I was sent home from my day job in late March 2020. I was okay with that, I was tired of my job and thought maybe a change was as good as a rest. Work sent me a laptop and I sat in my ‘home office’ and continued doing what I had been doing for the past four and a half years.

When I began to realise this period at home was going to last longer than I had anticipated, I figured I needed to do something with my time to get me away from the laptop. It had been a long time since I had picked up my camera, an Olympus E30. It still worked fine but I was easily convinced I needed a camera with more modern technology, so I looked to see what Olympus was doing now and realised things had certainly moved on. It was time for something new.

I didn’t need a new camera and lenses. My E30 was more than capable of capturing great images and plenty of detail. But it’s a bit like looking in your wardrobe and thinking, I could wear that shirt, it probably still looks good but how would I feel wearing something new? And let’s be honest, there is something invigorating about wearing something new, something that enthuses you and makes you confident that you look damn good. Photography can be like that.

So I sold my old gear and bought a new Olympus EM1 MkII and a 17mm F/1.8 lens. And then I rediscovered film cameras and different formats of film. Did someone say developing film? Enlargers? Darkrooms? Steady now, one step at a time (okay, maybe two steps).

Anyway, enough technical talk. What really matters is that I began to explore the world close by. Lockdown rules said you cannot go far so I was left to explore the world within a one mile or so of my home. Do you realise just how much there is going on within a square mile of your home? I didn’t but over time I began to get a grasp on on it and how I could find myself in awe of the world without the need to visit the Parthenon or the Masai Mara. Not that they are off my list of course.

I want to share some of that with you. I would encourage you to do what I have done. If you think that you want to share in what I have seen then I would encourage you to visit my shop and find an image that affects you emotionally, an image that leaves you in awe. Buy it and then use it as inspiration to find your own images of awe. Bring them into your home - LIVE IN AWE!

*I wrote this post in July 2021. I've procrastinated on getting the site up and running.