February 16, 2026

Back to the northern lakes

A friend suggested the northern lakes months ago, and this week I finally went. An elderly couple asked me to take their picture. I used their phone, then made one frame of them on mine.

There is something calming about returning to the same spot and noticing small changes since the last visit. Most of the morning went into watching bicycles; I took fewer frames than usual, but each one felt deliberate.

Working with an old film camera forces you to slow down. You think twice before pressing the shutter, and that changes the pictures. The light was strangely warm, and bicycles kept pulling my attention away from anything I had planned to photograph.

I tried a few long exposures, but the wind had other ideas. The handheld shots turned out better anyway. I sat on a bench for almost an hour, just watching fog change as the clouds moved.

On the way home the train was nearly empty, so I reviewed the day's notes and planned the next trip. Walking back, I found a side street I had never noticed before, lined with tiny workshops.

Next time I want to try the same walk at sunset.