All photographs by Wouter Brandsma

All photographs by Wouter Brandsma

All photographs by Wouter Brandsma

Interested in viewing my photographs in book form, check out my first photo book ‘Saudade‘ here.

Photograph by Wouter Brandsma

Power

All photographs by Wouter Brandsma

Central position

There is so much to like about this camera, but I sure have to acknowledge that it has some flaws too. In an attempt to preserve enough highlight detail I think the metering is quite conservative, possibly a tad too much. Many Ricoh photographers used to underexpose often at -1/3 EV, but this might not always be necessary. As a result the images straight out of camera seem what undertoned while the highlights and shadows seem to cope rather well. Also the greens are quite green, but I try to tweak the white balance to add a bit more yellow. On my camera, the CMOS sensor also exhibits some hot pixels at high ISO’s, especially beyond ISO 1600. And since the GR sensor lacks an AA-filter it can be pron to moiré. So be warned with very fine structures like stone brick walls.

It surprises me though how thoughtful the camera is. Once you’ve set it up, it just works. I can still operate the camera comfortably with one hand. I don´t have to think about the camera when I am out there. One of the critics I had when Ricoh launched the GRD3 with the larger LCD screen was that some of the buttons got too close to the location where your thumb rests. With the increased size of the camera they fixed that completely. One thing that took me some time to figure out was why I couldn’t assign the white balance shortcut menu to the adjustment lever, until two days later I discovered that there is now a dedicated white balance button available (I should as well have read the manual).

Follow the lines

In my next post I will come with some color work for sure. We kind of forgot that is was spring here, but now we finally get rid of the autumness weather.

All photographs by Wouter Brandsma

Old skool

There is obviously so much that crosses my mind after a day of photographing with the new Ricoh GR, but I also feel it is way to soon to just write some first impressions down. I know some have no problems jumping to conclusions after a couple of hours using a camera. I however want to learn to master it. I should say though that after a brief moment it felt very comfortable.

It feels easier to hold than the GXR, the grip is reassuring and the finish of the camera is like expected. The little bit of extra weight is much appreciated. The menu though….. A typical Ricoh menu, organized, well structured, but you do almost need an IT background to understand all the firmware features. I’d better figure it out now and just set up the camera once and for all.

New skool

I always try to set up my cameras to keep the shooting process simple. A concept I always appreciated when I bought my GR1 briefly after it was launched in 1996. All the options of the Ricoh GR can, at first, be very overwhelming. If you already have a GRD predecessor I suggest to set up your GR similarly. Best for me though, was to get out with the camera as soon as possible.

All photographs by Wouter Brandsma

The beauty of nowadays is that not much is needed to get out and to take photographs. The current breed of cellphones have pretty stellar cameras. And for those who care about that, these cameras still bring instant sketch look. You can have so much to make photographs, but so little is needed.

Flickr recently updated their website, appearances, and the amount of free storage. I gave up my paid subscription last year so I personally see it as a welcome change. Looking at the reactions from many others it still seems a mixed bag though. With Flickr finally stepping up I am thinking about shutting down my Tumblr blog. They still say it is better to use your time for taking photographs instead of dealing with much of the internet stuff. My blog and Flickr stream is sure enough for me.

All photographs by Wouter Brandsma

Greyish mud

My friends Olivier Duong and Don Springer did it again and just published issue 2 of their digital magazine ‘Insprired Eye‘. The magazine contains interviews Paul Mcguirk, Christophe Debon, Pete Tachauer, Adrian Saker and ….. me. This issue is available for $4.95 or subscribe yourself for $19.95 for 6 issues this year. My friend Jorge got the Ricoh GR and he created a micro site that will grow with information in the upcoming weeks. I expect the Ricoh GR in one or two weeks. I don’t immediately expect a comparison with my GRD3, because that camera really needs some service now. I intend to write another ‘My impressions’ article again like I did about the GRD3. One warning though, there won’t be anything scientific or objective about written. I like to give an impression how a new camera can be used for my photography. This one is particularly interesting since the Ricoh GR series formed my photographic basis for the last 17 years. No ‘click’ ramblings this time. I try to sort my thoughts and get some ideas for the upcoming months. Especially since I know that when I start with the Ricoh GR I will likely become the slave of the camera. And usually not the time for the best photographs either.

Crossing diversity

All photographs by Wouter Brandsma (except for the magazine image)

The Click

When you press the shutter there isn’t just that click of the shutter. There is also that click briefly before when you see the moment. It builds up. The light, the subject, your mood. You feel it. And some of these moments demands to be cherished. This one is for my wife.

Photograph by Wouter Brandsma