2018 – Year in Review

I vividly remember shooting the new year’s fireworks display over Nairobi and sharing the resulting image as the first wallpaper of the year 12 months ago.

Well, I’m glad the year is over because that means that another 52-Week photography challenge is done and dusted. You may remember a 3-part post I did earlier in the year profiling my year in photography, 2017 to be specific, and 2018 is no different. Allow me to share a few of the images I made along the way as well as a few lessons I picked up. I’ll keep the text short and simple, and then share a little about what I plan to do in 2019.

— First Quarter …

It started out by watching the sun set over the city and waiting another 5 hours for the fireworks display at midnight. I had never shot fireworks before, so I was depending on my knowledge of my gear coupled with a few tutorials I had found online.

Fireworks Half-Life over the City of Nairobi

I definitely kept the Half-Life themed experiments going …

Half-Life selfie at the hood

Globe Cinema Roundabout, Half-Life edition

Supermoon 2018, Half-Life edition

… and also tried out some touristy shots of The Great Rift Valley from the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway (which ended up being some of my favorites for the year).

Minimalist view of the Rift Valley, invaded by some faux fowls

Minimalist composition of Mount Longonot as the morning sun fully illuminates it

— Second Quarter …

I was fortunate enough to do quite a number of architectural shoots during this period. It was even more satisfying due to the nature of the spaces I was working on – elegant and simple in design. The architects were on top of their game on these. Some were yet to be completed but they should make for captivating before/after images.

Kitchen Interior at a private residence

Entertainment Lounge at a private residence

Twilight shot of a private residence

Office Interior [1]

Office Interior [2]

Behind-the-scenes photo for my friend JJ for his short film, Trap.

Sweeping view of the Rift Valley from the famous ‘Kona Baridi’

Mr. Krabs, spotted at Diani Beach during our family vacation

Abstract composition of the breaking waves during that trip to Diani Beach.

A ‘show of hands’ composite from a visit to Ngong Forest Sanctuary

Composite of landing planes approaching Nairobi’s Wilson Airport.

This planes one was both exhilarating to capture (I had a good location, by accident) and frustrating at the same time (clouds were moving in and out of frame too fast).

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Third Quarter …

Here, I decided to look back at my 18 months of the weekly shoots and see where things can be tweaked to give me greater gain from this whole exercise. I knew it was time because I had achieved (and surpassed) my initial goal of consistent shooting and regular sharing of my work. More of that later.

Here are a few images I made during this time bloc, a mix of genres really.

Minimalist entry lobby for a commercial building in Nairobi

Private office interior [1]

‘Earthy’ boardroom interior at a private office in Nairobi

Close up of a less-busy street in Nairobi, taken during a Canon-hosted workshop

Night close up of Nairobi’s iconic KICC building, taken during a Canon-hosted workshop

— Last Quarter …

Apart from my preferred subject, Architecture, I ventured into unfamiliar ground in shooting a rally meet, and it wasn’t as daunting as I’d thought it would be actually (probably due to the nature of the particular events).

Unfamiliar ground – Buggy at an Autocross event in Machakos

Unfamiliar ground – The typical blue Subaru, shot at an Autocross event in Machakos

Unfamiliar ground – Composite showing riders at an Motocross event in Nairobi

Of course I kept the Architectural stuff going …

An office building in Karen which blends in well with the design language of the area

Luxury apartment interior [1]

Luxury apartment interior [2]

Luxury apartment interior [3]

… and after a long while, a couple of Cityscapes as well.

Panorama of Nairobi’s Moi Avenue at dusk

There’s a whole lot of images on my archive but I can only share so much here. Some are straight up lousy, but some are absolute keepers which are as a result of learning from the lousy ones.

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What about 2019?

Although I didn’t share as much content as I did in the two years prior, I was still shooting every single week, which was the goal at the very beginning. Better yet, a good chunk of that was personal projects.

However, I will shake it up a bit starting 2019 and in addition to the weekly obligatory outings. I’ll be planning my work with long-term projects in mind to allow for;

1. Better planning for the projects – scouting, execution and post-production.

2. Enough time between projects where travel is involved, or even a re-shoot (if necessary) before the next assignment.

3. Inclusion of collaborators from diverse genres and disciplines (If you’re up to the challenge, let me know so we can put something together).

4. Spontaneity.

In a nutshell, I’m hoping to add a bit more depth to what I produce. Additionally, I look to share more of my knowledge and experience as it is gained. I believe this is how we build each other up in our various creative fields. That’s a lot of pressure on the self but what’s life without a little bit of direction?

Half-Life of UAP Tower. I revisited this image months after shooting. I had no idea how to edit it so I let it sit as I figured that out.

Thank you all for making 2018 a good one for me.

I’m truly grateful to everyone who downloaded the free wallpapers, bought an image, purchased a print and booked my services. I hope we get to engage even more from 2019.

If you’d like to see more of the works, visit my full portfolio.

In the meantime, keep putting in the hours, the work and the time. It all pays off, eventually. Above all, I pray that the hard work you have been putting in pays off, sooner rather than later.

A Vibrant 2019 to everyone.

✌🏾

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