Gear Adventures

The Canon photography ecosystem has been undergoing some signficant changes in recent years. They have left behind their long time EF lens mount, and converted their new mirrorless RF mount system. One unfortunate side effect is that they are not allowing the same third party access to the RF mount system that they did for the EF mount.

As a result, Sigma and Tamron are unable adapt their excellent line of lower cost lenses to this new platform. This is a topic that has been covered a great deal on various channels, especially given that the new RF lenses cost a fortune compared to the old EF days.

I have been eyeing the EOS R line, but given the cost of lenses, I’ll wait it out.

I have been shooting on a 50mm 1.8 on my 6d Mark II for a few years, and have recently been wanting to do more with photography. I decided to swing over to mpb.com, a site that sells and buys used camera gear. I have used them previously, trading an old 70-200 2,8 for a Fuji X100F, and then trading that for my 6d Mark II. Anyways, I started looking through the used EF lenses, and found that the prices on the EF gear have gone down.

I ended up snagging a 24-105 f/4L, and 70-200 f/2.8L IS, and a 35mm f/2 for a song. I started shooting over the weekend with the 24-105, and what a difference a lens can make. I’ve long used a 28-135, and the colors on the 24-105 are so much more vibrant. I suppose the L lenses really do make a difference afterall.

Here are some shots from the weekend:

Long time looker, first time poster?

I have long been a fan of street style photography and photojournalism. The candidness, the spontaneous nature, the realness of it all. It’s one of my favorite art forms, and while I suppose it’s not for everyone, that’s kind of the beauty of it right?

I recently saw a youtube series called “walkie talkies” by a YouTuber named Paulie B. (Link to Channel)

The episode in question was featuring a photographer named C.P. Plunkett. I clicked on it hoping to find something as backgorund noise, and instead found a really entertaining, pretty educational street photo session. At one point he talked about publishing Zines, also mentioning a few of his favorites. I haven’t been able to find them as of yet, but it sent me on an exploration of street photo zines that has been amazing.

Among those he mentions:

  • “People are Strange” by Troy Holden

  • “Too Much Freedom” by Angelo Partemi

  • and works by Alex Webb

On his website, https://straightupstreet.blog/ he has began posting his own Zine series called “Overtime”. I would highly recommend looking at his most recent work, Vol. 2 of the series, called “B**ch, It’s St. Patrick’s Day”

Head on over there and have a look. Amazing stuff.

Side note. I assembled some of my favorite photos I’ve taken in years past in a gallery here called “In the Wild”. Looking at all of these is somewhat inspiring, and I hope to do more of this kind of thing myself soon.

Everyone's a critic.

It’s important to understand that hobbies are recreational. It should be something one does for fun. Hobbies can turn into businesses or jobs, sure, but that isn’t the goal. The definition of a hobby is, “An activity done regularly in one’s leisure time for pleasure.” If the person doing the hobby enjoys it, then tada, it’s a success. Simple right?

I’ve had a website for many years. Close to 20. I don’t particularly care who looks at it. I just like the exercise of trying new designs, posting things I like, and having a convenient place to store things like my resume, the occasional file, whatever it may be. I sometimes write here, keep track of milestones, and even use it as a space to process thoughts and ideas.

Again, the thought of whether anyone knows about, views, or otherwise cares about it, has never been a concern. I like it, so I do it. By definition - Success!

In keeping with the recent theme, here are some pictures from the last week or so.