Hello 2026…
Hello and welcome back to my very occasional blogging,
Happy 2026 to everyone, let us hope this year brings us better times, although it’s not looking great, but please keep in mind that these times can’t last forever.
Apologies for not writing in almost a year, it seemed strange to be online in the middle of another apocalypse so I took the advice and became one less man on the internet.
Thought I would drop in though with an update so you don’t think I’ve disappeared, m.i.a or anything. I’m still making work and still writing but mainly for the drawer. I’m being quieter about it. I know in this day and age that’s tantamount to the worst thing ever, but I grew up in a generation that was told, quite vociferously sometimes, not to blow your own trumpet as it’s a bit gauche. I’m trying to shake that off but lessons learned long ago stick like nothing else. Do we really have to be famous to make great pictures?
The plain is to be working on the pictures, thoughts, ideas and direction for NP in 2026, so its busy, but not too busy for the right commission if you need a photographer !
The world, the market and the outputs have all changed so much from when I first started and more so in the last 3 years. Navigating my place within them now is a strange affair but a change is as good as a rest, so they say. I’m changing the way I do things, take my recent socials post where I asked whether the description of the picture was better than the actual picture.
I made this picture and it sounds like an amazing picture but when I studied it, something was missing. I can’t quite explain what, maybe it was the airfryer camera (that’s my term for these new mirrorless ones.) Yet, the elements of it on paper, environmental pollution at the bottom whilst reflected is a city centre skyscraper converging into the sky, I believe says so much. The flats are one of the trappings of capitalist success which has brought about the Anthropocene epoch. I thought this image illustrated the Anthropocene well.
But I’m not sure the picture worked that well, especially without the text. I’m not sure if it was the lighting or the structure? It is made on a 24mm lens but still seems too cropped in, not sure I can get much more height upon it, but I could try. Possibly use a wider lens?
It’s the definition of the tree that bothers me most, needs light possibly but I’m not sure the winter sun will get to it. I may have to go first thing to see if it just catches it. The building is just in the way, we shall see. Maybe flash might make it pop?
You may wonder why I’m focusing so much on this picture, it’s because I think it represents NathanPhoto 2026 so well, it sums up where I’m at and what pictures I make these days. I used to make a lot of ‘people pictures’ at events and such like but I do that much less now. NP needs to move on. The old me would like to add in here that I am still available for people pictures, if needed so as not to miss any potential work, if any commissioners are reading !
Back to the picture and this does form part of a new direction I’m launching this year called:
‘NathanPhotoLearning’
This is my attempt at making an educational space where I can pass on my ‘takes’. It’s aim is to be partway between an evening class, a club and a learning space. It was called school but that has so many bad connotations for so many that I changed it to learning, which more accurately depicts the ideas behind it. Look for more news on that in the coming months.
A riverbank tree is weighed down with plastic waste which it collected when the river was higher. In the reflection a modern skyscraper converges into the sky.
I will use the dissection of this images as an example of how I want to approach things. My opening thoughts on the image is that it doesn’t work that well, the words to describe it are much more powerful than the image.
You may ask why i use my image when everyone goes with other examples? I feel that they use such images that aren’t in this dynamic so they look unreal so questioning why you did something isn’t possible as the light is amazing, the subject exotic and its edited to within an inch of its life, that or it is a traditionally famous images that any criticism will bring down the wrath of the gatekeepers of photoLand
I feel with other images, especially famous ones, people can be in awe of them or the subject. That feeling can stop the learning or people feel they can only say nice things as it recognised as a ‘good’ image and in the ‘any questions’, you can only surmise what the photographers was thinking, feeling or wanting to do. By using my own real and recent images then people can explore image dynamics, making individual imagery and discuss elements of this in the wider context of image making. I hope people feel more comfortable about dissecting it and discussion point can be answered honestly and truthfully. I can answer many more questions about it as I made it.
People in academia frowned on this.*
That and the thinking that it was just me doing a vanity project which I can assure you is the opposite, it is because I’m not so precious about my work that I think it can be pulled apart and reassembled at will. That’s why I believe identifying the failings of this picture go some way to mapping out guidelines for what I’d like NPL to be.
The idea is to make some videos explaining the image, my thoughts, my takes and then seeing what others think. It won’t only be my own pictures, as I say I’m not that vain!! The idea is that as the group/community expands then others can discuss either their pictures or famous pictures and then we can dissect, listen to others’ views and then see where the discussion takes us. In that we can all expand our knowledge. As said, I’d like it to be a cross between an evening class, discussion group and what socials should be. My hope is to attract a wide range of people from beginners to pros, to people with an interest in the medium but not in the tech and even those gear heads wanting to explore things other than the settings. All are welcome.
Apart from the NPL, I will still be making new work, most likely on a theme. I will also make a concerted effort to sort my large unwieldly archive out so you may see some archive discussions going on here too. As well as trying to survive whatever the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune this year has planned for us. Let us hope we all survive it.
There we go plans for NathanPhoto in 2026 in a nutshell.
If you’d like to join me in this journey then please check into the site or contact me in whatever way feels best for you.
Thank you for reading and I’d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone all the best in 2026.
*Don’t you love the way people automatically think the worst of you, it’s very telling.