Quotidian Photography, seeing things differently

Well, I figured that a proper introduction is the right way to begin this project. My name is Jorge Ledesma and I consider myself an aficionado of this great craft called photography. Some of you may already know me from Flickr or perhaps Twitter. To you guys who have commented on my blog and my Flickr stream with great insights, constructive criticism, and just about anything in general – thank you, I’m truly humbled and appreciative of your time and kind words.

 

 

To all the new readers who may perhaps come to this blog one way or another, I welcome you as well, as I begin this journey. A journey which not only is long but also needs motivation along the way. I named this post “Quotidian Photography and seeing things differently” because its exactly how I feel about this project.

 

I’m primarily a “street photographer” and on the streets I see things: scenes, movements, situations developing, it just happens, but photographing daily requires another set of glasses. Its something I believe happens when you shoot with a “small compact”. Why a small compact, just because of the fact that its ubiquitous. A feeling the Ricoh GRD3 brought to me.

 

 

There is something special about having a capable photographic tool with you that lends itself to explore all your creative outlets. Its these small form compact cameras which I believe really shine due to their size. Off course, other form factors rev the creatives juices of many but I certainly didn’t feel this way when I shot with my Nikon D80. Well to be fair, I suppose it did but it was just darn heavy(17-55mm f/2.8) and I felt and looked more like a paparazzi while on the streets — oops there goes a photographer, I could see their facial expression say. But to be fair, I did enjoy the quality of the images with the larger sensor.

 

 

Like all good stories, there needs to be a problem to be solved and here’s mine. I got rid off all my cameras in order to dedicate time to only one camera and the camera that came out on top was the Panasonic GF1 alongside the Olympus 17mm black pancake and a few Olympus OM and Hexanon manual lenses. Gotta love the m4/3 format for this added value, not full APS-C nor 1/6.3 CCD but somewhere in the middle and its fits my modus operandi just fine — small & discrete.

 

 

Anyway to make a long story short, this is where I’m presently at but soon enough I discovered that the GF1 even with the pancake is not that small and its semi-portable. To carry the GF1 I also need some type of bag as well, and well sometimes I just want a smaller package blame the Ricoh GRD III for this. Also, I soon wanted to experiment with different focal lengths, something I slowly grew into. So fast forward to today and I’m currently in the market for a capable compact and I’ve decided that for my needs — the Lumix LX5 will be my sidekick.

 

 

Its small enough and coupled with a wonderful feature set to be the best it can be — a capable small and portable compact with the ability to have an EVF(shooting without a viewfinder is torture for me, a wonderful addition to the GF1/LX5), a fast Leica lens, and varying focal lengths. So with that said, I’m keeping my kit small and portable, so stay tuned for the upcoming images of the LX5 circa Feb. 2012(a Valentines gift from my fiancee).

 

So embarking on this project has taught me to see things differently, to look around more, to slow down, to observe with intention since the fleeting moments are not the primary focus anymore, although its hard to stop seeing what comes natural to the eye. Now, my photography has turned a new leaf and the possibilities are everywhere. Photography is all around us, we just need to keep those eyes wide open and the quotidian things will start to look differently.

 

 

Update
I’m now carrying my GF1/Oly 17mm on a neck strap and its working out pretty well so far but I can totally anticipate this setup not being portable in at least 50% of my usual scenarios. The search for true compact continues . . .  Also, note the watermarks should reflect 2012, 00ps —  thanks Wouter