Departure – My Favourite Photograph of 2025

I shoot a lot of film.  As of mid November I’ve exposed 106 rolls of 120 and 35mm film.  All in glorious black and white.  My approach is normally quite deliberate.  I struggle with composition and sometimes  in difficult conditions, measuring exposure correctly.  I’ve learned to take my time.  Shooting from the hip so to speak, is not something I do a lot of.

My two main themes are landscapes and curiously, urban photography.  Most, but not all of my landscapes are with medium format cameras and for urban photography most, but not all are with 35mm cameras.  Before reviewing my catalogue of “good” photographs from the beginning of this year, I thought that I would likely select a landscape photograph for this submission.

What stood out to me though, was a photograph that I shot quickly.  On impulse.  Not measured.  Not contemplated. Just reactive.  I was actually out shooting landscape photographs one day in March at location near Hamilton Harbour in Ontario.  I was returning to my car and walked through a railway underpass – shown in the image.  Approaching me was a jogger.  As he passed me by I paused for just a moment and then I turned and clicked as he was exiting the underpass.  No exposure reading.  Just a quick aim and fire.  Blurred and out of focus but nonetheless, a compelling image. The shot was a bit of a departure for me in the circumstances it was taken.  I’ll title it Departure.

And for the record it was shot on Cinestill XX  loaded into my Mamiya 645.  It was among the first rolls of film I had developed in Photographers Formula PMK.

Shooting from the hip.  Hmmm?

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