Time to settle: analog photo session with Kat
I walked along and uphill to meet Kat in the strange light last Saturday. It was bright but faded, hazy. I was all sweat and we were both feeling nervous. I hadn’t photographed anyone for a few weeks. She knew that she’d be asking a lot of herself to show up in front of the camera.
Recommended listening (what I played as I was writing): Tobias Wilden’s instrumental acousstic guitar playlist.
Having just moved a long way, from capital city to quiet hilltop village, she is in transition. And like with all change, there are a lot of feelings. She told me how grateful she is to be here, for the peace of the surroundings. We talked about the pressure to be productive, to know what you’re doing, to meet people, to make money. How creativity gets sacrificed and needs stillness. The importance of giving yourself time to settle and ground.
The rose thorns in this photo were just foreground textures when I was composing it. As I look at what came out today, I am enjoying reflecting on how a daily meditation practice brings me contentment alongside all the pain and messiness of living.
Kat was saying how much she loves hearing that people have developed a practice and we were laughing about the fact that it’s so hard to talk to anyone else about it, despite wanting to share the subtle power. How we’ve been on the receiving end. Words like “presence”, “allowing” and “spaciousness” come out as dull, hard rocks. Impenetrable.
It seems we have to discover some things for ourselves.
I enjoyed carefully making our way over the stream. The white rush of the water and glowing falls of her hair. The fact that we stopped being able to hear each other’s words.
We talked about building inner strength and the practice of staying rooted in yourself and taking care of your own needs. This is especially important for her work as a therapist.
Looking out from the bottom of the garden where Kat has set up her therapy space, I got to see the barn own she has become familiar with, moving through the air with outstretched wings.
Moon the dog came to join us too.
Ohhhh this nervous, loving little angel. He had tail wags and squeals for me and lifted up his legs to ask for belly strokes – a blessing!
I love that welcoming smile! Thank you Kat (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡
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 800 35mm, 36 exp.
Dev & Scan: Photo Express, Hull
Interested in an analog photo session? Find out more here or send me an email or Instagram DM with any queries. Please note that the free and introductory rate slots have been spoken for now.
