Being in motion, in the world, enjoying the process: analog photo session with Lauren
Lauren followed me on Instagram a few weeks ago and sent a message shortly afterwards which unfolded into an actual conversation! I remember on Bebo (♥), that when you sent a friend request, you had to write in a little box to say why you were sending it. One thing I don’t like remembering is the number of letters I put at the end of a mutual friend’s name in one of these explanatory notes to someone I had a crush on, trying to be… I don’t know… coollllllllllllllllllllll!?
Hauntings aside, it makes so much sense to do that. I appreciated the small conversation with Lauren very much and what it paved the way for. I am just thinking about how, if you don’t speak to a new neighbour when you first pass their house, it weirdly becomes too late and then you just exist in proximity without really connecting. I don’t like the Instagram version of that, so enjoyed discovering a shared love of When I Sing, Mountains Dance and hearing about her plans to visit Stoodley Pike as soon as possible. She told me it features in a story she’s written for a children’s anthology and coincidentally I had just been there that day. I was tired and sad but walked there with a friend —also so tired, so sad— and though I can’t speak for her, it felt as though we were both uplifted by that time together, sitting on a dark grey and glinting, sun-hot rock, (not!) picking at moss, eating strawberries and pouring bits of our hearts out.
Lauren told me that the story,
“follows a child who becomes fixated on discovering all the green things in their local area (everything from moss to beer bottles you might find in the undergrowth) as a way of reconnecting with their aunt. There's lots in it about found connections, fog and high up vantage points”
and I’m looking forward to reading it!
For our photo session, I suggested walking where it’s birchy and ferny and mossy, between Eaves Wood and Heptonstall, so it really made me smile when she told me that one of her favourite ever photos is of her and her Mum with some birches in the snow.
There’s lots of oak and bilberry too.
I’ve been giving so much thought to where to walk with people; staying awake too late going on imagined journeys and asking myself how it feels.
I’m really interested in learning about people’s connections to the land and hope that it comes through in the photos. I like the idea of doing these sessions in places that people already have a relationship with, but even when that’s not the case, there are types of landscape that move and hold us: qualities of light, soundscapes, textures, colours. If I’m confused or grieving, I am drawn to sit near oaks or at least touch their bark. Sometimes I just want to lose myself in the reflections on a still expanse of water. It can change over time, even day to day, along with our needs and the context of our lives.
In The Old Ways, Rob Macfarlane describes landscapes as projecting,
“into us not like a jetty or peninsula, finite and bounded in its volume and reach, but instead as a kind of sunlight, flickeringly unmappable in its plays yet often quickening and illuminating.”
and poses these two questions beautifully:
“firstly, what do I know when I am in this place that I can know nowhere else? And then, vainly, what does this place know of me that I cannot know of myself?”
Lauren told me she had been enjoying long grass against stone walls lately and that she was equally partial to dark loamy soil with limey ferns. The specificity made me very excited and set my head whirring!
I have allowed 2 hours for the photo walks (only 1 in my initial callout!), so that limits the location options slightly. Already I am thinking, well, walking is a big part of this, as is a feeling of slowness, so I am open to spending mornings, afternoons, whole days out with people… perhaps bringing more than 1 roll of film… for now, I’ll see how this goes.
When Lauren came forward for one of the initial slots, it was so easy to say a huge yes. I really loved the way she understood and expressed what my intentions are:
“I've realised that while it's all well and good paying attention to what's happening rather than jumping to take a photo of it, there is also a lot to be said for taking a few, intentional photos to capture the essence of what you're experiencing ✨ I love the motion and in-the-world-ness of what you've described, much more than the typical approach that can feel so unnatural, and as if the only aim is to produce at photo at the end rather than to have an enjoyable time in the process!”
I really enjoyed our time together on that sunny afternoon and Lauren’s curiosity, energy for exploring and delight at seeing slugs!
Before I stop writing, I also asked her permission to share the next message in the thread, one of the juiciest texts I have ever received. Surviving under capitalism, citrus edition:
“P.S. Happy Thursday - I'm on my way to eat many satsumas before a stretch of meetings this afternoon 😴 Hope you're having a sunny day!”
Technical Details
Camera: Canon EOS 1000F
a present from my aunt & uncle, my trusty companion for years already
Lens: Tamron SP 34-135mm, F/3.5-5.6, aspherical zoom
Film: Kodak Porta 400 35mm, 36 exp.
Dev & Scan: Photo Express, Hull
Interested in an analog photo session? The free slots I opened up have been booked now, but I have decided to offer some at a reduced, introductory rate. Find out more here or send me an email or Instagram DM with any queries.
