Ten Favorite Photos I Captured in 2024

I purchased a Sony a7ii in 2023, while having zero understanding of the basics of cameras and photography. I recall being particularly confused about the exposure triangle , especially how aperture affects the sharpness and the depth of field of an image. After learning the basics and taking around 3500 photos with that camera, I realized its aging technology was limiting my beginner skills. I had enough experience to be able to research camera models and their features, and I decided to get a Sony a7cii at the beginning of 2024, a decision I’m still happy with today.

As I’m drafting this post, my camera’s shutter count is at 6663, and if I include the period of the year I was still using my old camera, I’ve shot 7719 photos in 2024. I’ve had many short trips in the Netherlands, and I’ve also traveled to Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Belgium, and Turkey, with my camera being my constant companion. When reviewing the photos I took this year, I felt confident enough to select my top 10 favorites to share in this blog. So here they are, ordered by the date taken.

January 2024

At the beginning of the year I came across a photography contest called life framer , and decided to pay for the annual membership and join the contest. I knew I was nowhere close enough to win a photography contest and winning wasn’t the point, but the monthly theme of the contest sounded like an appealing challenge to me. It would motivate me to take my camera outside and push myself to capture new moments.

The January theme of the contest centered on night life photography, and with no travel plans ahead, I walked towards the center of Amsterdam with the only camera I owned back then, the a7ii. After a couple of shots, I realized my camera and lens weren’t capable of capturing anything compelling in low light situations, and this probably was the time I decided to think about switching to another camera.

While I was disappointingly watching the area around Pathé City, I noticed this bright advertisement panel of Anya Taylor-Joy in front of the tram stop. Oh thank god, something bright enough my poor camera could capture. I took a few uninspiring shots, and then figured this might be the time to try a long exposure shot for the first time in my photography journey.

April 2024

I continued the life framer’s monthly challenges in February (theme: animals) and March (theme: colors), but looking back at the shots, none are particularly noteworthy. I got my new a7cii camera in April and immediately loved using it. I was more motivated to carry this smaller, lighter, and more performant camera with me, and soon realized I didn’t need an external challenge for taking photos anymore.

On a beautiful spring day in April, I noticed this gorgeous sunset from the balcony of my apartment in Diemen and quickly grabbed the camera to photograph the scene. I was lucky to get some birds in frame.

May 2024

I’m quite shy about photographing people in general. I love documenting candid moments of life, but I’m always hesitant to point my lens towards strangers. As practice for getting over this fear, I grabbed my small but mighty Sony 50mm f/2.5 G lens, walked towards the center of Amsterdam, aiming to capture street life. It was a cloudy gray day and the shots lacked color or light contrast, so for the first time I decided to edit the photos in black and white to magnify the attention on the subjects.

June 2024

We visited Madeira in June and stayed in Porto Moniz for a week. I wasn’t prepared for the island’s breathtaking beauty, and Madeira definitely is one of the places I’ll have to visit more in future. I was hiking a steep uphill route around Porto Moniz, physically exhausted from climbing, turned around to view the landscape behind me, and faced this gorgeous vista.

We also had a short visit to Seixal and I took many photos, including this spectacular view from the balcony of a small restaurant where we grabbed lunch.

I like that I’ve included some foreground elements in both of these pictures. They’ve elevated the images by providing a nice perspective of the scene, helping the viewer imagine themselves in those places. I’ve found myself drawn to this technique throughout the year.

July 2024

To try something completely new, I joined the Dutch Shooters team in July to have a daylong photography trip to the Formula 1 event at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. I stayed at a hotel in Eindhoven the night before so I could join them early in the morning. The photography trip was excellent, with many professional and amateur photographers around the circuit. It was the perfect opportunity to practice panning shots and I managed to capture a few images of these super fast cars.

August 2024

We visited Norway in August, spending the first few days exploring Oslo. I found the Oslo Public Library to be a fascinating place to shoot, as it contains various types of shapes, lights, colors, people, and even some reflections.

There are many of these old phone booths around Oslo converted into small libraries. I came across several while walking around and exploring the city, including this one. I took a few ordinary shots, none of them meeting my satisfaction threshold. Then I saw a gentleman approaching with books in his hands, and I captured this moment. I love how the color of his shirt matches the phone booth.

We left Oslo and stayed in a cabin house around Halden for a few days. The cabin was surrounded by woodland and water, offering an absolutely peaceful experience of nature.

September 2024

Of course I had my camera with me during a work trip to Stockholm in September. One night when I finally found a few hours of alone time, I walked around the city to photograph some night life and got several memorable shots. Reflections always intrigue me, and here I found its combination with the empty section of the advertisement created a perfect frame to capture someone walking by. Several people passed, and this man’s height, sweater color, and headphones made for the best composition of the evening.

It’s always challenging to find and compose shots at night, especially with an f/2.8 lens, as there’s not enough light reaching the lens to work with. My attention was drawn to the colors and the light in front of this store, and I was fortunate to catch someone crossing, illuminated by the store’s lighting.

October 2024

Autumn was quickly fading, and I desperately wanted to have a colorful autumn photo in my 2024 portfolio. I brought my camera to tennis practice, so I could go shooting afterward without needing to return home. I photographed some autumn leaves, but nothing spectacular. I lost the daylight and the theme of the day became night life photography.

I walked toward the center of Amsterdam and took many unremarkable shots. On my way to the city center, I came across these green lights around the building of the Van Gogh Museum . I started photographing the empty but lit walls of the building, and waited for people to pass so I could potentially get a minimalistic silhouette shot, but I ended up with something even more beautiful.

Since my previous attempt at getting an autumn shot was unsuccessful, I grabbed the camera another day and explored the Amsterdamse Bos seeking the yellow and orange colors of nature. I took many shots in the following spot, where the colors on the trees in the background were stunning. I was quite pleased with this image of the family and their dog enjoying their time.

November 2024

I traveled to Izmir to spend a few days with a friend. I always keep my camera bag on my lap in airplanes, in case an interesting scene appears. This time when the airplane was approaching the Istanbul airport, I captured this beautiful night scene of this megacity, with boats sailing in the water. I almost lost my lens cap while taking this shot, since the airplane landed a few moments after, and I lost control of the items on my lap. Luckily I found it lying on the ground later.

My friend and I stayed in Manisa, a small town near Izmir. We drove to Izmir daily, explored the city, played tennis, and took photos. The first two days, I was amazed by the layers of mountains in the background along the road, but I was driving and there was no safe place to stop for photography. The third day I couldn’t resist anymore, so I stopped at a gas station, and quickly took this shot. I’m glad that an old red car appeared in the frame as well, adding more visual interest.

I continued practicing street photography and taking photos of strangers in Turkey, hoping to gradually overcome this fear. A few times people noticed I was photographing them, and I worried they’d be angry or at least complain, but to my surprise they asked for my Instagram account and requested me to take more photos and share them!

During one of our walks around Izmir, I suggested my friend visit the city’s old Kemeraltı bazaar hoping I could get some unique and colorful shots of the chaotic environment, but I couldn’t capture anything compelling. When we left the bazaar, people were seated around the Clock Tower of Izmir, and I noticed this lady with a box of red roses in her hand. I waited to see if an interesting moment would unfold, and then took this shot when she handed a rose to another lady, with a bright smile on her face.

Looking back at these photos, I can see how my journey in photography has evolved throughout 2024. From my hesitant first attempts at long exposures in January to confidently approaching street photography in Turkey, each image represents not just a moment captured, but a step in my growth as a photographer.

I recently purchased a photo printer, and these ten images will be among the first I’ll print. There’s something special about seeing photographs on paper rather than just on screens, and I’m excited to experience these memories in a more tangible form. As I look forward to 2025, I’m eager to continue exploring and developing my photographic style, particularly in areas that still challenge me, like street photography.

I’d love to hear which of these photos resonates with you and why. Whether you’re a fellow photography enthusiast or simply enjoy viewing images, feel free to reach out to share your thoughts or discuss photography. You can follow my photography work on Instagram , 500px , or flickr .

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