Review of the year 2025
This year brought me some huge changes and developments in my photography journey.
Of course, this year was full of great things, as well as some disappointments. The biggest disappointment was that I couldn't devote as much energy and time to my photography as I had planned. Probably, if I were to make one New Year's resolution, it would look like this: in 2026, I will dedicate much more time and effort to my photography.
Sadly, I don't believe in New Year's resolutions. But maybe it's time to reconsider. Probably I must use a better plan to have a bit more free time that I can use.
Exhibitions and competitions
For me, this year was amazing when I count how many times my pictures were exhibited. All in all, my pictures were exhibited 6 times at different places in different countries. Even had an artist talk at the Leica Boutique Budapest. It was an amazing experience to see my photography properly printed and exhibited.
I have a tiny printer, but because of this experience, I decided that I must print my work more. It's not only a great feeling, but anyone can learn a lot from printing.
I've been a finalist in several competitions, which felt great, even though I didn't win big awards. As much as I loved the exhibition experiences, I'm a bit sceptical when it comes to competitions.
First, I think every photographer should seriously investigate the background of any competition. Sadly, more and more became a money grab without a serious jury or awards. The other thing is, it seems to me that some competitions support a tiny slice of the broad street photography genre. And of course, it's so very subjective. You might be a selected or even a finalist in some competitions while completely ignored by other jury members. Remember, the jury also consists of real humans. They have their own preferences, and even if they try to be as objective as it is humanly possible, no one can ignore their own taste.
System changes
As you might already know, for street photography, I used the Leica Q3 exclusively. Well, that was true for a while, but lately I made some changes, let's say the family got bigger. Now, I have the Q3 and also an M11-p with some lenses. This is by far the biggest change this year. Although many thought I was crazy, I also use it for commercial assignments. And it works brilliantly. I received a surprising number of messages, both encouraging and negative comments about this decision. Honestly, it's a bit funny to see how heated debates you can encounter when it comes to different camera systems. Anyway, it works for me perfectly so far, and I enjoy using it. I plan to write about it in more detail.
Plans for 2026
Not New Year's resolutions, rather, wishes. Of course, I'll actively try to make reality.
I want to spend much more time actually photographing out on the streets. I definitely want to travel much more. I will attend some selected workshops, hopefully not only one or two. Would like to meet some of the people I was lucky to meet and get to know a little bit. Call me sentimental, but for me, the person is much more important than the photographer.
Never say never, but I don't plan to purchase any more gear. I contemplated a bit on what could be a special assignment that I couldn't fulfil with my current kit, and I think there's none. Yes, I know, I don't have super intelligent AI-driven autofocus, but honestly, I don't think I need that.
So as you can see, my plans are very basic: go out and shoot much more, enjoying the process of photography. Wish you all a very happy New Year, filled with great joy and photography.