As we begin a New Year, I wanted to blog about something many of us face as a creative. Something that is essentially baked into us.

Before Christmas, I posted a story on my Instagram asking what people wanted to work on or achieve in 2023. Some comments were steered towards pushing more business, while others were more towards learning and getting out more with the camera. However, several points that arose were centred around this feeling of imposter syndrome and self-doubt as a photographer. This was either shooting as a hobby or professionally.

In November I found myself back at Illuminate for an introduction to Large Format Photography. Having shot medium format for several years, I was always curious to scratch that itch with large format, and as soon as I saw this introduction, it seemed the perfect opportunity to sign up.

Autumn has arrived, and as much as I dislike the seasonal shift mentally, it’s always great for photography, especially when it comes to a stroll in the woods or local heathland.

Pinhole photography consists of a simple lightproof box (cardboard or wooden in most cases), a pinhole aperture, and film. Light is passed through the aperture to project an inverted image onto the paper or film. It’s the absolute basic concept of photography and can be an exciting intro to analogue photography.

Printing your Black and White images in a darkroom was once the main way that photographers crafted their work.

Today, instant gratification surrounds us in the world of photography. Nearly all of us carry a camera in our pockets. Film photography allows us to slow down.

The village of Westleton is just a brief dash from Dunwich, Southwold and Aldeburgh. Like these areas, it is situated within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Westleton is home to a beautiful heathland and the neighbouring RSPB Minsmere.

Situated on the south bank of the River Orwell, just on the outskirts of a village called Chelmondiston, is a place called Pin Mill. Like many of the spots I visit, this place lies within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

I last visited Orford Ness back in June 2016. It’s a unique Suffolk landscape that made an impression on me. On this particular visit, the lighthouse was still standing. In 2020, the lighthouse, which stood for more than 200 years, was demolished due to coastal erosion.

I had been toying with the idea of getting a drone for the last 18 months or so. Having flown a DJI Phantom 3 in the past, I never felt a particuarly confident flyer, though I think this drone had a few underlying issues as it never felt reliable in terms of software.

Nestled in Wangford, just a stone’s throw from Southwold, Toad Hall is home to Gavin and Emma. Over the last year, the couple has created Toad Hall Lodges, a beautiful lifestyle retreat centred around five timber lodges, each sleeping two adults. There is even a gym and exercise area on site that faces a vast cornfield.

For photographers, late April and early May typically signify the arrival of bluebell season. In recent weeks, bluebell woodlands have been dominating my Instagram feed, so I decided to take a drive to see them for myself.

On the south part of Romney Marsh in Kent lies Dungeness; a stark headland that carries a unique and otherwordly beauty. Dungeness allegedly has the largest shingle beach in Europe, and it’s also home to the smallest railway in the world.

For some time now, I have had a curiosity about the Fuji GW690. A medium format rangefinder camera, often dubbed the “Texas Leica” (apparently because it’s the size of Texas) with a 90mm f/3.5 fixed lens which equates to a field of view of approximately 40mm.

Waldringfield is a village and civil parish situated around 4 miles south of the town of Woodbridge on the bank of the River Deben. It’s a place that’s been on my list for a little while. Having visited The Maybush Pub in the past, situated in the same spot, I’d never actually planned a morning visit to the river itself.

Between Christmas and New Year, I planned to get out and do some photography. There was an element of hope that we would have some cold, sunlit mornings here in Suffolk, but alas, being a holiday and all, this was not the case.

In the midst of 2020, not long after the world became upside down due to COVID-19, I met Deb and her close friend, Peter, at The George Farnham Gallery in Saxmundham. Following a brief introduction by Michael, the gallery owner, Deb soon became a connection on social media and began following my work.

To the west of Butley in Suffolk lies an 80.8-hectare Site of Special Scientific Interest known as ‘The Thicks’.

The Thicks is an ancient woodland that is home to around 4,000 ancient oak pollards, some of which are at least four hundred years old and are the oldest oaks in East Anglia. It is also home to some of the oldest and largest holly trees to be found anywhere in Britain.

Around two miles to the north of Felixstowe at the mouth of the River Deben, is a small fishing village known as Felixstowe Ferry. From here, a ferry boat can take you to Bawdsey peninsula.

It's been a while since I last used Fujifilm PRO400H. Although I typically shoot with Kodak's Portra 160/400 film stock, I recently became interested in giving PRO400H another try.

When I’m walking about with a film camera, I frequently encounter inquisitive looks from others. It usually becomes a conversation starter that eventually leads to the question, "What's the reason behind shooting on film?"