Change Is In The Air.

Seasons often meld into each other. When does autumn end or when does winter begin? In the UK it is officially the 1st December and lasts until the end of February. That seems pretty clear. The weather often says otherwise and winter conditions can come early and appear well into what is thought of as spring. Climate change in the past 20 years has exacerbated these anomalies so it is not uncommon to now experience mild winters and late cold spells well into March and even April. There does not seem to be clear demarcations of seasons any longer which can cause problems for photographers. We like reliable weather, not good weather but just reliable. The UK is not known particularly for its reliability but as a rule, we can work around whatever weather appears. As I say on every blog, I am no landscape photographer. I love taking landscape photos, some of which turn out well. I am more of an outdoor photographer, at home in both urban and rural settings.

I really like a moody sky, can cope with rain and wind. I’m uncertain in snow as I haven’t taken enough to hone any skills in those conditions. Autumn suits me down to the ground. Good skies, pops of colour making the options for images all the more plentiful. I have been on a camera gear journey that has proved to be more turbulent than I had hoped. I want a rugged camera that will be at home in bad weather, take detailed images with lots of depth and be reasonably affordable. Panasonic has been very good nearly for all of that. I am however looking at Pentax full frame. Not the most common gear these days although it has a stellar history in photography. It was one of the pioneers of SLR cameras, of IBIS or SR (shake reduction in Pentaxian). It has always had a reputation for producing high quality cameras and lenses. The K1 is apparently, a beast. It has 36.4mp, practically every bell and whistle a photographer could wish for. it’s a pretty lousy video camera but I’m primarily a photographer.

I do wonder if I am satisfying some hidden need for satisfaction by changing my gear as often as I do. I know a new camera won’t make me a better photographer but it might just get me further along the road. My plan is shoot photos with the Pentax and Ricoh GRIIIX and shoot video with the Panasonic S5. The video will contain You Tube videos so I need a good video camera. The S5 is a great photo camera but as I said earlier, it lacks a certain something. Soul is maybe overstated but there is something about the camera you have in your hand. The Ricoh GRIIIX excites me. You feel as if there possibilities where there were not before you picked it up. I recently and briefly owned a Leica SL which managed to do that. Unfortunately, I also felt unworthy of owning such an expensive piece of kit, plus I needed the help of IBIS which it did not have.

Like the seasons, I feel a change in the air. I have been a serious photographer for a couple of years now and have acquired a degree of technical competence. I want a piece of kit capable of easing my ambitions as a photographer. I don’t care if the technology is a few years old, as long as it’s really good. I have been in a creative autumn and now feel the onset of winter. Winter isn’t a bad thing in my book. I love the challenges that winter throws at you, I don’t mind the cold and find it easier to be in snow as long as I don’t have to drive anywhere. It has been tough year in some respects, losing my mum, changes with my family, uncertainties of our future. My partner and I are happy to change and live with change. I have a new grandchild and another imminently about to appear. I love being a grandpa, not at all bothered being one. Next year is a big milestone for me and I suspect, more change will come. I feel my professional photography career is about to take off. Just need to make sure I don't screw things up before it begins!

Autumn Walk.

Birch Tree - Panasonic S5 + Panasonic 24-105mm f/4

I have a lingering, annoying cold. It has been here nearly a week and it’s getting me down. I have missed opportunities to go out and capture the majestic displays of autumn. I haven’t been feeling overly positive of late, and having to sell my Leica to recoup some funds, only made this worse. As someone who suffered with clinical depression for several years, it is always a worry. Am I slipping back into the darkness again? Is the black dog trotting his way up the garden path? I think it feels more physical health related this time and hopefully when this bloody cold goes, I’ll perk up. That’s the excuses out of the way and now onto one of the two photowalks I have managed this week.

I stopped at Chellowdene on the outskirts of Bradford on Thursday this week. It is a place I have been to many times in all weathers, lights and times of year. Autumn is maybe where it is at its finest however. The rambling woods lead to two reservoirs constructed first in 1844 and then 1853, were built to supply fresh drinking water to the city of Bradford. They are very popular with dog walkers and locals wanting to stretch their legs. My late mum played in these woods as a child in the 1930’s. I wandered through the woods to the upper reservoir, stopping frequently to capture the beautiful burnished colours, crunching over a carpet of leaves. I felt pretty dreadful butt also determined to not turn round and get back in the car. The lure of capturing some seasonal colour was too much and also, I wanted to give my Panasonic S5, a runout.

As I have owned one of these cameras before, it felt familiar and comfortable. I forgot how well it performs and the level of detail you can recover from the raw files. It made me wonder why I had sold it for the Leica, given that they do share certain internal components, thanks to the Panasonic/Leica hook up. I was grateful for the in-body image stabilisation as my hands were particularly shaky thanks to the cold and general feeling of feebleness. It pairs very well with the 24-105 lens which also has image stabilisation. The Lens is probably the nicest kit lens of any manufacturer I have ever owned. Simple, effective and not overly heavy. It does the simple things well.

I am glad I managed to get out and get some photos. I am always happiest when I have a camera in hand. This is only marginally better than looking and processing the raw images. To see your photos come alive in Lightroom is a joy. The greatest moment for me in any photography, is the split second before the shutter goes. Can you capture what is not only before you but what you see as being before you. These for me are very different in that one is how the scene is and the other is how you envisage it could be portrayed. I am not a landscape photographer in any way. I don’t want to recreate the scene exactly as it is. I know many landscape photographers will manipulate their raw images to create a certain mood or bring out facets in the composition which I guess is where I am. I went for a darker moodier vibe this time, wanting the colours to pop but the skies and shadows to also predominate. When I’ve shaken this cold, I hope to get out again and do some more photos before the trees lose all their leaves and winter sets in. Sorry for the moaning and thanks for reading so far. Enjoy your Sunday!

Unworthy or Uncomfortable

Red Wharf Bay, Anglesey - Leica SL typ601 + Panasonic 24-105mm f4

For almost as long as I have been taking photographs seriously; I have wanted to own a Leica. Maybe it’s the kudos, the legend that is Leica? Three months ago, I got my hands on one. It is a beautiful piece of precision engineering, designed to make photography a pleasure. The camera has not put a foot wrong. I have enjoyed every minute using it. I can’t carry on owning it.

Ok, that sounds perverse. In some ways it is but hear me out. Before the Leica, I was shooting very happily with a Panasonic S5. Quite simply, the best camera I had ever owned. It did everything very well and was a pleasure to hold and use. The only gripe I had was the abundance of options available in the way of controls. I knew what they did but they confused me. The Leica is a solution to this issue. The Leica however has its drawbacks, one of which has proved to be the main reason I am going back to the S5. The Panasonic has IBIS (in body image stabilisation) and once you have owned a camera with it, it’s very hard to go back. Even my beloved Ricoh GRIIIX has IBIS which is part of the joy of that little gem. I tried raising the minimum shutter speed and that helped to a certain extent. I bought the Panasonic 24-105 which has optical image stabilisation, but it works only moderately when not paired with an IBIS equipped body.

South Stack Lighthouse, Anglesey.

The Panasonic is the match to the Leica in sensor, out performs it on dynamic range and low light capability. Its video features are stunning and it is half the price of the Leica. That brings me onto the other reason. Owning a Leica is a pleasure but also a burden to those of us who don’t always feel deserving of such expensive kit. I know I am a semi professional photographer who needs a decent level of quality gear but Leica takes you well beyond that threshold. I’m not berating myself and wailing ‘Im not worthy’ but if I can achieve the same results with well made and more affordable gear, then I feel better about it. I hope this will have scratched the ‘I want a Leica’ itch once and for all. I don’t want more megapixels or lightning quick autofocus. I want a camera that produces beautiful images when this bloke does a half decent job of pointing it in the right direction. I don’t want to feel nervous of taking it out and using it. I don’t want people to think I have only got one because of the name. I recognise it is a fabulous camera, especially when in the hands of a skilled, experienced professional. I am not there yet and consequently need all the help I can get from my gear. I realise I shake more than I thought and having stabilisation, helps me nail focus more often than not. I will miss the simplicity of design, the straightforward menu system and the minimalist layout. I realise these are compromises I must make but make them I must. I can now say I am a Lumix and Ricoh user and live with that. It is not a step back, merely sideways.

Beaumaris Pier, Anglesey.

Autumn Has Arrived!

I’m not a landscape photographer. I tend to find that most landscape photographers think like landscape photographers. They have a love of nature, of painting a scene with an image. I am in awe of many great landscape photographers for both their work and their dedication to it. To be fair, most types of photography attracts slightly obsessive people. You put a camera in the hand of photographer and they begin to imagine the perfect scene. I do have that need to create but I’m not fixed or have a strong preference to any form of subject. Autumn however, does bring out the landscape photographer in me. The mixture of vibrant colours as the deciduous trees, turn their canopies of green into browns, yellows, orange, red. The light is different this time of year as it can be bright but not as intense.

I like the freshness, that slight nip in the air. It can also be more of a lottery as to whether it pours down all day, blows a gale or produces a frost. I went out yesterday morning up above Gibson Mill in West Yorkshire. I had no intention of walking to the mill but knew that the path down offered several opportunities for some compositions. I went armed with all manual lenses as there was no need to focus quickly. My Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 Nokton Classic is proving to be a wonderful addition to my kit. It’s small, easy to focus and very sharp even when fully open. I also used my old faithful Pentax SMC 135mm f3.5 and Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.4. The 50mm is proving to be a lovely sharp lens even though the focus throw on it is quite a lot more than my Voigtlander. The beauty of shooting manually on the Leica is that often, the process is quicker than trying to nail autofocus (an issue I discussed in my previous blog post). The beauty of using old lenses is the way they render colour. Pentax lenses seem almost tailor made for autumn as they can be slightly more subdued than the exuberant depths of colour you can get from Zuiko lenses. One advantage of shooting manually whilst out amongst abound rich colours and mist is that you take your time more. I am naturally impatient but autumn tends to slow me down. Less desire to nail one photo and then move on.

Early autumn is often my favourite time of year. There is still enough daylight to explore without the worry of darkness appearing. You don’t have to get up at a silly hour to capture a sunrise. There’s something more respectable about 7.30 am than the 5am starts in Summer. As a photographer, you have to be able to adapt to whatever season or weather condition you’re faced with but we will all have a preference. Mine is now and for the next few weeks before winter grasps us in its foreboding icy clutches. I’m determined to capture the moments before the weather/lack of light and general stupidity of the festive season, takes hold.

Manual or Auto?, That Is The Question.

Hebden Bridge - Leica SL + Voigtlander 35mm F1.4 Nokton Classic II

I’m no stranger to using a manual lens. They were the only option back in the 1970s and my Dad’s Yashica and Canon cameras could produce lovely sharp images with this technology. The use of film cameras in recent years has reignited the use of manual lenses originally designed for film. Makers such as Olympus Zuiko, Pentax Asahi & Takumar, Nikon, Canon , all produced high quality optics. Third party lenses could also be very high quality, in many ways the 60”s through to the 1990’s were the heyday of lens manufacture.

Modern lenses are in some ways superior to the old ones with superb topics and fast autofocus. You do hear some photographers today say that modern lenses can be almost too sharp, too perfect. Little or no aberrations, reliable and predictable, tools of the trade, not enough character. I use Sigma Contemporary lenses with my Leica and the Ricoh GRIIIX has a superb 26.1mm f2.8 fixed lens. I know the results from these lenses will be sharp, reliable and consistent. Photographers of yesteryear also needed reliability however and that often came from the quality of manufacture the companies produced. Olympus Zuiko lenses can stand up to modern day lenses in sharpness and contrast but are often made to a higher standard than many top notch modern autofocus lenses. I use a modern rangefinder lens made by Voigtlander. It’s incredibly reliable, sharp and beautifully made. It is also surprisingly easy to use.

Hebden Bridge, Leica SL + Sigma 90mm f2.8 Contemporary.

Learning to manual focus could be seen as a rite of passage for modern photographers. Most modern cameras can be supplied with autofocus kit lenses. They allow the photographer to focus on composition, learning the exposure triangle rather than how to manually focus. It is seen as slower where in fact, learning about hyperfocal distance can make manual focus quicker. My Voigtlander can be set at a particular aperture and focal distance. All you have to do then is compose and press the shutter. Autofocus lenses will often hunt to nail focus and sometimes miss. Once you know that everything from a certain distance will be in focus, a manual lens makes life a little easier. No hunting, just sharp results every time.

Grasmere from Loughrigg Terrace, Leica SL + Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 Nokton Classic II

So why not go for all manual lenses? Well , in fairness I could. I do like the convenience of autofocus, the build quality of the Sigma lenses and the fact they are weather sealed. I can also use them as manual lenses if I wish but in the end, I’m happy with their performance. You do have to be careful when searching for old vintage lenses. They can be from a top name manufacturer but time and poor care can affect the quality of the build and optics. Get a good one however and you’re on to a winner, particularly as they often cost a fraction of a modern top lens.

In the end, they are all tools and secondary to the image you want to capture. You can have the best kit money can buy and still produce mediocre images. It isn’t possible to make a terrible photograph good by having expensive gear or extensive editing. You can however produce a good photo with a mediocre camera plus a good lens. My photography hasn’t improved because I have invested in better gear. it has done so by taking thousands of photos and learning from the mistakes captured earlier on. I have a long way to go before I am ever content with the finished result but the trying is the fun part!

My current kit.

Ricoh Magic.

Gt George Street, Leeds - Ricoh GRIII

There are days when you feel like you have the perfect tool for the job. Sometimes, the perfect tool isn’t an interchangeable lens camera with a selection of lenses. Sometimes, it’s a tiny pocket camera with no viewfinder and no tilty/flippy screen. You compose and shoot; it’s as easy as that. I’m talking about the Ricoh GRIII. It has a reputation as a formidable street photography camera. It has a very clever focusing system that instantly captures moments unlike many other cameras. It’s useable with one hand as all the controls are accessible and designed to be operated one handed.

Handrail at the Piecehall, Halifax - Ricoh GRIII.

It has a macro capability that can produce very detailed close ups (see above image) which you do have to remember to switch off when you try to shoot a more general shot! I love it. I love it’s ability to capture razor sharp images with little or no fuss. You need to spend a little time setting it up to suit your needs but once you have, it’s a super powered point and shoot that’s in a different league to others. I’ve looked at images taken using the Leica Q cameras and as stunning as they can be, the Ricoh is a match. It has the same 28mm focal length as a Leica Q albeit in an APSC sensor (18.5 mm). The lens barely protrudes from the tiny body and has a very quick start up time. The downside of the camera is the battery life which is pretty poor. That however is the only downside. I normally shoot using Fujifilm cameras and lenses but I’ve started to mix and match a bit. I’m now using Sigma lenses and a stunning Mitakon Speedmaster manual lens. I’m really impressed with the Sigma lenses, they match and almost surpass the Fujifilm equivalents but in much smaller packages. I’m looking also to get myself an old Canon 5D MkII with just one 50mm lens because I’ve always wanted a full frame camera. I realise there are alternatives to just one manufacturer, much as I love Fujifilm gear.

Leeds Town Hall - Ricoh GRIII

The limitations of a fixed focal length can also be an advantage. You are forced to work a composition more because of the restriction of that view. You can include people in your street photography but you have to be braver than I am. I like to have people walk through the composition rather than be the subject. They are almost incidental. I’m not the most confident photographer when it comes to street work. The Ricoh does however capture people beautifully even if they are small in the larger image. The famous photographer Chase Jarvis once said “the best camera is the one that's with you” and he has a point. The Ricoh GRIII is that camera. It makes it easy for you owing to its size and functionality but ultimately, the image quality is its most attractive feature. If you’ve never tried one, give it a go. Test one, borrow one and if you’re in the position to, buy one. You won’t be disappointed, in fact I’d go as far to say, you will be captivated.

Oxenhope Moor - Ricoh GRIII