Photos by Dlee

I’m cutting it a bit close, but I’ve finally gotten around to finishing up my top 5 photos of 2023.

I didn’t do much photography this year as I spent about 3 months with an eye issue that made editing not so easy. In fact, many of the photos I edited during that period need to be redone because my vision was so far off that the edits were quite inconsistent.

Regardless, outside that period, I captured some great images, and below you can find what I consider my top 5.

2023 Me

One thing I try to do yearly is take a self-portrait and then use it as my profile picture on social media.

This year, I saw a photo of one of my favorite wrestlers doing a similar pose with their title, so I wanted to try to replicate it. I’ll admit it was quite challenging as getting the pose right while also taking the photo wasn’t easy. The location of the shot is also just my living room, so nothing too exciting.

Aside from all that, I liked how the photo turned out, especially with the off-camera lighting, which is usually a weak point for me.

Mt Fuji at Night

While staying in Osaka, I managed to capture a few different images of Mount Fuji, but this turned out to be my favorite.

This photo was actually taken from the balcony of our hotel room. Even though you can see the mountain in this image, it was pitch dark in person. So, I had to aim the camera to where I felt the mountain was, then take a shot to make sure.

We were supposed to be eating out when this photo was taken, but all the restaurants were full (Lake Kawaguchiko is very small, so there weren’t too many options for me). Instead, we got food from Lawson’s and ate in. After dinner is when I took this shot, so not only is it something I like when it comes to capturing Mount Fuji, but it also holds great memories from that night.

Asakusa Streets

As you’ll begin to notice, a lot of my top 5 photos are comprised of images I took during my trip to Japan. When going to Asakusa, it was mainly for my wife to get her Matcha, and the streets were super crowded, making it a bit difficult to get certain images.

Luckily for me, while my wife was eating, I walked down a side street which was still busy but not as much, so I managed to capture the image you see above.

I feel it showcases how much character there was in the streets, whether it be the crowded streets, the shops with their signs, or the lantern-style lights that line the street.

Shibuya Crossing

This is a location that you’ll probably see an image from every single person that visits Japan, and for good reasons, it’s truly a sight to be seen.

The majority of people tend to try and shoot this from a Starbucks which is on the right side of this image, although it’s only about 2 levels up. I guess a less known spot is the Magnet By Shibuya109 building which has a restaurant/bar type place at the very top level, and if you buy a drink, you can take photos from there.

Even though I got the shot I wanted quickly, we stayed up there for a while, relaxing and just enjoying the view.

Glenorchy Wharf

This image is easily my favorite image from my trip to Queenstown, New Zealand. We had to drive about an hour to get here, and although I was over the moon that it was so foggy, my wife wasn’t happy.

Usually, this location has a nice view of the mountains in the background and blue skies, but I personally loved how the mountains were slightly visible. I also got another similar shot on the jetty itself, which turned out great, but this was my favorite of the bunch.