Unsettled
A return to Ireland and a bit of a life update
Lives in a van. Bimbles with a camera. Often pointing his pixel box at scruff. Has been known to run long distances. Would consider cake as a form of payment.
Recovering.
Welcome
Hello, and welcome back to another week behind the lens of a nomadic chap bimbling around the UK and Europe in a tiny box on wheels. It’s less than a week until I point my compass south, heading out in search of something interesting to point my pixel box at. That being said in this weeks extracts from my creative journal, we are trying to navigate several weeks back in Ireland, balancing creative time with family time.
I also share a bit of a life update in my recent vlog, as well as delivering a little love letter to that wonderful lady, Scotland. Oh how I love her.
And finally, my latest collection of Twelve is now available with the link to download it included below.
Thanks again for following along …
Extracts from a creative journal
10th November - 30th November
And so, after almost seven months on the road, I’m heading back to Ireland. The crossing is smooth and as we approach land, the light breaks through, spilling stunning tones across the bow of the deck and beyond. It’s only brief, but I manage to capture a small part of its beauty through the windows. I love little moments like that, often missed by most who instead have their heads buried in their phones.
An early morning dander around Portrush. The streets are quiet and the light subtle. I make a few ICM images with the iPhone, although today isn’t about the pictures. Not even about Portrush. Today is all about meeting my hero. Eric Cantona, part of my birthday present from Nicola.
I’m nervous as I approach him for the photo, half expecting a quick Bonjour, Au Revoir, snap snap, and gone. But no. Eric is a true Gaelic gent. A fist bump. Arm around the shoulder. A few words. I thank him for everything, and successfully navigate the meeting without grabbing him in a bear hug and holding on, begging for him to don his boots one more time. Or worse still, run away with me and live in my van. As I leave, I realise how much meeting him has meant. Tears streaming down my face. A smile so wide I think you can see it from behind me.
A timely reminder to do what makes you happy, as it’s already rather late in the day.
The next week or so is mostly taken up with family duties, but I do manage to grab the odd image or three, mostly just chasing little pockets of light. I love light. I think it’s a bit of an addiction, which I guess isn’t a bad thing to chase, given some of my other vices of late. It’s also great catching up with friends, although as often happens, the return back to what I used to call home is a little unsettling. Always is.
I’m in the process of writing another travel article, and with two due to be published before the end of the year, 2025 marks my most successful yet. With the ongoing erosion of financial gain from photography, this has been a welcome boost to the travel (cough cough secret lens) fund. With AI continuing apace who knows how long this additional revenue stream will last.
When I look to make images for a travel piece, I need to remind myself that the odd traditional landscape is fine, but I also need to look out for the little moments that tie the journey together. A case in point as we arrive at our first stop, the light over the Lough creating incredible crepuscular beams. An image like this thrills me, but probably wouldn’t be included in the batch I send over to the magazine.
I think I dreamt of Eric last night. We were looking at a painting of us standing in front of an altar. I think there’s a minister in the background. Family gathered around. Eric looks nervous. I look smitten. I’m pretty sure we were about to exchange vows when I was rudely awoken by a rowdy gull on the roof of the van.
An early morning dander in the woods close to where we were parked overnight. Once again just chasing little moments of light, mostly with the X100T. I am, however, starting to be more comfortable shooting hand-held with the GFX, and manage to make a couple of frames I’m pleased with. It’s going to be a bluebird sky today, perfect for images to accompany the travel article.
December tomorrow …
1st - 31st December
Wandering in the grounds of some stately home, half expecting Carson to berate us for being on private land. I’m still looking to make a few images for my upcoming travel article. A little copse of trees come into view, just as some subtle light illuminates them and I make a few images - probably some of my favourite frames from the past few weeks. The little X100T continues to amaze me. It’s battered, often getting confused about what aperture I’m using, and the battery life lasts about as long as a slice of Victoria Sponge on my plate, and yet I absolutely love it. I’ve been tempted by an upgrade, or attaching a 23mm lens to the XT4, but there’s just something wonderful about the little X100 in my hand. I honestly thought 2025 would be her last, but I have a feeling she will still be helping me make images long into next year.
The winter light is sublime and I’m in my happy place, simply bimbling around, camera in hand, looking to catch little moments. 2025 has certainly been the year of mostly handheld photography and I think it will be something I do much more of in the year ahead.
The following morning, and another stunning day in prospect, hopefully again perfect for collecting images for the travel article. I’ve also got an idea or two of an image I’ve wanted for myself. This however is ruined when I realise I’ve driven over without putting the tripod back in the van. School boy error. Still, today wasn’t about personal images, so I quickly let go of the frustration (after howling for 30 seconds into the half lit dawn) and head out to explore. Pretty sure the local fishermen returning from a night at sea later reported the sounds of a wailing Banshee haunting the harbour edges.
In 2026 I want to work more on projects. On bodies of work, and shooting this morning, handheld, has given me a bit of an idea for one. Perhaps more on that later in the year.
A few days later and we are back up in Portrush, always a mixture of emotions. It’s wonderful to catch up with friends, but the time here always leaves us a little flat when we leave. I venture out with the GFX and manage a couple of images handheld. While it’s not really a camera to be hand holding for hours on end, I think it will be a useful addition for some of my shorter bimbles as we head back into mainland Europe.
A little bit of artistic play on the way home from Belfast on the top deck of the bus. I had an idea that I’d combine a few of these images in post to make something a little more creative, but in hindsight I’m not sure the images are suitable. Then again as a small collection perhaps they work well in their original format. Another little mini project to think about going forward.
And yes. I’m 50 and I still make a dash for the top deck, front row.
All too soon it’s time to leave Ireland and head over to England to spend New Year with Nicola. Very sad to be leaving mum and dad again. Dad of course has no idea and will have long forgotten me being there. Mum on the other hand wears the pain on her face as we grab one last hug before I head out the door.
Love you guys.
It’s New Years Eve and I’ve turned down an afternoon supping Real Ale in one of the Mill Road pubs, to instead point my camera at the side of a shed. Winter light casting glorious tones and shadows.
Oh yeah, and on the end of that camera is a little present that Santa left under the van for me.
My precious :)
But that will have to be a story for next time …
Vlog
A little bit of a life update from me in this week’s vlog. I feel 2026 is going to be a bit of a pivotal year in not just mu photography, but my life as well. At the end of last year I started to suffer quite badly with panic attacks, and these, at the moment, are impacting my enjoyment of both general outdoor time and also my photography.
Although, on the topic of photography, I perhaps have found a bit of a solution to these issues which I’ll explain in the vlog.
And a little short love letter to Scottish Light ..
Twleve
I’m pleased to announce that that my latest annual retrospective, Twelve, is now available. This is a small collection of (you guessed it) 12 images taken over the previous year. Not necessarily my best, or even my favourite, but a selection that tells the story of my year.
This is the 8th release of this little e-zine and you can catch up with the previous issues here.
The week that was
A few images from this particular week down through the years.
Thanks so much for allowing me a few moments of your time. I hope you have enjoyed my words and images, and if so a quick share amongst your own community will help spread the word.
And if you really enjoyed it you can even consider throwing a few pennies into the tips jar. It helps most with diesel costs for the van to keep me on the road making images.
Until next time .. Happy Pixels …
