It is great to be among friends

Photography and the craft of seeing matters to me. For this and many other reasons I have been publishing serious doses of photographic thought on this blog. Today I would like to talk about something very important and close to my mind – YOU!

The last few months have been pretty intense. I admit, I have been working very hard to pursue my passion of photography and build my photography business. I photographed some of the most incredible cities in the world, led multiple workshops, wrote hundreds of articles and essays, including my monthly column in the FujiLove Magazine, participated in the exhibition at the Capture Photography Festival, made many presentations, webinars and most recently published “Seeing Simplified – How to see and craft great imagery” a book on which I have been working for quite a while. As you can imagine, this launch was an important milestone for me. Now the book is out, I’ve taken a one-day break to pause, gather my thoughts and simply rest.

Strangely enough, this moment of reflection transpired at the same time as I received numerous emails and messages from You my photographic friends. Your humanity, kindness and understanding moved me deeply. No, not in the honeyed and sweet way but rather in an in-depth, sincere and revealing modus. Some of you asked me how I was doing, if I needed any help, offered a meeting or just a place to stay. Such interactions with you, friendships, exchanges, in person or through email or social media, are priceless to me. And I am not only talking about those pleasant interactions. Some of you have been tough but fair in your critique or advice. I appreciate both equally.

There is no question that being a full-time photographer is not easy and some days are better than others. However, every time my head goes down and doubts reassert themselves, YOU lift me up. If I had to choose one thing that makes everything worthwhile, it is having the privilege of getting to know every single one of You. Indeed, it is great to be among friends.

Here is some imagery taken on the streets of London with the X100F and X-E3 paired with the XF 35mm F1.4