Our World in Pictures, Spring 2025
Spring from around the world, and your questions answered.
Hey friends,
If you’re new around here, earlier this year I started a project called Our World in Pictures, collecting images to see what life looks like around the world. An effort to see? An attempt to notice? It’s a sort of user generated digital photo zine, if you will. Below are the Spring submissions, as always I appreciate everyone who pitched in this time around. I’m not entirely sure I’ll keep it up for Summer and Winter, but if you feel strongly about the project let me know!
Skylar
P.S. - I also tucked the answers to a couple of questions I received over the last week at the end of this email, for the curious. And Iceland work incoming soon!
The Newroz celebration, the Kurdish new year, in Akre, Iraq from
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico from
Dubrovnik, Croatia from
An April 16th sunset in Tacoma, Washington from
A quiet (and dry) day in the Washington Cascades from
April in Nuuk, Greenland from
A chill and cloudy day in East Village, NYC from
Tulips in March from
An April dusting of snow in Virginia City, Nevada from Stephanie
April in Montreal, Canada from
The Space Needle peeking out over Gas Works Park in Seattle, Washington from Skylar.
The midnight sun and a 3 am walk in Ísafjörður, Iceland from Skylar
The marina in Port Townsend, Washington from Hugh
Monument Valley in Utah, Slot Canyon in Arizona, and Horseshoe Canyon in Arizona (left to right) from Kirk
Arisaig, Scotland, April 2025 by
Sunrise in Page, Arizona overlooking a very low Lake Powell from Suzanne.
The Chapel of Bones in Évora, Portugal by
Edinburgh, Scotland from
A May full moon over the big ring at Osaka Expo 2025 in Yumenoshima, Osaka, Japan from
Isle of Skye, Scotland from
Houston, Texas April 2025 by
Your Questions Answered
Thanks to those who sent in some questions over the past week or so, I got a few across comments, email, and DMs. It’s interesting to see what’s on your mind in the context of this newsletter and such, so I appreciate it.
What’s the first thing you do when you get to a new city?
Honestly, I’m an intolerable snob so if I’m in or near a city, the first thing I do is figure out where I’m getting my coffee beans. It’s usually the most obnoxious, minimalist-chic-third-wave coffee shop I can find. It’s also where every other millennial is hanging out. But it’s a need, not a want. I mean I travel with an AeroPress Go for fuck’s sake, of course I’m going to get a single-origin light roast with delicate and fruity notes…
What's your new camera gear? As much as I love photography, I am stubbornly sticking to my phone!
(Incoming camera nerd talk) I’m actually glad someone asked! And no shame on smartphone photos these days, a good chunk of the images I share are taken with my iPhone. But my main camera is a Nikon Zf, and for this trip I picked up Nikon’s 24-120mm f4 lens. It’s a great focal range for me and travel in general. I don’t particularly specialize in any one type of photography and am more of a generalist at this point. It’s also relatively compact and not too heavy, which was a requirement since I travel minimally and can’t really afford to take much camera gear. The f4 doesn’t bother me too much because I’m outside and in decent light for most of the time - the focal range/portability were well worth the sacrifice in light. I’m just getting through most of the photos now, but overall I am pretty happy with the images coming out of it.
What’s the worst piece of travel advice you’ve ever read?
Anything that is overly prescriptive. There’s no right way to experience a new place. Do your own thing and try to find as much wonder and enchantment as you can. I promise a good story will not be found at the bottom of someone’s checklist.
This is so exciting. Will you do the ring road this time? I highly recommend Messinn Seafood Restaurant in Rejk. I would fly there just for the blackened salmon and I don't even love salmon!
Nope, no Ring Road this time! I stuck to the Westfjords of Iceland for the entire trip. Four years ago, I did a good chunk of the southern portion of the Ring Road and hit a bunch of the major sights down there. It was a weird trip! But my heart was always in the Westfjords, so this time around I wanted to stick to that part of the country entirely. And I’m glad I did. There’s something really special that happens when you get to linger around in a space, talk to folks, ask questions, pry a little, and take a place slowly. I don’t think I’d be able to have some of the images and stories that I do this time around if I didn’t! And unfortunately I didn’t get to try out Messinn, but next time!
How far in advance do you plan trips?
This one can vary! This last trip to Iceland was planned on the fly since I had to change some travel plans (originally I was going to be in Taiwan), but I did have some contacts there that I wanted to try and meet up with anyway. But for a trip where I’m just going without any strict plans, I’d say two months in advance? Unless I find a cheap flight, which can dictate some of the logistics.
Curious how you game out where to crap next? Big influence on my planning.
Probably a joke, but my favorite question of the bunch, so I’m gonna answer it anyway. And it was actually relevant this time around because I was in a camper van for 12 days that didn’t have a toilet. Take some magnesium supplements when you travel. And drink your coffee and make sure you do your business before you leave the campground. The drives through the Westfjords can get pretty remote…
What’s your favorite piece of random travel gear?
Hmmm, that’s a tough one. One thing I obsess over is rain jackets. Even for traveling almost exclusively in shoulder and off seasons, I don’t find myself in absolute downpours too often (unless on a big hike/walk). If it happens, I tend hop inside somewhere and wait out the rain. So the quest has just been to find the most minimal but still useful in a pinch rain jacket out there. I came across the Montbell Versalite a while ago that seemed to be what I was looking for. It costs about $260 in the US-based shop, but if you order one from their Japan-based shop it’s about $160. It’s effectively the same jacket, but for some reason it’s missing the front pockets? Though that means you do save a few grams of weight. Anyway, it packs down to nothing, so for a general purpose, mostly urban trip, it’s solid option to throw in the pack and forget about. The colors seem to rotate, and definitely size up one.
So fun to see all the photos…and interesting reading the Q and A. Keep up the good work, Skylar!
What a great article!! Really love this concept!! Such a unique and great way to see the world through others eyes and share our experiences together through photography!! As always, well written as well!!