I guess I’m not alone in admitting that I find it hard to commit to all the goals that I’d like to achieve at the start of a new year, while still suffering the after effects of too much fine food and drink from the festive season. A Couch to 5k might be a good start, if only I could get myself off the couch to start training. Failing this, a commitment to consuming more culture, whether in the form of film, theatre, books or art, seems like a pleasant and low demand achievable.

Just before Christmas, a winter issue of the photography magazine, Aperture caught my eye. Entitled the ‘Craft Issue’ and boasting a monochrome cover, I noticed that it is devoted to the slow craft of photography - a step back to a time when photography really felt like magic - with photograms, collages and even hand made camera obscuras featured. It is the antithesis to what visual images, synonymous now with the speed of social media, have the potential to become; a world of selfies and snapshots often made in the hope that they might go viral.

Slowing down in a fast, tech driven world seems like an antidote to the stress of modern living. While clearing one of my drawers recently I noticed a once cherished film camera, now buried under a pile of belts and scarves; my sturdy and reliable Contax 35mm compact. I dusted it off, remembering how in the past it had once accompanied me everywhere. I can’t imagine that it will return to my bag on a daily basis, but I’m curious as to whether the spontaneous act of taking a photo regularly, on a camera that isn’t my phone, and without knowing the outcome, will bring back that feeling of magic.