157 ☼ Pressing Pause In Tuscany

+ a new Giveaway + new work

Aug 25, 2024

Dear friends,

It’s so good to be back after a two-week break. This week's letter is about that very break and the time I spent in beautiful Tuscany, pressing the pause button on work life and the shutter button as a form of relaxation.

Also in this issue: an exciting giveaway in partnership with Excire, a piece of software I recently added to my archive work flow and am very excited about.

Process Photo Walk — European Tour

The Process Photo Walk is hitting the road for a short European tour this summer and fall! Check out all the upcoming dates below and RSVP coz the spots are going fast.

BERLIN – August 31 with Safelight (RSVP) (sold out, but waitlist available)
AMSTERDAM – September 15 with Pamplemousse Magazine (RSVP)
MADRID — October 6 with Carmencita Filmlab and Erea Azurmendi (RSVP)
PARIS — November 10 during Paris Photo (RSVP)
LONDON – November 16 w/ Shane and Josh of Framelines, and Ilford (RSVP)

A Pause in Tuscany

It took me fifteen years to finally take a true vacation. Not a work trip, not a family visit squeezed into a busy schedule, but an actual break. A pause. As someone who’s been fortunate enough to travel the world for work, it’s strange to admit that this was my first trip solely for the purpose of resting in over a decade.

Pandemic aside, the past fifteen years have been a constant parade of deadlines, meetings, pitching, personal projects, and many an airport. While I’m deeply grateful for those experiences, I knew I needed to slow down. Tuscany, with its rolling hills, olive groves, and a slower pace of life, seemed like the perfect place to do just that.

The trip began in Rome, which welcomed us with a wave of heat that only August could bring. We rented a car and drove up to Tuscany, where a friend’s family runs a vineyard and a countryside B&B. Being there felt special. There’s something grounding about seeing someone in the environment that shaped them.

We spent our days exploring the vineyard, going on walks to pick fruit, meeting her family, and learning the stories behind their land. One story that stuck with me was how they play classical music in the fields for the vines. It sounds like something out of a fairytale, but there’s real science behind it—studies have shown that the music benefits the growth of the vines.

I loved hearing these stories over home-cooked Italian meals, and visiting the local market where we bought way too many tomatoes—so many, in fact, that we ate them every day for the rest of the trip.

For this trip, I kept it simple. I brought just two cameras: my Hasselblad 500cm for analog shots and a Fujifilm X100F, generously provided by MPB, for digital work. There was no assignment, no pressure to create a particular body of work, just the joy of taking photos for the sake of it. I’m excited to share some of my favorite digital images from the trip in this issue. As for the film shots, they’re on their way to Carmencita Film Lab, and I can’t wait to see how they turned out.

After a few days at the vineyard, we headed to a B&B on an olive grove closer to the coast. We spent our time visiting three different beaches, letting the warm sea embrace us. I even managed to start and finish a novel—"How to Stop Time" by Matt Haig. It’s been ages since I’ve taken the time to get lost in a book, and it was a real pleasure to rediscover that joy.

This trip was only eleven days, but it brought a sense of calm that I’ve been missing for a long time. It reminded me how important it is to press pause now and then, to take a step back and just be.

I’ve realized that I’m not the best boss to myself—I’ve been burning the candle at both ends for far too long. But this trip has been a reset, and it’s left me excited to dive back into work, to publish, and to create. I’m particularly pleased with the photos I took on this trip. No assignment, no pressure, just pure enjoyment in capturing moments and memories.

I’m going to try to build more regular rest into my life. I don’t want to wait another fifteen years to take a proper break. And I want to keep reading books; it’s a simple pleasure that I’ve missed.

Thank you for being here with me, for reading and following along. I hope this inspires you to take a moment for yourself, to go outside, take some photos, and capture the small, beautiful moments in your life.

Process is a reader-supported publication. If you enjoyed this issue, consider joining the Process Photo Club. Membership includes a free copy of the Process Work Book and perks like significant discounts on books, prints, and mentor sessions. Read more here or upgrade below.

Next Issue: A look at my studio/office tools + updates on "NOTICE Journal Volume One" and various other projects. So many balls in the air, and I’m excited to share all the behind-the-scenes with you!

Keep shooting and take good care of yourselves and others. <3

Wesley

PS Support Process by ordering my photo book NOTICE and the new Process Work Book, filled with assignments and prompts.

Gear & Tools Used

Camera: Fujifilm X100F. What can I say about this camera that I haven’t already said. It’s my favorite digital camera ever and a joy to use. I love that it has a fixed lens (less to think about!) and that it’s a 35mm (versatile!). I love the form factor (small!) and how many physical buttons it has (many!). I love how it renders and most of all how it has its own character that I can mold with my personal style.

Shout out to MPB.com, my go-to place to buy, sell, and trade used cameras and lenses. I love their service and am a paying customer. MPB caters to over 625,000 visual storytellers and provides a 6-month warranty. Thanks for the support, MPB! <3

Lab: All my analog work is developed and scanned by my friends at Carmencita Film Lab. They’re my favorite lab in the world. Use code “PROCESS” to get a free upgrade.

Memory Retrieved — A Process Giveaway

For the next six months, I’ll dive into my 20-year archive once a month, using Excire to search based on a keyword suggested by a Process reader. This month, my intern Lydia suggested the keyword "bench", which turned up 3813 pictures!

One of the images that came up was an early favorite of mine from 2007, long before I became a photographer, even as a hobbyist. I was in Austin, TX, for SXSW, running my independent music label and attending the conference. While walking between shows, I noticed a group of photogenic young people sitting on a bench-like wall. I asked if I could take their picture with my little Canon PowerShot SD500, and they agreed. I snapped a few shots in black and white and one in color. Here it is.

It’s genuinely so much fun to be reminded of past experiences when I come across old photos. What should I search for next month?

Suggest a keyword in the comments, and I’ll randomly select a winner to receive a free copy of Excire. Excire is a software service that uses AI to analyze and tag your photos, making it easy to search and find images using keywords.

Check out Excire here. Process readers receive 15% off with the coupon code "PROCESS" at checkout. Highly recommended.

PS Since we are all a bit weary of AI training on our work, I confirmed that Excire does not use any of our images for training purposes or other activities. All remains on our local device.

Can’t get enough Process? Browse the Process Archives.

Follow me on Instagram at @wesley.