Both photographically and generally speaking, this has been a fantastic year. I’ve learnt a lot, not just about photography, but about why I take photographs and what drives me to be a photographer. It’s been essential for finally figuring out where I want to go in life, something I’ve struggled with for the past few years. I thought I’d do a 2014 in review post, but because I’m a photographer you get lots of photos instead of lots of words about the year!

January found us in South Africa, and I still have yet to process all the photos from that trip! I made the move to using Manual more often, and learned how to find and assemble my camera and lens in five seconds flat as Klipspringers wandered past our cottage and up the hill (next step, put shoes on that quickly so sharp rocks and broken glass aren’t an issue).

University was a bit of a let-down after that, really, but I was occupied by training for the Rotorua Marathon. It didn’t leave much time for photography, so we spent the June break in the Bay of Islands, staying in Paihia. White-Fronted Terns and Oystercatchers were the main subjects there, but I also got my first photographs of New Zealand Dotterels!

While the first half of the year was a bit slow for images after our overseas trip, the second half had them coming thick and fast. Trips to Auckland Zoo and my favourite birding spots around Auckland – Tiritiri Matangi, Miranda and Muriwai, as well as testing out new lenses kept me well occupied. And all of a sudden it was exams sat, marks back and home for the summer!

I’m looking forward to next year – taking more photos, and blogging about them of course. Have a safe and Happy New Year everyone!

Edin