We all have much bigger things on our minds these days. Remnants and memories of life before and the maybe somedays come and go, but it’s no use dwelling on them. Stay present, be hopeful, focus on what’s important. We’ll get through this.

But still, though…

This was the weekend Joey and I were to go on our near annual and much anticipated hiking adventure. Last year, we tackled an unexpectedly long and challenging trail in Yosemite and this year it was to be out west once again. We narrowed it to the Canadian Rockies or the Oregon Coast. Both are photographic dreams come true.

Airplane trips, venturing far from home, freely experiencing restaurants and retail, hotels and the initial crowds of the best day hikes are all just that, remnants and memories. I’d settle for a nice walk in a nearby park these days.

Inspired by Alister Benn (see his marvelous portfolio here), it hit me: if you can’t go big (i.e., Banff National Park, Haystack Rock in Oregon…) then go small. Alister has the big and wide landscape shots, no doubt, and they are magnificent. But I’ve been impressed and inspired by his abstracts, his simpler and… smaller… landscapes. And, he often shoots square!

Today… had not everything changed, I’d be heading out with Joey and a weighty pack, tripod, a stash of lenses and batteries and essentials for the trek. Instead, today… I headed out alone with a Fujifilm X100V single focal length camera and not much else. My normal landscape kit is awesome, amazing… and it offers great flexibility and range. But rather than being weighed down by choices (which focal length?… do I set up on a tripod and get a slower shutter speed?… how best to compose the shot?) I let myself become freed by constraints.

Shoot square. Black and white. 35mm focal length. Minimal post processing. That’s it.

This is home. It’s much smaller. And that’s ok.