31-01-2022, 18:19, Arnhem
It's been a while since I've allowed myself to spend time on anything that isn't work, family or networking related. Not because I had too - not really anyways - but I have been having a bit of success in my work lately, with cool opportunities coming up, and my study has been a handful too. Good stuff.
So to celebrate me not getting any photos developed in January (and not shooting much more than that either) I decided to look back on 2021 - albeit a bit late - to select my top 10 of the year.
So here you go!
10.
Lena Nießen, ArtEZ Arnhem, 2021
Funnily enough this was actually from a test roll I shot trying out my €2,50 Fuji Zoom 40-80. It's taken a bit later in the year than most of the other ones on this list, and I think the 'raw' or lo-fi feel is indicative of where I want to go with my photography.
9.
Self portrait, RAW Gelände Berlin, 2021
"Never Fold on a Good Hand" is what I originally titled this picture when I posted it on Instagram. I know jack shit of poker, but it seems to me the cards are all quite close together, which I interpreted as a good thing.
I like this style of self portraits (you can tell by how many like this I took this year) because they give me a bit more of a connection with them, because I'm in them. But me being in them doesn't take away from the subject matter. Also it allows me to show off my shoe collection, nice bonus!
8.
The Eus, Arnhem-Zuid, 2020
So technically I took this in December of 2020, but you wouldn't have known that if I hadn't told you, so does it really matter?
I personally enjoy the depth the picture has and also the very dark shadows / high contrast.
With the big, weird looking tree in the middle being 'the big church' in the town that I live - to the point where I can see it from my room, a solid kilometre away - it felt only right to try to capture at least once.
7.
Untitled, KuDam Berlin, 2021
When it comes to street photography I feel I have a very clear idea of what I want to highlight; a very clear view of what bothers me in today's everyday life.
Without getting too much into the nitty gritty, one of my main focuses is the ridiculous disparity in wealth, or quality of life that is present in these times of unprecedented excess.
It is a subject that comes up quite a bit in my (online) social bubble, but lacks presence in the mainstream- or casual media.
Highlighting these stories of inequality is one of the biggest driving forces for me to improve on my story-telling skills within the medium of photography, and is something I hope to be able to keep doing, for the right reasons.
6. 5. 4.
Untitled Triptych, Berlin, 2021
Good things really do come in 3's apparently. I think these images really need each other to shine, but luckily this is my website so I can simply put them together if I want.
I like the line these 3 images create, from top left to middle right, all the way through. I'm also very happy with the way the curtains - even though they're in the background in the middle - tie them together.
By no means groundbreaking, but definitely some of the more interesting portrait-style images I took this year.
3.
Inside The Box, Düsseldorf Hbf, 2021
A surprisingly satisfying shot taken on a 3 minute layover at Düsseldorf Hbf.
During my stay in Berlin I had always been really intrigued by the windows on the upper station at Kurtbusser Tor, but I hadn't been able to find a shot of them that I really liked. I'm glad to have been able to replicate the same effect elsewhere.
This was also one of the few photos where I didn't feel the need to crop or adjust anything. Am I letting go of perfectionism? Or just taking better photos?
2.
Untitled, Kudam Berlin, 2021
I could get really technical about why this photograph made it to the 2nd place, but I feel that wouldn't do it justice. Instead I'm just going to let the image speak for itself.
The one thing that I do want to comment on - partially for future self-reference - is that this is one of the few instances where a tighter lens (I believe this is around 110mm) actually looks really good and not out of place.
1.
Untitled, Kreuzberg Berlin, 2021
To me this photograph ticks all the boxes: Subject, composition, black & white and location. I love it.
I remember my camera (Canon EOS 500N, with a Tamron 28-200) 'jamming' a few times before I was able to take this picture. As of now I still haven't figured out why it sometimes does that. But I sure am glad it didn't mess up the image.
Cute, little detail, if you look all the way to the left you can see the parent's other child, who was considerably less interested in chestnut-searching.
Honourable mentions
Thank you so much for taking the time to look at my little images, it genuinely means the world to me to be able to share my work with someone that cares.
Here are some photographs that didn't quite make the cut, or were switched out last minute. I still love them all the same though!
Ciao,
X Sem
