DSLR Revival

I started my photography journey on a mirrorless camera. I stuck with them for several years before trying out the Canon DSLR systems and all of a sudden, I realised they were built for photographers rather than hybrid shooters. The joy of instant availability, optical viewfinders and old school simplicity appealed straight away. I stuck with Canon for a while before trying Nikon DSLR s . They were equal but different to Canon and as much fun to use. Then I had my accident and couldn’t contemplate taking the heavier gear around with me.

Ever since, my tastes and needs in Mirrorless have got more expensive and more capable. My current Mirrorless beast has 61mp , blindingly fast autofocus and a relatively small footprint. What it doesn’t have however is any enjoyment in using it. It works flawlessly and is immensely powerful but it lacks something. Photography for me, needs a soulful connection between me and the machine. I was looking back at my most popular and those that have sold well. I realised 80% were shot using DSLR cameras. They all print to a good size and have tons of detail where necessary. The low light images are grain free, sharp and they have a certain look about them.

I decided to sell some mirrorless lenses and my second Sony body to fund re acquiring a couple of old bodies and some lenses . I got hold of the Canon 6D a couple of days ago and have used it a few times now. It’s a joy to use, very comfortable, efficient and surprisingly portable for a full frame DSLR. I’m awaiting a 5D Mark iii which is bigger but not unwieldy. I have a few lenses that all work well and are optically excellent. The camera technology is over 13 years old but doesn’t feel old. The Canon menu system is a breeze and operation is very simple. They clunk when you press the shutter in a quite satisfying way. You feel like you’re taking a photo rather than handling a machine over engineered and crammed full of specs. Don’t get me wrong, my Sony can really deliver but it’s not much fun. I understand why many professionals still like DSLRs for their rugged, dependable abilities and feel more comfortable using them. We’re told in many spheres of modern living that small is beautiful and desirable. I don’t always think that’s the case if pleasure of use is taken away.

My plan therefore, is to slim down my Sony gear to the bare essentials for professional studio shoots and use my Canons for landscapes, travel and street photography. I am more comfortable using big cameras in street situations now and now recovered enough to carry heavier gear, I don’t worry about a couple of extra kilos in gear. One great advantage to DSLRs is the phenomenal battery life you get. Twice, sometimes three times as long from one battery as you would get from my Sony.

Canon made formidable cameras in the 6D and 5D Mark iii. I’m not certain they intended the 6D to be quite as good as it is but they had every intention of beefing up the 5D from the previous model. I fully intend to keep the Canons and not sell them unless I’ve really pushed up their shutter counts. It’s such a joy to use the 6D and long live the DSLR!

Studio Session

I spent some time at my partners’ studio last week. Kate Boyce, is a painter based in Hebden Bridge who works in mixed media. It is a very particular style of work and she is a well known, long established artist. She and I wanted to do some studio work that not only showed in her studio but also some close ups of her handling the materials she uses to create her paintings.

It was the first outing of my Canon RF 35mm f1.8 is sim macro lens (they do make long names for lenses!). First impressions are that it is a fabulous lens. I need to learn how to get the best out of it as do all photographers with new bits of kit. I wanted to focus on her hands manipulating the laser transfers she uses to add detail to her paintings. It’s an unusual process whereby she paints the background and some detail in acrylic before adding the transfer photos over the paint layer. it allows her to not only add detail but also a sort of texture by using small sections of foliage, trees and stone. I have a potential commission from another artist who has seen my work on social media. It will be my first of this type and hopefully not the last!

‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’ is the ancient Chinese proverb and it appears to be so in my case. It has taken me 40 years to arrive at that first step but it’s exciting too. I do plan to do some more studio work with local artists once I know I can replicate the results from the other day. I gave a talk a few weeks ago to photography group. Little by little, I am gradually picking up tiny bits of work. Hopefully, these will create momentum and increase sales of prints. It is incredibly tough to sell prints at the moment unless you’re a well established and highly visible photographer. It is tough for all creatives at the moment what with the fallout from Covid, the cost of living crisis in the UK and general financial insecurity. Art is seen as a luxury, an indulgence. I believe art is essential to help those who don’t create, have a little bit of joy in their lives. We work to not only pay bills but to obtain things that make our lives a little more bearable.

Wish me luck on my first assignment and I hope it is the first of many more!

Kates website is kateboyce.co.uk