First Steps

For this first issue of Felix 24/25, it seems thoughtful to discuss first steps. For freshers, this could mean mustering up the courage to say hello to everyone you pass by on campus, or experimenting with your style to find something that make you more you. Back in my day, I started growing a beard, which turned out to be a good way to not look sixteen anymore. For second-years, first steps could be to sign up to different clubs or societies (Felix for example) or asking out your long-time crush from halls. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t know what to recommend for third-years because, well, that’s something I’m going to find out myself very soon. 

Every year there are new first steps to be taken, at university and in life. A lot of the time they are intimidating, but more often than not they mark the beginning of something that could last a season, or maybe a whole lifetime. In the most cliché way possible: you have to start somewhere, and communicating that idea in photography is an interesting challenge and no easy task.

To be perfectly candid, I usually never read the ‘comment’ part of the photo submission form until after I’ve looked through all the photos and decided the week’s winner. It’s important to get a bit of context as to what I’m looking at, but it’s doesn’t sway me or bring meaning to the photos. This time, context is everything. Charlotte presents an unorthodox medley of shapes painted on a textured, monochromatic background. Amongst the shoeprints in the sand, small paws trod alongside their owners. What she writes is poetic: “[The picture] was taken [...] on a beach in Canet, France. We know [that] many retired couples live here with their dogs. Few young people come here, but many adults come with their newborns to visit their grandparents”. What a beautiful story this picture tells, an intuition about generational continuation, family, loved ones, and their furry friends. Charlotte paints a smile on my face as I scrutinise her photo. I too would love to take a few first steps on some sandy beach in France.

Finally, it could not be a photography section article without making a point on some grand aspect of our lives. To such avail, I invite you to study Walt’s mesmerising night sky. A jubilee of technical know-how (anyone who has tried astro-photography before will confirm this), and an invite to contemplate something greater than ourselves. It is truly special to spectate a night sky such as this, and you can almost see–or imagine–the starts born anew in the Milky Way, as that could never be seen from foggy ol’ London. I would like to leave you with a sense of renewed enthusiasm for what is to come, and encourage you to take a few first steps, whether that be on the beach or through the stars.