2012 was one of my best travel years to date. In it I added two new continents, four brand new countries and scratched some pretty major destinations off my bucket list. In addition to completing my first year in Copenhagen I made it to the United Arab Emirates, Scotland, England, Germany, Sweden, Zambia, Botswana, Italy, Turkey, Canada and the Czech Republic. Experiences ranged from my first time back in North America in 15 months where I came nose to nose with wild polar bears to an incredibly awkward Turkish Hamam experience to a week spent cooking over a charcoal brazier in rural Zambian villages. 2012 also saw me upgrade from my trusty Canon G11 to a Canon 600D, my first ever dSLR.

I feel like you have all been there with me throughout my many adventures. Your readership, support, comments, feedback and advice really means a lot and is part of what makes the hours, money, blood sweat and tears I put into this blog worth it. So, thank you.

Without further delay, I give you 42 of my favorite photos from 2012 in no particular order.

Lion cubs relaxing – South Luangwa, Zambia

The Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque) – Istanbul, Turkey

A Lilac-Breasted Roller – Chobe, Botswana

Full moon setting as the sun rises – Churchill, Canada

A large leopard in the grass – South Luangwa, Zambia

One of many beautiful streets – Stockholm, Sweden

The last of my big three – Victoria Falls, Zambia

A young male pausing to stare us down in South Luangwa, Zambia

Spices at a traditional souk in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Children clowning for the camera in a small village in Luapula Province, Zambia

A Zebra relaxing just before sunset in South Luangwa, Zambia

One of my favorite marble statues – Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany

A mosque at sunset during Istanbul’s worst storm in 25 years – Istanbul, Turkey

Children showcasing their zeal for life – Luapula Province, Zambia

A particularly beautiful street – Perugia, Italy

Hamish the world famous Highland Coo (Cow) – Kilmahog, Scotland

Fishing boats in Antalya harbor – Antalya, Turkey

This beautiful male leopard has survived with only one eye – South Luangwa, Zamiba

Dancing or fighting? Perhaps a bit of both – Churchill, Canada

Dubai from the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building – Dubai, United Arab Emirates

A large leopard warning a nearby hyena not to come closer – South Luangwa, Zambia

The famous rock chimneys that decorate and define the Cappadocia region – Goreme, Turkey

A moment of love and companionship – Orvieto, Italy

The historic streets of Gamla Stan – Stockholm, Sweden

Elephants posturing near a watering hole – South Luangwa, Zambia

Fishermen at sunset – Samfya Lake, Zambia

An elephant convoy walking single file – Chobe National Park, Botswana

Polar Bears play fighting while waiting for the ice to freeze – Churchill, Canada

View out over the Quirang – Isle of Skye, Scotland

A lioness chewing on a baby hippo’s head – South Luangwa, Zambia

A Swedish bike with a traditional twist – Stockholm, Sweden

The night sky over the village of Chisunka – Luapula Province, Zambia

A lion casually stalking alert Impala – Chobe National Park, Botswana

An abandoned boat – Isle of Skye, Scotland

Looking down on Perugia’s beautiful rooftops – Perugia, Italy

Polar Bear tears – Churchill, Canada

A baby Baboon preparing for launch – Chobe National Park, Botswana

A mother and her babies resting – Stockholm, Sweden

Hard at work preparing and seperating corn kernels for sale – Chisunka, Zambia

A close up of a beautiful piece of art in the Antalya Archaeological Museum – Antalya, Turkey

A very alert Impala – South Luangwa, Zambia

d’Artagnan, my brother’s cat – Luapula Province, Zambia

It was nearly impossible to select 42 of my favorite shots from the last year. There are a lot which I absolutely love that didn’t make this post. If you enjoyed these shots, please head over to my flickr albums and continue browsing. You may have noticed that this post only includes one photo from Berlin, and does not include any shots from England, the Czech Republic or Denmark. I wasn’t doing much shooting in England or Germany and I have not edited my photos from the Czech Republic yet so you’ll have to stay tuned for those! I chose to exclude Denmark because it is my current place of residence. I’ll be doing a special post featuring 10-20 shots from the past year dedicated specifically to my life here in Copenhagen.

The photo at the start of the post (technically #43) is from the traditional spice markets in Dubai, UAE.

Most of the photos in this post were shot on a Canon T3i (600D) while using either a 18-135mm lens, 55-250mm lens, or a 50mm f1.4 lens.

I would LOVE to know which of these shots is your favorite, or if you have other photos I’ve taken over the past year which you think should have made the list but did not.

Thank you again so, so much for all of your support. Your comments mean a lot to me! I cannot wait to see what adventures 2013 brings!