2025: A Year of Consistency

2025 come to an end so quickly!

It honestly feels like just yesterday I was filming a YouTube video about my photography gear in 2025, and somehow we’re already standing at the edge of 2026. Time flies so fast.

So in this post, I want to reflect and look back at what I made this year, what felt right, what didn’t, and what I learned along the way. Not just the wins, but also the parts that didn’t turn out the way I hoped.

I’ve always liked reflecting, but I’ve never been great at making New Year’s resolutions. Most of the time, I forget anyway 😂

Instead, I want to write down what I think I want to do next year, not as a strict plan, but as a form of intention and manifestation.

My YouTube channel grew a lot this year! My subscriber count more than tripled!! And honestly, I’m proud of that.

Last year, I uploaded fewer than ten videos. This year, instead of chasing what I thought would get views, I focused on making what I genuinely wanted to make. Surprisingly (or maybe not), the views followed anyway.

One of the projects I’m most proud of is People on Film. I’ve created this with a simple intention, I wanted to get to know film photographers whose work I admire. No attention to follower counts, no concern about whether people already knew them. Just pure curiosity from myself.

That intention led to something I didn’t fully expect. I made many new friends through the series, more photowalks, collaboration plans, etc.

Check it out here if you haven’t! Now I’m thinking about a Season 2 in 2026 lol

Close to the end of 2025, I also experimenting with Live Stream! I do enjoyed it a lot and think I’m gonna do more next year! Special thanks to Raf Lopes (CameraClara.com) and Justin Allen- Photographer who became the first two guest on my live stream!

This one is my favorite.

Substack genuinely changed the way I share my work online. There was a time when I posted every day on Instagram, and even twice a day on Twitter. The goal was obvious, grow my online presence. And it worked, in a way. But it also burned me out.

At some point, I realized I was taking photos mainly for engagement. I was choosing subjects and moments based on what I thought would perform well, not what actually mattered/interesting to me. Photography started to feel less meaningful at a time.

Before that phase, I loved going out and shooting. One roll of film often came with thoughts, stories, or even silly moments I wanted to share. That feeling was disappeared once everything became part of a daily social media routine. So I stopped.

I started writing on Substack instead, without much expectation. My intention was to put my thoughts somewhere. To write about my creative process, what I was learning, and the stories behind the photos I took.

What I thought would be a lonely road turned out not to be lonely at all. I met many people here, some online, some who later became real-life friends. It’s been a year now, and I still genuinely enjoy sharing here not only as someone who loves photography, but also as a human that are currently figuring things out.

At the start of 2025, I was convinced my camera lineup was already perfect. But I guess we always want to try something new, don’t we? 😂

I never thought I’d sell my Hasselblad 500C/M. I loved that camera. But panorama photography had been on my mind for a long time, and true panorama film cameras like the Fuji TX-1 or Hasselblad X-Pan are… hella expensive..

So I looked for a middle ground and that led me to the Fuji GW690ii. It lets me keep shooting 120 film in a 6×9 format, and with a bit of tweaking, I can shoot panorama without fully committing to a dedicated panorama system.

See my Instagram post for the panorama results.

I started darkroom printing about two years ago, and last year I was doing it on and off. But from early to mid-2025, I became much more consistent with it. Consistent enough that I was able to regularly sell my darkroom prints, which still feels pretty surreal.

The challenge is that I don’t have my own darkroom. As demand slowly increased, keeping up became harder, mostly because of time and access. That is the reason for me to explore something new, which is Fine Art Prints.

Surprisingly, I really enjoyed it. Being able to experiment with different papers, textures, and finishes opened up another side of printing for me.

Printing, especially experimenting, definitely isn’t cheap. But it’s a thing I enjoy a lot and something I want to continue doing next year.

I talked about it on YouTube a bit 👇🏻

There’s no better way for me to close 2025 than by publishing my second photobook.

It took two years to make, and I had the chance to collaborate with one of the best printing companies in Tokyo. Being able to finally put this work out into the world feels both grounding and surreal.

If you’re curious about the process, I wrote more about it in a separate post here👇🏻

Going into 2026, the only thing that’s already locked in is my participation in Zine Fest Tokyo on January 25th, one of the biggest amateur zine and photobook events in the city.

Beyond that, I’m trying not to over-plan. What I do know is that I want to stay consistent on YouTube and Substack, and keep focusing on long-form work/content. That format feels right for me right now. More thoughtful, and more enjoyable to myself.

I’m also thinking about doing a second solo exhibition related to my second photobook. It’s still just an idea, but it’s something I genuinely hope I can make happen.

And yes, People on Film Season 2 is definitely on my mind!

Looking back, 2025 was a good year for me, both creatively and personally. I’m grateful for the work I made, and even more grateful for the people I met along the way.