As the year is coming to an end…

Only two days are left of 2024, and I thought it would be appropriate to end the year with a few words.

2024 was my very first year of not working as a photographer. I did do two sessions for free in January to see how I felt about it, and to find out if family documentary photography was something worth fighting for. Because honestly it’s not an easy business generally speaking and even more so in Italy.

I needed to figure out whether I should relaunch my business and do some more marketing, or if I should quit and concentrate fully on my personal photography.

As you may have guessed I decided to quit. It doesn't mean that I don’t enjoy photographing kids, and if a family contacts me for a session, I will most probably say yes. But since the beginning of 2024 I no longer market myself as a family photographer, and it has actually been a huge relief. It has taken me back to the beginning of everything, where photography was just a passion and a hobby, and I love that.

2024 was a year full of analog photography. I joined the 12 months on film project (which I haven’t yet finished - I still have the September and October rolls in my cameras!!). It has been fun, but also a bit expensive. I will definitely keep shooting film next year, but probably not as much as in 2024.

My poor DSLR has been left almost completely untouched this year. For my travels I have used my iPhone and film cameras, and I realize that I have to change that.

As I went through my archives looking for photos for my new print shop I realized that with a very few exceptions only photos shot with my DSLR and with my analog cameras were good enough to be sold as prints. Because honestly: iPhone photos are crap. Sure, they can work for quick holiday snap shots, but when I look at the part of my Paris photos taken with my iPhone, I feel like I have wasted so many great photo opportunities, because the photos were taken with my phone instead of a real camera.

So why didn’t I just bring my DSLR? For the simple reason that it weighs too much. Especially now that I have gotten used to my small analog cameras there is no way I am ever again going to bring that camera out with me. During the Christmas holidays I made the effort of taking a few photos at home with the DSLR, but even that was hard. I still love the images of the camera (I have a Canon 5d mark III with a 35 mm Sigma Art lens), but the camera just doesn’t feel right in my hands anymore, and I think the time has come to replace it.

So one of my goals for 2025 will be to sell my old camera and lens and buy a smaller mirrorless camera, which will be perfect for traveling and still provide gorgeous images. And absolutely no more iPhone pics. Full STOP.

Below is a photo of Amanda, one of our two cats. It’s one of the only photos taken with my DSLR this year, and it may be one of the last ones.

See you in 2025! Happy New Year!