Are you a professional photographer? No, I’m simply a stupid tourist! Ah! OK then…

Beware: the front picture illustrating the article has been taken in September 2019 at Lisbon. Other times, other customs!

There were more simple times when people had still a tendency to rely on your words (that was a long time ago, it seems!). The problem when you are doing photograph a bit more seriously (without taken yourself seriously) is that people have defiant reaction versus your suspicious photographic behaviour upon them. In fact, it is not a new thing even if you are looking further in the past. Photographers tend to be intimidating simply because they are staring at people and things a little much longer then usually.

But is there a more stupid photographer than a tourist one? I don’t know why but tourist are often exempt of malicious intentions since they understand nothing about the world surrounding them. And if they are staring at something, it is only because they don’t know what they are facing. And if you add a « stupid » smile on your face, it is only confirming your mindless innocence. And tourists have money (any pickpockets of this world know that), and so, they have beautiful, sophisticated cameras that they don't even understand the basic use. So, in brief, no danger there.

Don’t spread the word but you may already aware that I have been a professional photographer in my previous life, and I have learned to dance with the rhythm of many photographic situations. I don’t do so-called street photography but instead tourist tapestry and everybody is correctly reassured. And you know what, photo opportunities have been falling in front of my (tourist trap) camera without really searching them. Sure, there is a bit of anticipation and experience in that but, chut! don’t tell them. If you add that you are speaking a tourist language (French, English, Japanese, etc.), you have the perfect tourist camouflage.

And please avoid those serious « full-flesh » camera models (also called full-frame) that, when pointed to the autochthone people, will provoke adverse and suspicious reactions and can conduct you up to the police or military stations! Being a idiot amateur photographer is so more beautiful and securing for everybody.

No, I’m simply a stupid tourist (of this life)! Ah! OK then…

© Photos Daniel M

About ( compact camera) preferences...

"The way it is ..."

Bruce Hornsby and the Range

We like to photograph, and we like the cameras. It's maybe obvious but, in fact, it isn't that simple because there are so many possibilities and choices in photographic equipment, that it is often overwhelming especially for the most passionate ones. Over the past several years, I had the opportunity to try, and to compare many camera (and lens) models. Digital cameras were a new field the manufacturers had to fulfill. So, it was fascinating, to say the least.

Novelties have been always attractive for many photographers that are always interested to try and improve the tools they are using. And the technical advancements in photography into the last decades were amazing in terms of easiest of doing pictures and having outstanding image results. In the still photography field, we were privileged to assist and to profit all those developments over the years. Today we may think that we have reached a certain plateau that allow us to reconsider at last to have photo equipment for a more lengthily period of ownership and ... use!

My current photo equipment
The love of (real!) compact cameras, for good imagery, for decent performance (exposure metering, autofocusing, reactivity, reliability, etc.), to have access to an extended line of lenses and for a competent stabilization system (in-body-image-stabilization-IBIS) have certainly oriented my currents choices. Ergonomic and style also, I must confess. For me, a good design must be esthetic and effective.

If I feel dedicated to do photography on a specific assignation or subject, my preferred choice of the day will be the former Olympus (now OM System) OM-D E-M5 Mark III coupled with the M.Zuiko ED 14-150mm F4-5.6 II which is not only a very versatile combination but also weatherproof. For more specific long-range subjects, the Olympus ED 75-300mm F4.8-6.7 II will be a good complement (although it is not weatherproof). The OM-D E-M5 III/ED 14-150mm II is excellent for travel and outdoor photography and it can be used for interior and lowlight situations, thanks to the IBIS of the camera*.

For a more casual and discrete companion, my Olympus Pen-F** is also excellent because of its non-intrusive presence which is good for urban subjects and interior picture catches. Coupled with a small lens such as the M.Zuiko 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 R II or the M.Zuiko ED 45mm F1.8 Premium (a personal favorite since my first Olympus EP-3 model), the Pen-F is an outstanding rangefinder style camera model. These two camera models (OM-D E-M5 III & Pen-F) are using the same 20MP image sensor and the same picture interface with the consequence that you can predict similar imagery from both the OM-D E-M5 III and the Pen-F.***

I haven't never been able to make a definite choice between rangefinder (off-lens-axis viewfinder) and SLR (on-lens-axis viewfinder) style cameras so, ownership of both the OM-D E-M5 III and the Pen-F has been imposed by itself. It gives me the opportunity at a relative low cost to cope with the two different photo gear style. You can get a similar approach toward other manufacturers like Panasonic or Fujifilm since they offer the same alternatives into their camera line.

The cameras that I love to use are the ones that inspired me to do photograph and extend my picture quest on various subjects. On a longer run, the compactness criteria have always been a basic issue and time tend to confirm that is useless to think differently. The Micro Four Third image sensor format correspond precisely to that photo equipment philosophy. Some may privilege a more cinematic approach and will choose to work with the Panasonic Lumix models which is a perfect match in that (video) case****, others like me are more traditionalists by doing mainly still photography and will rather like the OM system line of products (formerly Olympus). At the end it is up to you to considerer your own feelings about the tools you like to work with.
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* Internal camera sensor stabilization (IBIS) has become an essential feature for me partly because I like the optionality to use non-optical-stabilized lenses (OIS).
** If you can still find one, just buy it!
*** If you ask me what would be my professional choices (in consideration of the more intensive use of the camera/lens into more demanding contextual situations), I will surely opt for the OM-D E-M1 II or III plus the M.Zuiko Pro zoom lens duet, 12-40mm F2.8 and 40-150mm F2.8 (with one camera body for each lens). But those professional exigences are now a think of the past in regard of my day-to-day concern.

**** Although the Panasonic Lumix G9, G85/G80 and G95/G90 (all weather resistant) have also excellent ergonomic and performance  for still photography.

© Photos Daniel M: OM-D E-M5 II/ED 14-150mm II; Pen-F/45mm F1.8; OM-D E-M5 III/ED 14-150mm II

Insouciant Memories!

 Life has been good for many of us including myself. When I look the backward for this time, I am always fascinated by the chance we have as a special generation to be witness of such rapid human evolution even though it was not always for the best of humanity and its planet habitat, vegetal and animal. We as a so-call civilizations are highly turbulent people that have an often-deranging behavior in regard of this great universe that we are only beginning to partly understand.

During that period of falsely certitudes that we have developed mainly because of a certain technical advancement (industrialization, scientific discoveries and new methodologies, computer technologies, instant telecommunication, etc.), humanity never has asked itself about his own limitations and about the ones that surrounding them. But now we are so numerous and that we are aware of it, this unconscious brave facade is beginning to collapse almost brick by brick, and moreover the new insecurity doesn't guaranty that reason will finally prevail on the contrary, it seems.

Photography is basically an imperfect regard of humanity even when there is no people presence as the subject of it. It is a cultural expression of the past, the farthest to the most instant one. A kind of visual testimony of the interest of their authors. Every photographic part can be archived, summarize, analyze, and transmitted for future generation of lookers. The very significant of the picture can vary entirely with time and different auditors.

Today we are preoccupied people (at least some of us!) and confused t the same at a point that humanism seems to be very low in the priority list of this society. It is disturbing to have seen the shift from a collective dream with no frontiers where nothing was impossible to a very dark and narrow perspective of survival. Even the act of communication that was the obvious intention of link and reconciliation between us, has become the instrument of division and controversy. The dark side of humanity has taken the lead, and many are look for an emperor instead of a participating republic. The (non?) evolution of the photographic Web sites often illustrate this chaotic change.

Make your point, at first, can be understandable but it must be done with an open mind to be able to reunite at this very point of view the assemblage of all the others especially when you cannot really ignore them in this crowded world.

Is the selfie photo planet already a think of the past? May be or maybe not. We were told that humans are social animals (by definition), but in a perceptive overpopulation situation, what can be expected from individual behavior? Photography is also a social act of visual expression but now does the people are still willing to be curious and agree to not only tolerate but also to try to understand the differences? And this is where my "insouciant" memories leave place to apprehended worries.

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© Photos Daniel M: OM-D E-M5/ED 12-50mm; GX85/12-32mm OIS; G95/100-300mm II

Nostalgia is for good memories!

 We are used to ear that the past was better than the present time but in the far back of our mind, we know already that is most likely never the case, that today give you better chance to live in better conditions that will be difficult to simply ignore. Photographers experiment the same attitude toward the analog past era compared to the actual digital world. And most of them have a limited if not at all experiences from those analog times.

I was born into the analog era and have learned and worked to use those photo gear that everybody seems to cherish today as collectors and, sometimes, as users. And many of them rediscover the "magic" of the film-analog but as every magical field, there is a lot of secrets to be unfolded before getting the "picture" you are looking for. Because analog techniques are more demanding and obviously much limited at the same time. And they are not particularly forgiving.

I remember clearly the first time I have literally seen a picture apparition from the developing tray of my school photo laboratory. And yes again, it was so magic! At those times, we were accepting any picture as extraordinary even if they were (very) far from perfect. By today's standards we will never consider them as interesting or to be preserved. If you want to be convinced of the complexity to produce nice film analog pictures, I recommend to you the lecture of these three excellent books from the American master photographer Ansel Adams, The Camera, The Negative and The Print.

Acting as a photo reporter during several years, I can testify about the difficulties and the insecurity of doing analog photography. With time, I have experimented many frustrating situations in regard of the picture taking contexts, film and print failures and imperfect results. The event of the the digital photography was an outstanding liberation for many reasons not only technical but also practical (especially for documenting and sharing your pictures) and psychological in term of security (you see what you are taking).

It happens time to time that some personal souvenirs are popping in my mind recalling the good days of analog photography but then I pick up my digital camera just beside my keyboard and fairly appreciate its instant availability and reliability to do and create beautiful pictures that I can look and share easily. Yes, nostalgia is really for good memories!

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© Photo Daniel M: OM-D E-M1 II/ED 40-150mm Pro