Each year I set myself a target of getting 12 photographs that I can look back on for the year that’s passed and say that each of these photos mean something special to me. That can work out to be 1 photo from each of the 12 months, or just as easily be 12 photos from one trip, or even a single photo walk. Not the easiest thing to do – to whittle it down from thousands of photos to 12. But here goes.
2024 was another good year for photography. It was great to be part of the rolling Irish Street Photography exhibition with the Irish Embassy around the world. This year saw my photos on display in Chile, Bolivia and Peru. Another highlight was a feature in Amateur Photography magazine. I continued to offer workshops with the Photo Museum of Ireland – and 2025 will mark ten years of workshops. I am grateful for all the good fortune photography has brought me.
And so another year passes. Each year, I say to myself I won’t wait until the year has almost passed before I do this, but each year I tend to get to December 31 and have to rush it. And 2024 is no different. Here I am on the last day of the year and here I am rushing it again.
The photos I am choosing are varied. They come from Cork, Dublin, Seoul, Tokyo and Istanbul. I have colour shots, black and white images, street, abstract, even a collage of sorts, but all have something in common. Looking back on them now, brings me back to where I was when I created them and how I was feeling. Oh, and all were shot on iPhone. It continues to be my favourite camera.
SEOUL
Seoul in February. Cold wintery and the dark of evening settling. Standing outside my hotel scanning the street to see what can be seen and this scene of this girl with cool shades staring at her phone screen in a cafe on the third floor appeared. The 5x zoom on the phone allowed me to frame her.
SEOUL
Car doors, rain, glass and neon all coming together on a rainy night in Seoul.https://www.instagram.com/brendan.o.se/
TOKYO
When I get to Tokyo the only time I can get out to shoot is at night, but is there a better time to shoot Tokyo than at night? I spent quite a bit of time here with my friend Laurence Bouchard trying to see how I could frame the red neon.
TOKYO
Another scene that I shot and shot and still can see in my mind’s eye how I wanted it to look.
CORK
Some photography fun here. This is a creation of one image of the guy running past the dogs’ home in Cork. I saw him from the opposite side of the street as I was running myself to get to the train station. I loved his stride and the blue of his jumper against the yellow of the wall. Later on the train I messed around with Snapseed’s double exposure tool and created this image.
DUBLIN
In May, I was part of the inaugural Dublin Street Photography Festival. The festival is running again this year. Great event this year – kudos to Des and Paul. Don’t miss out on it. Making my way to the venue with Dave Cremin I encountered this gentleman. We stopped, engaged and made these portraits. He was a storyteller. In the short few moments we spent with him, we learned of his session music past with the likes of Dylan and Van Morrison; the significance of his jewellry and the sad fact that he had cancer. Do hope he is OK.
DUBLIN
Some scenes just compose themselves for you. This one on an early Saturday morning in Dublin just cried out to be photographed.
DUBLIN
The same day in Dublin and at the end of a really good street photography workshop we were making our way back to the Photo Museum and this scene appeared. I could not walk by and not take the shot.
ISTANBUL
In October, I got to visit Istanbul for work. I could easily just select 12 photos from here to represent my favourite work from 2024. Taking the ferries as you cross the Bosporus river from the Asian side of Kadikoy to the European side of Besiktas provides so many little vignettes of Istanbul life.
ISTANBUL
So very often the story reveals itself in reflections. I was struck by the woman’s commitment to photograph her crossing. Unusual to find another photographer working the scene. Not intruding, I saw her reflection in the window of the ferry and got the photo I wanted.
ISTANBUL
The final shot from Istanbul is definitely one of my favourites from 2024. The open mouth of
CORK
Final photo is one of my wife. Sarangheo!
How I have gone about photography in the past 12 months has changed somewhat. I wrote a while back in that I was bored with photographs but not with photography. What I meant by that was the process of shooting just to share on platforms like Instagram really bored me. This year I started on the mammoth task of categorising my images. I have a book in progress. Taking longer to get there than expected, but will get there. Will try to feed the beast that Instagram is less and less. It just is not enjoyable.
2025
There is lots to look forward to in 2025. Trips planned. Workshops and talks scheduled. MojoFest returns to Dublin this year; don’t miss out on that.
If you have read to the end – a very big thank you.
Photography is the gift that keeps on giving.
Kiss the future!
