turned into good friends.
I went to Berlin, Sri Lanka, Iceland, California, Italy, Norway, New York, Moscow, and Mauritius… maybe not so-o-o many places but definitely good memories.
Went to a few rooftops in Dubai that I didn’t think I’d ever make my way to, thank you amazing friends again.
I am going to add a bunch of my favourite pictures I took this year to this post, so maybe one day I can look back and see how I improved (or not :))
Though a fantastic view and terrific company, the day was just so hazy that it wasn’t so pleasant to shoot. Fujifilm XT2 // 10-24 at 10 // F4 // 0,5 seconds // ISO 200 //
A shot from a short weekend trip to Sri Lanka. That place has fantastic sunsets… and is always so fun and so relaxing to be there. A random couple was just at the right spot at the right time. Fujifilm XT100T // F8// 0,5 seconds // ISO 200 //
Iceland, my beautiful small Reykjavik sunrise that nobody else came out to shoot but me. I might have been shaking for an hour after I got inside, that cold I was, but it was all worth it. Fujifilm XT2 // 16mm // F16 // 1/30 second // ISO 200 //
Iceland, near Budir Church. This dog just walked into my shot and stayed there for a moment. Other photographers were quite annoyed that the dog is ruining it, but I thought it actually makes the picture rather more interesting, so thank you Dog! Fujifilm XT100T // F8// 1/60 of a second // ISO 500 //
There are many, many pictures of Iceland I’d include here, but I chose just a few. Jokursarlon is another of my favourite places in the world for its uniqueness and everchanging beauty. Not the easiest place to photograph, but always so captivating. Fujifilm XT2 // 16-55 at 48 // F4 // 1/200 seconds // ISO 200 //
Currently my phone’s background picture. Such a beautiful sunset, such a wild place… a piece of my heart is still there. Fujifilm XT2 // 16-55 at 20 // F8 // 1/15 of a second // ISO 200 //
For the love of silky water, this is a shot of the stream that goes down from a fantastically looking waterfall… but I chose to look in the opposite direction, and again, no regrets there. Fujifilm XT2 // 10-24 at 10 // F10 // 6 seconds // ISO 200 //
Perhaps not the most impressive picture of bears ever, but we saw bears! Real furry fluffs in Sequoia National Forest. Fujifilm XT2 // 100-400 at 400 // F5,6 // 1/125 of a second // ISO 200 //
So many beautiful spots in California, and so hard to photograph them because of their scale. Death Valley is such a gem. Another paradise for photographers. The sunset was behind the mountains, but it was still quite epic. Fujifilm XT2 // 10-24 at 10 // F4 // 0,5 seconds // ISO 200 //
We’ve got enough desert of our own in UAE, but these dunes are impeccably photogenic. Woke up at 5 am because of jet lag and because we were too hot, and went to explore and get sanded. Fujifilm XT2 // Samyang 8mm // F10 // 1/60s of a second // ISO 100 //
Moving on to Norwegian adventures… can you tell it’s the end of June? Fantastic nature and lots of streams and waterfalls left and right, just as I like. Fujifilm XT2 // 16-55 at 17 // F11 // 30 seconds // ISO 200 //
Another absolutely crazy waterfall spot we discovered by accident. So much power in that water that if you slip, there is no chance of getting out of there alive. As much as I love silky water, I felt like the power of this place is better shown in short exposure. Fujifilm XT2 // 10-24 at 24 // F11 // 1/100 of a second // ISO 100 //
Moody view of a fjord with the softest moss in the world. Fujifilm XT2 // 10-24 at 10 // F14 // 0,5 second // ISO 200 //
Ah the midnight sun, how pretty you are giving us no rest. Lyngenfjord, Finnmark. Fujifilm X100T // 23mm // F5,6 // 1/150 of a second // ISO 200 //
New York, New York! We stayed in a place with a bad-ass view and a rooftop to chill. Wasn’t very high, but we are spoilt in Dubai, I guess. Fujifilm X100T // 23mm // F16 // 8 seconds // ISO 200 //
Mauritius. A place with beautiful clouds. I was a lazy photographer there, and didn’t photograph much, although these clouds call for experiments with long exposures. Fujifilm XT2 // 10-24 at 10 // F11 // 1/125 of a second // ISO 200 //
Another picture from Mauritius. I forgot to switch on shooting in Raw after making some time-lapses so what I thought in my mind I’d recover, turns out I can not. But somehow I still love this sunset shot as it is. XT2 // 35mm // F5.6 // 1/125 of a second // ISO 200 //
And last but not least is a gift from my lovely Dubai – a week of fog, and a rare occasion of a sunset fog. Such a spectacular view. I am planning to write another post about our roof-topping weekend, so check in a bit to see more amazing images of December in Dubai. This one is a screenshot from a video shot on Canon EOS 6d with a Sigma 12-24 lens.
Happy New Year My Friends. Hope you enjoyed the images and wish you all the best and tons of inspiration in the newly born 2018.
Love,
Anna
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