Reflecting on 2024: A Year in 24 Photos

As 2024 comes to an end, I can confidently say this year has been transformative for me as a photographer. For the first time in decades, I fell back in love with the art of photography in a way that transported me back to the excitement I felt 20 years ago when I first started. This rediscovery began during my carpool rides with my friend and coworker Clem. We spent countless hours talking about photography, which reignited my passion and led us both into shooting film.

Starting with film felt like a fresh start. I embraced smaller, lighter cameras like the Pentax MX and Ricoh XR-2, which I could carry with me everywhere. Tossing a 35mm film camera in my pocket meant I was always ready to capture a moment. Shooting film brought challenges—the cost of film and the development process through Downtown Camera in Toronto were no small investments—but they forced me to slow down and truly think about each shot. This deliberate approach brought me back to the essence of photography as an art form, focusing less on technical perfection and more on creating images that meant something.

This shift transformed my work. I started seeking photos that were “about” something instead of just “of” something. Newfoundland’s rich culture shone through in my photos as I moved toward a more documentary style, leaving behind purely landscape-focused imagery. One place that became a recurring subject for me was a specific path and rocky outcrop on Grand Bank Cape—my favorite place in the world. I visited it multiple times each week during the summer, always with a film camera in hand. These visits solidified my love for the process of shooting film but also made me realize the limitations of cost and capacity.

This realization led me to search for a digital solution that retained the tactile joy of shooting film. In September, I found it in a used Fuji XT-1. This camera’s compact size, manual controls, and vintage aesthetic gave me the same feeling as my film cameras, while freeing me from the financial and time constraints of film. Paired with a 27mm pancake lens, the Fuji XT-1 became my constant companion. I even adapted my manual film lenses to it, adding a creative twist to my work. In just one month, I took more photos for myself than I had in the past five years combined with my Canon system.

Then, in October, disaster struck—my Fuji XT-1 died. I was devastated. Photography had become a therapeutic outlet for me, and losing that camera felt like losing a part of myself. Determined to continue, I upgraded to a “new to me” Fuji XT-2, and it has been nothing short of extraordinary. With it, I’ve explored the intriguing concept of street photography in rural communities, finding beauty and stories in the everyday lives of small towns.

The journey with these cameras, both film and digital, played a pivotal role in completing my first photo book, Down Harbour: A Portrait of Grand Bank. Many of the images in the book owe their existence to the portability and approachability of my smaller cameras. A bulky Canon DSLR with massive lenses or even a smartphone might have made people uncomfortable, but the discreet form factor of my film cameras and Fujis struck the perfect balance.

Looking ahead, I’m filled with excitement for 2025. I’m planning dedicated photo trips, working on a couple of new books, and launching a quarterly “photo zine” that I hope to make available in local stores. My goal is to take my work beyond screens and into tangible spaces like coffee tables, cafes, libraries, and anywhere else people can hold a book in their hands and lose themselves in its pages.

To close out this year, I’ve selected 24 of my favorite photos from 2024. These images, captured on a mix of my Canon 5D Mark III, Pentax MX, Ricoh XR2, Fuji XT-1, and Fuji XT-2, represent a journey back to the heart of what makes photography so meaningful to me.

Thank you for joining me on this incredible journey. Here’s to a new year filled with more stories, more creativity, and more moments that remind us why we fell in love with photography in the first place.