Exhibit Bee
This was originally published in my Prime Lenses Newsletter. You can sign-up for a weekly update to your inbox here.
Recently my friend Danny switched back to Canon cameras for all of his photography, personal and professional. For all the time I’ve known him Danny has been a Leica shooter. We became friends around the time he picked up a Q and then as has happened to many before and since, that gateway to the Wetzlar Way got him into the M and SL systems but it’s important to remember that as The Doctor once said;
“We’re all different people all through our lives, and that’s OK, that’s good, you gotta keep moving. So long as you remember all the people that you used to be.”
Danny’s switch and accompanying blog post made it clear that in his case he had stuck with one brand or style out of some sort of loyalty to a thing rather than to himself. He was having real issues and it was bugging him but he stuck with it longer than most would especially when it’s impacting paid work. I’m just here for fun but if you’re out there relying on kit to get food on the table you can’t afford to mess about and if you can buy several bodies and lenses for the cost of one body made by someone else then I can appreciate there would be a time where you’d feel like you have to switch.
FWIW I’m thrilled for my friend to have found a camera he loves using, I don’t care what the logo on it is, as long as it brings him joy and he’s able to make the work he wants to make that’s all that really matters. His experience popped into my head a few days later.
Ben, my youngest, excitedly ran into my office to tell me there was a bee in the bathroom. He was insistent.
“Come upstairs!”
What I found was this little guy sitting in the bathroom.
Not a real bee
It was cute, and I like to capture little moments like this for my journal so I don’t forget about all the fun things the boys are doing as they grow up. At first I snapped a photo with my phone because it was quick but also because part of me felt like it wasn’t really the right sort of thing to photograph with something like an M. The mighty, bold, talismanic rangefinder, object of many a photographers dreams. I couldn’t possibly use it to capture this childish moment.
And then I stopped myself. What was I thinking?! Had I forgotten Danny already?! I dashed downstairs to get my camera, I even swapped lenses to my 90mm that I rarely find an excuse to use. Using the M felt better, it produced an image I much prefer and things like limited minimum focus distance, these are just limitations to be embraced. I like the picture and the lesson it reminded me to embrace. Like James said on the podcast, vinyl isn’t better, but it feels better.
So in celebration of things that feel good and because I like to include links to things, here are three things that have a great feel to them.
I worked on the conversation of Red Dead Redemption to Switch, PS4 and PC and that project was all about ensuring the feel of the game was the same. That includes look but the game has to feel the same in hand and a good conversion is a world different to a bad one. Check it out if you haven’t, it’s really great.
Former podcast guest Stasia Schmidt has made her first book! This breathtaking coffee table art book is gorgeous and I can’t wait to grab one! The price will go up soon so if you’re interested get it now. She has dreamt up and made the book in the time since our conversation so this is a really fast turnaround project. Well worth a look!
And lastly, I recently discovered the blog of future podcast guest Arun Venkatesan. He wrote a really interesting piece about Leica’s typography which I really enjoyed so I messaged him and we sat down this evening to have a chat. More on that later, but in the meantime go and read this piece, it’s great!
