Rediscovering my Soul through Slowing Down...

Photography has always been a part of my life.  My father caught the bug from an eccentric uncle, and then I caught it from him.   

My journey started with a little Kodak 126 Instamatic, (anyone remember those?!) and then, when I was 17, my father handed me a fully manual Canon so  I could learn to "take photographs properly." 

 

Over the years, my gear changed many times with the introduction of electronic meters and then autofocus.  In the 1980's, I headed overseas to work in the remote Darién Gap, a remote, roadless and dangerous part of rainforest on the border between Panama and Colombia.

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My camera became a tool to record the work going on among indigenous people groups.  My co-workers began working there in the 1950's and by the time I arrived, there was a medical centre, and church and a literacy programme in full swing.  

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Life has taken me to some pretty interesting places.  From concrete jungles, to catwalks, to literal rain forests, and for a long time, like most of life, it taught me to keep pushing, to compare and measure myself against everyone else.  But that is how this world works.  There's always the push to be first, and to look over your shoulder. 

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You know... as I write this, I am just realising something.  Back when I lived in the Darién, I was given a glimpse of the slow pace of life that I longed for, but didn't grasp it,  because I was so caught up in my 'mission.'

Returning to Northern Ireland in 2003, also led to a return to photography, helping my father shoot weddings.  When he retired, I continued on my own.  But in shooting weddings, and then fashion, and portraits, I found myself quickly swallowed up in the algorithms of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  It wasn't long  before my head was spinning and the photography started being less important that 'likes' and 'follows.'  

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That mindset coincided with a difficult period in my life, anxiety attacks and a crisis of faith that lasted almost twenty years. But since 2018, I've returned to my faith — and I've begun learning that inner peace matters far more than competing with anyone else. The latest gear, the fastest lens — none of it matters half as much as I once thought.

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These days, I'm shooting with a new camera, the Nikon Z50ii.   What I've learned is that I needed to simplify my mind and my approach, not just my kit. To date, I'm still getting used to the Z50ii.   Reviews paint it as a fantastic camera, but many unjustifiably call it 'entry level.'  Here's the truth.  That's 'rat-race-mentality.'  A wise man once said, "The best camera is the one you have with you."  The important thing is to 'see' the photograph first,  so that you can capture it.

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The photography world can be a dog-eat-dog place, and peace is often a stranger to it.  For me the key has been removing distractions, and rediscovering what's life-giving - Finding time for silence and solitude, learning to be more grateful, more present, more still.  

 

At the heart of that is my faith. And at the heart of photography is the same idea: capturing a moment, freezing time. Done slowly, it becomes a kind of meditation. Even on a busy street, there's tranquility to be found — I recently sat in a noisy coffee shop waiting for a friend and realised, quite suddenly, that within my own heart, I  was settled, I was completely at peace. Those moments are always there. We just have to be intentional about finding them.

 

This is what I want to share here: a journey of mindful seeing — slowing down to notice the subtle shifts of light, the small and quiet moments that make up our shared human experience. Through the lens, I try to capture the spirit of a place with stillness and intention, creating images that invite you to pause and breathe.

So - pause with me.  Take a deep breath. Be still.