jauntingtrips_best_nine_2017

We’re getting ready to close another year, and personally it couldn’t have ended sooner. It has been a year of more downs than ups for me, so I’m looking forward to have a new start. I have to admit, 2018 seems to be the year ideal to start something: New Year starts on a Monday. It’s going to be the 1st day of the week, the month and the year. Can’t get a cleaner slate than this!

Since it hasn’t been the best year, traveling for me has been on a real down low. Finally got the chance to “escape” at the end of the year. That’s why more than half of the Best Nine 2017 are pictures actually taken in 2016.

2017 small wins

Being more of “glass half full” kind of person, I want to focus on the few small wins that I got this year. It might mean nothing to some people, but to me they brought a lot more satisfaction than I can put to words. And I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. We all have some small wins that nobody gets, that make us feel all giddy inside.

I managed to [annoyingly] slow grow my Intagram to over 1.5k followers, I got my first small win from a Tourism Board and learned a lot more about photography and social media. Compared to 2016 I reached about 5 times more people with more or less the same amount of inconsistent posting and some of my photos got some real nice feed back from actual photographers.

 

So I would like to thank all my friends and followers for their likes, their comments and their shares. I will keep pushing and hope that the best nine of 2018 will be much more spectacular and I’ll have a lot more to show for. But until then, here are the best nine of 2017 a bit more detailed.

Best Nine of 2017

1. Temple of Debod, Madrid

This is by far one of my favorite pictures of all time. The way the water reflects the temple at sunset is absolutely stunning. For more Madrid, check out this post.

2. Vacaresti Delta, Bucharest

This is actually a picture I took in 2017. It was on a photo tour organized by Canon in Bucharest. One initiative I was thrilled they finally took. The plan is to try and participate to more tours like this one in 2018. Check out the post about Vacaresti Delta for more photos of that tour.

3. Aerial view from Malta

This was an unique experience. It was the first time I flew in a small 4 person airplane. My heart jumped at every “bump”, but the view… oh so spectacular!

4. Orange bike in the Old City center Bucharest

Experience Bucharest was the largest project to promote Bucharest in 2017. First edition had so much success that they organized a second one in the fall. The impact it had in social media was amazing, and it actually go me interested in the city I live in. So I got my camera and started shooting around town. I rediscovered a different Bucharest, that I am thrilled to show to whom ever wants to come for a visit. Check out more about the project here.

5. Night sky over Bucegi mountains

I might not have the best equipment to shot a sky full of stars, but I have a feeling I haven’t reach it’s full potential yet. So I’ll keep practicing with every chance I get.

 6. Sunset over Verona

I absolutely LOVED Verona, and you can read more about it clicking here. I kept playing with different camera settings and testing different shutter speeds. The result was this silky water look and an amazing sunset.

7. Feeding the pigeons in front of the Romanian Athenaeum

It’s amazing what you can capture if you just take a stroll through the city.

8. Washing the bike in Lago di Garda

Italy is simply beautiful and I can’t really decide what part I love more, but the Northern lakes are for sure spectacular.

 9. Curtea de Arges Monastery

Sometimes discovering your own country can be as exciting as taking a plane to a faraway land. Romania is a beautiful country, and for 2018 I really want to discover more of it.

Would love to hear some feed back from you in the comments section. I hope to have a much more photogenic 2018, as for you, I hope your 2018 will rock and all your wishes will come true!