IJM Photography — Blog & Projects

Four decades behind the lens. Six years of sharing the journey.

Welcome. I’m Ian — photographer, horn player, and writer living in the Vendée, near the Loire-Atlantique border. This blog has been running since 2019 and shows no sign of stopping.

You’ll find black and white film work, travel essays, orchestra photography, philosophical digressions about why any of us bother pressing the shutter, and the occasional camera review written by someone with strong opinions and a perhaps unreasonable attachment to grain. No algorithms chose what appears here. No agency wrote it. Just forty years of looking, and six of writing it down.

Start anywhere. Stay as long as you like.

Latest from the Field

  • 24-70mm Lens: Unveiling the Beauty of Vendée Coastal Landscapes

    24-70mm Lens: Unveiling the Beauty of Vendée Coastal Landscapes

    Feeling burnt out, I decided to escape to the Vendée coast. Armed with my camera, I rediscovered familiar places in a new light. From charming towns to bustling oyster farms, the 24-70mm lens captured it all. The trip was a refreshing reminder to step off the hamster wheel and find magic in everyday beauty. Read more

  • My First Hen-Do Photography Experience

    My First Hen-Do Photography Experience

    In May 2024, I took on the challenge of photographing a friend’s sister’s hen-do. Despite feeling out of place, I captured memorable moments with my camera setup. The highlight was a themed restaurant, where we reminisced about the 80s and 90s. After an eventful day, I shared the edited photos, letting them speak for me. Read more

  • A piece of timber

    A piece of timber

    This journey into video-making has been a rewarding adventure. From knowing very little about it, I now have a viewable and engaging result, meeting the brief for new employee training. Learning new software and equipment has been invigorating. The future holds more opportunities for video projects, and I am excited to explore further into this… Read more

  • Manual Mastery – a beginner’s guide Part II

    Manual Mastery – a beginner’s guide Part II

    The post discusses the aperture, its impact on photos, and the importance of understanding the exposure triangle for creative control. It emphasizes the need to prioritize settings based on specific goals and scenarios. The shift from manual to digital photography is encouraged, as mastering the elements empowers photographers. The message echoes the encouragement to practice… Read more

  • Guest Post – Ian Myers

    Guest Post – Ian Myers

    Ian Myers, a new contributor to Monochromia, shares a photo of Château de la Preuille taken in 2022 with a Canon 6D Mark II and an ND filter. The château has a history of supplying Muscadet white wine to President Mitterrand. Ian will be publishing once a month on Monochromia, so stay tuned for more! Read more

  • Manual Mastery – a beginner’s guide Part I

    Manual Mastery – a beginner’s guide Part I

    Learn photography with ease! Discover the exposure triangle – ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. Mastering manual mode is simpler than it seems. Understand film sensitivity and how it influences your images. Unleash your creativity by balancing settings to capture the perfect shot. Stay tuned for more insights on aperture and depth of field next week! Read more

Featured Projects

  1. The UK Chronicles
    Light, minimalism, and preparation.
    Shot entirely on the Fujifilm X100F during a recent solo journey through Britain — a deliberate exercise in traveling light, seeing deeply, and preparing for the sensory overload of China.
  2. The Film Archives
    Memory in monochrome.
    A vault unlocked: black and white film photographs from Nantes, Clisson, and beyond — captured long before this blog existed. Grain, patience, and timeless moments.
  3. Photography Philosophy
    Why do we do this?
    Not a tutorial. Not a gear guide. A quiet exploration of purpose — the “why” behind the viewfinder. For those who photograph not to post, but to feel.
  4. The Orchestra Visit to China
    Culture, chaos, and concert halls.
    A visual symphony from the road with the orchestra — temples, trains, backstage glances, and the electric silence before the first note.

About the Photographer

I am not an influencer. I am not a brand.
I am a photographer, ever so slightly stubborn, analogue at heart, digital when needed, and fiercely independent. I’ve been developing my own film since the 1980s. I built this blog in 2019, not for followers, but for focus.

I do not outsource my editing. I do not chase trends. I shoot what moves me, and I hope, sometimes, it moves you too.

“Commercial editing offers and unsolicited partnerships will not be published or replied to. This space is sacred; for art, not advertising.”

A Note from a Reader

“j’adore… il y a des jours avec, et les jours sans….”
— A kind visitor, September 2025

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