A Quieter Year, More Deliberate Looking
Over the past year, I’ve taken a noticeably calmer approach to updating my website. Work has been intense—the cultural and education sectors are going through significant changes, and those shifts tend to spill directly into everyday life. More importantly, I made a conscious decision not to upload images just for the sake of activity. Instead, I wanted to slow down and give myself time to make thoughtful selections—images and stories I can genuinely stand behind.
The structure of this update didn’t immediately present itself, but ultimately, dividing things with 2025 in mind felt like the most logical choice. Often, the selection came together through images that were simply a little different—photographs that, when seen together, form a coherent story. Editing my own work isn't always comfortable, but selecting has become a matter of recognising which images support one another and belong in the same conversation.
From a technical perspective, it has been a relatively uneventful year—perhaps even a boring one. I did manage to buy back a lens I had previously sold (turns out, having a small pancake lens in your pocket is sometimes exactly what you need). I also upgraded my backup camera from the X-T30 II to the newer X-T50. Together with my X-T5, these are my main tools, even though I rarely carry two cameras with me on a daily basis.
Somewhat surprisingly, the XF 16–55mm f/2.8 mark II has seen a lot of use. As much as I love prime lenses—and I always will—there’s no denying the quiet versatility of a good zoom. Sometimes, flexibility simply wins.
As a result, there are fewer images from 2025 on the website than in previous years. Fewer photographs overall, too. Not because I’ve been photographing less, but because at some point, it feels natural to stop shooting ten variations of the same cloud from every possible angle. Selectivity comes with time.
One highlight of the year was joining Josh Edgoose’s photowalk during Fujikina in London. I didn’t make any particularly strong images there, but that wasn’t really the point. I’ve realised how enjoyable it is to wander with like-minded people, camera in hand. And yes—surrounded by the events and the people, I was a little starstruck. Several contemporary photographers were there whose work shaped much of how I learned photography—from understanding the camera itself to adopting certain ways of seeing. I’d happily do it again.
So despite posting fewer images, this has been a big year for photography. Hopefully, the coming year will bring even more opportunities. Technically, there will no doubt be temptations—Fujifilm is expected to introduce a new generation of cameras and lenses—but for now, I feel genuinely at ease with the gear I have. And that, in the end, is what matters most.
