In this blog I will be going through some of my favourite images from the year and sharing the story behind them, how I took them, settings, gear and more. The idea is to make one of these blogs from each year however since I haven’t done one before, this will cover 4 years… and might be a little long.

2019

We are starting with this photo taken in Jerusalem in June of 2019. My grandma was from Israel and when she was alive we would travel to see her every year. During that specific visit we had an extra day so headed into the old town to explore. The old town in Jerusalem is a maze of narrow streets being bathed in harsh light and I remember stumbling across this specific scene that was lit so well. It was incredibly busy and I was waiting for a good 15 minutes for the right subject to pass. Thankfully the wait was worth it and this guy walked right through. I am not one for showing faces often but his face really made this photo. It was taken using a Fuji XT3 and the 23mm f2 prime. f5 | 1/500 | ISO400.

The next photo is from the New York subway. This was the first trip me and my girlfriend made after meeting and since she lived in New York, she showed me round. We were in a subway going to Central Park when I noticed how windy it would get when the train would pull away. She was standing next to the wall and as the next train pulled away, I took a burst of shots with a slightly slower shutter speed to get some motion but not too low to lose context. This was shot on the Fuji XT3 with the 16-55 f2.8 at 16mm. f3.2 | 1/320 | ISO3200.

In London we have a museum called the Tate Modern. It’s an art museum and every so often they hold these interactive exhibitions. This specific one involved a room that was lit in orange and plenty of fog. It was so foggy that people had to hold the wall or walk very slowly. As I walked along this long room, I saw a girl sitting in the middle on the floor. It seemed she was filming a video of people walking past her. I walked round the back and given she was being backlit by the light, it made for a great photo. As I framed it and began to shoot, a group of people appeared and the whole thing looked like a scene out of a horror movie. This was shot on the Fuji XT3 and 16-55 f2.8 at 16mm. f8 | 1/160 | ISO1250.

Going back to New York, we were walking around the Dumbo area early in the morning and just outside the cafe we were chilling in, there was this red BMW parked. I knew I wanted a photo of the bridge from Dumbo but I didn’t want the cliche image everyone else had. This BMW really added something else to the scene and I am so happy with this simple shot. This was taken on the Fuji XT3 and the 10-24 f4 at 24mm. f4 | 1/160 | ISO320.

The final photo from 2019 is of this stag in Richmond Park. That morning there were ample forecasts for fog followed by sun. Arguably the best condition for photography. I woke up extra early, drove into the park and was greeted by the most grey, clear and boring morning ever. I spent about an hour walking round but it was fruitless. I was about to go back to the car and call it a day however instead forced myself to stay for another hour and head towards the lake where it can get foggy. As I got to the lake, the clouds started to lift and this mist appeared out of nowhere. The sun was starting to show and the whole place had a warm glow. In the distance I saw antlers, quickly slapped on the telephoto, looked through the viewfinder and couldn’t believe the scene. This goes to show that you gotta stay till the bitter end as you never know what will happen. This was taken on the Fuji XT3 and 50-140 f2.8 at 140mm. f7 | 1/800 | ISO400.

2020

I took this photo on a winter NYC trip. It was January and the first hints of the C word were all over the news. I remember thinking how all this will disappear in a month. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Anyway on this specific day the sun was out and I was just walking round aimlessly. I found this little spot just below the Highline. The light was flooding in nicely and I waited around for some people to fill the scene. Nothing else to say really. This was shot on the Fuji XH1 and 16-55 f2.8 at 16mm. f5.6 | 1/320 | ISO200.

This photo was taken towards the end of February and the first rumours of lockdowns were on the radio. This was taken in Holland Park in London. Inside there is a spot called Kyoto Garden. Just outside that garden are 3 benched that have incredibly friendly squirrels. Go there with a bag of nuts and they will not leave you alone. To get this shot, I placed one nut inside the lens hood, set the camera to silent shutter and high burst. Then patiently waited for a squirrel to come and grab the nut. Then just took a burst and hoped for the best. Love this photo. It was taken on the Fuji XT3 and 10-24 f4 at 10mm. f4 | 1/200 | ISO1000.

This photo was taken on a cold early morning walk through the city. At this time the streets would be completely packed with city workers going to the office. However this time it was a ghost town. It was a surreal experience and one I will never forget. Although this photo is not strong within its own right, it serves as a reminder of those times. This was taken on the Fuji XT4 and 35mm f2. f2.8 | 1/1700 | ISO160.

Towards Q4 of 2020, some of the travel restrictions began to ease and I decided to go and drive the NC500 with my mum. This is probably the only drone shot you will see from me. Although I love it, flying a drone is just not something I enjoy very much. The NC500 is a coastal driving route that goes all around Scotland. Starting in Inverness on the east and going all the way round to Fort William. To get this photo I had to send the drone so far out that I didn’t even see or hear it. I was standing just near the cliff edge and praying it would come back. Thankfully it did and the result is well worth the 5 minutes of anxiety. This was shot on the DJI Mavic Air. 24mm | f2.8 | 1/640 | ISO100.

The final photo comes from Deal in Kent. I love this little seaside town. It has such a nice and chill atmosphere and a very photogenic seafront. This was taken early morning on a misty day with the calmest sea I’ve ever seen. I saw the two paddle boarders and although I liked the initial frame, I wanted something else in it. I saw this post sticking out and thought it might be a good separation element. I ran as fast as I could to line it all up and managed to catch it just in time. This was taken on the Fuji XT3 and the 23mm f2. f6.4 | 1/3200 | 160.

2021

This was taken on a very cold and foggy winter morning on Tower Bridge. It was unusually quiet and in the distance I saw this mustang driving down. Not a frequent sight I must say so I took a shot and was in general very pleased with it. However a few months later I got an email from the guy who was driving it. Inside is him and his son. He just sold it and it was their final drive in the car before it changed hands later that day. He is also a photographer. Not a bad story at all. This was shot on the Fuji XT4 and 16-55 f2.8 at 17mm. f4 | 1/640 | ISO160.

Spring is always an amazing time for sunrises in Richmond Park. You get plenty of mist however you pay for it. This photo was taken at 6am as I was leaving. I been in the park since 4am. This is one of the least edited photos I shared. Sometimes all the editing is already done for you by nature. It was taken on the Fuji XT4 and the 50-140 f2.8 at 50mm. f2.8 | 1/500 | ISO160.

You can get a great view of St Paul’s Cathedral from the walkway between the cathedral and Millennium bridge. At the time they had these giant installations with various words. I spotted this guy in the hat looking at St Paul’s and initially wanted a standard photo from behind. However on either side of him were tones of people and mess. In the end I managed to frame him between the letters of the installation. This added some depth and cleaned up the sides at the same time. This was taken on the Fuji XT4 and the 33 f1.4. f2.8 | 1/800 | 160.

This photo was taken just outside a famous noodle bar in Soho. Inside they have a bright orange light and for whatever reason that day all the windows were fully steamed up. Maybe because it was bloody freezing outside and packed inside. I noticed that next to the window were some cleaning items that the waiters would come, grab and return. So I set up the ideal frame and waited for someone to come and grab it. I wasn’t disappointed. I was there with another London photographer, Eren who got a similar shot. Funny enough not long after sharing this, I also saw a bunch of other London based photographers share the same. This was taken on the Fuji XT4 and the 33 f1.4. f1.4 | 1/100 | ISO1000.

The final photo comes from another winter trip to New York. Although I hate NYC in the winter, the light is amazing and the smoke stacks are in full effect as can be seen here. The steam was flooding into this harshly lit walk way and I just stood there for a while waiting for the right combination of subjects. In the end I settled on this shot as even though the two people at the end look fine, the third person on the right adds depth. This was taken on the XT4 and 33 f1.4. f5.6 | 1/200 | ISO200.

2022

2022 was a special year. It was the first year when I went full time with photography and quit a 10 year engineering career. The first trip was to Dubai to see some friends. As I got into my hotel, I opened my window, looked down and saw these two guys painting the car park. Something about the frame and the colours looked cool, so I grabbed my telephoto and managed to get this. I was also half way through getting changed… I took this photo in my pants pressed up against the window with the camera sticking out of a small opening. This was shot on the Fuji XT4 and 50-140 f2.8 at 140mm. f11 | 1/240 | ISO160.

This second photo was taken in Istanbul. Another pivotal moment for me. Istanbul was my first destination after I decided to sell most of my possessions, lose the car, the apartment and fit everything into two backpacks. This was the very start of this new nomadic chapter of my life. I spent a month in Istanbul with Faizal and Eren and it was an amazing trip. All over Istanbul you will find these guys roasting chestnuts. The smell is amazing and in this specific example, the light was flooding into his tent, diffusing with the smoke and resulting in a wonderful image. This was taken on the Fuji XT4 and 18 f1.4. f2.8 | 1/500 | ISO160.

One of the next destinations was Slovenia. We spend 3 weeks in Ljubljana and a day trip to Lake Bled was a must. We got a boat over to the church on the small island and climbed to the top. While everyone else was taking selfies, I spotted this small opening in the trees and noticed something red moving. I quickly got into a better position, zoomed in and waited for the boat to be in the middle. This was shot on the Fuji XT4 and 16-55 f2.8 at 55mm. f5.6 | 1/550 | ISO160.

This photo was taken in Casablanca. One of the stops me and mum did on a 2 week cruise. Both of us were sceptical of cruises, however we got a deal so good we couldn’t say no. So decided to give it ago. Will we do one again? Doubt it. But at least no we have done it. We were walking round the old market area and came across this cool arch. The light was perfect so camped out for the right subject. This was taken on the Fuji XT4 and 16-55 f2.8 at 18mm. f5.6 | 1/550 | ISO160.

The last photo is from Porto. If you walk along the river towards the Atlantic, you will soon end up by a giant pier going into the ocean. If the sea is rough, the waves will come over the pier. You gotta be careful here but on this specific day there was only one spot where the wave was splashing. I was waiting for someone to walk past to get a shot, but I definitely didn’t expect the wave to hit at the same time. All this created a pretty cool shot. This was taken on the Fuji XT4 and the 33mm f1.4 f4 | 1/2400 | ISO160.

2023

2023 kicked off with a month long stay in Lisbon and this is one of the first photos I took in Alfama. The winter light was almost perfect and this scene couldn’t be any better lit. There was a group of people walking in from the right but thankfully they were not fast enough to enter and ruin the frame. A timeless Lisbon shot. This was taken on the Fuji XT5 and the 33 f1.4. f6.4 | 1/200 | ISO200.

This photo was taken on my last full day in Lisbon. At this point I was tired of shooting almost every day and was ready to go home and chill. However it was sunny and I decided to stay out. I am so glad I did. I used the tree to block off the right side of the frame that was full of rubbish and as I was about to take a shot, this pigeon came out of nowhere and completed the scene. This was taken on the Fuji XT5 and the 90 f2. f4 | 1/550 | ISO125.

This photo was taken in Venice in May. I found Venice very chaotic so I didn’t shoot much in terms of wide angle. However for one day I decided to put the wide prime on and head out. About 2 hours in I came across this guy and this amazing light. I was so glad to have the wide angle lens as it meant I could also include the table in the foreground for context and depth. I exposed for the hat and took a shot. This was taken on the Fuji XH2s and 18 f1.4. f2 | 1/8000 | ISO160.

This photo was taken in Rabat, Malta. I was there with my mum and my girlfriend exploring all the backstreets of this charming small town. One of the streets had a big white building with a bright blue window blind. Just on the edge was this overly friendly cat who was happy to sit and pose. Some of the best photos happen randomly when you least expect them. This was taken on the Fuji XH2 and the 33 f1.4. f3.2 | 1/340 | ISO250.

The final photo is from the noon gun in Valletta, Malta. Each day at 12:00 and 16:00 one of the canons is fired. It’s an age old timekeeping tradition and is great to watch. Having seen this a few times already, I knew where to stand in order to get the best shot. I waited for the right moment and then took a burst as he pulled on the cord. There is definitely an element of luck here and it took a few tries. This was shot on the Fuji XH2 and the 90 f2 however has been heavily cropped in closer to 140mm. f8 | 1/800 | ISO250.