Photowalks: What To Expect (And Why Nobody Knows What They’re Doing Either)

If you’ve never been on a photowalk before, you probably imagine one of two things.

Either:

• a deeply serious group of people silently photographing brick walls while discussing focal lengths…

Or:

• twenty-seven people in expensive jackets fighting over the same pigeon.

  
  

Thankfully, most photowalks,  especially the ones around Not Quite North, tend to be far less intimidating and far more human than that.

They’re usually just groups of people wandering around with cameras, occasionally crouching in strange places, getting overly excited about light hitting a bus stop, and apologising to pedestrians after accidentally blocking the pavement while photographing a drainpipe.

It’s lovely.

First things first: nobody cares what camera you own

Honestly.

You could arrive with:

• a Leica worth more than a second-hand car

• a battered Pentax held together with electrical tape

• a disposable camera

• a phone

• or a mysterious Soviet-era camera that sounds like a mousetrap every time you press the shutter

All are welcome

Photowalks are one of the few places where somebody will see your strange old film camera and respond with: “OH MY GOD IS THAT A SPOTMATIC?”, instead of: “…why?”.

There will probably be at least one person photographing a puddle

This is important to know in advance.

At some point during the walk:

• somebody will kneel in the street for “the reflection”

• somebody else will photograph a very normal-looking wall for ten minutes

• someone will say “the light is amazing right now”

• and at least one person will take a picture of a traffic cone like it’s a lost artefact from antiquity

This is all completely normal behaviour.

You do not need to be “good” at photography

This is probably the biggest misconception.

People often assume photowalks are only for experienced photographers, but honestly, some of the best walks happen when people are still figuring things out.

You don’t need technical knowledge.You don’t need a portfolio.You don’t need to know what aperture means without quietly panicking.

Most people are just there because they want:

• an excuse to use their camera

• to meet people

• to get out of the house

• to slow down a bit

• or because photography can otherwise become a slightly lonely hobby

And there’s something genuinely reassuring about realising everyone misses focus sometimes.

Especially film photographers. We simply don’t know until three days later.

Photowalks slow you down in the best possible way

Modern life encourages you to rush through places without really noticing them.

Photowalks do the opposite.

Suddenly you’re paying attention to:

• shadows on concrete

• steam leaving café vents

• peeling posters

• weird mannequins in charity shop windows

• pigeons standing dramatically in alleyways

You begin noticing the city differently.

Lincoln especially has a way of rewarding slow looking. Tiny details start to appear everywhere once you stop trying to “hunt” for photographs and simply walk.

The community side matters just as much

One of the nicest things about the Not Quite North photowalks is that they don’t really feel like networking events.

Nobody’s trying to impress anyone.

People chat about:

• cameras

• books

• films

• coffee

• where to get film developed

• terrible scanning experiences

• accidentally opening the back of a camera halfway through a roll

• and, occasionally life in general

You’ll usually find a mixture of:

• complete beginners

• seasoned photographers

• students

• people returning to photography after years away

• and analogue obsessives carrying enough film to survive a small apocalypse

  
  

And weirdly, everybody tends to get along.

Probably because photography attracts people who enjoy quietly noticing things.

How to get the most out of a photowalk

Don’t try too hard.

The harder you force photographs, the worse they usually become.

Walk slowly.Look around.Follow curiosity.

Some walks you’ll come home with images you love. Other times you’ll just have had a nice afternoon and one slightly blurry photo of a seagull.

Both are valid.

Talk to people

Ask about cameras. Ask what people shoot. Ask what film they use.

Photographers LOVE explaining why they spent £14 on a roll of film that expired in 1997.

Don’t spend the whole time reviewing photos

Particularly with digital.

You’ll enjoy the walk far more if you stay present rather than constantly checking the screen after every image.

Besides, half the joy is discovering the photographs later.

Accept that you may become fascinated by incredibly boring objects.

This simply happens over time.

One day you’re a normal person.

The next time you’re photographing:

• moss on a drainpipe

• condensation on a Greggs window

• a shopping trolley in dramatic lighting

Photography changes you.

Honestly, just turn up

That’s the hardest part for most people.

But once the walk starts, the nerves usually disappear pretty quickly. Cameras are oddly good social glue. They give people something to share attention towards rather than

pressure to constantly talk.

And before long you’re wandering through the streets with a group of people excitedly discussing shadows, grain structure, or why expired Fuji Superia from 2009 somehow still looks incredible.

Which, when you think about it, is actually a pretty nice way to spend an afternoon.