2024 has been a very interesting and exciting year for me as a photographer.
Since my trip to London back in 2022, I knew that I wanted to solo travel to a few different countries in 2024. This year, I had the amazing opportunity to visit Tokyo and Berlin. It was my first time ever visiting Japan and Germany. Traveling to these countries was an amazing way for me to not only develop my portfolio as a travel photographer, but to also just enjoy the scenery of different countries. After years of street photography in only Los Angeles, I knew that I wanted to do as much street photography in another country as I could.
Another incredible opportunity I was able to take on as a photographer was collaborating with modeling agencies Bounty Models LA and Aston Models. I did test shoots with a few different models from their new faces and main board categories. This year I wanted to focus on practicing lifestyle portrait shoots as a way to further improve my photography portfolio and practice my creative direction.
With all of this in mind, I’d like to talk about my top 5 favorite photos of the year. Keep in mind that these are my top 5 at the time of writing this blog post, but there are plenty of times when I go back to edit photos I’ve taken in previous years and I end up liking them a lot more than when I first edited them.
#5: Sunset Streets in Asakusa - Tokyo, Japan
On one of the first days I was visiting Japan, I knew that I wanted to visit Asakusa to capture some photos of Sensō-ji at sunset. I ended up only getting some photos at night because I stopped a lot along the way to Asakusa to take photos of the back alleys of the city. Interestingly enough, this photo is one that I wasn’t planning to capture but it made it to the top 5, while my photo of Sensō-ji didn’t (but I still love the photo).
As I was walking through the crosswalk, I saw the sun starting to set over the tall buildings and quickly adjusted my settings to get this shot. I was lucky that there weren’t too many contrasting colors in the image so I could just focus on the vibrant golden colors cast by the sunset.
#4: Stairs of Torii Gates - Tokyo, Japan
Traveling to Tokyo was the first time that I was traveling outside of Los Angeles with the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN ART lens in my camera bag. The focal length was perfect to capture this photo as I was backed into a corner trying to get this photo. I remember waking up early in the morning to walk around different spots in Tokyo and I came across these Torii gates accidentally. Because I got there so early, there was barely anyone walking around. I love the symmetry of the gates and the strong red color, which I wanted to emphasize in the editing. I also felt that the picture would have been perfect with a vignette to really make the color stick out.
#3: Luxury Watch Portrait with Nolan O’Connor
After I returned from my Tokyo and Berlin trips, I wanted to try to do some portrait photoshoots around Los Angeles. I had the opportunity to collaborate with fashion model Nolan O’Connor and produce a lifestyle photoshoot in Downtown Los Angeles. As much as I love photographing watches, this was the first time in a while photographing a portrait with one. There were people walking in and out of the Walt Disney Concert Hall so I wasn’t able to have the entire building in the backdrop. But ultimately I’m glad I got a photo like this where you can see the watch instead of an incredibly wide angle where it wouldn’t have been as noticeable.
#2: Dramatic Sunset over HOLLYWOOD Mountains
It hasn’t been very often that I have been able to capture a partially cloudy sky at sunset in Los Angeles this year. This was a great example of being at the right place at the right time, and to always try and go out and shoot so you don’t miss moments like these. After walking up the trail to the Griffith Observatory, I saw this beautiful sunset over the horizon. When I think there is going to be an incredible sunset, I usually go to the beach. But I’m glad I decided to get a sunset from this location because you get an amazing view of different parts of the city (the mountains, Downtown LA, Century City, etc) in the background.
#1: Back Alley Sunset in Tokyo, Japan
Like a lot of my favorite photos from Japan, this one wasn’t planned and was taken on the way heading to Asakusa. When I traveled to Tokyo, there were definitely some photos that I wanted to try to capture, but I kept an open mind to photograph any moments that caught my eye. What I like most about this photo is that it’s just a simple street photography snapshot. The white cart being right of the center and the sun illuminating the path is perfect. When I did street photography in Los Angeles, I would always try to think about a new composition I could capture since I’ve photographed there so many times. In Tokyo, because every place I visited was a new experience, there was no need to overthink a photo and I could just enjoy capturing simple moments.
2024 was a great year for me to travel to different countries and better myself as a photographer. I’m always working to improve my craft while enjoying the process. I hope to continue this trend in 2025 and create new amazing memories. I hope you enjoyed reading this post and have an amazing New Year! See you in 2025!
