In This Week’s Post
- Exhausted in Spain.
- There’s no integrity left.
- Shooting film.
- Online Photography Club Update.
- Video of the Week.
Exhausted in Spain
This is supposed to be a weekly newsletter, so please accept my apologies for missing last week’s issue. I was working at a photography conference in Spain.
Whilst I had every intention to juggle both the conference commitments and my own commitments, such as this newsletter, the gruelling work hours meant that any spare time I had was spent under the duvet, catching up on sleep.
Seriously, just wait until next week’s behind the scenes video and you’ll see exactly why a newsletter was not sent.
In the meantime, here is an image from my week in northern Spain, which despite the SAS style work schedule, was a lot of fun and very beautiful.
There’s No Integrity Left
I received an email letting me know that I was in the running to be featured in MSN magazine, with over 32 million readers.
The article would be titled “Top 15 Travel Experts Showing a Unique Perspective”.
Despite the title being somewhat of a mouthful, I was so thankful to be recognised for my years of hard work.
Seriously, Top 15 in the world. Was it my Mongolia trip? Perhaps it was my unique perspective of driving a van from the UK to Iceland. Possibly it was my recent road trip showcasing the beautiful Isle of Harris & Lewis.
Who knows, who cares. To be recognised is enough.
And for a small fee of $700 I could secure a place on that list.
Ffs.
Is there no integrity in the world anymore?
Where has all the authenticity gone?
I don’t believe half of what I read these days thanks to an erosion of trust over the past 4 years. I only recently found out that the New York Times Best Seller list is not entirely accurate as they can choose to omit any titles they don’t like.
(Take a deep breath).
This email got me so triggered that I sent a strongly worded reply, which I probably shouldn’t have.
All I want is to live in an honest and fair world.
So, if you happen to be reading MSN magazine and come across this Top 15 list, you can rest in the knowledge that each and every spot on that list has been bought.
Rant over.
Shooting Film
If my story about the Top 15 list made you as angry as me, don’t worry, you can relax this evening with my ‘Film’ video.
I shoot 2 rolls of film in my Hasselblad 501CM 6×6 medium format camera. It’s about as authentic as you can get.
Inevitably, whilst chatting to people about my film photography, I got the question “Yeah, but why bother with film”?
I think now I have the perfect answer.
“Would you tell a classic car enthusiast to just drive a Tesla”?
For me, shooting analogue is about the process, the feel, the simple joy of operating a beautiful thing. It’s not as clean as digital, it’s not as convenient & nowhere near as flexible. But, man, it feels good.
Online Photography Club Update
In my last newsletter, I floated the idea of creating an online photography club, structured like a traditional camera club.
The idea was to create a strong community of like-minded enthusiasts. A place outside of YouTube where we aren’t controlled by algorithms.
The club would encourage in-field shooting with themed photography contests with big prizes, weekly live streams with guest speakers, image critiques, meet-ups and an end of season party amongst lots of other ideas.
I received so many ideas and suggestions, so thank you to everyone who replied.
What’s next?
Well, the idea has not fizzled out. In fact, quite the opposite. I have not stopped thinking about it.
I have figured out the best way to host and operate such a thing, which is a big hurdle overcome.
Most importantly, I will not be doing this alone.
I asked my friend (and fellow photographer), Simon Baxter, if he thought it was a good idea. He agreed and after a long chat, we decided that 2 heads are better than one, so we have teamed up.
It is still very early days, but the benefits of having someone to help with this are huge. There will be less pressure on me to run the club, Simon has a wealth of photography knowledge he can share in the club as well as having great ideas of his own to implement.
I am so excited for how this year is shaping up.
Video of the Week
Today I am recommending a fantastic video by Nick Carver.
There is one line in it that I found incredibly poignant – If someone had of told me, 20 years ago; “One day you will be shooting a passion project that you care about so much, you might be working on it your whole life”.
“Touring the national parks”?
“Nah, son. Shooting old, vacant office buildings. The shittier, the better”.
Nick’s videos never fail to disappoint.
Thanks for reading.