Rediscovering creativity: a roll of film on the Contax G1

I’ve recently been using my cameras more than usual. A Fuji X100-T that I bought the summer before starting university, and a Contax G1 that is on permanent loan from my dad, a professional photographer in his day. Don’t worry Dad - your days aren’t over.

The first side effect of using both cameras is a gaping hole in my iPhone library, days of nothing, only interrupted by the occasional photo of my breakfast, sent to a family member at 6.15am, bridging a 16,500km physical gap. The second side effect is a new found interaction with the mundane; I went for an incredibly boring walk last week and produced a roll of film I’m incredibly happy with. It has been a nice reminder that where adventure might be lacking, there are other things to be enjoyed in my immediate (urban) surroundings, namely creativity. I find myself looking at the texture of a tree’s bark, thinking whether it’s worth waiting an extra five minutes for the light to change, or whether the result will be immensely average either way.

Rediscovering my enjoyment of photography is akin to the feeling of seeing friends for the first time in a while after a break up: it is unsurprisingly great, and has you thinking why you’ve neglected it for so long.

Over the past few years I’ve put enormous quantities of energy into cycling adventures, and I’ve always been focused on completing them, rather than documenting them visually. My recent trip to Central Asia is a good example. I carried a Nikon D7000 on my back the whole way and came home with less than ten images that are worthy of downloading. I was quite pre-occupied with altitude sickness, raging hunger, and sore thighs. Same goes for the Transcontinental Race the summer before. 3,800km across Europe, couldn’t I have carried even just an instant film camera? Those hotdogs at Slovenian petrol stations had something Accidentally Wes Anderson about them.

It would be easy to regret these missed opportunities, but instead I feel reassured that everything happens for a reason. The part of my brain - obsessed and driven by the challenge of such adventures - had to be satisfied, before I could feel ready to consider them from another angle, with the headspace to pause and take a photo or two.

So here’s to planning a trip where I balance the two. The cycling season is about to get underway in Europe; it’s time to re-investigate shipping options, reunite with my bike, and purchase a few more rolls of film.