Changes… Return To The Blog, New Studio, & More
It’s been quite some time since I’ve had a journal, or ‘blog’ section on my website.
I used to write one years ago, before switching to an email newsletter, which I then stopped and moved to Substack (which I’m leaving, more on that later).
But the first of January seems like a good time to get back at it. I like the idea of having a more personal and casual space to share my process, news, and a look behind the scenes. For now, that’s the plan. Hopefully every week, but we’ll see where it goes.
To kick things off, I figured I’d share some updates. This year brings with it some changes, a few of which I started later in 2025.
A New Studio Space
The first thing to share actually came together just a few weeks ago. That is getting the keys to a new studio space, pictured above.
For the past five years, I’ve worked out of the top floor of my house in a makeshift studio. It’s been great, but I was getting to the point where I had no room left whatsoever (moving a Fuji Frontier film scanner in didn’t help with that…).
I also wanted a larger space that could accommodate some other projects that I’ve been planning.
A studio became available recently, just down the road from me, and I couldn’t pass it up. I had a quick look over the Christmas break and signed on immediately. It checks a lot of boxes.
It’s an old grain barn in a small rural village (there’s a pub about 100 feet down the road, of course), with high ceilings and tons of character. It also has a lot of space, including an extra room that will be converted into a darkroom.
I’m really excited to get it set up, and will be sharing the process and updates on my YouTube channel.
Moving To A Blog, Leaving Substack
As mentioned, I’ve decided to leave Substack and start writing here instead.
There’s a lot I like about Substack. Most notably, the photography community there is great. Unfortunately, after posting there for six months, I started to realise it was more complicated than what I’m after.
The email newsletter I wrote always felt like a simple and personal thing. I’d write something, send it out, and have discussions with people through email.
Substack is very different from that. For me, it has too many features and additions that make it feel like another social network… which it is.
It’s not as simple as just writing and publishing. Instead, there’s a main news feed when you log on, a video section, subscriptions being pushed, very specific statistics for each post you publish, and more.
And it’s not that any of those things are necessarily bad.
It’s just that I’m already immersed online, running a YouTube channel full-time, which consumes a lot of energy. Because of that, I’m not necessarily after, or want to be on, another social platform that requires a lot of attention. So I’ve turned to the blog.
I love the idea of it being connected to my website and it being very simple.
The plan is to share thoughts, experiences, announcements, and new things I’ve learned, and connect with people through the comment section and emails.
I don’t want to monetise it, or have subscriptions, or any of that stuff.
Just a place to write.
So here we are. I’m looking forward to connecting throughout the year.
Film Scanning & Workshops
The last thing I wanted to share was a couple of new additions to my business, which I’ll be launching as soon as I’m in the new space full-time.
The first is finally offering film scanning services for photographers. I’ve wanted to do this for a while; I just needed a larger permanent studio.
I’ll be offering two options.
The first are high-res borderless TIFF scans with the Fuji Frontier SP3000, for both 35mm and medium format film.
The second are Imacon scans, for 35mm up to 4x5 film.
The Imacon was a recent purchase of mine. It’s an older Precision model, but still very high quality. I’m in the process of setting it up, and can’t wait to start rolling it out as an offering.
I’m also going to finally be offering some workshops this year, starting with one-on-one or small group workshops, based out of my studio.
The current focus is on an introduction to large-format film, as well as project discovery/development.
I’ll share an announcement here once scanning services and the workshops launch!
Those are the standout things, for now. I’m wrapping up my first video for 2026, where I share some takeaways and lessons learned from last year, and also give a quick studio tour, and share my focus this year. That’ll be out next week.
I’ve made changes to my process as well, and I’m excited to get rolling on some projects that have been on the back burner for way too long!
Other than that, I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported my work over the last year. I truly appreciate every comment, message, video view, and book and print purchase. None of this would be possible without your support. So thank you again!
Talk soon,
Kyle
