When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions - Hamlet

This year has been very tough on my photography. Both events around New Zealand and in my personal life threw up many obstacles. The floods in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), the damage caused by Cyclone Gabrielle, the death of my mother, an assault, getting hit by a motorist while biking to work (it took months to recover from the injuries), going to China for 2 months and catching Covid19 there, all prevented a lot of photography.

On the gear front I've sold my Sony ɑ7Riii, ɑ9 (and an old ɑ7R) and bought a Sony FX30 and ɑ1. The ɑ1 is a great all-round camera. It solved the dilemma over which camera to bring on a trip. Before I used the ɑ7Riii for my landscape work and the ɑ9 for wildlife and birds. What if I wanted to shoot both subjects? I'd either have to bring both or accept I'd not get the photos I really wanted. The ɑ1 is just better at landscapes and birds than either camera. And with its video tools (up to 8K video recording) it excelled there also. It's the camera that can do it all.

Sony a1 CameraSony a1 camera with Zeiss Loxia lens

My plans for 2024 are to rework my website into a more modern layout. I've begun that process. And I'm hoping to specialise increasingly in seascape photography. Since the Waitakere Ranges have had their tracks closed to protect the Kauri trees, my waterfall photography has taken a dive. The forests were filled with streams and waterfalls, big and small. Tāmaki Makaurau however is almost surrounded by the sea. It seems a good subject to specialise in, especially as I've been taking seascape photos for many years anyway.

So that's pretty much it for 2023. It hasn't been my favourite year and I'm hoping 2024 will be the year things improve.

Noho ora mai my friends.