For the last three years, my cameras have remained dormant and alone. Never touched. Never used. Never created with. Forced into extensive lockdowns due to the COVID pandemic, my cameras were packed away in storage and not even once did they enter my mind.

COVID not only took away our freedom, but it also subdued and snuffed our passion.

What a horrible time it was.

My absolute passion in photography, both street and live music, were now a thing of the past. Gone were the days of shooting every single day. Gone were the days of creating art and being at one with my camera.

After those lonely two and half years, the COVID threat was beginning to lessen. Restrictions were lessened. More and more freedom was coming back. We were all finding our feet again.

Still, my photography remained dormant but I was beginning to think about it again. I was beginning to get the itch not only to go out and shoot a band again, but to hit the cold, hard pavements of Melbourne and learn to explore and love my city again.

It took a few baby steps to get it all happening again and holding my camera in my hands again, I decided to start from the beginning again. Go for a walk through the city and see if I could photographically see again.

Largely I felt as if I was repeating myself and shooting the same old things I have shot 100 times before, but I also felt this would be a good way to get back into it all. Who cares if I was repeating myself? I shoot for no one but me. I am my own critic and fan and if I was to rekindle my passion for photography – I was to do it all my way anyway.

Trekking through lanes and streets I knew so well but had not seen for a while, I reflected on what was new with them all and the new additions that had been absent from me during the COVID lockdowns.

As stated, photographically I was repeating myself, but with each click and with each snap – I was beginning to fall in love with it again. Framing images in my mind’s eye, I felt as if I was retraining myself again – retraining to capture every day scenes and moments that were rekindling the passion.

I have only been out twice in the last couple of weeks, but it all felt like a nice new beginning to learn to explore and photographically ‘see’ again.

It’s going to take a while to be completely comfortable with it all, but I am glad to see where this photographic journey is going to take me again…