Certain posts are difficult to put in writing. Either because you have a certain basic idea about what you would like to say, but don’t know how to, or because they are deeply personal. This one ticks both boxes…

While I do strive to improve my rhetorical capabilities, I am unfortunately not as skilled, nor as blessed, as some of you prodigious wordsmiths out there, so I will try to pen my thoughts the best I can, keeping this as short as can be.

Inspired by some amazing photographers out there, I decided to share a glimpse into how certain events in 2014 affected me and how they changed the way I see life and set my priorities accordingly.

Let’s get this started, shall we ?

It’s the beginning of December 2014 and I’m sat at my desk, thinking I should really update my website with a blog post about my ten favorite shots of the year. The weather’s been rather moody lately and it’s been raining for a while now, daylight a nearly non-existing luxury. All of this weighs me down and I’m brooding, ignoring my Lightroom library and the task at hand. Thoughts wander off in all directions and it isn’t long before I decide that 2014 has been a year full of wasted opportunities and disappointments.

How many times did I want to go out on a photowalk, only to find my plans crossed again at the last minute?

How much time did I spend chasing different contractors for menial guarantee-related tasks around the house?

How much effort has been wasted writing back and forth with my insurance, because of the fender bender? (My car was rear-ended in a parking lot while I was inside a building and the other party admitted their guilt. Sounds pretty straight forward, doesn’t it? Not if both people involved are insured with the same company…).

How many hours did I spend at the office, “enjoying” overtime and coming home late, only to eat, kiss my son goodnight and go to bed twenty minutes later as well?

Yes, 2014, you haven’t been kind to me, nor to my loved ones, ultimately culminating in the untimely death of my father-in-law, just weeks before he turned 60…

Thinking about this last bit, I return to my Lightroom library and browse through the pictures I took a couple of weeks earlier; the urn at the morgue, the flowers, the cross.

Hey, I’m in Lightroom again… What’s this, the trip to Dublin with my best friend, Benny?

Oh, yes… some pretty good times were had there!

Was that the only place I traveled to this year? Wait, I also went to London in March! Ahhh yes, #LNDNWLK. I do have very fond memories of the fabulous people I met, and am proud to now call friends.

Back in August, there was this day trip I spent gallivanting around Luxembourg, again with Benny! Oh, what a guy he is, and what fun we had…

I can feel my mood getting better by the second as I feverishly browse event after event; family photos, weddings, trips, gatherings, snapshots!

Oh yes, there’s this special, warm and fuzzy feeling again.

Maybe 2014 wasn’t so bad after all ?

Gear-wise, a lot happened as well. I got my first Leica, my first medium-format camera (the Pentax 645Z), sold my Olympus and Fuji kit (only to buy a new Fuji kit a couple of months later) and started printing my work. All of these are stories for another time…

It’s fascinating how the human psyche often has a tendency to focus on the negative, choosing to utterly ignore the facts and events that could cheer us up.

So, what’s the lesson I learned, you might ask?

Well, bad things happen and you’re bound to hit a road block every now and then, just remember what really matters:

FAMILY, FRIENDS, ADVENTURES TO BE HAD, LAUGHTER AND JOY TO BE SHARED

Oh… and don’t forget PHOTOGRAPHY! How else are you going to record all of those priceless moments and keep them safe forever? ;-)

What about my ten favorite shots, the ones that were supposed to be the “raison d’être” of this post? Well, I honestly couldn’t choose; too many fond memories…

Until next time,

Oli

P.s. Header image shot by Benny during our trip to Dublin :-)