2023 was an unpredictable year, both in the tech world and in my personal life. If I were to sum it up in three words, it would be "The Year of AI". At the beginning of the year, AI, specifically ChatGPT, gained significant popularity. Introduced to me by a friend, ChatGPT has become a daily essential for many people. Following the success of ChatGPT, numerous tech companies, such as Bard, LinkedIn, Grammarly, Spotify, Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop, and Imagen, incorporated AI into their consumer products. This year, AI had a profound impact on my daily workflow, particularly in photo editing and writing. I created an IG Reel showcasing how I use Adobe Generative Fill to edit my photos, and it has completely transformed my editing process. Additionally, the new AI masking feature in Lightroom enabled me to enhance people's faces and adjust the background around the subject. I found the Denoise feature particularly useful, as it allowed me to reduce noise in my old, grainy photos, making them usable once again. AI has also revolutionized my blogging experience by utilizing Notion AI to enhance my writing. Can you notice the difference between my current writing and that of a year ago?

Starting with some of the negatives this year, after returning from my trip to Japan, I found myself in a weird funk. Although I had planned to be productive upon returning home, I felt unmotivated and couldn't get myself to focus. One of the reasons for this was an incident involving a few friends I had met in Japan. I won't go into the details here (message me if you want to know the juicy deetz), but essentially, I had to cut them out of my life. It was a difficult decision, but I knew it was the right choice for my mental well-being. The broken trust with that friend made me lose interest in attending social events for the first time in my life. Consequently, I had to decline many invitations as I wasn't in the right headspace at the time. Fortunately, I had amazing supportive friends who reached out to me during this tough period to check on me and see how I was doing.

Now, let's highlight some moments from 2023! This year I did 11 collab portrait shoots (up from 6 last year). I finally upgraded from my 3-year-old iPhone 12 Pro to the iPhone 15 Pro. The ability to shoot in Apple ProRes has been amazing, and the long-awaited upgrade to USB-C has significantly improved my workflow for transferring photos and videos to my SSD. Additionally, I purchased my second native Z lens, the 17-28mm f/2.8 Z. I purchased it just before my trip to Japan earlier this year to capture ultra-wide landscape photos, and it exceeded my expectations! The photos turned out clear and sharp, with minimal distortion. In addition, I enhanced my car by installing the Hansshow Interior Ambient LED Lighting Kit, which added some stylish lighting to the interior. It has greatly enhanced my night driving experience. Additionally, I replaced my round steering wheel with the Yoke Steering Wheel to achieve a clean and minimalistic look.I streamed for the first time on Twitch this year while trying to build my QK75 mechanical keyboard. Unexpectedly, I received 6 Tesla referrals this year which I was not expecting at all. I want to express my gratitude to everyone who used my referral to purchase a Tesla!

This year, I began collaborating with third-party Tesla accessories and focused on building up my Tesla content on TikTok. I had the opportunity to do four tech collaborations and my first hotel collaboration in Japan with Mimaru Hotels. The collaboration involved capturing photos and video content at three of their properties located in Kyoto and Osaka. It has been a few years since I last did an international collaboration during my travels, so I'm glad to have the chance to do it again this year in my home country.

Speaking of traveling, I had the opportunity to visit two new countries this year: France and Switzerland. Traveling to Switzerland has always been on my bucket list, and I finally got the chance to go with my photographer friend, Deiner. We explored numerous cities and even stayed in France for a night, as it was just a 40-minute ferry ride from Lausanne. Some of the highlights for me were taking the aesthetic red train to see the Matterhorn, dining at the famous Schilthorn Piz Gloria 360-degree restaurant in the mountains of Murren, and witnessing the beauty of Staubbach Falls in person. During my time in Switzerland, I also had the opportunity to collaborate on a portrait shoot with my friend Ellie from Japan. It was a great experience to do an international portrait shoot like this, and I hope to do more in the future. Additionally, I had the chance to visit Japan not once, but twice this year! The first trip was with a large group of friends from Do Yu Cloud Studio, and the second trip was with Deiner. It still feels surreal to me that I was able to visit Japan twice in one year and experience two different seasons: winter and autumn. My goal is to experience all three seasons in Japan, and I might be on track to fulfill that goal next year. Furthermore, I had the incredible opportunity to witness one of the strongest and most marvelous displays of the aurora in Alaska. This was my fourth time visiting Alaska and my third time seeing the northern lights. Among all my trips to Alaska, this one was the most memorable so far. We were fortunate to see everything from the autumn foliage to the lights dancing across the sky. For those curious, I spent a total of 81 days traveling this year, including road trips and international adventures.

Content-wise, I wrote 15 blog posts this year, which is fewer than last year because of the increase in client photo sessions and my extensive travels. Additionally, I captured the most grad portraits this year compared to any other year. I also created 82 short-form video content pieces, a significant increase from last year's 50. To view my photography content, check out my Instagram Reels. For tech, home, and Tesla content, visit my TikTok.

My goal for next year is to work fewer hours but charge higher rates. I aim to book more weddings and reduce my dependence on the graduation portrait season for a significant portion of my income. Although I haven't reached my desired point yet, I hope to achieve it next year or in the future.

Click here to see last year’s top 5 photos & year in review.

Here are my top 5 favorite photos that I’ve taken this year.

Note: These photos are not based on Instagram statistics; instead these are ranked based on personal preference. Although I loved every photoshoot I did this year, these are the ones that I would like to highlight. It was very difficult for me to choose which five photos I would include in this post as there were so many good ones to choose from.

#5 Snow Monkeys Chilling In The Hot Springs

One of the shots on my bucket list in Japan was photographing these little guys in Nagano. This place is called Jigokudani Yaen Koen or Snow Monkey Park. Every winter, the snow monkeys come out and bathe in the hot springs. However, the monkeys only go to the hot springs at specific times of the day. They are fed 30 minutes after the park opens, and it usually takes them about 30 minutes to 1 hour to finish eating and make their way to the hot springs. Our group decided to leave the hotel at 9am to reach the park entrance. We hiked for about 30 minutes to reach the hot springs. When we arrived, the monkeys were already chilling in the hot springs. Photographing the snow monkeys was quite challenging because of the steam coming out of the hot spring, which made focusing very tricky. It is recommended to bring a 70-200mm lens since you won't be able to get close to the monkeys most of the time. After taking over 300 shots, there was one that was completely in focus and the monkey was looking straight at my camera. The amount of time and effort it took to get the perfect shot in 30-degree weather deserves a spot in my top 5 this year.

#4 Thirsty Moosey

Do you ever look back at your photos and marvel at how lucky you were to capture them? This particular photo was one of those moments for me. I had to be in the right place at the right time to press that shutter button. Prior to taking this shot, I almost stayed in the car to help my friend Deiner fix one of the doors. Fortunately, I made the decision to proceed before the sun set. However, I ended up taking the wrong path and walked for about 10 minutes before realizing my mistake. I quickly retraced my steps back to the fork in the path and started walking in the opposite direction, towards Eagle River Nature Center. Since it was my second time visiting, I was somewhat familiar with the area. I paused at the main area to capture a few photos of the sunset before continuing further onto a bridge. It was at this point that I noticed two photographers rapidly taking photos and became curious about what was happening. I looked in the direction they were shooting and saw a massive moose slowly walking towards the river. I couldn't believe my eyes, as I had never before seen a wild moose in such a situation. It felt like time stood still. The moose approached the river and started drinking water. It remained there for a good 10 minutes before finally crossing the river. The presence of a fogline in the scene only enhanced the photo. This is a moment that will forever be etched in my mind.

#3 A Priest’s Duty

I debated whether to include this photo as my number one favorite photo I've taken this year, but ultimately decided to place it in my top three. This just goes to show how many incredible photos I've captured this year, making it a difficult decision to rank this one at number three. This shot was another one on my bucket list. I received some advice from my photographer friend who had previously captured a shot of a priest walking through the shrine. He informed me that the priest typically begins their walk around 8am. With that in mind, I woke up early and took the train to Fushimi Inari Shrine, arriving there at 8am. While I was photographing the shrine, I could hear footsteps approaching from behind. I turned back and to my surprise, it was the priest! The priest walked past me as I captured the moment of them walking through the shrine. It was raining that morning, so the priest had an umbrella, which added a unique touch to the photo. As they say, the early bird gets the banger!

#2 Dome Under the Northern Lights

It still feels surreal to me that I had the opportunity to witness the northern lights for three consecutive nights. Each night, the display became more breathtaking. On our second night in Fairbanks, we decided to visit Chena Hot Springs in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the aurora while relaxing in the hot springs. After about 30 minutes, we started to see faint green and purple colors in the sky. As time passed, the lights grew stronger and more vibrant. Once we left the hot springs and returned to our car, we were amazed to find that the aurora was the most intense we had seen during our entire trip. I started capturing photos of the aurora, and Deiner suggested capturing the dome and the northern lights in a single frame. I agreed, and after taking a few shots, I captured my favorite northern lights photo to date. If there's one photo that truly captures the essence of Alaska, it would be this one.

#1 The Life of a Maiko

On my trip to Japan in January, I couldn't capture a shot of the Maiko, so I decided to try again when I was in Kyoto in November. Taking a great shot of the Maiko walking was challenging due to the crowd in the area at night. During the first two nights, I couldn't get a satisfactory shot, but I made notes on when the Maiko would appear and walk down the alleyway. I observed that some of them would come out at a specific time, likely for their shifts. I remember spending an hour shooting on the second night, but none of the Maiko photos turned out well. They were either blurry or obstructed by people. However, on the third night, luck was on my side. Within just 5 minutes of arriving in the area, I was able to capture an epic shot of the Maiko strolling down the alleyway. It was an incredible moment, and this photo became my favorite of the year. Despite the struggle it took to get this shot, with three consecutive nights of effort, it was absolutely worth it in the end.

For those curious, here are my top 10 favorite songs of 2023 (ranked):

1. scro - i’m so tired (ft. Emilia Ali)

2. Duskus x BROCKHAMPTOM - Let Go x Sugar Remix (camoufly Mashup)

3. Bilmuri - LIVIN LAUGHIN LOVIN

4. scro - is this what you wanted?

5. acloudyskye - Flares

6. Bilmuri - DRUNK ENOUGH

7. Sleep Token - DYWTYLM

8. Julia Wolf - Wishbone

9. The Band CAMINO - Last Man in the World

10. OddKidOut - WISH YOU WELL (ft. ellie d.)

Honorable Mention: The Devil Wears Prada - Salt (Fairlane Remix) [one of the best EDM remixes I’ve heard to a post-hardcore song to date!]

Mix of the year: DKT - Diary of an Emo Kid (DKT x ETHAN) 2023 EOY Mix [Just a banger of a mix combining nostalgic rock of the early and late 2000s with modern EDM influences. It’s been a while since I’ve felt some kind of way listening to a mix.]

Here are some of my favorite restaurants and cafes that I tried for the first time this year:

• Kobe Beef Steak Mouriya Gion (best Kobe beef I’ve ever had)

• Schilthorn Piz Gloria 360-degree Restaurant

• 55 Steak (best hamburg steak I’ve ever had)

• Ganso Ramen Yokocho Sapporo

• Tanya Zenjirou

• Hamburg Labo

• Oreryushioramen Shibuya Center Gaiten

• Yakiniku Restaurant Totori

• Gyukatsu Motomura

• ARINCO Kyoto Arashiyama

• Chubby Cattle

• Menbaka Fire Ramen

• Wagyu Carpaccio & Steak KATAMARI

• Tsujiri Tea House

• Shakey’s in Japan

• Coco’s Restaurant in Japan

• Eggs N Things

• Nikudoresusakaba Takadanobabaten

• Okiraku Shokudo Izakaya

• Summerfield

Here are my top 10 shows and anime I’ve watched in 2023 (ranked):

1. The Last of Us

2. Gyeongseong Creature

3. The Fall of the House of Usher

4. Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

5. Demon Slayer S3

6. Dr. Stone S3

7. Dark Side of the Ring S4

8. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon

9. Sweet Home S2

10. Get Gotti

I hope you enjoyed reading these annual year in reviews and my top 5 photos of the year! Even though creating these recaps takes a lot of time and energy, I truly enjoy making them. 2023 was a year filled with work and travel for me. It taught me the importance of balancing work and travel, as well as the crucial role of time management in pursuing such a lifestyle. See you all in 2023! And as always, stay gold!

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