2025 was the year I truly challenged myself with my photography. Not only in the images I tried to capture, but in how I chose to share them with the world. I pushed myself beyond simply taking photographs and into actively presenting my work through competitions, exhibitions, challenges, and new audiences, challenging my own understanding of what it means to call myself a photographer.

I am honoured and grateful to know that those efforts did not go to waste. Although I have been creating images for several years, this was the first year I committed to sharing them publicly, and to seeing where that vulnerability might lead.

This year, several of my images reached the international stage. One photograph, an angled shot of the Temple of Jupiter in ancient Heliopolis, also known as Baalbek, Lebanon, just 20km from the Syrian border, was selected for exhibition at the Glasgow Gallery of Photography. This marked the first time in my photography journey that one of my images was selected, printed, and displayed alongside the work of many talented photographers.

Throughout August, I visited the gallery several times, each visit bringing sense of pride, not only in seeing my work on display, but in watching others engage with the beauty and history Lebanon has to offer.

Later in the year, that same image received further recognition at the 2025 ReFocus World Annual Photo Awards, where it won the People’s Vote Award in the Travel category. Among hundreds of thousands of votes and nominees from around the world, the photograph was selected to be featured in the winners’ gallery, an honour I never expected when I first captured the image.

To my surprise, several of my other photographs were also nominated under the Landscape category, featuring scenes from Argentina, Scotland, and the UAE. Receiving this level of recognition across different places and styles was both humbling and deeply encouraging.

2025 reaffirmed for me the beauty of sharing creative work. It reminded me why I picked up photography in the first place: to tell stories, to share history, and to reveal the quiet beauty of the world with others. As I move into the year ahead, I hope to continue pushing myself creatively, submitting my work more widely, and growing alongside a community that sees value in these shared moments.

Thank you to all who support my photography, you are the best.

Jad