Falling Back in Love with Photography Using the XP4N App

Hampus Danielsson
Apr 28
2 min read

Photography used to feel like home.

lately it’s been purely work.

i needed something to wake me up.

Falling back in love with photography wasn’t about buying a new camera. It was about learning to slow down, to notice, and to feel again. That’s when I found the XP4N app — a panoramic film simulator inspired by the legendary Hasselblad XPan.

it changed everything.

Empty SkyTrain station at night with neon lights, captured with XP4N simulation. — **Empty stations. late nights. searching for something real again.**

Why I Felt Disconnected

Shooting became too technical.
Everything had to be “portfolio worthy.”
I stopped playing.I stopped exploring.
I forgot what it felt like to shoot for no reason.

The magic was gone. It felt weird.

First Time Using XP4N

I downloaded the app without much thought.

Opened it on a walk -framed a shot through the wide panoramic viewfinder.

Clicked.

Something clicked inside me too.

Sunset over Third Beach with panoramic framing, wide open sky and beach.

What Makes XP4N Different

You’re locked into a 65:24 ratio.
You have to compose wide.
No cropping later. No fixing mistakes.
You slow down. You see differently.

Instead of chasing perfect shots,

I started slowing down.

Waiting for moments to find me,

instead of snapping at everything.

Photographer standing by the seawall during sunset, panoramic city and water view. — **No pressure. Just curiosity.**

Finding Beauty Again

I stopped aiming for “bangers.”

I started photographing whatever caught my eye —

the light, the way the air felt, the tiny stories happening around me.

Panoramic view of Coal Harbour with boats, city skyline, and soft evening light. — **Ordinary places felt cinematic again.**

New Energy

With XP4N, I wasn’t shooting for social media.

I wasn’t shooting for clients.

I was shooting because I wanted to.

View from bridge overlooking train tracks and downtown Vancouver, wide panoramic frame. — **The city looked different when I stopped trying so hard.**

Escaping the City

It wasn’t just city scenes.

Nature started calling too.

And for the first time in a long time —

I answered without second-guessing.

Panoramic shot of river running through dense forest at Lynn Canyon. — **Finding peace in movement.**

Rocky shoreline at Porteau Cove with mountains across the water, captured in wide frame. — **Breathing room. Space to think.**

Even the Rain Felt Good

I even shot through rainy windows, and loved it.

Stuff I would have thought was “boring” before.

Rainy city view through a window, soft reflections and grayscale.

XP4N didn’t just give me a new frame.

It gave me permission to see again.

To play.

To feel.

Sometimes you don’t need a new camera.

You just need a new way of looking.

Have you ever lost the love for something you cared about?

What helped you find your way back?