One of the last photos I took in 2022. A multiple exposure of koi carp and a tree. My daughter loves feeding these carp at the local shrine.

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Daniel Milnor gave me this idea so I thought I’d do something similar*.

What did I learn in 2022?

• That I need to write my Morning Pages as soon as I wake up.
• That looking at your smartphone as soon as you get up is the worst possible thing you can do.
• That social media (99% of it anyway) is a joke and influencers are getting worse. Why are we feeding them and the algorithm?
• That Glass is one of the better social media sites out there. Mastodon is okay but I don’t like how fragmented it feels. I don’t know what VERO is trying to be.
• That I care about this website.
• That for the most part I’m done with international travel. Japan, the UK, and Australia are more than enough. It’s not other countries that’s the problem, it’s flying and getting to them.
• That I pine for Western Australia and the road trip I took back in the mid 1990s.
• That I didn’t make enough personal photo books.
• That I spent too much money on photography gear.
• That I need to be in the Japanese Alps and walking the Kiso-ji more than I thought I did.
• That I enjoy old Japanese photo books more than any other genre.
• That exercise is non-negotiable.
• That I’m not as healthy as I thought I was and I need to fix it.
• That you can always improve your finances.
• That kids are far more important than adults.
• That sitting outside in the garden with my cat while it’s freezing cold is comforting.
• That walking is the answer to almost everything. Rucking is even better than walking, and rucking in nature is the answer to everything.
• That the UK is in a bad place and that I’ll probably never ever move back there permanently.
• That there’s still plenty to explore in Nagoya.
• That I need to simplify my photography and get back to basics. But that I also enjoy multiple exposures.
• That no matter how hard I try bird photography doesn’t resonate.
• That being jealous is futile.
• That I need to read more books. Especially in Japanese.
• That there is hope for climate change.
• That this list isn’t finished.

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Most importantly that I am here for my wife and daughter and they take precedence over everything.

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Here’s a quote I like to try and live every year by:

Go simple. Go solo. Go now.
Audrey Sutherland from Paddling North

I hope everyone has a great 2023.
Remember, just be nice to one another.

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I’ve been following Dan’s journey through life for over a decade now. His original website was the reason I switched back to film cameras for a few years a decade ago and he’s one of the only voices I trust online.