Do you remember Curly from City Slickers? Episode one of Lens and Life starts there. Pete George reflects on forty years behind a camera, a man in Bali with a bike full of cardboard, and what photography eventually taught him about paying attention.

About five minutes. Take a breath before you press play.

Welcome to Pete George — Life. Cameras. Action.

I’ve spent more than 40 years looking at the world through a camera, but this podcast isn’t just about photography.

Life is about the people, places, experiences and things I notice along the way.

Cameras is about learning to see before you press the shutter — photography, filmmaking, B.I.T., 180–36–1 and the ideas behind the way I work.

Action is about getting out there and actually doing it — making photographs, making films, trying things, learning and occasionally getting it bloody wrong.

Three playlists. Plenty of stories. One bloke who’s still curious about what’s around the next corner.

Pete George — Life. Cameras. Action.

See with Purpose. Share with Heart.

For much of my photographic life, I knew what the job was.

At a wedding, portrait session or assignment, there were moments I knew I needed to make. After more than 40 years behind a camera, what interests me now are the moments I have to find.

In this episode, I talk about where photography has taken me, the photograph behind the artwork for The Moments I Didn't Miss, and why I'm increasingly drawn to unmanufactured moments — whether that's a photograph, a café, a meal, a person or simply something I notice along the way.

I also talk about where motion fits into this next chapter, my interest in documenting genuine artisans, and something I've believed for a long time:

We're one of the most photographed societies in history, but we may become one of the least remembered.

Our phones are full of photographs. What are we actually doing with them?

This is where I'm heading next.

See with Purpose. Share with Heart.

AI has its place.

I use it myself for research, writing and sorting ideas.

But when it comes to photography, AI can't breathe.

It doesn't feel the cold air before sunrise. It doesn't wait for the light to change. It doesn't understand why a moment matters.

In this short Lens & Life reflection, I share why I believe photography is about more than creating an image. It's about presence, patience, experience and recognising what's worth keeping.

AI can replicate a look.

It can't live a moment.

Because we breathe.

It doesn't.

The selfie was never the problem. But somewhere along the way, it stopped saying "I was here" and started saying "look at me." In this episode I look at how that shift has played out in Bali — where the place has become a backdrop, the ceremonies have become content, and we've become more interested in proving we were somewhere than understanding why it mattered. I talk about photographing a dawn offering ceremony — no crew, no audience, just an ordinary morning that's happened every day for generations — and ask a simpler question than "will this get attention": does this photograph honour the place I'm standing in?

The companion article and photographs from Bali are at petegeorge.com.au.