Adventures in film: On the Wild Atlantic Way

Photographing people is my jam, it’s what excites me and moves me. But what would I do if I had a camera and no people to photograph?

We spent a couple of weeks on the Wild Atlantic Way last summer. We camped, stayed in Airbnbs, cycled, got rained on a lot, climed mountains, walked beaches, drove, made coffee at the sides of roads, listened to albums we’d forgotten existed…

What I didn’t do was document it, at all really. I took my 35mm camera, it had a roll of film in it, I took some photographs in the quiet moments. I also brought my instax and made some photos with it.

But here’s a question I’m asking myself today, what kind of photographs would I make if I was left back to my own devices, no business? And if I’m not compelled to photograph my own life, am I missing something?
And then, should documenting my own life be a compulsion or a choice?

Lives may be changed but stories aren’t written on the big days; the real stories are laid out in the little chats, small kindnesses and the looks that hold a whole conversation without a word spoken.

This whole running a business is a thrill, a constant challenge and what I know I need to be doing. But running a business takes planning and I’m not so hot at that. This summer I’m aching to plan less, just be.

Being in the moment and documenting other peoples’ lives comes so easy to me, but that’s only possible because it’s in the station of observer. How do I be in my own life and observe it?

A family friend gave me a slide carousel and a screen yesterday, along with some of his own slides. So this summer will be a little adventure in slide film, a time machine…