If glass were invented today it might play out like this.
Niche interest followed by an inevitable pivot point leading to something akin to mass obsession. Fatigued by bubbles (not within), we’d face the specter of IPOs, add to the vernacular with gems like ‘glasshole’, and settle into a debate on democratization of glass.
Fortunately, glass isn’t new, so we’re spared. But it’s still remarkable.
That magic substance made from the common and abundant sand, doing double duty as an insulator with the gift of transparency. Shops couldn’t exist without glass and equally so, homes would be very dark and miserable. It’s used for beakers, it’s used to conjure allegorical stories in windows and maybe best of all brings beer to millions.
Truth is this started out as a lark. Never hiding the fact I have too many interests and too many hobbies, dancing from one to another can be both fulfilling and frustrating. Think, ‘how does that camera work, drats, I just missed a great shot’.
With an upcoming trip to Arctic Norway and not wishing to disappoint, I’ve begun grabbing a camera and lens, venturing out some mornings to see what inspires. While I love glass’s utility, glass became the accidental stage for my lark, offering a chance to explore reflections through photography.
There’s a photographer in us all.
I’m convinced we’re mostly visual creatures, almost a disproportionate amount of brain devoted to seeing. How the photographer within manifests is unique to each. We copy, we try, we invent but above all hopefully we enjoy.
I’m simply an opportunistic travel photographer. Serendipity is a huge part of my credo. Being there, willingness to look and a keen eye, can and will nab something memorable. I’m not a B&W photographer nor see it as a single genre to express with, it’s simply a tool. It reduces distractions I don’t want. Adjacent color can be very jarring. I think the human visual engine explores lines, contrast and shapes in its initial assessment and in a way bringing that to the fore becomes a goal in of itself.
I’ve never been particularly serious about photography but a lifetime of dabbling has made it clear that I enjoy conveying the sense that the world is a beautiful place and an interesting place. The arc of my life has made me an optimist and so photographs that I create have to be optimistic, convey a sense of calm and be an upper, not a downer, that is not me. That is someone else’s mission, not mine.
I’m somewhat lazy, I display what I shoot. No cropping, minimal manipulation, simply trying to convey an emotion forward, sometimes to others but always to myself.
The composite of blending an interior and exterior view is fascinating. It’s like a perceptual puzzle. Windows are natural frames, the mixture is potentially confusing and if not dismissed, can cause the viewer to ponder and dissect. In the end this is no Michael Kenna minimalist journey.
Job done, workshop over, I’ve ventured into central Oslo, camera in hand, fingers freezing and applied the joy of Laguna Beach practice sessions to an Oslo morning.
and now a few reflections from wandering Laguna Beach back in December 2025. Time well spent.
For those possibly intrigued with the technical aspects. Keeping it simple worked better for me, I used a 35mm prime with a wide aperture of 1.8 to give me control over depth of field and I turned on manual focus. Modern mirrorless cameras let me “see” the image in monochrome through the viewfinder. Of all the options to future proof, of course I shot RAW but I also elected for a JPEG version to be saved in camera. The JPEG, in B&W is what I reviewed and have shared above. Easy, peasy. Lazy? Or maybe just efficient.
The lark is now a new and small “passion” project. Glass turns ordinary streets into puzzle, especially where people don’t love being part of the puzzle.