Let me take you along on my journey over the past couple of weeks!

The weeks began with my birthday, which turned out a little differently than expected—just as I mentioned in an older post. On my stroll home, I crossed a bridge, and the last rays of sunlight created a calming scene in front of me as I listened to Mei Semone’s latest Kabutomushi EP.

Having the waterfront and lakes in close vicinity offers a great variety of scenes, which I have regrettably underexplored. I have been planning to visit the lakes by kayak for two years now, but it has never moved past the planning stage. Wish me luck this year!

With spring still nowhere in sight, I often leave work after sunset. One evening, I went to the supermarket next to my office—where I go almost daily for lunch—to do some grocery shopping after work. Since I always carry my camera in my bum bag, I felt inspired by a small corner scene and decided to capture it. I often try to set aside some time after work for photography. In summer, I usually ride my bicycle to the office, which gives me plenty of opportunities to take detours before and after work, chasing different scenes depending on the available sunlight. Photography helps balance out the static nature of my job by allowing me space for artistic expression, which keeps me from feeling overwhelmed—most days.

I’ve been enjoying night photography, not just because of the workshop I attended last year, but also because I appreciate the creative possibilities that artificial light sources provide. They make it easier to isolate subjects than during the daytime. One advantage of the long winter nights is that I don’t have to stay up late or wake up early to capture good shots. Unfortunately, film photography isn’t very practical in the dark without a tripod. However, my little Fuji X-T20, paired with a €50 7artisans 35mm f1.4 lens, is sufficient for handheld photography after sunset.

There are times at work when I need to do something other than stare at the monitors, waiting for time to pass. Since I’m usually alone in my office, I took my camera and placed the lens cap in the sunlight hitting my desk. Sometimes it’s easy to see a scene and capture it before I suddenly start questioning the point of taking such pictures. The first thought that comes to mind is that it’s mundane. It doesn’t have any artistic value. It’s worthless. But in the end, I’m always happy I took it, and I have to remind myself frequently that this is the only and most important goal in an artistic practice.

The setting sun was warm this evening, and as I left the office, I took the opportunity to capture it in the form of shining rectangles cut out of the golden curtain of light—light that would soon fade before another freezing night descended upon our city.

For the past few months, I have been trying to incorporate a simple habit into my morning routine: spending a few minutes sitting outside on the balcony with a cup of coffee, just observing the treetops swaying in the wind, the pigeons perched on branches, the changing leaves through the seasons, and the ravens soaring above the rooftops, heading to their usual morning gathering spot nearby. These days, it’s really cold, so even with a cap and a thick blanket, I can’t sit there for more than five minutes. But it helps me breathe, calm down, soak in the morning stillness, and realign myself with nature’s rhythm.

Last week was particularly unsettling. I had to attend a court hearing due to a lawsuit against me—a complete scam, but unfortunately, you’re required to appear before a judge and bring a lawyer, who, of course, needs to be paid. In the end, I won the case, but the whole situation weighed on me, especially as the court date approached. I wasn’t in a great mental state, so my photography took a backseat.

Today, I finally shook off my Super Bowl-induced jet lag (I turned off the TV at 4:40 AM after being sure the Chiefs had lost this time and took Monday off) and headed to work. At my train station, I noticed the rising morning sun hitting a broken window pane beautifully, so I had to take a shot. I was listening to Raquel Martin’s song Mountains and ignored the curious stares of people on their way to the platform.

At noon, I took another detour after leaving the office and stopped by a café near my place. There, I transferred the pictures from my camera’s SD card to my laptop and started writing this blog post. To avoid caffeine-induced insomnia, I treated myself to a hot chocolate and took my time enjoying the moment.

I’m happy that I finally found the time to write this post and share my photos with the (cyber)world. Thanks for reading!