Four decades behind the lens. Seven 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, Art, and maybe a little history, or things that make you go, “hmmm….” No algorithms chose what appears here. No agency wrote it. Just forty years of looking, and seven of writing it down.
The panama hat, the walking stick, the hearing aids, the beard, have become characters in this story.
Start anywhere. Stay as long as you like.
Latest from the Field
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Garden birds
I have always loved watching the birds in the garden and since I was a small boy we have always put out food for them. For my last birthday, my wife and children bought me a couple of feeders and they have been well used. It may sound silly, but it brings me such happiness… Read more
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In the streets of Nantes on Ascension Thursday 2019
Same day as the last article, but this series is about the streets on Nantes, with some obligatory bike shots, some lovely knockers, shops, churches, and other buildings. This seems to represent part of my universe when I’m in Nantes. Or more the way I see this little area of Nantes. I usually park in… Read more
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The river Erdre in Nantes and some birds…
It was Ascension Thursday which is a public holiday in France, and as usual I headed out to Nantes with my camera. The Canon had been getting jealous of the Fuji so I acquiesced. Killian, my son, and favourite travelling companion (have a look at the photos from Edinburgh) came with me. We ate at… Read more
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Photography in the streets of Nantes, May 2019
Now that you’ve had a bit of time to get used to me, I’m going to show you some of the usual photography I do, to keep my eye in. No fancy lenses. Just the Fujifilm X100F with it’s 35mm equivalent lens. So basically I go into town with my small inconspicuous little camera that… Read more
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Parc Oriental de Maulévrier
The author finally visited a place they had heard about for years, finding solace in photography. Exploring a Japanese garden, they cherished the freedom to move at their own pace. Despite the photographer’s frequent stops, their patient son tagged along. The photos, taken with a Canon 6D Mark II, captured the serene beauty, showcasing the… Read more
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Abbaye de Maillezais Vendée
The writer reminisces about Yorkshire’s historic abbeys, destroyed due to Henry VIII’s divorce dispute. Despite mentioning the famous sites, the focus shifts to Maillezais Abbey in Vendée. The story humorously recounts a scenic but mistakenly chosen route to the abbey. The article hints at future content featuring photography equipment used during the visit. Read more
Featured Projects
- The UK Chronicles
A solo journey through Britain with the Fujifilm X100F — Northumberland in late summer, the coast at Alnmouth, light coming low off the water. Traveling light enough to actually notice things. - The Film Archives
Black and white film photographs made before this blog existed — Nantes, Clisson, and the Vendée. The negatives had been sitting in binders for years. This is where they finally got out. - Photography Philosophy
Not technique. Not gear. The question underneath all of it: why does any of this matter, and what are we actually doing when we press the shutter? A series of essays without easy answers. - Inside the Orchestra
Three years photographing the Symphonique des Bords de Loire — rehearsals, concerts, and a tour to China. The quiet moments before the music starts, and the ones after. - If you’ve been reading this site for a while and there’s a frame that stuck — the street, the light, something from China, the Vendée, Nantes, wherever — I can probably make you a print of it. Just send me a message.
About the Photographer
A photographer, ever so slightly stubborn, analogue at heart and digital when needed. I’ve been developing my own film since the 1980s. I built this blog in 2019, not for followers, but for focus.
I shoot what moves me, and I hope, sometimes, it moves you too.
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