This post was originally published in March 2023. I've added some subscribers since then and thought it would be a good idea to re-share. It's a nice way to give everyone a little recap of my journey with the camera as well as a sense of why I do what I do.
March 2013. I left my camera at the playground. It was a basic point-and-shoot and I had no idea how to use it. Auto mode, all the way. I'd bought it for travel. But now that we had babies, it was getting a lot of mileage. The photos were pretty bad though. I was known more for pictures I drew, not took. My wife suggested getting a better camera because, well, babies. I wasn't going to say 'no'.
My dSLR arrived in the mail soon. Took it out for a spin with the kids. I had been trying to educate myself on photography and was intrigued. Took a series of photos with my brand new 35mm prime lens. One of them was this one:
The one image that led to thousands more.
My life had changed forever.
It's March 2023 now, exactly 10 years since it all began. I've amassed quite a body of work. Thought it'd be fun to share my favorite shots, one from each year. Keep in mind, these are my favorites and not necessarily what I consider my best.
2013: At a popular local tourist spot – my first attempt at a 'serious' compsition using a tripod in low-light.2014: Chasing sunsets and seascapes. Spent a lot of time at the beach that year. This image was featured on 'Yahoo News'.2015: This is when I started experimenting with street photography. My portraits from Pakistan from a trip I did that year are still some of favorties.2016: Sweeping Tuscan landscapes and nothing else.2017: Back to the streets of Pakistan; I snuck this image with a stealth street camera in a shrine near Islamabad.2018: My most successful year. Pakistan series went viral and got featured on Pakistan Televion News, among other outlets. 2019: I had the privilege to explore and photograph Italy's beautiful Langhe region. This was a particularly special morning in the village of Barbaresco.2020: Pakistan again, this time right before the pandemic hit. Definitely one of my all-time top comps.2021: Roma! Enough said.2022: On my way to Spain, I had one goal: bring back one capture of the Alhambra that was like none before. I think, with this image, I succeeded.2023: Still early days but I'm not sure I'll surpass this photo I took in January.
Scrolling back up to review this post, it's sinking in what a crazy ride it's been. For every photo from each year, there're hundreds more. Hope you enjoyed it and as always, if you want to say nice things, you can slide into the comments section. Thanks for continuing to subscribe, I appreciate it!
