Eight years ago, I was walking around Montreal with an iPhone 8 in my pocket. No Fujifilm. No fancy lenses. No film simulations. No carefully planned photography setup.

Just a phone, a city, and whatever caught my attention.

Looking back at these photos in 2026, I honestly forgot how much I enjoyed shooting with that little camera. At the time, I wasn’t thinking about megapixels, dynamic range, lenses, or getting the “perfect” image. I was simply walking around Montreal and taking photos of things that felt interesting to me.

And maybe that’s what I like most about revisiting them.

The camera didn’t really matter

Photography has changed a lot since 2018. There are incredible cameras, lenses, recipes, presets, and editing tools everywhere now. It’s easy to think you need the right gear before you can start making photographs you’re proud of.

But these old photos reminded me of something pretty simple:

You can start with whatever you already have.

The iPhone 8 wasn’t a professional camera. It wasn’t something I bought specifically for photography. It was just the phone I had with me.

And somehow, it was enough.

I think that’s an important lesson for anyone who wants to get into photography. Don’t wait until you can afford the camera you’ve been dreaming about. Don’t wait for the perfect lens. Don’t wait until you understand every setting.

• Go outside.
• Walk around.
• Look at the light.
• Notice the people, colours, shadows, reflections, buildings, and little moments happening around you.
• Then take the photo.

Montreal in 2018

Montreal was the perfect place to do that.

I loved walking through the streets and finding little scenes without really knowing what I was looking for. Sometimes it was a particular colour. Sometimes it was the way someone was standing in the light. Sometimes it was just a moment that felt right for no obvious reason.

Looking at these photos now, they feel like little time capsules.

The colours, the streets, the people, the atmosphere – they take me straight back to 2018.

That’s one of the things I love about photography. You might forget exactly what you were doing on a particular afternoon, but a photograph can bring the feeling back almost instantly.

Before the “fancy” camera

These photos were taken long before I started shooting with Fujifilm.

Today, I enjoy experimenting with different cameras, lenses, film simulations, colours, and techniques. But going back to these iPhone 8 photos reminded me that all of those things are secondary to actually seeing something worth photographing.

• A camera can give you more possibilities.
• It can’t tell you what to photograph.
• It can’t decide when a moment feels right.
• And it definitely can’t make you stop and look.
• That part is still up to you.

Start with what you have

If you’re thinking about getting into photography but don’t have a “real” camera yet, I hope these photos give you a little encouragement.

• Use your phone.
• Use an old camera.
• Use whatever is sitting in your drawer.

You don’t need the newest gear to start developing your eye. In fact, having limitations can sometimes make you more creative because you have to work with what you’ve got.

My iPhone 8 was never supposed to be part of my photography journey in any serious way.

But eight years later, I’m still looking at the photos I made with it.

And maybe that’s the best camera lesson of all:

The best camera isn’t always the one with the best specifications. Sometimes, it’s simply the one you have with you.

These are a few frames from Montreal, 2018 – before Fujifilm, before all the fancy gear, and before I really knew where photography would take me.