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!