Point & Shoot

As a child, family holidays were punctuated with a questioning of why my mum was taking a long time trying to take a photograph of a Greek Orthodox priest walking down some stairs, or waiting for the right moment, with no people in frame, to photograph a sweeping white sandy beach. 

But, as I got older, I began to appreciate the art of photography and the process of being creative. Good quality camera phones came along during my early 20s, along with Instagram and it suddenly became a social necessity to take a photo of your dinner, or that visit to the pub, just to fit in amongst your peers. Around this time, I bought myself an entry-level Canon DSLR camera, to try and capture more ‘professional’ looking shots, but never really fully got into it, thanks to the convenience of having an iPhone. The bulky, heavy DSLR that prevented those moments of instant gratitude wasn’t usually an attractive proposition and so, I ultimately ended up selling it.

I hit 30, just a few weeks after lockdown and the unusual 12-18 months which followed for all, provided a time to reflect and see the world differently, despite all the negative downsides of having to exist this way. 

During this period of time, I saw many others shifting to film photography and in particular, cheap point-and-shoot cameras became popular and cool. 

Once lockdown was over, I asked my mum if she had any old cameras I could use, as I was keen to try out this relatively spartan way of photographing and being a fan of the inconsistent and retro aesthetic that it could produce.

I took a Ricoh camera that my mum had given me to my first post-lockdown holiday abroad with my now wife, in Puglia, Italy. The results were mixed, but the thrill was and is, a constant. 

My first foray using a point-and-shoot. Bari Vecchia, September 2021

Firstly and most obviously, being handicapped by not knowing what the photograph would turn out like for days/weeks to come, provided a fresh contrast from digital. Furthermore, working with a point and shoot meant I could only influence the outcome of the photo by my eye; for how it should be composed, understanding of light and how these all interacted with whichever film I chose to use in the camera. 

All three are things I am still trying to understand and master. Personally, this is where the pleasure lies with using a point-and-shoot. It’s not really something that you can ever master, given its limitations, but it’s these limitations which add character, life and a uniqueness that would be hard to find with a more elaborate film camera, or a with digital. 

I enjoy the battle, often accompanied by much frustrations of trying to make a picture work with a point-and-shoot. But the thrill of receiving scans back is unrivalled, especially when there’s something which has turned out even better than expected.

I Raggazi, living ‘la dolce vita’, Ceglie Messapica, Puglia, Sept 2023

It is sadly a hobby with a certain degree of privilege now, thanks to the costs involved, but it’s one which I wish to continue with, alongside those quick shots taken on an iPhone in day-to-day life and alongside the new mirrorless Canon camera we recently purchased. There’s a place and a time for each and they all have their benefits. 

I have in recent years upgraded my point and shoot from the ones my mum gave me (I still posses them), purchasing a Leica Minizoom. Perhaps the boujeist point-and-shoot you could find, but by no means without its faults. 

The process is a reminder of the simple pleasures, of patience and that moments in life don’t have to be perfect to be thoroughly enjoyable and appreciated.

Children playing in a fountain in Warsaw, on a hot July afternoon. 2023

A Welcome

“Passeggiare”. A perfect analogy, for why I’ve decided to do this blog.

The Italian verb “to walk”, but with no real purpose. A meander, if you will and a perfect summary for what this blog is. A need for exercising. In this case; creativity, expression and an offloading of the internal thoughts. Mainly of places visited and food eaten. But, following the intent of a passeggiata (noun), there’s no ultimate end goal, other than to enjoy the process and take each instance at face value. 

Whilst it’s an Italian word and whilst anyone who knows me will know that I am bordering on obsessed with Italy, it won’t be an Italian blog.

Nor is the intent of this blog to be a travel, or a food guide. Other things shall be written of (football, music and being in the outdoors). Other people and places do a far more concise job than I’d manage. I hope to share my thoughts, views and ideas on a broad spectrum of topics that I know and live. 

It’s a place of open and honest thoughts. Of expression. And sticking to the theme of honesty, an outlet for personal creativity, which may just be an oblique way of saying it’s a personal folly. However, even if a handful of people enjoy it from time-to-time, it shall be worth it.

For now, goodbye!

The omnipresent ‘passeggiata’ of Italian towns, in motion.