Ghosts and Auroras

Zine Is Out

This is kind of a big deal for me. The experience of photography has changed so much over recent decades, from prints on a page to flicking through images on a phone. I have long wanted for something better than what social media or my own website was achieving.

I wanted to create something that people can sit with and connect. Something quiet and calm. Something gentle but substantial. And I ended up creating a Zine that you can download in full and enjoy offline, or even print out a hardcopy yourself. I have been exploring this format for several months now. My peeps on Mastodon have been giving me feedback from the early drafts, but now it's time to just share it with the entire world.

Each month I want to build a new collection of my current images and ideas. Each zine will be something of a time-capsule, embracing where my creative spirit it presently, and where it might be headed. Making each of these is a process of deep reflection. I only hope these editions will be as worthy of your time as they have been for me.

The fourth edition is out now for March 2026. There's a lot of slow shutters in this one, from Arctic snow to embers by the fire. And of course lots of auroras, plus a little sunshine too. Please enjoy.
ewenbell.com/zine

Seeing Ghosts

As usual, I'm about 4 months late to send out my monthly newsletter. Lots of my subscribers won't even remember who I am let alone when they signed up for the newsletters! My apologies for that. Being a one-man-band has it's drawbacks sometimes. To make things even more confusing, I've moved away from Mailchimp and embraced the independent publishing world by joining the community at "Ghost".

I have struggled to find my feet with these emails/newsletters for the last decade. It always felt too "commercial" and not enough like a conversation. I especially love it when someone replies to an emails with a thought or a question. Mailchimp however felt more focused on clicks and stats and trying to "grow" an audience.

I just want to talk with mine.

I've changed over to Ghost, which means I simply type out my emails instead of "designing" them. It feels different. That combined with my new focus on the zine, makes me feel more like I'm sharing my photos and thoughts... and less like I'm creating content for LinkedIn :)

I am hoping this means I'll send my emails every month, instead of every 4-6 months. We shall see!

2026 Workshops

We have a couple of places open for the Daylesford Food Photography Workshop in May. This is a 4-day event that we run every year, designed to help people get up speed quickly with all aspects of food photography. It's super delicious and features the marvellously talented Shellie Froidevaux.
https://ewenbell.com/itinerary-food.php

Later in the year I have two trips running to the Himalayas. This November we're doing the "Ancient Annapurna" route, which is a little more rough going but takes you into some stunning and hard-to-access landscapes. We don't do trekking, but there will be a few steep hills to walk up for the sake of a great photo. After that trip in Nepal I have a group heading to Bhutan as well, to enjoy some festivals and comfy hotel lodgings. Bhutan is way more luxe than Nepal, and offers a very different cultural experience in the Himalayas.
https://ewenbell.com/tours.php

Finally, a mention for the "Aurora Residency Workshop" in early 2027. We ran this format for the first time earlier this year, and it was amazing. A truly great experience and a wonderfully quiet corner of the Arctic for us to deliver the workshop. We avoid the crowds in Tromsø and Lofoten, plus we avoid driving all day and night in search of scenery. Our pocket of Norway is already rich in photogenic wonders, and we know lots of gorgeous places to setup a tripod for auroras.
https://ewenbell.com/itinerary-aurora.php