Retrospective March 2026

March keeps marching forward

Much like February the month really does feel like it has just flown through. I feel like I should be jotting down notes for my next round of new years resolutions. So before we slip into talking about how quick April has gone by lets dive in.

The new job keeps jobbing.

I won’t keep a rolling update on how the job is going month on month but I will say that after 2 months (time flies) it’s a nice break of the routine of woking from home full time like I had been to coming into an office a few days a week. And when the office looks like this you can’t really be mad at all can you?

The photography that only you can make

I really enjoyed writing this one and when Iain Farrell asked me if I had watched the video that inspired the article I said that I already had some notes down for a mid month thought. You should also go and checkout the video from Dave Herring, he’s a great creator and I love watching his adventures.

Start them young

I brought a little camera for Bronte way back in May of 2025, she could only just hold it and had no idea how it worked or how to use it. Something clicked this month and she just figured out how to use the screen on the back to see what the camera saw. I have always wanted to share my love of photography with her so lets see if she enjoys it as she grows up. I may also have created a financial burden for myself because she may have expensive taste like her dad…

New software - TidyImage

Being a software developer and also a photographer I am cursed with the gift of knowledge of how bad uploading and using heavy and super high resolution images are to a websites load time, performance scores and if you’re paying for image hosting that gets charged based on how much is sent during requests then your wallet too…

TidyImage came to me thanks to the Threads algorithm and it was an immediate purchase for me. I pay for a pro licence with JpegMini which has been a super popular one for a long time now. The lifetime licence for TidyImage is less than a year on JpegMini and you get this beautiful application that has some gorgeous UI and animations.

I have only used it a little so far but image compression is absolutely part of my workflow so I can’t wait to dive more into this product and how I can really make it sing for what I want.

There is currently 20% off for the lifetime licence till the end of April for launch so get on it!

My wife is now also going through some pretty huge changes having resigned from her tech job and is now back at University studying Midwifery full time! She has also been working really hard making things over on her business Verity Makes which I have been taking lots of photos for.

Captured my interest

• Still hope you don’t need memory… - Saw this article the other day about how Sony have suspended making their SD and CFExpress memory cards due to the memory shortage driven mainly by the prioritisation of chips for AI data centers. It really is just another thing that gets knocked down in the quest for ‘the benefits of advancing AI’.

• Mandler 35mm f2 - Gear is always something that is tempting to me and when we’re talking about a 35mm lens based on an absolute classic for it’s inspiration that has performance punching well above it’s price tag you have my attention. With this lens getting such good reviews from people and what I have heard from people I have spoken to it really is a great time to be a buyer between this and the Light Lens Lab 35mm f1.4 AA you really can’t go wrong. Both links are to Keith Wee’s blog, I love his writing, reviews and image samples so now you can be just as tempted as I am.

Best of March 2026 Gallery

That wraps up March 2026

I know they usually say start as you wish to continue, but I think after the first couple of months I have been building the plane while I have been flying it there is a sense that I feel like I am hitting my stride. I think in this instance it’s more ‘continue as you wish to continue’, I have been working on some really interesting things with work, experimenting with new ideas with the guide, and continuing to take photos. All in all we’re hitting the grove and moving along!

Bye for now,

Tom