First series with the new Ricoh GRD IV

So i decided to do something quite strange. I decided to go back to a small sensor camera. Yes it's kind of awkward after having invested in a Leica m9 and lenses, but it did made sense to me. My m9 remain my main system of course, as there is no way i would put it aside. it's the best camera i have ever had, and i bring it everywhere i go. but in some situation, i needed to go back to a complementary camera that would bring me the snapiness back. the instant shooting option.

i read so much about the Ricoh GRD line. it made so much sense. i had to give it a try.

You can't ask much from a small sensor: no depth of field available, no crazy megapixel, no wide dynamic range ...In other words, you can't rely on the same comfort, and that is where the whole experience is becoming interesting. you concentrate on what you see, and you do your best to either find better subjects, or compensate with other options. In the case of the GRD IV, there are so many "in camera" features so possibilities are huge. and the black and white modes are all having their own utility and rendering.

I have been shooting in RAW and in jpeg. The Bleach Bypass mode is a very interesting feature, and i have been using it a lot. it's the best "in camera" processing i have ever seen. in most photos with that image mode applied, you could consider there's nothing else to add. not even contrast. the camera is taking care of it. There is one negative quirk though: the Bleach Bypass or high contrast B&W modes are not applied to the LCD screen when you shoot in RAW. The ideal situation for me here, would have been to have the RAW one one side, and the bleach bypass Jpeg on the other side. for some reason it's not the case, and if you select RAW, the post processing option will not be effective.

When it comes to image quality, i find the results very exciting, especially the digital grain. which is no surprise, since it's the great feature of the camera: transforming the unpleasing noise you always get with small sensors, into a richer grain. However, despite the fact it is really in a league of its own, results here cannot (and must not) be compared to what you can obtain with larger sensors or even m4/3. as soon as night comes, you kind of struggle to obtain details and the narrow dynamic range or high ISOs are not going to help. i tend to use ISO 800 and sometimes 1600. but not above. 3200 could be an option for some, but the amount of details you lose is enormous and i just can't see how i could produce anything valuable in that range.

the dynamic range compensation option is a great plus. i tested it in situation where you could definitely see the difference. it is limiting the ISO range according to how strong you put it, but it's useful for sure. When it comes to handling, the Ricoh GRD IV is amazing. It is very small, totally pocketable to the point of forgetting you have a camera. very light, super fast AF, and mostly, it is 99.9% Silent. what else could you ask from a camera really. I now have two camera that i permanently bring around with me. my main m9 combo with a summicron or the voigtlander 35mm 1.2, but also that awesome tiny black square that fits in my pocket and that i can bring out in a snap whenever i only have a small 3 second window in front of me for shooting a happy coincidence or an lightfast event.

Bellevue Moments

I like Bellevue. i know it's East Seattle and it does look more like the inner mid-west and not like the coast, but after having lived in Dallas for several years, i think i don't mind much anymore. Besides, you have no difficulties finding a parking spot compared to Downtown Seattle.

Canon 5dmkII - Canon 85mm 1.2 L

True there's not much going on apart from a few good restaurants. however there is still something i love over there. it's the Bridge. A long high-tek curved bridge probably built not too long ago, and that goes through several blocks, trying to reunite the whole thing together.

Canon 5dmkII - Canon 85mm 1.2 L

What the bridge gives me, is mostly opportunities based on reflections, contrasted shapes and splendid balanced composition that are perfect subjects for any types of cameras. 

Canon 5dmkII - Canon 85mm 1.2 L

I bet if i went there 10 times, i would still find new angles, new events and coincidences going on. 

Leica x1

However i am mostly torn right now, as to wether show or not show photos when there is no real subject apart from a pleasing visual balance. it is a true dilemma. Can one base his shots only on composition value without having any focus on a straightforward coincidental and valuable subject? I still have my doubts. I wouldn't want to fall into the easy road. But i am also an illustrator. Before everything else. and as such, i am always tempted by the abstract, by the way shapes alone speak to the eye. 

Leica x1

The answer would probably be NO, you don't need a silhouette or a strong explanatory theme to convey an image. I'm probably convincing myself here, but Photography is having so many standards and often rigid principles. Better not falling into any of them.

Leica x1

Diagonals in France

There's always something fascinating when it comes to composition based on strong diagonals. They attract the eye but have that power to mess up a composition pretty bad if you're not careful at the elements of the scene. If they're being put in place the right way, diagonals can be extremely rewarding though. They direct the eyes to the action, they help prioritize essential subjects, and lastly, they also break up images into contrasted chunks, like pieces of a puzzle. It's of course up to us to compose things right, and to make each diagonal useful.

All this series was shot with the Leica x1 in France during August. I originally posted the first shot on Flickr, but in color. This is was i was saying about the shot back then: "i was just getting out on the building when i noticed that man crossing a great pattern of shadows. i barely had the time to switch the camera on, frame as best as i could, and pray. this time it worked, but i can't remember the amount of times i failed to actually get the scene i wanted. the x1 is a curse, but an addictive curse!".

Indeed, that camera is a curse, but a good one. if slow auto-focus speed is not an issue to you, then it's a keeper. the object is great. I havs strong hesitations selling it now that i have the m9. 

In the town of Brou, located just an hour and a half north west from Paris, stands an old marketplace. The town is very typical from the Perche region. It's a bit like a pleasing countryside area but where you're surrounded by history. Actually it was a breath of fresh air going back to France for a while. you breath history all around. rocks, textures, everything is clearly showing age and representing a vision of the past. This is something i miss. I miss old rocks. I miss Europe.

The cool feature about that spot is that the ground stone is shiny and highly reflective, allowing the shooter to not only catch strong shadows but also reflections combined.

I stayed in the town of Clermont for a few days during the trip. The cathedral of Clermont-Ferrand is a very epic piece of architecture made of black lava rock coming from the highly volcanic region. No need to say that the contrasts within the structure are worth catching in camera. Great silhouette games, great graphic opportunities.

Downtown Series

Doing a series is such a different approach compared to posting a single shot. i started getting caught into the game of selecting and processing multiple shots at the same time, working the images as a single coherent batch. i have no idea if i'll be able to keep up with regular batches of 5, but an average of three shots would be good.

fMinimal processing for the one above. I did several tests but the light coming from the market was too original and specific. it was hard adding another pass of layers on it.

Downtown Seattle can be a bit spooky at night and in some places, but it's a very rich place visually speaking, and i have yet to discover all the good spots. Apart from a guy who started mumbling stuff like "no way you're gonna take my picture. give it a try and you'll see!", the evening went super fine.

I don't feel totally safe when it's past 10 pm, but i don't think i'm getting any feelings of danger either. I remember i was going around Alaskan Way with a 300mm 2.8 on the canon 5dmkII a few months ago. some where definitely looking at that big white thing, but i never got into any trouble.

I still added this last one one at the end as it was shot during the same photoshoot last sunday. It's always pleasant shooting at Pike Market, as people tend to accept any types of camera. The trick is to find the good angles, as i'm starting to know the place a bit to well.

City scenes

Site isn't really public yet but i'm close to finishing all the last tidbits here and there. Glad being able to finally express myself on another platform than Flickr. Not that i don't like it, but it's healthy going into a bit of diversity. here's a first image from sunday, posted as a test i admit, but heck i gotta start somewhere. Shot in downtown Seattle last sunday. Reflection in a large glass panel that was showing not only the street but also an interior with an elevetor. i must book that spot and give it a try at different times of the day.

The first reason for having built a website was to describe a bit more my process and my thoughts when it comes to street photography. it comes as a term used for about anything, i know, and there are purists out there who would probably defend their own vision of this shooting philosophy aggressively, but anyway. For me it is mostly a place where silhouettes meet architectures in a way where it all makes sense, in a graphic and often emotional way, i might say. it could be in black and white, in color, in two tones or in 1000 tones, i couldn't care less. what counts is the visual impact of the image, the visual flow, and importance of the subject of course. It's all about the interconnection and coincidences, wether they'd be visual or connected to a story telling moment.