Embracing the Break: Returning to Pinhole Photography After a Summer Pause
Summer now officially over in the UK, marked by days of relentless downpours, it's time to dust off my pinhole cameras.
For the past few years, as summer approaches, I've found it challenging to get out with my cameras. The primary reason is my desire to spend as much time as possible with my family during their summer break. This summer break has certainly been a memorable one—we were fortunate enough to get away twice: first, on a camping trip to the New Forest, and then, just a couple of weeks later, we enjoyed a lovely family holiday in sunny Spain.
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Also been spending the extra free time I did get heading out on my bike, which is always a good way to find new photographic location and visiting some of my favorite ones.
That said, over the past couple of years I couldn't help but feel a bit guilty about neglecting my YouTube channel. Pinhole photography is already a niche market, and I've put a lot of effort into growing my channel. But taking a break over the summer inevitably affects views, algorithms, and all those metrics that, in the grand scheme of things, don't really benefit me. This year, I made a conscious decision to step away. It was a good opportunity to focus on other things. When I'm so deeply immersed in pinhole photography, my other interests tend to fall by the wayside. This break allowed me to reconnect with those creative pursuits, even though I haven't drastically changed or rediscovered much.
One significant change I did make was shutting down one of my websites. I realized I had too many projects on the go and needed to simplify. I'm also considering stepping back from social media. While it's been beneficial for my photography, it's also draining in terms of time, mental health, and other factors. I'm tempted to minimize the platforms I use. Maybe mostly concentrated on post on here instead.
The two main websites I'm sticking to now, not including this blog are.
Which are used to showcase and sell prints of all my pinhole photography
And
https://www.willgudgeonphotography.co.uk/
This site showcases all my work, film and digital and it's mostly used for people to get digital downloads and prints.
Now, I'm excited to get back out with my pinhole camera. I've got some large-format film holders loaded and ready to go. It can be a bit challenging to get back into the rhythm of recording videos while shooting, especially since my trusty GoPro Hero8 broke during a holiday. I didn't realise the screen had cracked until I jumped into a swimming pool to take some photos with the kids, which didn’t do it any favors. Fortunately, I've just picked up the GoPro Hero12, and I'm eager to start using it.
I've got plenty of film to get myself going again with a big thanks to Mike Scott and a YouTube subscriber @Birbal2001 very kindly donated me some film to keep me going.
Hopefully back out tomorrow, make sure you keep an eye on this blog or head over to my YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/willgudgeon
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