RENAISSANCE
JUNE 9, 2022
Hello there! Just like Obi-Wan Kenobi, I'm coming back from a long hiatus. I too have buried my cameras in the sands of Tatooine and have exiled in a cave to finish the first year of my degree. Well, the time has come to excavate. Let's dig and find the cameras, the light, the vision.
This was the longest time I've not picked up a camera since lockdown started. I've had a couple of relatively productive years, improving everything from composition over versatility to color language. Not really taking any notable photos in three months is almost leaving myself to die. The longer I don't look through a viewfinder, the harder it becomes to pick the camera up again - because I know I've lost a little bit of intuition, a bit of vision. To me, that vision is like a muscle - if I stop training it, it'll just fade. Not that I've ever had any noteworthy muscles, but I hear that's how they work. That's why I figured a photowalk through Toulouse, careless shooting in familiar waters, would be the perfect setting for a rebirth, a renaissance if you will.
When you live in a nice place, it's easy to overlook how beautiful it really is. I walk by the Garonne every day, and the sun has such power and warmth when it shines down on the people sitting by the river in the evening. The streets are filled with tables from cafés, bars, restaurants and board game places. The murmurs and laughter everywhere make it sound like universally, a good time is being had. People dress nicely. The food is good. On weekends, a swing band plays in the Jardin Grand Rond and people dance to it. A photo walk can make you see all of that if you've overlooked it in the hustle of a degree, your work, or anything else.
These are far from the best photos I've ever taken. I like them, but it's mostly because they capture the spirit of Toulouse quite well. It's a careless, almost tame city. The river breathes life into everything people do. It's a perfect playground to rediscover one's creativity, and I'm very grateful to be playing here for a bit.
