2025
LUXEMBURG & STRASBOURG
Last summer, my sister and I took a trip to France—my first time visiting the country. Although I’ve lost the first two days due to my preparation for the JLPT exam, and despite the cloudy weather with scattered rain, I still had a great trip overall.
Luxembourg is a state-city where everything seems to revolve around finance. From major insurance companies to every significant global banking group, the city life felt like it didn’t have much else to offer. Yet, its orography is quite unique, with parts of the city lying far below the main street level, so much so that you need an elevator to move between the different sections.
Strasbourg, on the other hand, is the opposite. It’s a quiet, cozy town typical of Central Europe. The blend of French culture and German heritage creates a truly unique atmosphere, combining a relaxed pace with clean streets and organized public transport. It beautifully represents the Alsace region to the south, which boasts great flowery scenery and charming old-style buildings.
2024
JAPAN
Last December, my sister and I traveled to Japan for the first time. It was a trip we had dreamed of since childhood, and it did not disappoint. We followed the classic route for first-time visitors, from Tokyo to Kyoto and Osaka, passing through Japanese alps and Kanazawa.
As amateur photographers, this trip was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Japan is beautiful, full of incredible spots that made it easy to capture great shots. Beyond that, there’s an innate culture of making every place as picturesque as possible while preserving the natural beauty of landscapes.
During our two weeks exploring Honshu, Japan’s main island, we each took nearly a thousand photos. Many of them focused on the stunning gardens and historic temples we visited, but Tokyo was a completely different experience. This vibrant, modern metropolis—where neon lights often outshine the sun—was an incredible place to wander with a camera in hand.
BRUSSELS
Once in a lifetime, you need to visit your capital. Besides your national one, as a European there are also several major cities that can be considered as such — and Brussels might be the most important among them. Home to the European Parliament and many other institutions of the Union, the Belgian capital is often referred to as the de facto capital of the Union.
The trip was great. We had a lot of fun — and, in my opinion, enjoyed some of the best beers in the world. The scenery inside the city wasn’t particularly unforgettable, but once you leave it and travel through the countryside, you’ll find smaller towns with a very cozy atmosphere.
This shoot was more about documenting the trip than creating artistic photographs. I was still a bit frustrated after my Norway shoot, so I tried to get the most out of the Tamron 17–70mm. This time, the results paid off. It also turned out to be my last shoot with my “first kit.” Just months later, I sold my camera and all my lenses to buy an A7III from a friend.
2023
NORWAY
When you think about Norway, you immediately picture incredible scenery, untouched nature, countless waterfalls, and so on. Naturally, if you’re a photographer, it’s understandable that you see the country as a great challenge for spectacular shoots. This was certainly my first thought when I booked a five-day trip along the famous Bergen Line (Bergenbane), the railroad that connects Oslo to Bergen.
The journey itself was absolutely amazing! Traveling by train offers a unique perspective of the world around you, giving you more time to observe nature, explore places on foot, and overall experience a trip at a slower pace than usual, especially in a country like Norway.
Despite the amazing setting, this turned out to be my worst shooting so far. I’m not exaggerating; I regret almost every shot I took here, so much so that I began questioning my photography skills and making jokes about the results. Now, however, I consider this trip a vital point of comparison for tracking the growth in my photography skills, and I don’t hate the experience anymore.
LONDON
London was truly something special. Perhaps it was because it was the first flight I had ever taken from my hometown, or maybe it was because you hear so much about the city that you want to check for yourself if everything is as great as people say. It was also the first time I brought my new Tamron 17-70 lens, which I had only bought a month earlier. Besides a few great shots, I believe the city itself played the main role this time.
This trip also served as a big experiment for post-production. Up until that point, I wasn’t heavily involved in editing, so it can be considered my starting point for aspects like composition, colors, and lighting.
Even though the trip was very short—less than three days—it gave me a lot of feelings, most of which I still carry with me today.
2022
COPENHAGEN
The year 2022 was perhaps the busiest year for travel in my life, as I visited nine different countries. It was also the year I traveled the most alone, an experience that truly shapes you. Near the end of the year, in autumn, I took a trip to a city I had heard a lot about and truly wanted to visit: Copenhagen.
The weather didn’t cooperate much—it was cloudy and foggy most of the time—but I still had a wonderful time here. I particularly enjoyed visiting several uncommon tourist stops. From the colorful district of Christiania to the underrated CopenHill (Amager Bakke), strolling through the city by bike is really something everyone should try at least once.
This place may not have the most beautiful classic scenery, but it genuinely feels like the most liveable city in the world.
2020
SOLDA - VAL VENOSTA
This was the first time I took my A6000 camera on a trip—I had bought it just before the COVID-19 pandemic. That year, my set was full of prime lenses, including a beautiful Samyang 14mm ultra-wide, which I still deeply miss. I was still lacking proper photography skills back then, but this trip was also a way to close that gap.
The Alps are always breathtaking, but South Tyrol felt especially magical to me—particularly around Stelvio Pass, where the peaks of the Ortler group rise to nearly 4,000 meters. Climbing those winding mountain roads was a challenge for my old 2005 Kia Rio, but in the end, we both made it to the top.
I visited in November, right at the tail end of autumn. Luckily, I had clear weather for my entire stay, which allowed me to capture stunning shots of the snow-capped peaks. What I didn’t expect was the heavy snowfall on my last morning—transforming everything into a pristine, white wonderland.
