I knew at its outset that 2012 was going to be a special, albeit busy year for me. I mentioned in a blog entry this time last year, when doing my end-of-year pictorial recap for 2011, how photography & the online presence I had built around photography had gone from being a mere hobby to being an all-consuming labour of love. Not much has changed in that regard. In fact, considering I spent the majority of the year travelling through & photographing 18 different countries on 3 different continents then it’d be fair to say 2012 has fuelled my photography passion even more.
This entry is all about highlighting some of my favourite images from the past 12 months of photography. Selecting the images for this entry wasn’t an easy task; with over 22,500 images on file (22,666 to be precise, after throwaways) I was spoiled for choice. It’d be a bridge (way) too far for me to have to select my absolute favourite capture of the last 12 months but the 12 I present here, one for each month of the year, not to mention the Up There/In With A Shot picks, would make the shortlist. Of course that shortlist wouldn’t be very short but it’s about the best I can do. So enjoy this dMb Photography Blog A Look Back at the year in photography that was 2012, my best year in photography yet.
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January
Photographed || South Korea
Images on File || 695
I started 2012 as I had started the 4 years previous, working in South Korea. It was to be my last January based full time in the country that had done more to nurture my photography hobby/habit than any other. Plans were firmly laid for my March departure to embark on my latest extended travelling exploit, & first since mid-2008 – it was just a matter of counting down the days. As was typical of a January in South Korea I was consumed by work most of the month. But it wasn’t all work.
A brown trout lying on the ice at Cheongpyeong, South Korea. January 22nd, 2012 (EOS 450D || Tamron 28-75mm || 75mm, 1/200sec, f/4.0, iso100)
The above image was taken during a mind & finger-numbing bit of ice fishing in Cheongpyeong, about an hour east of the Korean capital, Seoul.
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February
Photographed || South Korea
Images on File || 221
Another quiet month, the calm before the storm. The following picture of the South Gate of Gyeongbok Palace, Seoul’s premier tourist attraction, was captured on a work visit to the South Korean capital towards the end of a bitterly cold February afternoon. It was so cold I debated whether to even stop & take this picture at all as to do so would expose my hands & camera to the elements. The air was crisp & the late afternoon lighting beautiful so I couldn’t resist firing off a few shots (but only a few). I’m glad I did.
Gwanghwamun, the main, South Gate of Gyeongbok Palace at dusk. Seoul, South Korea. February 7th, 2012 (EOS 60D || Sigma 10-20mm || 20mm, 1.6sec, f/7.1, iso100)
dMb Travel || World Explore || Gwanghwamun Gate, Seoul, South Korea. February 7th, 2012.
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March
Photographed || Thailand, Malaysia & Singapore
Images on File || 1,848
I had been looking forward to what March 2012 had in store for a long, long time. This month saw me embark on my latest travel odyssey, & first since mid-2008. The trip marked the first time I travelled in earnest with an dSLR. The month was spent on familiar ground taking in the SE Asian backpacking stalwarts of Thailand, Malaysia & Singapore so as a travel experience there were few surprises, letting me focus fully on the photography aspect of the trip. Creativity (& sunglasses) came to the fore for some of my fondest capture(s) of the month.
Long-tail boat activity as seen through sunglasses on Hat Rai Leh West Beach, Krabi, Thailand. March 17th, 2012 (EOS 60D || Tamron 28-75 || 28mm, 1/125sec, f/5.0, iso100)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Railay Beach, Krabi, Thailand. March 19th, 2012.
– Up There/In With A Shout:
Tuk-Tuk reflections on the streets of Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand. March 15th, 2012 (EOS60D || Tamron 28-75mm || 28mm, 1/125sec, f/5.0, iso100)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Chiang Mai, Thailand. March 16th, 2012.
Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. March 31st, 2012 (EOS 60D || Sigma 10-20mm || 10mm, 1/3sec, f/9.0, iso1600)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. March 31st, 2012.
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April
Photographed || East Coast Australia & New Zealand
Images on File || 1,252
April saw me leaving Asia behind & returning to Australasia for the first time since 2003, with the bulk of April spent on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. A total change of scenery, not to mention pace, meant my pictures for April were mostly landscapes. But it wasn’t a landscape that was my favourite picture of the month.
A Barking Owl in flight in light rain at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary on the outskirts of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. April 15th, 2012 (EOS 60D || Tamron 28-75mm || 75mm, 1/1250sec, f/2.8, iso400)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Brisbane, Australia. April 15th, 2012.
– Up There/In With A Shout:
Sunset at The Twelve Apostles of the The Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia. April 22nd, 2012 (EOS 60D || Tamron 28-75mm | 28mm, 1/125sec, f/5.0, iso100)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia. April 22nd, 2012.
Tawharanui Regional Park, North Island, New Zealand. April 28th, 2012 (EOS 60D || Sigma 10-20mm || 10mm, 1/1600sec, f/5.6, iso100)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Northland, North Island, New Zealand. May 1st, 2012.
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May
Photographed || New Zealand
Images on File || 2,087
Late April to early June was spent touring the North & South Islands of New Zealand so suffice to say May was a photographic highlight of the year, as I spent the whole month photographing probably the most photogenic country on earth. Although I took a lot of pictures I liked this month (& again not surprisingly a lot of landscapes) the following extended exposure picture in Mount Cook National Park on New Zealand’s South Island stands out as my favourite capture of what was an amazing month of photography.
A camper van in the White Horse Hill Camp Ground of Mount Cook National Park, South Island, New Zealand. May 30th, 2012 (EOS 60D || Sigma 10-20mm || 10mm, 30sec, f/8.0, iso800)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand. May 31st, 2012.
– Up There/In With A Shout:
Hugging a Californian Coastal Redwood in the Whakarewarewa Forest on the outskirts of Rotorua, North Island, New Zealand. May 6th, 2012 (EOS 60D || Sigma 10-20mm || 10mm, 1/40sec, f/4.0, iso640).
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Rotorua, North Island, New Zealand. May 6th, 2012.
Surveying the scenery from the highest point on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in Tongariro National Park, North Island, New Zealand. May 9th, 2012 (EOS 60D || Sigma 10-20mm || 20mm, 1/125sec, f/11.0, iso100)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Tongariro Alpine Crossing, New Zealand. May 9th, 2012.
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June
Photographed || New Zealand, Australia (Sydney), Bali, Malaysian Borneo, & South Korea
Images on File || 2,051
June was another great month. The photographic highlight for me was a week spent in Sydney, Australia, where I captured the following picture, my favourite picture of the month. Sydney was followed by a return to Asia to spend a week in Bali, Indonesia, followed by a week in Malaysian Borneo, with particular parts of both proving immensely photogenic (& memorable).
Sydney Harbour Bridge & City Centre skyline at night. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. June 7th, 2012 (EOS 60D || Sigma 10-20mm || 17mm, 10sec, f/10.0, iso250)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Sydney, Australia. June 12th, 2012.
– Up There/In With A Shout:
The sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. June 15th, 2012 (EOS 60D || Sigma 10-20mm || 20mm, 1/250sec, f/5.6, iso320)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, Ubud, Bali. June 15th, 2012.
Climbers on the granite expanse leading to the summit of Mount Kinabalu shortly after sunrise. Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. June 23rd, 2012 (EOS 60D || Sigma 10-20mm || 10mm, 1/125sec, f/8.0, iso100)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Mount Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. June 23rd, 2012.
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July
Photographed || South Korea
Images on File || 695
July saw me back (once again) in South Korea (once again) tending to work commitments I just couldn’t seem to shake. As expected it was a quiet month with the camera, but not a dead one. I took my camera out onto the steamy summer streets of Seoul a few times in July, spurred on by the purchase of a few new lenses. The following picture was my favourite capture of the month, taken not with a newly purchased lens but with my trusty, oft-used Sigma wide-angle.
Crossing the road in Jongno, Seoul, South Korea. July 12th, 2012 (EOS 60D || Sigma 10-20mm || 10mm, 1/4sec, f/9.0, iso1600)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Seoul, South Korea: After Dark. July 12th, 2012.
– Up There/In With A Shout:
The following picture was captured on the streets of the Gangnam district of Seoul, shortly after purchasing the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 lens.
On the streets of the Gangnam district of Seoul, South Korea. July 8th, 2012 (EOS 60D || Sigma 30mm f/1.4 || 30mm, 1/320sec, f/5.6, iso400)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Gangnam Style: Seoul, South Korea. July 8th, 2012.
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August
Photographed || South Korea & Sri Lanka
Images on File || 321
Again the majority of the month of August was spent preoccupied in South Korea so I didn’t put my camera to much use this month. My travels resumed in earnest on the 29th of the month with a flight from Korea to Columbo in Sri Lanka where I was to spend the next (almost) 2 weeks. I captured the following picture of activity on the platform of Galle train station in southern Sri Lanka shortly after arriving off the packed train from Columbo. It was one of the first pictures taken with my newly acquired 70-300mm IS USM lens and, lack of images this month aside, proved to be my favourite picture of the last few days of August – & it was also to mark the start of an almost 2 month stretch of (what felt like) incessant people photography while travelling through Sri Lanka & India.
On the march in Galle train station, Southern Sri Lanka, August 31st, 2012 (EOS 60D || Canon 70-300mm || 70mm, 1/125sec, f/4.5, iso100)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Riding The Rails: Colombo to Galle, Sri Lanka. August 31st, 2012.
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September
Photographed || Sri Lanka & India
Images on File || 2,317
The first 10 days of September were spent in Sri Lanka. The rest of the month was spent in India. Both were a photographic treat. I hadn’t been to Sri Lanka before but had been to India – twice before actually, in 2003 & 2008 – so I knew how much of an assault on the senses the country would be. What I didn’t realise was how much of a photographic challenge it would be. I often found myself wondering this month how to best go about photographing the chaos that is India. I don’t think I ever found the answer (assuming there is one) but I did capture a lot of pictures I liked this month, mostly of the people of India (I found it almost impossible to point the camera at anything else). I can’t honestly, hand on heart say what my favourite picture from the month of September is because there’s just too many, both from India & Sri Lanka before it. But the one I selected, captured on a crowded train en route to Goa, brings back fond memories.
On the train from Hospet to Goa, India. September 26th, 2012 (EOS 60D || Tamron 28-75mm || 75mm, 1/100sec, f/4.5, iso800)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Riding The Rails: Hospet to Goa, India. September 26th, 2012.
– Up There/In With A Shout:
A cultural dance performance at the Kandyan Art Association & Cultural Centre, Kandy, central Sri Lanka. September 9th, 2012 (EOS 60D || Canon 70-300mm || 110mm, 1/80sec, f/5.6, iso1600)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Kandy, Sri Lanka. September 9th, 2012.
Chinese fishing nets at the tip of Fort Cochin at sunset, Kerala, India. September 19th, 2012 (EOS 60D || Canon 70-300mm || 70mm, 1/250sec, f/5.6, iso100)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Fort Cochin, Kerala, India. September 19th, 2012.
Dawn light illuminates a group of Indians exiting the Virupaksha Temple in Hampi, Karnataka, India. September 24th, 2012 (EOS 60D || Tamron 28-75mm || 75mm, 1/320sec, f/5.0, iso100)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Hampi, Karnataka, India. September 25th, 2012.
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October
Photographed || India & China, incl. Hong Kong
Images on File || 4,009
Again I could have selected any one of dozens of captures from October as my favourite image for the month, the first half of which saw me taking in some of India’s blue ribboned tourist highlights (Rajasthan, Amritsar, Agra & Varanasi) & the second half of which saw me on something of a tear up the east coast of China from Hong Kong to Beijing via Shanghai en route to Mongolia. I like the mischievous look to the picture I did select for October taken in the dark, atmospheric lanes of the Old Town of Varanasi, India, a place I was looking forward to returning to but which ultimately underwhelmed me this time around, photographically at least.
Three boys in a lane way in the Old City of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. October 14th, 2012 (EOS 60D || Sigma 30mm f/1.4 || 30mm, 1/50sec, f/3.5, iso1250)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India (2012). October 14th, 2012.
– Up There/In With A Shout:
Activity in the middle of a busy Nathan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China. October 18th, 2012 (EOS 60D || Sigma 10-20mm || 10mm, 1/60sec, f/5.6, iso100)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Hong Kong, China (2012). October 20th, 2012.
Standing guard outside of Tian’anmen Gate, Beijing, China. October 27th, 2012 (EOS 60D || Tamron 28-75mm || 75mm, 1/125sec, f/3.2, iso1250)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Beijing, China (2012). October 27th, 2012.
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November
Photographed || Mongolia, Russia, Finland, Sweden & Norway
Images on File || 5,020
With over 5,000 images on file for November, this was the busiest month of the year for my camera. It’s easy to see why – I passed through five countries alone in November, including the biggest of the lot, Russia, traversing 8 time zones in the process.
A Mongolian ger in Terelj National Park, Mongolia. November 3rd, 2012 (EOS 60D || Sigma 30mm f/1.4 || 30mm, 30sec, f/3.5, iso640)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Terelj National Park, Mongolia. November 3rd, 2012.
– Up There/In With A Shout:
A train enters Irkutsk train station as seen from an overhead bridge. Irkutsk, Siberian Russia. November 6th, 2012 (EOS 60D || Tamron 28-75mm || 28mm, 1/5sec, f/6.3, iso800)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Irkutsk, Siberian Russia (2012). November 9th, 2012.
Reflections of the fabulous facade of the Winter Palace in Palace Square, St Petersburg, Russia. November 21st, 2012 (EOS 60D || Tamron 28-75 || 28mm, 1/40sec, f/2.8, iso125)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Saint Petersburg, Russia. November 23rd, 2012.
The glass wall of the Oslo Opera House looking from a section of the roof to the Oslo waterfront. Central Oslo, Norway. November 28th, 2012 (EOS 60D || Sigma 10-20mm || 10mm, 1/3sec, f/7.1, iso640)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Oslo, Norway. November 29th, 2012.
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December
Photographed || Iceland, England & Ireland
Images on File || 2,150
The last day of November saw me on a flight from Oslo, Norway, to Reykjavik, Iceland. A visit to Iceland would be the photographic highlight of most years but my 7 day trip to The Land of Fire and Ice just happened to be the next photographic highlight of 2012 for me, such was the year I had. Needless to say Iceland in December is/was a wondrous sight, epitomized by the spectacular desolation at Mýrdalssandur in the south of the country where I captured the below pictorial highlight for the month of December.
Surveying the desolation at Mýrdalssandur, southern Iceland. December 4th, 2012 (EOS 60D || Sigma 10-20mm || 20mm, 1/40sec, f/5.6, iso125)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Iceland: South Coast Road Trip. December 5th, 2012.
– Up There/In With A Shout:
Hallgrímskirkja (Lutheran church) in Reykjavík, Iceland. December 2nd, 2012 (EOS 60D || Sigma 10-20mm || 10mm, 1/5sec, f/5.9, iso640)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || Reykjavík, Iceland. December 2nd, 2012.
Standing under the giant London Eye Ferris wheel on the banks of the River Thames in London, England. December 8th, 2012 (EOS 60D || Sigma 10-20mm || 10mm, 1/60sec, f/5.6, iso100)
dMb Travel || Blog Entry || London, England (2012). December 9th, 2012.
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