(Belated) Monday Monthly Mentions – December 2021: Belated Posts, Holidays, Birthdays and Select 21

Before I start this post, I would like to send my condolences to the families and friends of both John Whitmore and Boris Pfaffenzeller, who sadly passed away last month. They were both photographers, very active in the film photography community, talented at their craft and Twitter friends of mine. May they rest in eternal peace.

I would also like to pay my respects to American fashion designer, Virgil Abloh, who sadly passed away last month after a battle with cancer. Abloh was the artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear, as well as founding his own label Off-White back in 2012. May he rest in eternal peace, my thoughts are with his family and friends.

Lake Lugano from top of Monte San Salvatore

• I haven’t been blogging as much since September, quite unusual although I wanted to do a few posts the following month but never got around to. I have been so busy with work, plus most of my rare down time was mainly recovering from work during my days off. Don’t worry, I will try to attempt to blog as much as I can before the end of 2021.

• Turning 30 and Swiss Birthday Trip: I officially turned 30 back in September, so to celebrate my milestone birthday I went on a solo trip to Switzerland; travelling through to Lugano, then Lucerne and ending in Zurich. On my actual birthday I went to Burgenstock, however it was raining heavily throughout the day. Also I didn’t get to go on the famous Hammetschwand Elevator, due to my on/off fear of heights, however I did manage to see a beautiful view of Lake Lucerne. The next day the weather was slightly better, I went to Mount Pilatus via cable car to the top, although I didn’t reach the highest peak. I must say it was definitely a memorable experience, something I would do again in the future. And of course, I did capture all this on film!!

Burgenstock and Pilatus: Me posing next to an old fashioned funicular, and Pilatus at its highest

• For the last couple of months, I haven’t done much film photography. There were times when I wanted inspiration and motivation to pick up my camera(s), but many ideas and plans were thrown out the window. I do have quite a lot of film that needs to be developed at some point, maybe in the new year…

• Not all motivation isn’t lost, I went to the darkroom for the first time in over a year, over a month ago. First session was in October, when I used the colour enlarger. It did take some time to get used to it, thankfully with some help I managed to make a few prints. The next session I was printing in Black and White, which was a breeze as I was confident in what I was doing. Many of my prints came out good, although I need to improve in some areas.

Tried and Tested in the Darkroom: my comeback was lukewarm, but I still have the printing power in me

• Good news to end this year: Select 21 is finally here!! After a year of delays, the show is on the road – with yours truly exhibiting the famous Petrol Station Series, alongside with other photographers and their work. I am so proud of this achievement, after all the drama and stress throughout the last year. If you are interested in seeing Select 21, booking is essential via Eventbrite and it’s free. Show ends on Friday 21st January 2022.

The hard work has finally paid off after a year of delays and stress

Take care and stay safe