The Visual Diary: 2025

Year Through the Lens

Dec 26, 2025

Yesterday, Kuba dropped his 2025 photo recap - he beat me to the punch, the cheeky devil. But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It gave me a little extra time to really sit with my selections. So, here are my favorites from 2025: one frame for every month.

January

January was dull, to say the least. Just a New Year’s walk and a few frames grabbed on my way to work or the gym. Like this shot right here. Captured on January 19th, en route to the gym. If the EXIF data serves me right, I shot this with the Lumix S9 and the Sigma 24mm f/3.5. Honestly, this image is all about the beautiful light and that one detail: a shopping cart dumped in the river. Nothing more, nothing less. But I think it’s enough.

February

February was pretty much a repeat of January: quiet. On a morning run to the bakery for fresh rolls, I snapped one of those shots that just screams, 'Hey, welcome to Poland.' And this was literally a stone’s throw from my house. Since I was just popping out for bread, the Ricoh GRIII was the camera of choice.

March

March actually gave me a bit of a dilemma. I went on a photo walk in Nowa Huta with Michał and Kuba, which yielded at least two really solid frames. But I also took a trip to Chorzów with Paweł, and ultimately, this shot from Chorzów takes the win. I just love the composition, and that lace curtain in the door really makes the photo. As for the gear, I was hauling around a literal brick: the Nikon D3S paired with the Voigtlander Color Skopar 28mm f/2.8 SLIIs.

April

April was another quiet month, but during a visit to my parents, I managed to tick off a photographic New Year’s resolution: capturing a scarecrow. Believe it or not, this was the only one I managed to track down all year. Okay, fine, I spotted one from a train in Italy, but that doesn’t count. This outing also marked the maiden voyage of my early 40th birthday gift to myself - the Nikon Df. Paired, once again, with the Voigtländer Color Skopar 28mm f/2.8 SLIIs

May

May marked the start of my cycling explorations, both near and far. This image is the reward for an early wake-up call: I rode my bike to a fence just one street over - literally 200 meters from my house. I’m really drawn to the light and the composition here. I was also testing the Canon 6D paired with the EF 40mm f/2.8 pancake lens. That combo quickly became the undisputed king of my bike rides for one simple reason: it fits perfectly into my hip bag.

June

June was an incredibly intense month for photography; I walked away with a lot of solid frames- keepers, really. We explored a quarry with Kuba, and I went on countless bike rides during my long vacation. So yes, definitely an action-packed month. But the crown goes to a Mercedes again. This shot comes from a memorable outing to the Ligota district in Katowice. It gives off serious Mad Max vibes. Gear used: the Nikon Df and the Nikkor 35mm f/2 AF-D.

July

July was a bit quieter. Mostly because the weather was pretty miserable - rainy and gray. Generally speaking, this summer in Poland was unseasonably cool and uninspiring. But during a rare sunny weekend, I hopped on my bike and headed back to Kopalniok. That’s where I snapped this frame. It’s a simple composition with the slag heap in the background, but I just really like it. I was also testing my new love on the Nikon Df: the Nikkor 25-50mm f/4 AiS.

August

August picked up the pace again: tons of bike trips, a photo walk in Tychy with friends, and an exceptionally fruitful flea market in Pszczyna. But when it came to choosing a photo, there was no contest. For me, this is the Photo of the Year.

I first spotted this teddy bear from a train window near some railway earthworks. Leaning against a birch tree and daubed in paint, it was clearly the construction crew’s mascot. A few weeks later, I saw its remains from the train - someone eventually decided it had to go. Fortunately, I had cycled out there before the end came and captured it with the Canon 6D and the 40mm pancake.

September

September can be summed up in one challenge: pick a favorite shot from the Italy trip. I shot a gazillion frames there, and quite a few were actually decent. Narrowing it down to just one? A real pain in the ass. So, I stepped away to clear my head and made myself a coffee. I took one sip and thought: ITALY. And this frame immediately popped into my mind. It’s the very first image I see when I look back on that journey. Taken in Perugia with the Canon R and the RF 28mm f/2.8 pancake. Incidentally, this is the only true street photo in this entire collection.

October

October brought another expedition to Nowa Huta with Kuba and Robert, but I also spent time assisting Michał with his street photography workshop. While guiding my group of students, we bumped into a gentleman who was very eager to show us his garlic stash. It was a funny situation that actually resulted in a pretty solid portrait. Shot with the Nikon Df and the Nikkor 25-50mm f/4 AiS.

November

November was truly action-packed. There was a great autumn outing to Kopalniok, another return to Nowa Huta, and a memorable trip to Brynów and Bytom. But my favorite frame is the one above, taken during a bike ride on November 11th - Independence Day. So, naturally, the color theme fits like a glove. Plus, the composition just really clicked for me. I was testing out the Nikon D600 with the Nikkor 24/2.8 AFD.

December

December isn’t quite over yet. There are still a few days left on the clock, and considering I captured my Photo of the Year 2024 exactly on December 28th, anything can happen. But if I don't pick up my camera again before the New Year, I’m calling this my December favorite. That distinct 'Silesian glow' comes from the Christmas Market lights in the square of my hometown, Pszczyna. Michał absolutely crushed it with his photos that night, but this landscape isn't half bad either. Shot on the Lumix S1 with the Sigma 35mm f/2. I do have one major regret, though: leaving my Sigma 24mm f/2 at home. The scenes at the misty, illuminated skatepark were practically screaming for a wider angle.

Other Interesting Observations and Events

Much like Kuba, this year brought a few shifts that impacted my photography. First and foremost, I cut Meta out of my life. No more Instagram, no more Facebook. Kuba talked me into Substack, so here I am. Did this change my approach to photography? Absolutely. I stopped worrying about shooting for the algorithm. I take photos that I like. Which, I think, is pretty evident in the selection above.

Another thing: I decided to photograph my local area more. More bike expeditions. Thanks to this, I’m discovering new things right on my doorstep. Half of the photos in this collection were taken within the city limits of my hometown. You really can practice photography just by exploring your immediate surroundings - even the mundane, everyday stuff. I highly recommend it.

In the gym this year, I hit a deadlift PR of 182kg (for a single) and did sets at 164kg. I broke my records, then my knee started acting up (standard procedure), so I had to take a break. I’m currently getting back into it with a safe 142kg. What does this have to do with photography? Everything. Just call me “The Human Tripod”!

For the first time in my life, I built a computer from scratch - starting from the bare motherboard, installing the OS, the works. Everything runs beautifully. I upgraded with smoother photo editing in mind, and I had to do it now. RAM and storage prices are starting to go crazy and won’t calm down next year. The side effect of this upgrade? I’m spending Christmas playing The Witcher 3 on Ultra+ settings.

Gear-wise, things were interesting too. I bought a fair amount of junk and sold quite a bit as well. I started clearing out unused lenses. However, the purchase of the year for me is the Nikon Df and the Nikkor 25-50mm f/4 AiS. It’s a kit I simply adore. This year also marked an almost total pivot back to DSLRs. I used mirrorless cameras only incidentally. I’m coming to terms with selling the Lumix S9 and S5IIx because, frankly, they spent most of the time gathering dust. The unexpected dark horse turned out to be the Canon 6D. For a full-frame camera, it’s surprisingly small, cheap, and, as I mentioned, the perfect companion for bike rides.

As for focal lengths, this was definitely the year of 40mm and 24-25mm. The forty became my standard, and my wide angle got... well, pretty wide.

One last thing. I definitely went on more photography trips than the year before. This is a good place to thank Michał, Jakub, and Robert. We’ve built a really cool group on Signal, and meeting up IRL to shoot and talk shop has been great. I also want to give a special shout-out to Paweł for our expeditions across the Silesian agglomeration. A project is slowly being born from that.

I hope 2026 will be just as successful and fruitful. I wish the same for myself and for all of you.

See you next year.