Where does photographic inspiration come from? Well for me it is usually triggered subconsciously through some innocent event or encounter that makes me think and see in a particular way. A good example of this is this City Diary set from the marvellous city of Rome which I visited recently for the second time. The trigger in this case was a visit to the excellent Pasolini exhibition that showcased his controversial life in Rome through letters, photos, video clips and stills from his movies. I didn’t realise this effect at a conscious level and it was only when I looked at the shots from the weekend that I began to see the influence that the show and Pasolini had had on me and the subjects and framings that I chose as a result. I think that it’s fair to say that this works best if you try not to rationalise too much and simply shoot what creates an emotional response or interest for you, no matter what the subject matter might be. I also find it best not to look at the photos as I shoot and often leave it for a day or two before I edit them afterwards. One thing that I do consider essential for this kind of fun shooting is a small, compact camera that is flexible and easy to use. I have been using a Ricoh GR a lot recently and it absolutely excels for this type of City shooting with its snap focus and close focusing macro capability that I find very easy to use and control. At the risk of stating the blindingly obvious, it goes without saying that the more you use and know your camera then the more you can shoot ‘internally’ without the conscious thought required to fiddle with controls and focusing. Finally, the real beauty of this approach is that you don’t necissarily have to travel to exotic locations to practise it, although in all honestly that is a huge part of the fun and motivation for me.