Happy New Year to all of you.
I hope you had a good year — and that this one brings the things you care about, the things you want to do, and the things you’ve been putting off for way too long.
So that by the end of 2026, you’re looking back at a year full of good memories.
Have a great one…
…and let’s make 2026 the best one yet.
A quick shot of Jeremy testing some fireworks before the night.
I’m not a big fan of New Year’s.
I don’t like the expectations.
Every year gets marketed like it’s going to be the most magical night ever… and then it’s the same cold, crowded, mediocre experience.
And don’t get me started on the social pressure — stay home and you’re “boring.” Go out and you spend a fortune.
The only New Year’s I really enjoyed were in Cape Town, South Africa… and the three wonderful years I had in New Zealand.
Not just because it was a warm summer night, swimming in a private pool overlooking downtown Auckland with probably the best view of fireworks I’ve ever seen…
…but because people actually wanted to celebrate.
Everyone was happy.
It’s a completely different feeling welcoming the new year in shorts, with a beer in your hand, barbecuing, and jumping into a pool.
You kind of wish the night would never end.
But anyway…
Gonna make the best of tonight.
And hopefully make a couple of good memories along the way.
I think this might be my favourite shot of St. Peter’s Church in Sittard.
Took it completely randomly on my way home… nothing planned… just found out about this little side street, saw the moment, raised the camera, and pressed the shutter.
Later I turned it into black and white… and it just worked.
Since the first time I posted it online, it’s been one of my most popular photos.
Sold a few dozen times.
I even printed it on a big canvas and hung it in my old studio.
Funny how the unplanned shots often end up being the best ones.
Kollenberg, Sittard.
Nine images stitched together to make this panorama.
What’s funny is… I wasn’t even planning to go there. Didn’t expect anything. Just ended up on the hill and thought, “Alright, let’s see what’s here.”
And then this happened.
One of those rare moments when you find a composition you actually like and the light shows up at the right time.
So I waited for the sun to break through the clouds and took the shots… and everything just worked out.
Sometimes the best photos are the ones you don’t plan.
The year is almost over… last days of 2025.
And honestly? What an awesome year.
Discovered. Explored. Learned a ton.
For the first time, I feel fully in sync with my workflow — from shooting, to unloading, importing into Lightroom, and posting here.
It finally feels natural.
Like something that clicks into place without thinking about it.
Anyways…
Here’s a cold early morning in Sittard.
Quiet streets, fresh air, and just me with the camera — the way I like it.
Here’s a classic communist block of flats — the place where I grew up.
Where I learned to ride a bike… where I first ice-skated… where I spent whole summers inline skating up and down this side streets.
It’s a quiet urban street in Karviná, in the northeast of the Czech Republic — the place I called home for 24 years.
Back then it was dark, cold, and honestly… pretty miserable in winter.
That was 25 years ago.
Since then, the whole area went through a massive reconstruction.
And now?
It’s beautiful.
It actually makes me want to come back.
This shot is from Bukovec, Mosty u Jablunkova.
Heavy snow… actually, super heavy snow.
It came down all day — nonstop.
But once we made it to the hut, the reward was worth every step.
Czech beer and a bowl of garlic soup.
Perfect way to end a snowy hike.
Merry Christmas everyone…
This is a shot from one of the viewpoints halfway up the trail to Skalka.
Steep climb… SUPER cold air… and legs burning… but views like this make every step worth it.
Hiking to Skalka…
It’s an easy hike — until it isn’t.
I’ve done it plenty of times, and every time I forget how steep that first part actually is.
You start walking thinking, “Yeah, this will be chill,”
and after ten minutes you’re out of breath, second-guessing your choices.
But that’s the thing about this trail… it’s straight up, with a couple of viewpoints that force you to stop and enjoy the moment.
I love it out there.
What makes it even better is the reward waiting at the top.
A small mountain hut, cold Czech beer, and proper food.
My favourite?
Garlic soup — every time.
Anyway…
Great trail, good company, fresh air, beer, and a warm bowl of soup at the top.
Sometimes that’s all you need.
Over the next few days — over Christmas — I’m going to share a few photos from the Czech Republic.
While visiting my family, catching up with old friends, and walking through the places I grew up in, I took a couple of shots worth sharing.
This one is from a hike me, my sister, and my cousins did to Skalka.
One of my favourite hikes in the area.
I must have walked it a million times, but every time I’m on that trail, it just feels good.
This time wasn’t any different.
A simple, perfect way to catch up with family.
And what would it be for a hike without a good prep 🙂
Snow.
And lots of it.
Winter is in full swing in the Czech Republic.
This was taken in the mountains up north… just a short hike from the Polish border.
A quiet, beautiful day.
There’s a line I read the other night that sucker-punched me right in the gut.
It said:
“How can I make sure I squeeze everything out of life instead of having life squeeze everything out of me?”
Boom.
Read that again.
That one question stopped me cold.
Made me think about all the years, all the places, all the near misses, and bold calls that shaped this wild thing I call my life.
See, when I was 24 — young, dumb, and allergic to ordinary — I looked around and realized my whole future was already planned for me.
Finish school.
Get a job.
Marry.
Have kids.
Grow old.
Die.
The classic slow death dressed up as a “normal life.”
My parents thought I’d follow the script.
Everyone did.
But something in me snapped.
I wasn’t going to wake up one day and realize that I hadn’t lived.
No… no way!
And so… I started squeezing the juice out of my life.
Lived in Africa.
Hitched across Spain.
Got lost in New Zealand.
Enjoyed rum from a coconut in Samoa.
Ditched everything and moved to the UK.
Traveled across South Africa to Cape Town.
Ended up in the Netherlands — still chasing sunrises and sunsets, still figuring it out, still learning new ways to live.
And here’s what I’ve learned…
You don’t find yourself by staying comfortable.
You find yourself by chasing your wildest dreams — by choosing the road that might fall apart halfway through and taking it anyway.
If I’d listened to the plan, I’d still be in Karviná, Czech Republic — working for some random company, talking to the same people, probably married, kids and all… pretending to be happy.
Instead, I’ve got stories that beat stuff any day of the week.
So yeah… reading that line hit home.
I’ve squeezed a hell of a lot out of life already… and I’m not done yet.
Neither are you.
We get one life.
One shot.
Don’t wait for the world to hand it to you.
Go take it.
Go see the damn world.
Go squeeze it dry.
Let’s go.
I was testing long exposures near the Sittard-Geleen hospital — trying to catch those streaks of light from cars flying past.
I wasn’t using any filters. No fancy gear. Just a tripod and a bit of patience.
And as I stood there, watching headlights carve through the dark, something hit me…
Everyone’s rushing somewhere — fast, loud, and distracted.
But the magic happens in stillness… when you stop, breathe, and let things unfold.
Stillness isn’t empty.
It’s full of everything you’re usually too busy to notice.
And so, I guess what I’m trying to say is… slow down and observe.
Stadspark, Sittard. Sunrise.
Panorama made with a Sigma Art 19mm — 9 shots stitched together.
One of those mornings that makes you forget everything else. The kind that reminds me why I always carry a camera.
You never know when the world’s about to put on a show.
One of those morning that take your breath away.
Taken in Limbright at sunrise.