My Best Photography of 2016

2016, as I mentioned in my previous roundup post, was my year for photography. I bought my first (and, um, second) DSLR and really threw myself into improving my craft.

So, I decided I'd pick out a few of my best/favourite pictures from the past year! Without further ado, here they are, in roughly chronological order:

Winter/Spring

I took this one early into the winter, while out snowshoeing. It's in some sense luck, as I was quickly taking photos trying to capture at least one foot in the air without worrying too much about composition. But...I'm still quite proud of it. It's probably my best pre-buying-my-own camera photo (shot on my brother's camera...thanks for lending it to me!)

2016 in Review

Well, my 2016 was a pretty wild year (then again, my life never gets boring, and I find myself saying that about every year...).

Without further ado, here's a quick recap!

Countries visited: 6 (including Canada)
New countries: 3 (Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Italy)

World Heritage Sites: 5 (4 new)
Swiss Tectonic Area Sardona, Switzerland
Old City of Berne, Switzerland
Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch, Switzerland
Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy
Wartburg Castle, Germany (this one I've visited before, several times)

Dresden Day 1: Neustadt and Semperoper

Exams and Christmas are over, and I'm back! For now, here's another tale from Tristan's and my time in Europe in the summer of 2015.

When we decided to go to Dresden, I was adamant about one thing: I really, really, wanted to stay in the Neustadt (New Town). As it turned out, all the hostels in Dresden are located in the Neustadt…and as it further turned out, all were already booked. Oops (we’ll learn one day, I promise!).

Back in Winnipeg: Photos of Oak Hammock Marsh

I must once again apologize for belated and lacking posts. There have been some things in my personal life that have prevented me from writing. With that not necessarily being resolved and exams coming up, I can't promise that next week's post will be on time either, so please bear with me.

A few weeks ago, several of us headed out to Oak Hammock Marsh for the day, to do some hiking and get out of the city for a bit. Oak Hammock is a nature centre and bird sanctuary, not far north of the city. It's isolated enough that you really feel that you're in nature, but close enough that a day trip is perfectly viable.

A Quiet Day on the Walensee

A glimpse of the Walensee (Lake Walen) out of a train window, brilliant turquoise water against a backdrop of sheer mountains seemingly plunging straight into the lake, was what started the weekend plan. I had first seen the lake, one of Switzerland’s deepest and largest, while on the way to Chur; when Michael and I decided to plan a hiking weekend together, it was one of the destinations I suggested and the one that we quickly agreed on.

Five Acts of Kindness

Grand Canyon, Arizona. Photo credit Paul Schreckenbach.

I’m writing this post after the US election, one that ended differently than I and many people had hoped, the victory of a campaign based on hatred and fear, on bigotry and bullying. I've been battling shock, horror, and despair; in the midst of that, I decided to write something slightly different from what I normally post here.

5-Seen-Wanderung, Switzerland's Most Popular Hike

It started when I sent my my friend Michael (yes, the same one who was my host and guide in Baden) pictures of the hike I did at the Sardona Tectonic Area. In response, he expressed his envy and admiration, saying “how do you guys find all these amazing places to hike in?!”