Greetings, comrades, the festive season is upon us and I’ve decided not to play the game this year and continue with my newsletters as usual, not because I’m not in a festive spirit; it’s just that it’s too much and it’s everywhere! I believe we can all benefit from Christmas occurring once every four years like most major sports events. The other three years, the season can be dedicated to a reflective wind down from the year, a philosophical, quiet time to have time with ourselves, reflecting on the year passing, and preparing for the one coming. Who’s with me on this? That’s just my ideal world scenario, maybe that’s one of many reasons why I don’t fit in… love it!
I’ve been thinking a lot about habits and coincidences recently and how these occur in our lives. In my mystical, magical Mexican way of thinking, I see these as signs that life throws at me. Every time I try to build a new habit or try to change an old one, I get odd situations thrown at me either in real-life scenarios, a movie or a book recommended, or even an article or newsletter that pops up on my feeds.
This week for example I was trying to get ahead and write my newsletter with the specific subject of some of the photos I took in Rome early this year but words were not coming together. I tried writing on Tuesday when I had about 2 hours to kill… nothing! I tried on Thursday morning before a meeting, but nothing either! My habit of writing these newsletters is sitting in one of my favourite cafes, on a Friday morning, with a very good cup of black coffee and either Baroque chamber music or Gregorian chants on the headphones. That’s my habit.
So last night I stumbled upon an interesting story by
on how he embraces change. I leave you a link HERE if you’re interested. Reading Francesco’s story and diving into a rabbit hole of similar articles gave me an idea of what to write for today’s newsletter. Inspiration, that’s my sign!
And pretty much the same principle applies to my work as a photographer when I’m working on a project. I have the research I’ve done on the particular subject I’m photographing. In this case, Baroque architecture in Rome. But then I allow other senses to get creatively involved and just follow the signs to see what else there is to photograph or what stories I want to document.
As I edit my work for this project, I come to realise that I have two Romes, the searched Rome that I wanted to photograph; and the found Rome that was presented to me. For example, I have no interest in photographing flags whatsoever, I think they’re overused cliches, but during my time in the city, they kept popping up so I took it as a sign. As I grow older, I’m learning to submit to these signs instead of rejectingly like a grumpy old fart… open mind, open heart, right?
In two weeks I’ll share the story about those two found Cities; but first, I’d like to wrap up the year by sharing with you some photos from my favourite commissions I’ve taken during 2024.
Happy holidays!
Just a friendly reminder that I’m offering 30% off on any one-to-one photography workshop in Brighton or online when booking it during December. Workshops must take place in January or February 2025. You can book directly with me or have a look HERE. It can also be bought as a gift card for £125.50 instead of the regular price of £175 HERE
.Any orders for the CARS Zine will be processed in early January. Royal snail-mail is overworked, understaffed, and underpaid at the moment so there’s no point in even trying.
You're not the only one Xavi regarding this time of the year - same here. Better focus on some creativity 😉
+ 1 on a reflective Christmas period,
+ 1 on paying attention to magic,
+ 1 on being open to what the camera finds rather than being stubbornly seeking a predefined thing.