I was happy with my time in Florence. I was booked for six nights in Florence, but one of my flight delays caused me to miss a connecting flight, and the following available flight wasn’t until the following day. Those on that same flight and itinerary could take a bus from Rome to Florence, but I declined. Instead, the airline arranged accommodations at a hotel room for the night. Transportation to and from the hotel and a small welcome meal was included.

In September, I spent nearly two weeks photographing beautiful Italy. While there, I used two film recipes, one for Matera and one for Florence. I wanted to separate the two locations, creating a different feel while still maintaining my style of photography. With Fujifilm, there are many choices when it comes to shooting modes.

I spent five days in mid-September in beautiful Matera, Italy, which left a lasting impression. It is a stunning city that is incredible to explore. It’s not as busy as other Italian destinations, so you can find places to relax and take in the scene before you. Materi is most recognizable from the Sassi, the city’s ancient and historic area. The Sassi are stone structures amongst the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the world. Matera is considered one of the oldest cities in the world, dating back to 10,000 BC.

I want to start this story with a note important to the context of what follows: I am very fortunate to have the opportunities I do to travel. I realize that travel requires both the time to do so and the means of making it possible. I am incredibly thankful for this and think about it whenever I get on a plane. I cannot stress enough that I am blessed with these adventures.

Matera is an excellent location for photography, and I was surprised by how open it was for exploration. This surprise was very evident after I arrived in Florence, concluding Matera. Florence is one of the most renowned Italian destinations and one that many first-timers to the country choose to visit. However, comparing the number of people in Florence to those in Matera is a stark difference.

“What should I take on this trip?” I ask myself this question every time, and with this current trip, which lasts 12 days, I weighed on this decision more than usual. I’m halfway through this trip, and it’s my last day in Matera. Tomorrow, I will fly from Bari to Florence. Looking back on my deliberation a week ago, I feel I’ve made the right choice on what to bring regarding gear.

With some additional free time this month, I have been planning a solo trip these past weeks. When looking at how I could use this time, there were many destinations I was considering. Using Google Docs, I was working on multiple itineraries and flights to consider. What would be the best option?

I’ve been back from Scotland for a few weeks now, and I wanted to take this opportunity to summarize how I photographed the country, including which gear I used most and what film simulation I used. I also want to examine how many final images came from the RAW files and how many were JPEGs. I was heavily debating bringing the Canon 5D Mark II with the 24-105mm and the 70-200mm as I knew I would be taking photos of vast areas and would like to zoom in on details and isolate my framing.

Our week-long adventure exploring Scotland’s landscapes spanned about 1,000 kilometres, making stops in cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh and scenic spots including Glencoe, Fort William, Inverness, and the Isle of Skye. The journey through Scotland offered various experiences and sights, from the towns to the countryside. If you’re planning a visit, here’s a glimpse into what you could expect from Scotland.

The 2020 Scotland trip, revised for 2024, finally happened. I’m working on a post about our experiences in Scotland and what to expect if you plan on visiting, but in this post, I wanted to share some of the photos I captured from Scotland and the background of each one. Overall, I wasn’t feeling it at first. I’m used to that, as it can take a while to become focused.

For the past two nights, we have been staying in a bed and breakfast on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. Today, we will head east towards Aberdeen, north to Dundee, and then to Edinburgh for the final few days. Photographing the Scotland landscape has been challenging so far, as, in hindsight, I should have brought some range. I have been thinking about scale while travelling around the landscape of Scotland.

It was May of 2019, and Lisa and I were assembling an itinerary for our upcoming Scotland trip the following May. We would land in Edinburgh and extensively tour Scotland, looping through many country areas. There were dozens of points on our custom Google Map of places we would visit. We booked our flights and waited until we would touch down in Scotland for the first time.

It is a 20-minute drive from where I live to the airport. I’ve done that drive often, to and from, dropping off and picking up. The route there isn’t exclusive to the airport, as it’s the main route from Nova Scotia to the neighbouring provinces. But those first 20 minutes always remind me of travelling. Passing the airport, the cargo planes are visible from the road, and if I’m lucky, some arriving or departing flights.

Travelling to Barcelona, I wondered what and how I wanted to capture. First, I wanted to be able to capture everything as sharply as possible, and that meant I had to sacrifice something. As I wanted a minimum shutter speed in all conditions, the ISO would inevitably need to increase based on the lighting conditions. Second, I wanted to shoot “blind.” The X-H2 has an articulating screen that makes it easy to shoot without looking at your subject.

While exploring Barcelona last month, we experienced a variation of weather. Initially, I was worried. Would I not experience Barcelona in what I imagined—beautiful weather and a favourable climate I love? After capturing only around 100 photos from the first 24 hours, I remember thinking, “I’m not going to get anything from this trip.” I was patient. I pushed that frustration aside and enjoyed what was before us regardless of what was to come.