The writer took to the streets of Dublin with a camera he picked up on Done Deal to capture images of festive joy and mirth – what he came back with was a portrait of sadness and isolation
Michael Harding with his camera. Photo: Steve Humphreys
I wanted it for Christmas. A little camera to take snaps of the family. I could make a little booklet as a souvenir of Christmas 2025. The camera was a Lumix LX3, a tiny bundle of elegance with a Leica lens that I saw on Done Deal for just over €100.
I went to Mullingar to meet the seller, a man in his 50s from Eastern Europe, shy and solitary in a battered anorak, with a passion for old cameras. I could sense the memory of snow lingering on his clothes and on his fingers. The tiny camera in his hands resonating with all the days he may have spent on the streets of a far-off city, capturing images of his loved ones.