Month: December 2013

The Rig: Patrick La Roque

  Who are you and what’s your profession? My name is Patrick La Roque and I’m a commercial, portrait and documentary photographer based in Montreal, Canada — Although we actually live in a little town called Otterburn Park, about 30 minutes away. We have three young kids: a boy and two little girls. Keeps us busy… I switched to photography as a full-time gig about 7 years ago. Before that I was a musician, I worked in post, multimedia, I was a partner in a production company… Left it all behind to pursue a craft that quite suddenly gobbled me up after years of simply being a hobby. I realized one morning that I didn’t want to be doing anything else and moved on. No regrets. What’s your rig? I shoot an X-Pro1 and X100. The X100 is essentially my 35mm lens, with the X-Pro1 being my main workhorse. I use XF lenses exclusively and jump between the 35, 14, 60 or the two zooms depending on the job or the shot I’m looking for. …

The Rig: Derek Clark

Who are you and what’s your profession? My name is Derek Clark and I’m a documentary photographer in Scotland UK, where I live with my wife and our two kids. I’m a member of The Kage Collective, an international group of photographers focused on visual storytelling and documentary work and in 2012 I was awarded UK Professional Photographer Of The Year in the News Category for a photo from a story shot in Italy called Running Into Darkness. Most recently I have been shooting a story on orphanages in the Philippines, which will be forever etched in my memory and work that I would like to continue in some way. I also have a passion for black and white street photography and have a dedicated street blog at 35mmStreet.com When I’m not being a photographer, I’m usually playing tenor saxophone, something I’ve been doing for almost 30 years. I also have a thing for analog and VA synthesizers.   What’s your rig? My main rig is the Fuji X system. At the moment that kit …

The Rig: Dan Milnor

Who are you and what’s your profession? Well, there are things I know with absolute certainty. I work fulltime for Blurb as their “Photographer at Large,” or “Artist in Residence” as I heard myself described earlier today. I prefer the artist title not because I regard myself as one, but the reality is I quit working as a photographer at the end of 2010. This could be an entire story by itself, but I’m finding that I make better work, have more opportunities as a creative and have far fewer restrictions on me by NOT being a photographer. I studied photojournalism at the university level, and have worked as a newspaper photographer, magazine photographer, commercial photographer as well as a portrait photographer and employee of Eastman Kodak. I’ve had what I would describe as a strange career but one that has given me a unique perspective on how the parts of the creative industry work and don’t work. The last five years have been spent unlearning everything I was taught to believe. Any success I’ve …

The Rig: Kevin Mullins

Who are you and what is your profession? My name is Kevin Mullins. I’m a professional documentary style wedding photographer based in Wiltshire, England. I’m originally from Wales, but settled in our little market town around seven years ago with my wife. We now have two little people running around, and a Whippet, that seems to spend all its time asleep and avoiding running around. I’ve been a full time wedding photographer for five years or so and have always been an avid fan, and shooter, of candid images. Images that are not staged, or contrived, not girp-and-grin or set up portraits. Rather, I want my images to tell a story – each and every one of them to have a narrative within the bigger picture of the wedding day. Outside of running my business, and my family, I’m a huge Rugby Union fan (I’m Welsh by birth) and spend as much time watching and playing as I can muster. I also like great cigars and good Scotch Whiskey. What’s your rig? My primary cameras …

On Documentary Photography

Intro These are the words of Jeff Ascough responding to some queries on the obsession with sharpness and if images are good or not, and the how and why which are relevant to today’s discussion. And for me, that’s why the moment always wins. My following comments are a generalization, and not directed at you personally. This is one of my pet rants, so be warned!! I’m afraid one of the problems with digital photography is that people have become so anal about sharpness, to the point of it dominating everything else. Seeing an image at 100% on a 30″ monitor is not living in the real world. The amount of wasted hours of rubbish spoken about sharpness across the internet is bizarre. Maybe if people got out from behind their keyboards, and took pictures instead of whining about them, they would understand that sharpness is not just about a lens. Admittedly, the current crop of sensors have immense resolving power, which will show up flaws in lens design especially at wide apertures. However, in the …

Happy Holidays Fujifilm

Its not often one thanks a camera manufacturer but I feel obliged to give my best to Fujifilm and their whole team. Your cameras have changed my photography for the best and have given me a new outlook, a new way of seeing, and for all that, and all those things left unsaid, I wish Fujifilm a Happy Holiday season and I look forward to December 19th.

The Rig: Fixelpix

Who are you and what’s your profession? I am an educator by profession and teach film and animation to the next generation of budding filmmakers. Photography is a hobby that is not only a great way to relax but really works well alongside this area of education. What’s your rig? I am a Fujifilm X fan, I love them. A few years ago I started to notice how often I left my DSLR at home because of the size and weight. It is hard enough to trek the Mourne Mountains and you aim to travel as light as possible. The Fujifilm X range has come on leaps and bounds since my first X100 back in 2011. I am mainly shooting with the X100s and the new X-E2. Lens wise I tend to stick to 14mm, 23mm, 35mm and 60mm. The image quality is superb and you can effortlessly carry them around everywhere. I actually only bring out a digital slr for music photography where I need the reach. What hardware do you use? I have …