Now that the new year is here, and 2025 has begun, I am reminded of years past and can reflect on things that have changed, and things that haven’t.

I decided that I would much rather break it down in this format instead of just an Instagram post. I think doing a thorough annual reflection like this will not only be more interesting, but will also be far more effective in providing myself with some real and tangible points of reference. So without further ado, this is a reflection of my favorite work from 2024, and a deeper look into why they are so meaningful.

A few weeks prior to the publishing of this essay, I turned 33. And for my birthday, I decided to take a photo trip down to the mountains of West Virginia. - Although I didn’t go into this trip with the intention of gaining anything specific, it ended up becoming one of the most rewarding and profound photo trips yet.

Photography has become the conduit that allows me to reach that part of me so far gone. With every glowing sunrise, with every sweaty hike, at every epic overlook, with every photograph made, I feel a bit closer to that piece of me that I lost so long ago.