Another year … what next?

As we approach the middle of December, my job within the food sector starts to get a little mad, so I thought it may be an idea to reflect on my photographic year and consider what the new year may bring.

Having dipped my feet into the world of older compact cameras in the autumn of 2022, I believed it would be just another diversion on my photographic journey and that I would return to the well trodden path in just a month or two.

I didn’t!

For me, that diversion has become one of my most enjoyable chapters in my photography, as slowly but surely the toe dipping became a fully fledged dive in at the deep end.

There is rarely a trip now where I do not take one of my Lumix LX series or Canon S series compact cameras, with one of my micro four thirds ‘proper’ camera, more recently, I have dared to take just a digicam to challenge myself with supposedly less capable gear.

I use the word challenge but in all honesty it has actually been more like fun, especially when many of the images I have captured with these smaller sensor cameras have become some of my best photos of the year.

Throughout my blogs, I have said how much I love the black and white rendering from these pocket rockets, often now if I see a scene that I want to edit as a monochrome image, I will reach for a digicam.

In terms of 2024, I will continue to shoot a lot of square format photos and perhaps dedicate one of my photographic days purely to one of my digicams, ‘digicam Sunday’ has a certain vibe…

Before posting a few favourite images, I would like to wish all those who have followed my musings throughout this year a very happy Christmas and new year!

A new photographic project

Once again it has been a while since I last posted any content on this blog, it’s not for the lack of outings, perhaps more from a lack of anything new.

I am still shooting with retro cameras but I feel that this is now the norm, not the exception, so perhaps it’s time for a new project, something to challenge or exercise my photographic imagination and creativity.

I have decided that over the coming weeks, that I want shoot in only in 1:1 aspect ratio (square format), with an emphasis on black and white images.

To some, this may sound a little restricting but there are a couple of reasons why I am doing this.

Firstly, with the summer season in full swing, my working hours are longer as I work within the food industry, so my photo walks are going to be to quickly accessible local places that I have already photographed the socks off!

Secondly, I enjoy the challenge of self imposed rules, after recent projects, I have seen familiar places in a different way, almost as though I am seeing a location for the first time again.

Without further ado, I would like to share my first images from my latest idea, a few shots around my home city of Exeter, shot with one of my favourite compact cameras, the Lumix LX5.

It’s not rude to point …. and shoot

For about a year now, I have been shooting exclusively with older cameras, my hankering for the latest and best, a thing of the past as I do not need a camera with the latest video technology, neither do I need a trillion megapixels when the majority of my images are shared on social media.

There is nothing wrong with the latest and best, I am not a hater in that respect, I have simply realised that they are overkill for me.

Up to last year, I would never have entertained the notion of using a small ‘digicam’, until I stumbled upon an online video of Charlie Waite, the world famous landscape photographer, extolling the virtues of his Lumix LX5….

I often set myself challenges for my weekend camera walks, this weekend I had decided to shoot exclusively with a point and shoot camera, with no ‘bigger camera’ as a safety net, as I very often do.

A trip to a favourite steam railway was the venue, the weather, a grey overcast and drizzly affair that was a perfect challenge for the tiny sensor camera.
The fun in using these cameras is just to see how far they can be pushed, as well as how far they can challenge me as a photographer.

I have learned to really like the way they render monochrome images for that imperfect and grainy vibe that adds atmosphere to an image, most of all my photography has become fun again, without my self imposed expectation to get the perfect shot that comes with using more expensive gear.