Looking Back at 2023 - And a Peek Forward
Man, it has been a crazy last few years hasn’t it? 2023 was a rollercoaster. Let’s all hope 2024 doesn’t say, “Hold my beer!” Here’s a look back at what I got up to with my photography in the past year, and sneak a peek forward at what’s to come.
In 2023, I photographed in 7 different destinations, took more than 20,000 photos, and toward the end nearly 50 hours of video, too. According to Google, I traveled through 39 cities, rode 2763 miles on buses, trains, and other transit, and walked 117 miles while traveling.
Here are some of my photography highlights from 2023:
In addition to photos, I began taking video in the intent of creating YouTube videos about with a focus on photography. Some of it will be POV walk and shoot videos of places I travel, some of it about the gear I use, and eventually maybe some tutorials and other things as well. At the time of this writing, The new YouTube I started in 2023 currently has 53 subscribers, 13 videos, 18 shorts, and 6,535 views. You should go subscribe! Here are a couple of my best performing videos right now:
In 2023, I greatly expanded my social media footprint. This was spurred on partly because of Instagram’s move toward being less of a photo-centric platform to a TikTok competitor, and partly due to the implosion going on at Twitter (or X if you insist). I do still maintain accounts on both Instagram and Twitter, however, despite the drastic decline in interaction I’ve had on both. In addition to those, and my previously existing Facebook page, in 2023 I started accounts on YouTube as mentioned above, Vero (kinda similar the the old Insta), TikTok (don’t look at me like that), Threads (Meta’s alternative to Twitter), 500px (a photography-centric community site), and Blue Sky Social (a quickly growing very Twitter-esque decentralized social media platform). I’ll continue to work on new ways to provide content through these platforms. Eventually I’ll probably drop off of some of the platforms, depending on the interaction I get (or don’t get) from them, and I may join others that look interesting as they pop up.
In 2023, I created this website. I added dozens of full galleries from my travel photography from 2022 and 2023. And I began offering a selection of my images for sale, including these:
So what’s coming for 2024?
For starters, I’ve got a travel photography trip coming up fast! At the end of this month, I’ll travel to Nashville, TN for a few days before I fly from there for a week visiting my brother who is stationed on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. I’ve been to both places before. Nashville several times, most recently about 5 years ago for a family wedding, but the last time I was there taking photos was back at the end of 2006. During my time as a professional wedding photographer, I was flown to Honolulu in 2008 to photograph a wedding. Here are a few photos from those previous trips:
Aside from this confirmed trip, other trips possibly coming in 2024 include Columbus, GA, Chattanooga, TN, Charlotte, NC, and maybe back to New York City. NYC is so big, and I missed so much the first time around. Want to help me make more of these trips possible? Become a supporter on Patreon or buy one of my prints!
In 2024, I will improve and continue to this website and blog. This includes adding new blog posts, monthly newsletter updates, new images in the store, and new types of content.. Some potential avenues I have in mind for this:
photography tutorials
photography tips and tricks
gear reviews
photography on a budget
travel on a budget
more behind the scenes of my photography and travel
Got something else you’d like to see from me? Send me a message and tell me about your idea. I’d love to hear it!
That’s it for the 2023 recap and sneak peek at 2024 from me! Thank you for reading, and if you enjoy the content I create, share it with your friends so they can enjoy it as well. I hope your 2024 is filled with adventure. The good kind that is. None of that 2020-2023 '“adventure” we’ve all been having!
