The Rush of Life (Resetting)
Kevin's Letter of Intent
If this lovely lady can run a marathon, I can pick up my camera again.
For the duration of the pandemic, I’ve been concentrating on keeping healthy, both from a physical point of view and a business point of view.
It hasn’t been easy. But here we are, almost forty years after the pandemic began…….time to hitch on those running shorts, take a deep breath and hit the road again.
Kevin Mullins
28th January 2022
One Life - Live It
AN ESSAY (of sorts) BY KEVIN MULLINS
The inspiration for my “essay”, if you will, is the last image in Neale’s recent post.
I’ve been at pains to think of something for my turn in this cycle for a while.
We’ve all been locked at home, and, thankfully, here in the UK at least, we are starting to see the sun again.
However, I don’t have any considered stories.
So I have effectively taken a mashup of some recent images that define my world at the moment.
But the thing is, that world is beautiful, and of course, Gemma and I have had our crazy arguments and the kids have driven us mad at times, but generally, I’ve seen this period as one of reflection and certainly of one that makes me realise this is our only life.
We have one life. We can bitch about it, or we can live it and love it.
Images in this collection are from my X100V, a prototype X-E4 and even my phone.
Not content with two dogs, Guinea Pigs and her brother. She now has a MASSIVE horse.
I actually don’t know whose feet these are. Not mine.
I feel like in this world of Zoom, this is what people think I look like now.
When your little brother uses the soap to wash his little brother bits in the shower.
The cuteness is disappearing. Now it’s all LED Lights and “Dad can I have a new graphics card”
But we taught him to ride a bike, finally.
Keep well, keep safe and remember that there is one life - live it.
Definition 29 | In Loving Memory of our Dog Sofa
Definition 012 | STAY AT HOME
PHOTOGRAPHY & TEXT BY KEVIN MULLINS
“Sometimes I get to feelin’
I was back in the old days, long ago
When we were kids, when we were young
Things seemed so perfect, you know?
The days were endless, we were crazy, we were young
The sun was always shinin’, we just lived for fun
Sometimes it seems like lately, I just don’t know
The rest of my life’s been, just a show”
We’ve had quite a bit of this
Well these are the days of our lives, for sure.
This event will certainly affect my business as a professional wedding photographer massively (no work for me from the end of February to at least September), I’m reminding myself constantly that, I’m in a far better position than many.
Whilst governments around the world use this to score political points, and I’m cocooned in my house, there are people with no roof over their head, no access to water or medical care. I consider myself lucky in that respect.
I don’t have any client work to do, so Neale James and myself have decided to publish our Podcast daily in an attempt to bring some normality to our listeners days. Do listen if you can – you can find it on all good podcast networks by searching for The FujiCast.
March 22nd 2020 - Not Going Out
It’s not just a case of staring at the wall
As many have discovered, spending time at home with the family has been rather therapeutic. I’ve been spending this first week or so rearranging weddings and sorting out mortgage holidays and fighting with the government over my [not happening] business grants.
And because of that, I’ve not had the inclination to document this time. I just haven’t felt the passion for it. However, I have forced myself to take a few snaps. Albie and I have played about a bazillion games of chess – which I adore.
Gemma and I have been amazed at how well our two are playing with each other and celebrating the time together, rather than fighting in any sense at all. It’s difficult, of course it is, but as a family, I feel like we are stronger.
We are not on the coalface, like the Chinese were, or my European brothers in Italy and Spain are now, nor like the USA are about to be.
I’ve also taken a few moody portraits of the kids as I pretend to be David Bailey.
We are lucky, again, in that respect.
This series was meant to be about our definitions and one thing is for sure, we are all, every person on the planet, being defined somewhat now.
This will end, soon enough. When it does, let’s not forget the love.
In the meantime, here’s a picture of my whippet. She doesn’t seem to be affected at all.
KM.
Breezy the Whippet
DEFINITION 004 | HOPE PREVAILS
BY KEVIN MULLINS
“But he could not bring himself to say he loved her; not in so many words.”
We have become defined, in Britain, at least, more so over the last three years than any other time in my living memory.
There are swings and roundabouts, there are ups and downs, there are good and bad, there is love and hate and there is social politics on a grand scale.
Either side of our barriers are words of wisdom, correctness, wrongness and ego.
What is defining me right now?
Being me. My family. Our lovely world. Our love for each other as humans.
In Britain, we have developed a sense of magnitude, perhaps.
A sense of fortitude, maybe?
Even, incongruously , a sense of independent structure.
But wherever I look, whatever I see, Britain, and British people are still the same.
Family first.
Crazy dips in the Ocean in winter.
Dogs.
Holding hands, supporting each other.
And for everything else, there is always a nice cup of tea.
FOR THE LOVE OF THE STUFF
BY KEVIN MULLINS
I feel somewhat guilty that this project we are embarking on revolves around Consumerism.
It’s because of my post earlier in the year that we came up with this idea, as a collective, to explore consumerism…..but with a twist.
As you will have already gathered, by reading the other posts this month, we have tasked ourseves with shooting with our oldest available digital camera.
In my case, it’s the venerable original X100. A camera I adore, has a great place in my heart and recently I had it signed by Masa-san, the designer of the camera.
Over the last month, I’ve traveled a little. Probably not as much as Jonas, but I’ve been to places as consumer driven as you can get - namely Dubai and Bristol - where all these pictures are yielded from.
As I’m one of the last to go in this series, there isn’t much I can add to the words and thoughts of others with regards to the theme.
However, I’d be contite to exlaim that consumerism is bad. It’s not. It’s life and I’m as guilty as the next person when it comes to have stuff that I probably don’t need.
However, when I look around and compare places like Dubai airport and then the less afluent areas of Bristol you can’t help but to consider the huge bend in the equilibirum.
Even though Dubai’s economy is not strong right now, there is no real outward sign of it. In Bristol, the shops are closing and the “Sales” are all year long.
Consumerism is, in part, to blame - I guess. But the economics of life, the beating heart that we all have, is partly to blame too.
I’m on a downsizing mission right now. I’ve sold a lot of gear, cancelled unecessary bills and am desperately trying to get my kids to eat all their food at dinner (not an easy battle!).
The world we inhabit is still beatuful. I’m proud of the human race. All races, creeds and colours. I feel we are starting to work together more as humankind. The cogs are turning, slowly, and the people are understanding more.
Less waste, more sense. 2019 +
All photographs taken with the original FujiFilm FinePix X100
Renewal 2019
The end of 2018 was full of reflection for me and now, as we head into 2019, I feel I’ve had a certain amount of clarity over the festive period.
I spent a lot of time before Christmas out and about on workshops, shopping and socialising and something hit me like a brick.
Consumerism. Over indulgence. Ego. The need for immediate satisfaction. The need for acceptance. Technology. Noise. Boredom. Constant movement. Lack of space.
Lack of empathy.
And I include myself within some of those parameters.
“Man is not, by nature, deserving of all that he wants. When we think that we are automatically entitled to something, that is when we start walking all over others to get it.”
― Criss Jami
It’s an abundance of crisis. An ever essential need to get more “likes”, more stuff, better stuff, other stuff. Stuff. Just because it’s stuff. We must have….stuff.
On Christmas day, here in the UK, right after the kids watched a Christmas movie, the advert that came on straight after was for a loan company.
What kind of a message is that? What kind of empathy is there?
I feel like many of us are the people that never slows down.
Buy more stuff. Plug into more stuff. Eat more stuff. Never taking a break. Never slowing down.
For what?
There are a lot of messages in our daily existence. I love the artwork that Banksy puts out. His work has a deep sense of irony, humour but a very, very keen sense of observation of the world we live in.
Without sounding too much like Michael Jackson, for 2019, I’m looking at my children more.
I’m looking at the simple things. Things that make them laugh and smile, must, surely, be the things that can make us laugh and smile.
When I’m 95 I want to be walking down the road hand in hand with my wife - not thinking about “stuff” or worse, the time I wasted on “stuff”.
The most important stuff in life is not stuff. It’s life.
Well I think so, anyway.
Happy New Year, folks.
The People of Shibuya
BY KEVIN MULLINS
I’m just back from a whirlwind trip to Japan.
It’s the third time I’ve been to the Land of the Rising Sun and each time I’m amazed a little more by its quirkiness and sense of achievement.
Everything that happens in Japan, happens for a reason and it’s a beutiful thing to witness actually.
Whilst I couldn’t live in the hussle of Tokyo, there are many aspects of Japanese society that we could all learn from.
Here are a few shots from a period of time I spent at the pretty famous Shibuya crossing.
I only took my X100F on this trip, and I feel it was the perfect companion. Small, light, discreet and having not really used this camera much in 2018 it was a cathartic experience to get up close and personal with the people of Shibuya.
