2024 in Twenty-Four Pictures
Join me in a pictorial look back at the year.
My Adobe Lightroom Photo app says it is currently storing 18,053 photos that I took in 2024.
That’s not the total number of photos I took this year — only the ones I liked well enough to edit and save. The actual number of pictures I took is probably closer to 100,000.
Given the name of this newsletter, that shouldn’t exactly be a shocker.
So choosing which photos to include in the first-ever end-of-year Michael Takes Too Many Pictures newsletter has been hard as hell.
Seriously, people, I have been suffering!
I finally settled on the following 24 pictures from 2024 that speak to me for one reason or another and that I hope you enjoy.
Please note that they’re not in any chronological order.
BRISTOL, ENGLAND
November 20, 2:21 PM
Bedminster is a “transitional” neighborhood in Bristol. This means it’s a bit gritty, mostly working class, and isn’t the sort of place most tourists bother with.
Eight years ago, I wouldn’t have bothered either. Now these are some of my favorite places to explore because I think they offer more than the typical, curated “tourist” experience.
WHALE BEACH, AUSTRALIA
January 12, 6:09 AM
A secret to happiness? Swimming in an Australian rockpool as the sun is rising!
VALENCIA, SPAIN
March 18, 1:47 PM
Valencia, Spain’s Las Fallas Festival is fantastic for many different reasons: the incredible papier-mâché sculptures, street parties, the mascletàs, and especially La Crema, the night when the sculptures are burned in an orgy of fire.
But mostly, Las Fallas is about family and friends coming together to celebrate traditions that have bound this community together for centuries.
ISAFJÖRÐUR, ICELAND
August 3, 12:38 AM
Whenever Brent and I are out walking or exploring, I always trail behind because I’m stopping to take picture after picture.
This means I end up with a lot of photos of, well, his bum. I did it at first as a joke, but now I’ve got so many photos of Brent’s bum bopping around the world I could devote an entire newsletter to that worthy topic.
Hey, that’s a great idea!
REINE, NORWAY
October 3, 11:57 AM
My tour of Norway’s Lofoten Islands allowed only me thirty minutes in the picturesque village of Reine. To get this picture, I had to leap off the tour bus and run like hell to the bridge with this vantage point.
But come on: it was worth it.
BATH, ENGLAND
November 11, 3:45 PM
Some pictures are taken after carefully considering every element to ensure the best composition. Others are snapped in a huge hurry as I chase after Brent.
Any guesses which was the case here? (Hint: I had about three seconds to take it!)
WHALE BEACH, AUSTRALIA
January 12, 8:25 PM
Sometimes, timing in life is everything. For instance, I got this photo, and the fisherman didn’t get swept off the rocks.
BATH, ENGLAND
November 11, 8:33 AM
I devoted an entire newsletter to October, my favorite month because I love autumn colors. I hope you’ll forgive me for sneaking in one more photo of the best time of the year.
BRISTOL, ENGLAND
November 20, 9:28 AM
A barista I befriended in Bristol told me about these unusual trees in a nearby park. And he was right: they made a great picture.
BALAT, TURKEY
April 12, 7:03 AM
Our time in the Istanbul neighborhood of Balat was challenging for many reasons. But it also had aspects I loved. Elegant decay! Brightly colored buildings! And, of course, cats.
And this photo has all three.
BRISTOL, ENGLAND
November 20, 1:32 PM
Why can’t every street be as colorful as this one in Bristol? I think if there were more streets like this, the world would be a better place.
FETHIYE, TURKEY
May 2, 7:20 AM
The day I took this picture in Fethiye, Turkey, I was feeling very reflective.
Sorry, I couldn’t resist!
BALAT, TURKEY
April 21, 6:02 PM
Our apartment in Balat, Turkey, was disappointing. But the view we had of the Golden Horn was astonishing.
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
September 18, 4:00 PM
To our surprise, Brent and I liked Copenhagen far less than we’d expected to. That being said, Nyhavn Canal didn’t disappoint, especially because after a very cloudy day, the sun finally came out just in time for me to take this picture.
FATIH, TURKEY
April 10, 11:41 PM
Turkey has some genuinely incredible mosques, including this mosque in Fatih.
But I didn’t understand until we spent time living in Turkey how central the mosque is to daily life.
AARHUS, DENMARK
September 19, 7:21 AM
After visiting Copenhagen, our cruise ship docked in Aarhus, Denmark’s second-largest city.
As we sailed in that morning, I lucked out by being in the perfect spot as we passed right in front of the Aarhus Docklands, a newly developed residential neighborhood with a futuristic look that I love.
TYNTESFIELD, ENGLAND
November 13, 11:15 AM
While I love me some futuristic Scandinavian architecture, I’m also a complete sucker for great Gothic buildings like Tyntesfield Estate just outside of Bristol.
If I were still writing fiction, I would absolutely set a ghost story here.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND
August 20, 1:55 PM
Yes, I know my one photo from Liverpool should be all about the Beatles, but when I stopped to use the bathroom at this restaurant, I laughed out loud at how the steel beer barrels had been repurposed.
VALENCIA, SPAIN
February 21, 7:38 AM
Visiting Valencia, Spain’s remarkable City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, Spain, felt like being in a science fiction movie. This explains why Doctor Who, Tomorrowland, Westworld, and Andor all filmed scenes here.
PORTSMOUTH, ENGLAND
July 27, 1:42 PM
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is a remarkable collection of British naval history, including the HMS Warrior, once the largest and most powerful warship in the world; the Mary Rose, Henry VIII’s favorite ship before it unceremoniously sank in battle without getting off a single shot; and the HMS Victory, the ship Lord Nelson captained to lead Britain to victory over the Spanish at Trafalgar.
Hail, Brittania!
Rotterdam, Netherlands
September 13, 3:26 PM
I’d always heard Rotterdam was one of the most boring cities in Europe because it had been so heavily bombed in WWII, and what was built after the war wasn’t all that. But between the Cube Houses, Erasmus Bridge, the Depot, and Markthal, pictured above, I found it anything but dull.
REYKJAVIK, ICELAND
August 5 12:23 AM
Iceland isn’t quite far north enough to qualify as the land of the Midnight Sun, but this midnight sunset was one of the most beautiful I saw in a year of beautiful sunsets.
OSLO, NORWAY
July 12, 10:51 PM
Every clear summer night, Oslovians gather on top of the Opera House to enjoy the sunset. Norway is another northern country where the summer sun sets very late.
Adults drink and listen to music while smaller kids play. Yes, there are kids here even this late at night — because when you have to deal with Norway’s long, dark winters, everyone wants to make the warm summer days last as long as possible.
VALENCIA, SPAIN
March 10, 9:15 PM
As we approach New Year’s Eve, what better way to finish than with this amazing fireworks display from Valencia, Spain.
That’s it — I hope you enjoyed my peek back at 2024!
If you enjoyed this newsletter, I would appreciate your sharing it with someone you think might also like it.
Michael Jensen is a travel writer, amateur photographer, and novelist. Check out his other newsletter about his travels at BrentAndMichaelAreGoingPlaces.com.
LOL, my husband hikes behind me and is the photographer as well, so we also have many trail pictures with a dorsal view of me!
Especially love the beach picture with the crashing wave, and of course the fireworks shot, which takes so much skill, and the Liverpool facilities!
And there is something about that cat picture from Turkiye. The cat standing all alone in the plaza, looking so contemplative ... as if he's posing for the cover of his first singer-songwriter album ...
These are truly exceptional photos. Your eye for composition is phenomenal