To Old Habits & New Beginnings

When I first started shooting with film, one of the charms for me was that I had to be more considered when making my photos because I had fewer shots available to capture.

This was mostly because I was at a point in my career where all of my commercial work was digital and all of the photos I shot on film were for personal projects and so I didn't have a budget that stretched to shooting roll after roll - especially when it came to medium format film.

Because of the financial restraints, I'd often do a whole shoot confined to just ten frames, and I think that played a big part in my learning about film photography, developing patience in my practice, and just generally becoming a more considered photographer.

Somewhere along the way, I started to book work where the client wanted film photography and had the budget for it too. Slowly, I transitioned from shooting ten photos on film, to shooting fifty, sixty, seventy photos on film, and not worrying as much about each shot being perfect.

There are pros to being able to shoot more film, of course. I let myself experiment more and took the pressure off of myself when I was shooting. It probably led to a lot of my development as a photographer as I was able to practice more frequently and, in turn, grow confidence.

But, the thing is, there's something special about restricting yourself to just one roll of film; knowing that you have just ten shots and you have to be more considerate, more contemplative, and more of a perfectionist. It's a nice way to stretch your creative muscles, especially in an age of digital photography which can be so forgiving.

For me, I think that forcing myself to shoot within the confines of ten shots helped to introduce me to the idea of working under pressure, which is definitely something that I have to deal with in a lot of other photography situations that aren't just confined to shooting film.

Heading into a new year, I always find myself with a tendency to go back to basics, and restricting how much film (or how many photos) I take on a photoshoot is going to be one of the things I'm mindful of as I move into 2023.

For the last couple of years, simplifying my practice and going back to what I know to work has been a priority for me in setting out my stall for the year ahead.

I tend to find so much joy and progress in reverting back to old habits and old processes. Sometimes going back to the beginning is what you need to refresh your creative spark.

To take the things that have worked for me previously and to consider how they might work within my life, or my practice, now, but also to consider how I can make changes to enhance my practice, is something that I find sets me up nicely for the new year, to reset my creative processes and help me spark ideas for how I want my work to be shaped over the following twelve months.

So, in 2023, I’m taking a lot of my habits from 2022 with me. Namely, the habits of experimenting, of working with new people, and trying new ideas. But I’m also going to be changing habits, or attempting to: I’m going to be looking at my routine and focusing on how I can create a routine that better serves me, not only as a freelancer but as a person; I’m going to be looking at how to better manage a work-life balance and on how the ideas of rest and rehabilitation will hopefully have a positive effect on my practice and my career; and, of course, like most things related to my practice and my career, I’m going to try and document these changes and these habits, because maybe they might also help you find a balance in your practice, whether you’re starting off as a freelance photographer, you’re a hobbyist, or you’re years into your profession.

Often, we focus on the idea of changing habits in the new year, setting new year's resolutions that change your behaviours, and whilst I truly believe that change of routine and habit can be a positive thing, I'm most interested in what we've learned in all of the year's before this one that help us to develop in all of the years to come. What are the things that worked for you in 2022 that you'll be bringing with you in 2023?