I’ve been shooting for many years, and early in my photography, I was constantly reminded of the importance of using the lowest ISO possible. And to be fair, back in the early 2000s, ISO was something I needed to consider. Many early DSLR cameras weren’t handling noise all that well, so the ceiling was pretty limited before it reached what I would consider “unusable”.

As I look out of my home office window and see the first signs of snowfall on the ground, I realize that the long winter is ahead; it’s just getting started. For me, this is a challenging time to stay motivated with my photography. A significant factor for me is where I live.

In a city like Malaga, particularly Old Town, you are fortunate to encounter many narrow streets that create fascinating patterns of light and shadow throughout the day. Even midday, when the sun is high, awnings and building overhangs allow for intriguing compositions.

After a few years of testing numerous film recipes, I feel I have a thorough understanding of how each setting influences the overall look. Many recipes have been very good and I have been thoroughly impressed; on the other hand, some have created looks that I would not consider bad, but are far from my style and preferences for what I would create in my travels and exploration.

I took an overnight flight from Halifax, arriving in Amsterdam early this morning. I have a few hours here before my flight to Zagreb. I’ve been reflecting on my travels lately; it’s only been three months since I returned from Spain, which feels recent, yet here I am, on the move again.

When shooting with Fujifilm cameras, dynamic range can initially seem confusing, but understanding and utilizing the dynamic range (DR) settings can dramatically improve your photos, especially in challenging lighting conditions. Fujifilm’s dynamic range feature helps preserve details in the brightest and darkest highlights, allowing you to capture images with richer tonal depth and less risk of blown-out highlights or crushed shadows.

Peggy’s Cove and the iconic Peggy’s Point Lighthouse are among the most recognized and frequently visited landmarks in Nova Scotia. The area around Peggy’s Cove has some exquisite coastal scenery, a fascinating fishing village atmosphere, and the iconic Peggy’s Point lighthouse at the entrance to St. Margaret’s Bay.

I started this post at the end of May at home in Nova Scotia, but I’m posting this from Spain, a few days into my stay in Seville. The weather has been awful in Nova Scotia. It’s been a mix of wet, gloomy, grey days, rarely reaching over 10 degrees Celsius. I used to say we have three or maybe four good months of weather here in Nova Scotia; I’m starting to think that may be the case.

I’m a massive advocate for printing our photography. It is the final step in realizing my vision and one of the best ways to enjoy what I have produced. If you do not already, I highly recommend periodically printing your work, framing your results, and displaying or gifting them to others. It’s an excellent way to enjoy your work further and share it. Selecting the best photos for prints can be a process; some photographs look good as prints, others do not.

As a photographer, it’s easy to be motivated and focused one day, completely burnt out, and lacking motivation the next. Photography is a lot of work, both physically and mentally. Although it’s not the most physically demanding thing you can do, you still need to be motivated to plan it and do it.

I don’t take many photos for someone highly interested and passionate about photography. At least compared to others. There are months through the winter when I don’t even touch my camera. The winter months, cold weather, and limited light demotivate me. When spring comes, I start to get associated with my gear again and make sure I remember what and how I used to do things.

Since I started exploring photography and learning about the science and technique, there have been some rules that I was initially led to understand as non-negotiable. But today, I know that is untrue, mainly because of my experience and technological improvements that have allowed us to move away from some of them.

If you have followed my photography for some time or recently looked at some of my work included here on this site or Instagram, you may have noticed that I am primarily a photographer who prefers colour in my photographs. I think colour is one of the most significant characteristics of my images. Some photographers choose to present only in black-and-white, and the representation of black-and-white is varied.

Fujifilm recipes have substantially changed the way I shoot. I have been using variations of recipes for the past few years, starting primarily on the Fujifilm X-E4 and then moving over to the current X-H2. These recipes have allowed me to experiment more in ways I would have never thought possible; I’ve created many images that I am very proud of after experimenting and using recipes for some time now.

In January, I discussed inspiring photography books. That post highlighted three books that focus on street photography. In addition, those three books are widely available and are easily sourced online if you cannot find them in local bookstores. I highly recommend that you check out those three books and consider adding them to your bookshelf, especially if you are interested in street photography.