I am riding my motorcycle around the world living the lifestyle which I had envisioned in my early twenties. Not specifically on a motorcycle but a life outside of an office and unburdened by social constraints. I set off on a journey of six months and after that I kept going. Soon I realised that this was not just a trip form which I would return but that I was well on my way living my life the way I wanted to live it. I have not looked back since. Action follows abstract ideas and concepts when one is willing to let go of the familiar. And once one is on the other side of the fence it turns out that getting there was the hardest part. I encourage everyone who has an idea of one’s own to hop that fence. Action will follow.

My journey has taking me through some beautiful countries and there were places so amazing that one would think it impossible to live a happier day after having see it. Countries like Iran, Tajikistan, Iraq, Mongolia and Japan are forever engraved in my mind.

On this journey I departed with a point and click camera. The camera budget was spent on a GoPro and I have not regretted it. I decided to make the best of and read up on using that camera more proficiently. I do believe in the notion that it is more about the photographer than the equipment but after a while one can start feeling and seeing the constraint of the camera. And on top of that the camera started to go nuts after it got wet and was revived at least three times. By the time I was in Russia I had to pull and nudge the lens whenever I turned it on. Soon the zoom stopped working and since then I know how important that feature is. Miraculously all problems subsided once I got to Japan. The Lumix was home! In Australia I got my hands on another Panasonic Lumix in a pawnshop, this time a super zoom. Right then and there I wish that I had that camera in the places where I had been before.

Sometimes I get to handle someone’s DSLR and it breaks my heart to see how beautiful those pictures turn out right of the bat. But again I do believe that the real quality comes from the photographer. I feel that I have reached the constraints of the super zoom and that I am ready for a DSLR. Not that the pictures will necessarily be better but then I at least know that the quality will always be there. But on the motorcycle there is not a lot of space and I have always enjoyed it very much to be able to pull out the camera with ease from the tank bag and snap shots without having to deal with anything bulky. As an overland rider there needs to be a balance between being in the moment and the time being out of the moment. Stopping and taking pictures takes one out of the moment, at least for me a lot of times. The longer it takes being out of the moment the more reluctant I become to stop. The same goes for video.

So I figured it was more important first to become a better photographer and in the process taking photographs would become increasingly a part of the moment. That is what has been happening. Though sometimes I still keep riding while the photographer in me wants to stop. Since I already take a lot of pictures I do not like to take the same shot many times. I rather like to wait for the right moment and then take only one or two.

I have always been the friend who would take longer taking pictures and was told to hurry up. Hell my friends did not even bring cameras when traveling since they knew I would be taking pictures. So be it. There is something beautiful about eternalising the present context on one’s own terms. One of the main things has always been taking straight photos. Something that seems alien to a lot of people in the days of click and forget. Ask someone to take a picture of you and most of the time you will be disappointed. An all to familiar feeling for people on this site I imagine. Though when someone does it right it feels like something magical has happened. On top of that there was also the patience to get it right. During this journey I have learned more about angles, how to fill the shot and how to use zoom to get a certain perspective. Mostly trial and error. Later came a better understanding of the camera’s functions and its properties. Still got a lot to learn a lot regarding the latter.

Currently I want to get better at using the custom settings. The same goes for post processing. It seems like after every couple of months I can go back to previously edited pictures and improve them. Many stunning photo’s online prove that so much is still possible. I used to be reluctant to edit photos but now I understand that the perfect picture exists within the shot. One just has to learn how to bring it out. Plenty to learn still.

The places where I have been, the things I have seen and the beauty which I have captured. I wish to able to do them justice.