2012 – A Year of Travel In Photographs
2012 was one of my best travel years to date. In it I added two new continents, four brand new countries and scratched some pretty major destinations off my bucket list. In addition to completing my first year in Copenhagen I made it to the United Arab Emirates, Scotland, England, Germany, Sweden, Zambia, Botswana, Italy, Turkey, Canada and the Czech Republic. Experiences ranged from my first time back in North America in 15 months where I came nose to nose with wild polar bears to an incredibly awkward Turkish Hamam experience to a week spent cooking over a charcoal brazier in rural Zambian villages. 2012 also saw me upgrade from my trusty Canon G11 to a Canon 600D, my first ever dSLR.
I feel like you have all been there with me throughout my many adventures. Your readership, support, comments, feedback and advice really means a lot and is part of what makes the hours, money, blood sweat and tears I put into this blog worth it. So, thank you.
Without further delay, I give you 42 of my favorite photos from 2012 in no particular order.
Lion cubs relaxing – South Luangwa, Zambia
The Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque) – Istanbul, Turkey
A Lilac-Breasted Roller – Chobe, Botswana
Full moon setting as the sun rises – Churchill, Canada
A large leopard in the grass – South Luangwa, Zambia
One of many beautiful streets – Stockholm, Sweden
The last of my big three – Victoria Falls, Zambia
A young male pausing to stare us down in South Luangwa, Zambia
Spices at a traditional souk in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Children clowning for the camera in a small village in Luapula Province, Zambia
A Zebra relaxing just before sunset in South Luangwa, Zambia
One of my favorite marble statues – Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany
A mosque at sunset during Istanbul’s worst storm in 25 years – Istanbul, Turkey
Children showcasing their zeal for life – Luapula Province, Zambia
A particularly beautiful street – Perugia, Italy
Hamish the world famous Highland Coo (Cow) – Kilmahog, Scotland
Fishing boats in Antalya harbor – Antalya, Turkey
This beautiful male leopard has survived with only one eye – South Luangwa, Zamiba
Dancing or fighting? Perhaps a bit of both – Churchill, Canada
Dubai from the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building – Dubai, United Arab Emirates
A large leopard warning a nearby hyena not to come closer – South Luangwa, Zambia
The famous rock chimneys that decorate and define the Cappadocia region – Goreme, Turkey
A moment of love and companionship – Orvieto, Italy
The historic streets of Gamla Stan – Stockholm, Sweden
Elephants posturing near a watering hole – South Luangwa, Zambia
Fishermen at sunset – Samfya Lake, Zambia
An elephant convoy walking single file – Chobe National Park, Botswana
Polar Bears play fighting while waiting for the ice to freeze – Churchill, Canada
View out over the Quirang – Isle of Skye, Scotland
A lioness chewing on a baby hippo’s head – South Luangwa, Zambia
A Swedish bike with a traditional twist – Stockholm, Sweden
The night sky over the village of Chisunka – Luapula Province, Zambia
A lion casually stalking alert Impala – Chobe National Park, Botswana
An abandoned boat – Isle of Skye, Scotland
Looking down on Perugia’s beautiful rooftops – Perugia, Italy
Polar Bear tears – Churchill, Canada
A baby Baboon preparing for launch – Chobe National Park, Botswana
A mother and her babies resting – Stockholm, Sweden
Hard at work preparing and seperating corn kernels for sale – Chisunka, Zambia
A close up of a beautiful piece of art in the Antalya Archaeological Museum – Antalya, Turkey
A very alert Impala – South Luangwa, Zambia
d’Artagnan, my brother’s cat – Luapula Province, Zambia
It was nearly impossible to select 42 of my favorite shots from the last year. There are a lot which I absolutely love that didn’t make this post. If you enjoyed these shots, please head over to my flickr albums and continue browsing. You may have noticed that this post only includes one photo from Berlin, and does not include any shots from England, the Czech Republic or Denmark. I wasn’t doing much shooting in England or Germany and I have not edited my photos from the Czech Republic yet so you’ll have to stay tuned for those! I chose to exclude Denmark because it is my current place of residence. I’ll be doing a special post featuring 10-20 shots from the past year dedicated specifically to my life here in Copenhagen.
The photo at the start of the post (technically #43) is from the traditional spice markets in Dubai, UAE.
Most of the photos in this post were shot on a Canon T3i (600D)
I would LOVE to know which of these shots is your favorite, or if you have other photos I’ve taken over the past year which you think should have made the list but did not.
Thank you again so, so much for all of your support. Your comments mean a lot to me! I cannot wait to see what adventures 2013 brings!
Brilliant photos Alex but it’s too hard to pick a favourite!
Thanks Andrea, great to hear you enjoyed them!
Awesome pics and awesome travels man. Makes me want to travel more and perhaps get a proper camera.
Thanks Sam! Yeah, I was on the fence for a long time about the cost/benefit trade off that goes with lugging a dSLR around and a bunch of lenses. Eventually I justified it by combining my video camera and my photo camera into one piece of equipment. Really though, the shots in Africa and Canada would have been impossible without the 250mm lens I was using on my dSLR. For me at least it has been totally worth the upgrade. I’d love to get my hands on a Canon 5D Mark III or 7D Mark II at some point, but for the time being the 600D has been a great camera.
These pictures are amazing!
Please carry on taking pictures of beautiful moments.
My absolute favorite is the old couple in Italy!
Thank you Tina! Will do! When I see that photo, it still makes me smile every time.
Though I’m partial to the Turkey photos since I live there, your photos taken in Zambia are absolutely stunning! I love how the zebra is just casually looking back at your lens. Here’s to more traveling adventures in 2013!
Thank you. The Zambia trip really was one in a million. Those Zebra were gorgeous. We caught them right at sunset, and the white in their hair reflected the reds of the evening sunset brilliantly!
Cool photos! The beauty and complexity of Italy is just how I have seen it and it was wonderful. I also admire your Blue Mosque photo from Turkey. Keep it up!
Thank you! Italy truly is an amazing place. Just no where else like it in the world. Thanks for the kind words on the shots and for reading!
Beautiful photos, and I’m sure you had a lot of fun using your new camera (I still use a Canon G11 as my main one but hope to upgrade soon!). Skye looks like just a gorgeous place.
Thank you! That G11 is such a great camera, it’s hard to justify upgrading. Just so durable, and so many good features. Still, I am definitely enjoying the added power and sharpness of a dSLR! My biggest complaint besides the added size is the shutter noise. It’s super loud when it takes a photo. Not idea for incognito shots in quiet buildings, or of random moments on the street!
Wow these photos are just excellent. Congrats on such a stunning portfolio.
Thanks Ed! It was a spectacular year! Cannot wait to put together a list for 2013. I can’t believe the year is already almost over!
Definitely Zambia is a winner for me!