I often discuss the allure of travelling as experiencing new areas hugely benefits well-being and self-development. I try to travel frequently and take advantage of every opportunity, but exploring doesn’t have to be limited to somewhere far from home.

When planning to travel somewhere, we often debate whether we should go. We wait for the perfect time to fit this into our busy lives. We may hesitate to commit as we look at the factors that weigh our decision. We have been heavily researching and eagerly anticipating, and this could now be the ideal time to book that vacation and embark on that adventure on our wish list.

As a photographer, I would put myself at the low end in terms of the number of photos I take even when travelling, but recently, the volume has increased due to my continued use of the X-E4 and choosing to shoot both RAW + JPEG sometimes, which doubles the number of photos that reach my hard drive. I don’t shoot 10,000 photos during a trip, and I rarely get over 1,000.

Film photography has experienced a remarkable resurgence in popularity. What used to be reserved for the nostalgic few gained interest, with many looking to return to a tangible process and achieve a unique look for their images. Digital photography was introduced long ago and since then has improved immensely and offered convenience and technical quality that made film mostly forgotten by many.

In Lightroom, my currently imported library contains over 14,000 photos, and my complete archive is many times that. I look through this library, often looking for those hidden gems in the ones I’ve overlooked; sometimes, I find them; sometimes, they continue to elude me, and sometimes, they were never there to discover. When I dig through my archive, I notice something evident in many of my photo sets - the first 10-25 captures are usually terrible.

As photographers, we constantly seek new inspiration and push to capture new photographs. We find inspiration by looking at work from other photographers, reading photography books, or watching YouTube videos. It’s easy to get caught up in getting new content as there are always travels and adventures and opportunities that you see that you would love to be part of yourself.

With the Fujifilm X-E4 being discontinued on numerous sites like B&H, we will soon be introduced to the inevitable replacement, whether an X-E5 or something else. Whatever it is, I’m sure it will be great. With the discontinuation, I feel it is a good time to reflect on my experience with the X-E4 and explain how using this camera has changed my photography.

Our photography exists in a social world where instant sharing and feedback are the norms. The time needed to appreciate a photo truly has mostly been missed as people quickly view, like, and move on to the next thing. Today, the standard way for most people (probably including you and me) to view photos is online via Instagram or Twitter, as it’s the most convenient way to view someone’s work.