A series of "street photos" or "urban landscapes" from a past trip to Rome.
I hate those random moments when I have to grapple with the idea of my own mortality. I knew the chances of dying abruptly from kidney stones was remote but the pain reinforced the idea that we don't recover from everything and that life is short. Endings unpredictable. Energy locked in a constant battle with entropy. And then, the next morning you wake up and think, "Oh! This is much better! I feel great again." So you eat breakfast, brush your teeth and head out the door with a renewed sense of vigor. It's a nice feeling because it's backstopped by reality --- in a good way.
None of these images from 1996 were cropped "square" after the fact. They started life as squares. That was the format the camera was set up to shoot. The camera helped immensely in influencing the final crop and the final look of each one. I didn't have to "do math" after the fact. Anyone who tells you that the camera doesn't make any difference is mostly full of shit. And wrong. For them. For me? The camera's boundaries and limitations are helpful tools, not something to work around.
That's why I'm now looking for just the right 60+ megapixel camera. So I can use it always in a square format. So the camera can "help me along" in cementing a certain vision I adore.
Also, recovering from a health drama creates a great excuse to remind oneself that you can't take that "huge" (cynical laughter emoji strongly implied) 401K with you when you die. Which means that with each step forward it gets easier and easier to rationalize that next, great camera purchase!!!
Just saying.
Couple arguing over where to get the best broccoli in Rome.
The last two frames were a reminder for me to never stop shooting until I think I've got the best photograph I'm going to get. The bottom frame shows the moment I started photographing this scene and the photo just above is seconds or minutes later when I moved closer and closer to the relationship that caught my eyes in the first place. Stay the course? Of course.
7 comments:
Well I would say any of Leica’s current 61mp cameras. Me, I’d lean towards the SL3 in Reporter regalia. You could put all of your lenses on it. The Q3 would be great for carry around. Sigh, choices.
The Fuji GFX100RF, with 102mp, will do 1:1 images. So will Sony’s 61mp A7r5. The Leica Q3 43 has the Sony 61mp sensor but I don’t know if it offers a 1:1 image ratio. Let us know how the search goes.
I be Lieberman that the arguing couple are Mike’s parents, well known broccoli connoisseurs.
I believe, the Lieberman were not involved in any Roman broccoli discussions.
The last photo is in my opinion the best one. The joy of the child, the pleased looks of the passerbys... I don't know when it was taken, and I only rarely I were in Rome (my uncle lived there, we visited sometime) but the shot is so real I can feel the smell of the street. Thanks.
M10R, M10M, both of which have, at 40 MP. more than enough MP for my uses, often cropping square (and the Monochrom cameras punch above their weight in resolution). Less bulk than the SL series “work cameras” you’ve been using. M11 or M11M both have 61 MP. Another option would be a Q3 43. 61 MP and a great lens, allowing cropping to square format easily. Re: the M10 series, the sensor is a significant upgrade from the M240, and the form factor is lighter and less “chunky” than its predecessor. The downside of the M cameras, even when used with the Visoflex electronic finder, is shutter lag in live view mode. Not a problem with the Q series.
All that noted, the photos you’ve posted are great, independent of any discussion of equipment.
Unless you plan on making 20”x20” prints on the regular, do you really “need” 61MP?
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