Six weeks, eight countries, fifteen cities... I'm just back from my travels through a European & Middle Eastern winter. It took me two countries before I had warmed up to using my camera again (and not just my phone), it feels so cumbersome (even with a little mirrorless camera) and screams 'tourist' but then again there's no point hiding the truth. I was there to wander through new places, to experience and to photograph.
I didn't set out with a photographic objective in mind for this trip, this was both a positive and a negative. You're not hunting for scenes and moments that may not exist, and you don't feel like you've failed at capturing something when plans go awry. But - you also don't know what you're looking for or whether you achieved your objective.
I'm intrigued by artists who use their memory of places, people and moments as the launching points for their work. They return to their studios to create works in response. I don't know whether this is about controlling the situation and the outcome or perhaps the fallibility (and malleability) of memory. Possibly both.
For now I'm keywording and categorising my images by things like location, mood, tone, connections and coincidences. I'm not sure where it is headed from here. But I have some memories of places I want to share.
- Steph x
Ps.If you're looking for a travelogue or a '10 tips to finding the best souvenir'-style blog, this is not really the place but check out my instagram for some wanderlust.