One Year On

The 1st August is Yorkshire Day. This is a relatively recent creation, designed to promote all that is great from ‘Gods Own Country’ as many in all parts of Yorkshire may refer to it as. Yorkshire is in fact four areas North, East, West, South that come together as the largest combined geographical area in England. I was born in York, grew up in Kent in the south east of England and then returned to Yorkshire 37 years ago.

Why am I telling you all this in a photography blog ? Mainly it’s because the 1st August also happens to be the 1st anniversary of me breaking my ankle.

This accident and subsequent recovery have affected both my fledgling business, my mobility and how I approach my work. It’s fair to say I did quite a spectacular job in breaking my ankle in three places. I now have more metalwork in my ankle than a small set of Meccano. I am still wary of going too off road particularly in slippery downhill spots. I lost at least four potential studio shoots as my 12 week absence, put paid to the clients desire for me to do the work. So what else has changed in that intervening 12 months?

Camera gear and brands have swapped from Nikon to Canon. It’s more of a return to be honest. I had a brief dalliance with Sony but I just coudnt’t get on with the camera system. I have gone to Canon’s mirrorless system , supported by up until today, Canon DSLRs. We were in Northumberland earlier this week and I realised, the DSLR lenses were so bulky and heavy, It made lugging them around a pain. I decided to sell all my DSLR kit and invest that money in good Canon RF glass. It is lighter, works better with the EOS R system cameras and enables me to travel easier with a kit. I love Canon colours and to my eye, the colours remain true to the classics of the DSLR era.

My life in photography seems to be a never-ending quest for the perfect kit. Canon comes pretty close and their lenses are just superb. I can’t blame the gear for any off days I experience currently. I can’t blame the fact we’re in the process of moving house either although it is difficult to concentrate on the art form I love with talk of solicitors, searches and all that going on. I can’t blame my ankle for my reluctance to throw myself as enthusiastically into my work. I am fully mobile. I can walk for miles without pain or inconvenience and even though it aches a little the next day, it is perfectly manageable.

Currently, I seem to be struggling with editing my photographs. I have concluded that I am overthinking the whole process, doubt has crept into me and I know, I can produce a decent image but it isn’t what I’m striving for. A year ago, I created images with more freedom as if it didn’t matter (even though it obviously did). I had a brief period earlier this year, when that freedom returned but something has switched since my accident back in 2024. I don’t know why a fracture would change my mental or visual approach to taking photos. Maybe I am trying to take the images that I think people want and ignoring the ones I am good at. I have said before that I don’t consider myself as a landscape photographer. I am more a street or reportage/documentary photographer. It’s what I consider is my creative sweet spot. Yet for some reason, I feel the necessity to photograph landscapes like an itch I have to scratch.

My favourite focal length is 40mm but anywhere between 28 and 50 works for me. I do also love using lenses at the extreme ends. I have a 15-30mm ultra wide and a 100-400 long zoom, both of which are great fun to use. When it comes down to it however, I’m much happier in the 35-40 focal length. I wish Canon would make an RF version of their stellar EF 40mm f2.8 stm lens as its one their best. I use it with an adapter and it is just magnificent. They sprinkled magic dust on that lens and decided to sell it cheap!

You can shoot landscapes with any of the focal lengths between 28 and 50mm, which is why I have a 24-105 lens to cover all bases. For street/reportage work however, I still prefer to use primes. They are small, discreet and fast. Maybe they are why I love street and documentary photography, because I can capture moments rather than paint landscapes. Moments are the reason I got serious with my photos. Moments, mainly insignificant to most people always fascinate me. I am slowly working on my first photo book. This will contain images taken inside old Victorian indoor markets. The best of these photos capture ordinary people going about their daily business. I watch and capture little interactions, the moments we generally walk past.

It is interesting, thought provoking, at times a little worrying that one event can change my approach and confidence with my photography. I had a disappointing exhibition earlier this year and sales are few and far between. I don’t want to be that guy at every art fair, open studio, trying to sell prints. I have prints for sale but most are in shops now. I have been working on a large project for a studio group in Hebden Bridge. I have a lot of editing to do but there’s light at the end of that tunnel. I will then start to compile my photobook and hope it gains some recognition. I will get over this creative block and get back to doing what I love most. Going out and capturing moments in other peoples lives. Gear, physical limitations and house moves aren’t the problem. Being more focused and determined are. Like every artist/creative, I need validation that my work is good enough. Positive comments are so valuable to me as I have struggled throughout my whole life with believing I am not good enough, of always believing others are better than me. I know I can take decent images, I just have to convince myself not to worry about it.

Vintage Sunset

I sometimes forget how enjoyable photography can be. I focus too much on the kit, the goal and the sharpness of the finished image.

I need a dose of simplicity to remind me why I love it so much. I have the antidote to this and its vintage manual lenses. Yes, my camera body is super whizz bang fabulous but it needs a lens to see, to convert its whizz bang-ness. I’ve heard the lens described as the eyes of the camera. The lens converts the possible to the actual.

Yesterday evening, we took a stroll in the tops above our home town/village. The setting sun was spectacular, the temperature perfect (for me at least). I took my Canon R5 and two 40+ year old Pentax prime lenses with me. My all time favourite lens, the Pentax M 50mm f/1.7 and my second favourite, the Pentax M 100mm f/2.8. Compared to my native Canon lenses, they are tiny and simple. They are however really well made, solid metal lenses with superb optics that seem to stand the test of time. I have used them on many different brands of camera body, always reliable, always a pleasure.

The joy of using manual focus lenses is for me twofold. Firstly, the act of actually having to nail focus by turning the focus ring and choose the aperture on the lens connects me with the process of photography. Secondly, you have far greater control of what you are focusing on and how much you want in focus. Autofocus lenses are fabulous at quickly latching on to a subject but can get easily confused by a complex scene or challenging light. Sunsets, especially when you are shooting into the sun, have caused problems for me in the past when using modern autofocus lenses. Sunsets as a rule, don’t require lightning fast focus but do need a level of precision. It’s better to take your time and focus manually so you can decide what you want as your subject.

We spent about an hour up there and I thoroughly enjoyed the walk and photography. In truth, I needed to be persuaded to go as this current heat is sapping my energy and enthusiasm. I’m so glad I went. The Canon is a true beast of a camera and compliments the lenses perfectly. The modern thinking is that you need the latest, most expensive lenses to get the most out of the R5’s 45mp sensor. I actually think it’s far more accommodating and forgiving than the experts say. It certainly makes for lightweight kit.

I’ve recently slimmed down my Canon lens collection and my experience last night, makes me wonder if I could use older lenses more in the future. I hope you like the photos as I was really happy with many from the shoot. It felt as if the hit rate was higher than normal and I was slightly more considered than if I were using native Canon EF or RF lenses. Don’t get me wrong, there is still a professional need for good autofocus lenses but for pure enjoyment and a feeling of having made a photo rather than taking one, my old Pentax win hands down.

Mirror Or Not?

I’m an experienced chop and change merchant. I have extensive knowledge and experience of switching camera brands and systems. The only digital format I haven’t tried is medium format and that’s mainly because I can’t afford to. If someone gave me £10,000 to buy a camera system, I would seriously contemplate medium format. As it is, my budget is very limited. I rely on selling and trading to get the gear I use. About four months ago, I moved to Canon DSLR from micro four thirds Panasonicville. I wanted to rekindle a love of DSLR cameras and how they work. The Canon native glass is top notch, even the budget end 50mm f1.8 and 40mm f2.8. The autofocus and shutter systems are very quick. They don’t have IBIS but a few of the lenses have OIS so it’s there if you need to steady things.

I have spent the time since, using DSLR’s and mainly, loving them. There are a few drawbacks but on the whole, the shooting experience is very satisfying. I have mainly used mirrorless cameras in the past as I like to occasionally use vintage film lenses but the disadvantages of mirrorless are rarely talked about. The battery life is invariably worse, the start up time is slower and autofocus isn’t always as quick as with DSLRs. The camera world is nearly all mirrorless nowadays and the major brands (Canon and Nikon), have ceased to bring out new DSLR models or lenses. Everything is mirrorless with both having to create a whole new line of lenses to suit new mounts.

I recently sold one of my DSLR bodies to get a Canon EOS R mirrorless camera. It was the first full frame model Canon brought out and is a great starting point for them. it has its drawbacks but every camera I have ever owned had them. My dalliance with Leica full frame was great but not without its woes. I wanted to stay with Canon and have the ability (with an adapter), to use my existing EF glass. It connects flawlessly and works very well on the EOS R. Yes, the old problems with mirrorless are present on the EOS R but on the whole, I really like using it. I do think Canon have the best menu system of any manufacturer I have tried and it crosses over from DSLR to mirrorless, without missing a step.

My two camera system is now a Canon 6D Mark II and the EOS R. They are both lovely to use and similar in the quality of image they produce. I can’t decide as to which I will use for video work as the specs are similar. I have shied away
from looking at the R6, R5 or R6 II, as I’m not entirely sure I need IBIS as yet. Is the DSLR a dying breed of camera, probably? Are they irrelevant to today's photographers, no. The flagship Canon 1DX Mark III is an astonishing camera, that can often outperform most of the current Canon mirrorless cameras. It is far tougher and has a massive shutter life expectancy.

I know I have done these sort of gear centered reviews before and then gone and switched. I’m not telling you to go Canon or that I love them like no other. I haven’t ever explored the mysterious world of Sony full frame and there may come a day when I do. I do think using DSLR’s, is a very joyful thing and they are capable of producing stunning images, despite their ageing technology. As mentioned earlier, I do use old film lenses on occasions and we are talking 40-50 year old lenses. The images you can capture with these can be as good as any modern lens. Many filmmakers use vintage glass as they produce a more ‘filmic look’. Sharpness and precision are nice but not the be all and end all. Just because your camera is older than five years and may have a mirror, it doesn’t render it obsolete. Maybe there is a place for the continuance of DSLRs ? Maybe to harness what they do really well with what a modern mirrorless camera can achieve, is the way forward?