Paul Giguere
www.paulgiguere.com
- Location
- Wayland, MA USA
Thank you to Amin and everyone at SC for the warm welcome. I'm truly looking forward to engaging with this vibrant community of photographers. I thought I would start off with a post with some additional background about me so that you have a better sense of where I'm coming from in my approach to the camera reviews that I will post in the future.
As Amin said in his introduction, much of my focus as a photographer over the past couple of years has been in the area of social documentary photography. My formal photographic background goes back to my college days (about 26 years ago) when I made photos for the student newspaper (mostly so I could get free film and processing). When I graduated, my access to the free film and processing stopped and so my interest in photography waned as a result. I still made photos of course but not with any serious devotion, direction, or frequency.
It wasn't until I was studying for my doctorate and taking a course in visual literacy (around the late 1990's) that I realized digital cameras had advanced to the point where the quality was good enough to make the jump from film (at least for me anyway). This reignited my passion for photography again and I went out and bought a Canon D30 in 2000 (the first of several digital SLRs which culminated with the Canon 5D . . . more on this later). Within a fews years I was exhibiting in fine-art photography shows all over the United States.
I too have had GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome . . . what a great acronym) and was always lusting for the latest DSLR camera, lens, etc. but a couple of years ago I realized that my interest in fine-art photography was on the decline and I found myself more interested in making photographs of a documentary nature. Essentially, I was discovering a new purpose for photography in my life. I also realized that a large DSLR didn't fit my need to always have a camera with me nor did it fit well with the kind of rapport I needed to establish with my subjects (holding a big camera with a big lens to your face while making a photo of someone doesn't exactly make people open up). So, I decided that I needed a serious compact camera that would meet my needs and I eventually settled on the Ricoh GRD3 (I'll cover this camera and why I use it in much greater detail in a future article).
After using my Ricoh for just about every project I have worked on, I realized that I had made more than ten times the photos with the GRD3 in just two years than I had with my Canon 5D over five years. The reason was simple, the Canon was just too big to carry with me on a daily basis and it only ever left the house when I was specifically going to make photographs (and even then the Ricoh came out of my bag more often than the Canon did). Things really came to a head when I was working on a photo project in Mexico last year and had both my Canon 5D and my Ricoh with me. I started off using the Canon but every time I did, people would freeze or they would strike a more formal pose. Also, their conversation with me would stop. In short, it intimidated people. Also, the homes that I visited were small and so even my 35mm lens was too long so the Ricoh (with a 28mm equivalent lens) became my primary camera for the project. For my most recent return trip to Mexico, the Ricoh was the only camera I had with me.
Today, the Ricoh GRD3 is the only camera I own because it does everything I need a camera to do and it becomes an extension of my eyes when I'm photographing. In other words, it disappears from my consciousness and I don't think about it at all while using it. This is what a good camera should do for you. You shouldn't spend time searching through menus or fumbling with buttons while the photographic moment is slipping by. Your attention should be on your subject, the composition, etc.
I sold my Canon 5D last year along with all of the lens and accessories (partly to pay to have some huge trees removed from my yard that the arborist called "widow-makers") and don't really miss it. Yes, the shallow depth of field was wonderful and the dynamic range of the photos was terrific but I simply wasn't taking many photos with it and if I should need such features in a camera in the future, I can always borrow or rent one. Also, as anyone know who listens to my podcast (www.thoughtsonphotography.com), I place a greater emphasis on the kinds of photographs that one makes as opposed to the gear used to make the photographs and that is what you can expect from my camera reviews for SC.
It is important in a review to cover the basics of the camera itself (features, specs, photo quality, etc.) but for me it is equally important to cover how the camera performs in the field in actual use in a practical way. At SC, we all share an interest in compact cameras and I'm willing to bet your reasons for this interest mirror some of my own for eventually abandoning the DSLR world. In my reviews, I will cover how well each camera helps me achieve the kinds of photos I want to make and I'll reflect on how well each camera might work for other types of photography. By taking you through my photographic process with each camera I review, the details of the camera (the controls, menus, handling, performance, etc.), will become evident.
Anyway, that's it. I'm looking forward to not only reviewing cameras for SC but also getting to know you all you in the various discussions going on in the various forums.
Paul
As Amin said in his introduction, much of my focus as a photographer over the past couple of years has been in the area of social documentary photography. My formal photographic background goes back to my college days (about 26 years ago) when I made photos for the student newspaper (mostly so I could get free film and processing). When I graduated, my access to the free film and processing stopped and so my interest in photography waned as a result. I still made photos of course but not with any serious devotion, direction, or frequency.
It wasn't until I was studying for my doctorate and taking a course in visual literacy (around the late 1990's) that I realized digital cameras had advanced to the point where the quality was good enough to make the jump from film (at least for me anyway). This reignited my passion for photography again and I went out and bought a Canon D30 in 2000 (the first of several digital SLRs which culminated with the Canon 5D . . . more on this later). Within a fews years I was exhibiting in fine-art photography shows all over the United States.
I too have had GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome . . . what a great acronym) and was always lusting for the latest DSLR camera, lens, etc. but a couple of years ago I realized that my interest in fine-art photography was on the decline and I found myself more interested in making photographs of a documentary nature. Essentially, I was discovering a new purpose for photography in my life. I also realized that a large DSLR didn't fit my need to always have a camera with me nor did it fit well with the kind of rapport I needed to establish with my subjects (holding a big camera with a big lens to your face while making a photo of someone doesn't exactly make people open up). So, I decided that I needed a serious compact camera that would meet my needs and I eventually settled on the Ricoh GRD3 (I'll cover this camera and why I use it in much greater detail in a future article).
After using my Ricoh for just about every project I have worked on, I realized that I had made more than ten times the photos with the GRD3 in just two years than I had with my Canon 5D over five years. The reason was simple, the Canon was just too big to carry with me on a daily basis and it only ever left the house when I was specifically going to make photographs (and even then the Ricoh came out of my bag more often than the Canon did). Things really came to a head when I was working on a photo project in Mexico last year and had both my Canon 5D and my Ricoh with me. I started off using the Canon but every time I did, people would freeze or they would strike a more formal pose. Also, their conversation with me would stop. In short, it intimidated people. Also, the homes that I visited were small and so even my 35mm lens was too long so the Ricoh (with a 28mm equivalent lens) became my primary camera for the project. For my most recent return trip to Mexico, the Ricoh was the only camera I had with me.
Today, the Ricoh GRD3 is the only camera I own because it does everything I need a camera to do and it becomes an extension of my eyes when I'm photographing. In other words, it disappears from my consciousness and I don't think about it at all while using it. This is what a good camera should do for you. You shouldn't spend time searching through menus or fumbling with buttons while the photographic moment is slipping by. Your attention should be on your subject, the composition, etc.
I sold my Canon 5D last year along with all of the lens and accessories (partly to pay to have some huge trees removed from my yard that the arborist called "widow-makers") and don't really miss it. Yes, the shallow depth of field was wonderful and the dynamic range of the photos was terrific but I simply wasn't taking many photos with it and if I should need such features in a camera in the future, I can always borrow or rent one. Also, as anyone know who listens to my podcast (www.thoughtsonphotography.com), I place a greater emphasis on the kinds of photographs that one makes as opposed to the gear used to make the photographs and that is what you can expect from my camera reviews for SC.
It is important in a review to cover the basics of the camera itself (features, specs, photo quality, etc.) but for me it is equally important to cover how the camera performs in the field in actual use in a practical way. At SC, we all share an interest in compact cameras and I'm willing to bet your reasons for this interest mirror some of my own for eventually abandoning the DSLR world. In my reviews, I will cover how well each camera helps me achieve the kinds of photos I want to make and I'll reflect on how well each camera might work for other types of photography. By taking you through my photographic process with each camera I review, the details of the camera (the controls, menus, handling, performance, etc.), will become evident.
Anyway, that's it. I'm looking forward to not only reviewing cameras for SC but also getting to know you all you in the various discussions going on in the various forums.
Paul