Have you ever gone back to a photo you’d forgotten, and found yourself wondering … how did I forget that?  Of course your digital shoebox (and maybe an actual, real, shoebox if you’ve been taking photos as long as me) is full of photos you’ve forgotten. Occasionally you’ll go back to it, browse through, and find yourself muttering “I’d forgotten all about that”. But actual, real, portfolio-worthy photos that had completely slipped your mind?

In 2018 I was exploring the possibilities of travelling as light as possible. My camera of choice was an Olympus PM1 – an impossibly small camera which combined point-and-shoot simplicity with the image quality you might expect from a full-size mirrorless body. Combined with the Olympus 9mm bodycap lens, you had a fearsomely good architectural setup which would fit easily in a jacket pocket.

And so, in September 2018 I found myself at Seton Collegiate Church in East Lothian. It’s an atmospheric place, steeped in mediaeval history and with alleged – but hotly disputed – links to the Knights Templar. It’s also, usually, very quiet. It’s well off the beaten track. Tourists – at least in those days – rarely ventured there.

But with beautiful, well-kept grounds, nestling in woodland with goldfinches, tree creepers, and nuthatches regularly visiting, for a long time it was my regular haunt whenever I had new camera equipment and wanted to take a few test shots.

All of which, I think, explains why I completely forgot this photo even existed: it was a test shot, designed to help familiarise myself with a new lens. From the day I shot it, I never saw it as a keeper.

But something must have gelled with me because I imported the RAW into Lightroom, which I was trialling at the time, and managed to produce this dramatic monochrome shot. Which I instantly forgot. Oh well. I’ve found it again now. I hope you like it as much as I do – at least now that I remember it!