2017 / Recap
A bit late to the 2017 recap, but here we go. To say 2017 was a big year is an understatement. It was monumental, happy, sad, well fed and a little more traveled. There's so many moments that I’ve missed, perhaps they’ll pop up in a throwback some day.
January
I started a new job in a new industry, in one of London’s most iconic buildings of the modern era. Despite being winter we still had less rain then Auckland (definitely not based on actual facts but rather facebook posts and snapchat stories) though we did get a few legitimate snow showers. And we hired a car and drove out to the Cotswolds for the weekend. Had an amazing Airbnb experience with the cutest elderly couple, I wish we had stayed longer.
Read more: Cotswolds
February
In the Cotswolds our Airbnb hosts recommended a local pub for dinner, it was so good and I had a lemon meringue pie for dessert. It had been a while but it was enough to re-spark an obsession. So I had to seek out more, Hummingbird Bakery delivered. Made the most of living within walking distance of Portobello Rd. Market and we made a trip to Austria to see good friends and get another taste of snow.
Read more: Kaprun, Austria
March
Of the twelve months, March and June were spent entirely in London. So between actually work and life admin we managed to explore some museums and seek out some good eats, in Chelsea. One of our most favourite museums was hands down the Design Museum, bonus points since it was a 10 minute walk from our place. Finally managed to get out to Greenwich in south-east London. I checked out the Naval Museum, Queens House and the Royal Observatory. It was cool to stand on either side of the prime meridian, the line the separates the eastern and western hemispheres. Plus there’s a sweet view of Canada Water from there!
April
April 2017 will forever be remembered. We spent a week in one of my most favourite countries on Earth and we got engaged in the most surreal setting! Many thanks to Keegan for capturing the moment. Plus we got to hang out with some amazing friends from back home. 2017 was also the year of lots of visitors which we absolutely loved.
Read more: Iceland
May
Although it technically started in April, we spent the first week of May in Morocco (a stark contrast to the ice and snow of Iceland) and met the most amazing people who became good friends. Then it was onto Barcelona, which although they hate tourists it’s a city I could quite happily live in. In-between those two trips London started to come to life and got quite green.
June
Another month spent entirely in London. Naturally we ate our way through it. And I made another check in to the Design Museum.
July
We spent most of month out of London with my family! They came for 6 weeks, had their own travels then we spent a week with them in Italy and another week in Greece. Watching sunsets in the most instagrammable locations on earth and soaking up the heat. My Dad is a Liverpool FC and Beatles fan so a trip north to Liverpool between Greece and Italy was a must.
August
It felt like we never stayed still over summer. We headed out of London and checked out the famous Mayfield Lavender Farm which was ok. It would have been cool to see them at the peak of the season. We made a day trip out to Brighton, finally. It’s so easy we wish we had done it earlier. Then came our longest trip - Fiji for almost two weeks. We had a wedding to attend on Monita’s side, despite the 30+ hours of travelling (one way!) it was nice to see family and friends and be on Fiji time for a while.
Read more: Brighton
Read more: Fiji
Read more: Mana Island
September
We visited Copenhagen for Monita’s birthday, it was very quiet but I loved it. Another city I could quite easily live in. Monita’s cousin also came to visit and we explored more of London - The conservatory in the Barbican Centre is well worth a visit. And to round of September my good friends Sara & Tim were in town so I showed them around some of my favourite spots. I can’t wait to shoot their wedding this year.
Read more: Copenhagen
October
Come October our plans for 2018 were solidified. From the end of December we would travel for two weeks before spending the majority of winter in the French Alps doing a snowboarding season! So the belts on the budget were tightened but we did explore a bit of our ‘backyard’ and headed down to Cornwall for the weekend. Did the halloween thing and started saying goodbye to our favourite places. #sad
Read more: Cornwall
November
Two legends made their final pit stop in Europe before heading home via South East Asia. Checked out the Imperial War Museum which was epic. Big guns and stuff. Then we snuck in a cheeky day trip to Cambridge, froze for the most part but it was still such a beautiful place. Savoured all the sunsets from the office, the view never got old.
Read more: Cambridge
December
We both finished up work mid December, said goodbye to a lot of our London fam. #megasad Had an epic Christmas in London with the best of friends with allllll of the lights. Started the next adventure with a few days in Kraków then a couple days in Warsaw. We finished 2017 off in Budapest, the fireworks were utterly disappointing but Budapest was sweet, just like 2017.
Read more: Last days in London
Read more: Poland
Read more: Budapest
I love creating images that speak to me.
I grew up in a small town that nobody really knows about, Levin. Spent a good ten years in Hamilton making some of the best friends anyone could have. And now I’m living, working and playing in the city of Auckland, New Zealand. Also a small country that people have trouble locating – I’m looking at you America!
Life is about stories, and that’s what I love to capture and document. My shooting style is unobtrusive. You may be a natural in front of the camera, or have no idea what to do but before we even start I’ll make sure you’re comfortable and relaxed.
Things I love: Travelling to wherever I can, my partner Monita, homemade burgers, wood fired pizzas, the smell of rain on a hot summers day, mountains, the snow, sunsets and sunrises, star gazing, natural light, the aesthetic of wood, crashing waves and day dreaming.