2020-won, in pictures.
The Ballerina, 2021
I've taken a lot of photos this year. Well over 10,000, and I'd say that seems like a lot considering I didn't even make an effort to post a full 365 days of Instagram images. In part, it's because shooting birds and wildlife is often about taking hundreds of images just to get one good shot. 80% per cent of the pictures fail to even make it through the first cull when they get to the computer. Regardless, I do wonder how many photos I've actually produced this year, good or bad. I wouldn't be surprised if it actually ventured into the 15,000 - 20,000 range or beyond. Especially when including those random snaps of pavement, shoes, and other blurred messes I still manage to accidentally click.
Putting those aside, though, it’s been a good year for photography. It gets me outside, helps me to look at things differently, and at many times, literally gives me a reason to get up in the morning. December came with some photographic achievements I’m quite proud of, which is funny because I’m not very good at accepting compliments or acknowledging achievements. It always seems too easy to find an excuse around them - ‘it’s not a big competition’, ‘it’s just from an app’, etc. Nevertheless, I am proud of the achievements, and both of them have got me back up and out with a camera again after a dodgy October and November of not really ‘feeling’ the photography.
Nature Photographer of the Year?
The first surprise of 2021 came in July. GuruShots notified me that one of my images had been selected to be printed as part of their Nature Photographer of the Year competition. The part that made this even more significant was that the exhibition would be held at The Coningsby Gallery in London. My image in a London Gallery, who’d have thought that would happen. The exhibition wasn’t held until the 9th-11th December. Naturally, I completely forgot about it, so what a delightful surprise it was to receive this photo from home. December was off to a good start.
‘Colours of the Wild’
The second surprise came just a week later from a much more local source - the 3rd Expats Eye Shenzhen Photo Contest. As you might have guessed, it was the 3rd year this competition had run, and having missed out last year and not entered any images; I spent an unreasonable amount of time going through every single shot I'd ever taken in Shenzhen. Each entrant was allowed to submit up to 10 images, and after my first proper look through, I had a Lightroom folder with 104 images to choose from. It took a lot of time to choose the right ones and pick a theme to bind them together, but it paid off. The selection of images I submitted as the series 'Colours of the Wild' was awarded second place in the nature category.
Whilst that was an amazing thing in itself, I got to share the celebrations with the other three people I spend all of my photography life with. Isaac took 1st place in the nature category with some outstanding wildlife shots, representing the diversity we have here in the city. Tom took 1st place in the humanistic category with a wonderful image that couldn't better depict 21st-century Shenzhen. And finally, I shared 2nd place with Francisco. He also entered a fantastic series of bird images, once again showing the wide range of wildlife we have here in the city. Overall, the competition had many amazing entries, and the photobook produced from all the finalists' images was incredible. It's an honour to be featured amongst my friends and all the other amazing photographers I know in Shenzhen, and I still can't quite believe I made it to 2nd. Check out the 10 entries I sent into the competition below. I entered the two images of the city into the humanistic category, but the wildlife came out on top.
Be sure to go and check out Tom’s, Isaac’s, and Francisco’s photos on Instagram by clicking their images below. Don’t miss out on the beautiful shots of wildlife, cityscapes, and the day-to-day life of Shenzhen. Here are a few of their winning images from the competition.
In the Heat of the Night! - from the series Wildest Shenzhen - by Isaac Cohen
Well-recorded Event - by Thomas Harvey
Common Tailorbird - from the series Hidden Gems - by Francisco Vergara
Achievements aside, I wanted to take the time to actually look back at the 8,000 + images still living in the depths of Lightroom and dig out a few to share. Inspired by friends’ end-of-year music and movie reviews, I thought it would be nice to do the same with some photos. This year saw a lot of photography happen outside of wildlife and nature, and those are the images not many people get to see. Mostly because I’m still terrible at running one Instagram page, let alone two, but nonetheless, I’ve still shot at least one image in various genres that I liked. Even if it’s a terrible image, I just like it because it is. So, as another year rolls around to a close, here are some of my favourite images from 2021.
A few wildlife favourites taken in Shenzhen, Chengdu, and Yading.
Although international travel still hasn't been on the cards this year, I tried to find some opportunities for landscapes. Many of those came in the form of cityscapes and other areas on the city's outer edges, such as the Dapeng Peninsula. Fortunately, Shenzhen hides a lot of these beautiful areas amid all the towering skyscrapers.
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The other obvious landscape hotspot was, of course, Daocheng and Yading. The Tibetan Plateau holds some of the most beautiful landscapes you’ve ever seen, and I can’t wait to venture back that way when the chance arises again. If you need convincing, just take a look at my previous adventure - Journey to the West
On the Streets
Something 2021 has brought was the exploration into new photographic areas. Since being introduced to all the awesome people at the Shenzhen Intl. Foto Collective, I've endeavoured to explore more photography instead of just sitting by ponds.
The result of this has been some exciting days out; night walks around places that I didn't know existed, amazing BBQ's, beers, and plenty of new photos. Here are some of the street shots I've enjoyed from this adventure.
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This year’s been a busy one, and as always happens, things get left unfinished, then other things come up, then those plans get changed, and before you know it, those plans have changed again, and suddenly it’s the end of the year. And here we are. For me, the thing that didn’t happen was writing. It’s been almost a whole year since I opened this page, and I know it still needs a lot of time and attention to be what I want it to be. But all things considered, this year feels like a win.
So for now, here’s to enjoying the last few days of 2021 and then onto next year. More writing, more travelling (I hope), and without a doubt, another 10,000 photos or more. I’ll leave you with what will probably be the last significant image I take in 2021.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year; see you in 2022!
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Head over to Instagram for some nature!
A macro shot of some moss on a tree in Bijiashan Park, Shenzhen.