Familiar Moves

I’m now settling into a quiet holiday routines. Bike rides, slow lunches, walks on the beach and plenty of time to think. Just last week I was complaining to some photographer friends how I was feeling flat, stuck in a rut as it were.

I often find the best way to get out of a rut is, rather than chasing something new or novel, to actually lean into the familiar.

So the past few days, I’ve been watching the familiar patterns of the clouds and imagining the photos I hope to take on this trip. Being able to retrace the same steps is a bit like rehearsing music. More than just practice makes perfect, it’s something closer to improvisation, reconfiguring familiar elements in imaginative ways.

And also, when facing a rut, there’s something to be said about just standing your ground. I’ve taken many of my best photos here so I feel I can trust this place to inspire me again, to throw up photographic opportunities. It’s up to me to just wait, be patient, find those moments then do the work to try and make them special.