I had the opportunity to go out yesterday and today to do some photography, but mostly failed to do so. Part of this might be one of those dips in inspiration that seems to afflict photographers from time to time, and it was this which meant that, as the weekend approached, I was unable to decide just where to go.

This was compounded, perhaps fatally so, by the fact that I’d got set in my head that I was going to use my large format camera, which I haven’t used in over a year! While I love the images I can get on 4×5 film, I’m also put off the process somewhat by the effort required.

Not only is it an expensive process in terms of film (especially if I shoot colour!), but perhaps more tellingly, in my time. Each shot takes a lot of preparation to get right and because of this, I might only come back with a handful of pictures which then puts a lot of pressure on me to try and make sure they’re all worth the effort. Sometimes I think about the work I need to put in and just think “Nah! I can’t be bothered…“.

Another factor is that, if the weather is nice, then the weekend will draw others to places I might want to photograph. While this is fine – I have no ownership of these places, and everyone else has as much right to enjoy them as me, it can lead to frustration if my perfectly composed shot keeps getting disturbed as others enter the frame (usually in the short window when the light is perfect). If I’m shooting smaller formats then it’s easier to avoid this as I can work much faster and have a greater chance of taking a picture quickly when opportunity arises.

I did go out briefly yesterday morning, with an intent to photograph a local cemetery, but with a detour to get some urban landscape scenes for a photo comp I’m taking part in. Luckily, I also took my pocketable Olympus XA3 with me, and used that to take these pictures, as it really wasn’t worth the effort of setting up the 4×5, but the large format camera would serve me well at the next destination, or so I thought. But when I got there, the place was closed. A sign on the gates said it would be closed for two days (the previous two days, not the day I was there!) and it wasn’t possible to gain access. After this I though about maybe going somewhere else, but a thick bank of cloud had moved in, the light was lost, and I decided to cut my losses and go home and do something else.

I planned to go out this morning too, the weather forecast had looked promising with a mix of sunshine and clouds, but I woke to a pure blue sky devoid of any interest, and by the time some clouds began to show their fluffy faces late in the morning, the sun was high, the light was harsh, and any desire to photograph had left me.

Obviously, as soon as I’m back at work tomorrow and unable to go out with a camera, the weather will no doubt be perfect and I’ll be abuzz with inspiration again. Sigh…

Here’s a picture of Steetley dolomite works, taken on a day where I felt a lot more inspired.

Nikon F80 and Nikkor 70-200mm f/4 ED VR on Fomapan 400 (@320asa). Semi-stand in Rodinal 1+100 for 1 hour @ 20°.

Taken on 8 February 2026