I treasure my weekends. Time spent with my family is so important after the rush of a busy working week. In my job I am surrounded by people and have many interactions throughout the day. There are many things to do and meetings to attend, so it is wonderful that the pace of life slows at the weekend.
Despite that, my weekends can be relatively busy too. I have three sons and a wonderful wife and there will always be things to do around the house and for the family. Home life is busy, but it is not stressful. I count the support and love of my family as the greatest gift I have.
The time that I have in the landscape with my camera is a privilege. I feel a sense of freedom and enjoy some wonderful moments of peace. I have found that shooting film has enhanced that peacefulness. I tend not to worry too much about how my photographs will look. In the days that I shot digital landscapes I used to fret over the images I had taken and would spend time analysing the screen on the back of my camera to try to see the fault in my photographs. Many film photographers will talk about 'film slowing you down' and 'getting it right in camera'. That sounds fine to me but I don't really feel that way. I think the sentiment is that film photography is perhaps more of a craft than digital photograph which is perhaps more of an art. I'm sure there will be friends who disagree but that is how I categorise the two formats.
When I take a photograph now I am generally in a place that I find beautiful. I work with old mechanical cameras. They tend to be the professional cameras of times gone by and that means they are beautifully engineered pieces of kit and aesthetically pleasing to behold. I tend to be on my own and I am using the creative side of my brain. Some of the places I go to are familiar and some are new. Either way, I wander around looking for something special that appeals to my eye. Sometimes, I can be away from home for hours. I am drawn to remote places: barely accessible parts of the coastline or the depths of the local woods are magically quiet and devoid of people. It is in these places that I find the photographs I have been searching for, moments of tranquility in an otherwise hectic life.
So you see, photography is my catharsis. It helps to get me out of the house and away from the noise of modern life. I find the whole process to be the perfect antidote to a stressful life. On my way back home I begin to think of my wonderful family and the greeting I will get on my return. Everything about the journey to the destination and back is a joy and I cherish the whole process.
But perhaps the most satisfying moment comes a few weeks later when the photograph reveals itself in the tray of developer in the darkness of my garage...
Wishing you all a great week.
Best wishes - Darren
