Leave The Norm Behind

So I have recently made the decision to once again leave my iPhone and go back to an old terrible phone that can’t run any apps at all. Besides email, maps, a really slow browser and then, of course, calls and texts. A music player is a nice bonus; I won’t lie to you. However, I really want an iPod classic to replace even that.

The offending phone. Such a good idea it’s a tough phone designed to go underwater if needed. Also physical buttons were a big plus.

So the million dollar question: why have I taken this seemingly terrible back step as a “working photographer”?

Simple: I hate my phone, and yet I am completely addicted to it. Like many of us in this world, I find it to be the first thing I reach for in the morning and the last thing I put down at night.

Well, I decided to make a change; I ditched modern technology in an attempt to bring back some of my life where I’m not so reliant on a screen. I see the irony in saying I want to be on a screen less and yet writing on a digital blog for others to read; however, outside of shouting my thoughts into an empty canyon or perhaps throwing a bottle into the sea, this seems to be the easiest way to do it.

My current daily setup plus the iPhone that took this photo. I think it’s a 12 mini ??

At least that was the plan, 1 day in, I tried to make a phone call. It didn’t go through. I tried again; still nothing. After around an hour of research and working out exactly why things weren’t working, I discovered my network has completely disabled anything less than 4g for phone calls. Meaning this saviour of a phone I had brought was essentially useless unless all I wanted to do was text. Not ideal at all.

So back to the drawing board. I now knew all my needs and musts for a phone and worked out the best option I had was to use my current iPhone and dumb that down. The best part of all is that this option is totally free.

my home screen is a place of calm and simplicity.

So I am now a photographer who doesn’t have Instagram or any form of social media on his phone. I have it on my iPad, which doesn’t tend to leave the house unless I’m away on a trip. I must say it feels pretty good. I find myself outside not wanting to check my phone. I don’t have a constant buzz of notifications, and I feel as if I am a lot more present in life. Sure, it’s a small step and a relatively minor change, but I feel this may make a huge amount of difference with my creative work.