MY CAMERAS
MY CAMERAS
There is an emotional element to the cameras I chose. I have to enjoy picking them up. They have to feel right in my hand.
They have to be beautifully made and they have to look and feel cool. While that might sound superficial, I believe the tools I use influence how I approach the work itself.
I love cameras that feel like they disappear in my hands, that become instinctive. I love cameras that let me concentrate on what’s in front of me instead of forcing my attention towards superfluous buttons and settings. This is also why I work with prime lenses. I prefer the discipline of a fixed focal length.
I have to move. I have to commit to a perspective. I have to work within the lens’s limitations.
Four cameras have become my principal workhorses. They are very different instruments, and each encourages a way of working that I find invaluable. These are the cameras I use.
There is an emotional element to the cameras I chose. I have to enjoy picking them up. They have to feel right in my hand.
They have to be beautifully made and they have to look and feel cool. While that might sound superficial, I believe the tools I use influence how I approach the work itself.
I love cameras that feel like they disappear in my hands, that become instinctive. I love cameras that let me concentrate on what’s in front of me instead of forcing my attention towards superfluous buttons and settings. This is also why I work with prime lenses. I prefer the discipline of a fixed focal length.
I have to move. I have to commit to a perspective. I have to work within the lens’s limitations.
Four cameras have become my principal workhorses. They are very different instruments, and each encourages a way of working that I find invaluable. These are the cameras I use.
Leica M10 Monochrom
Leica M10 Monochrom
Leica Q2 Monochrom
Leica Q2 Monochrom
Fujifilm GFX100 Monochrom
Fujifilm GFX100 Monochrom
Leica M4
Leica M4
I don’t see these cameras as competing systems.
The M10 Monochrom is about concentration and anticipation.
The Q2 Monochrom is about proximity and immediacy.
The modified GFX100 is about precision, tonality and scale.
The M4, loaded with Tri-X 400 or Delta 3200, is about simplicity, patience and trust.
Across all four, my preference for prime lenses remains consistent: fewer choices, greater familiarity and a more direct relationship between where I stand and what enters the frame.
Three of these cameras are dedicated to black-and-white photography digitally; the fourth takes me back to the physical origins of the medium.
What connects them is less technical.
I have to love the object itself.
Photography is physical. I carry these cameras, handle them, travel with them and spend countless hours looking through them. Their design, weight, controls and character matter to me. A tool should perform exceptionally well, but it should also make you want to use it.
Ultimately, that is what I look for in a camera: something capable enough to disappear when I am making a photograph, but distinctive enough that I still want to pick it up.
Four Cameras, Different Rhythms
Four Cameras, Different Rhythms
I don’t see these cameras as competing systems.
The M10 Monochrom is about concentration and anticipation.
The Q2 Monochrom is about proximity and immediacy.
The modified GFX100 is about precision, tonality and scale.
The M4, loaded with Tri-X 400 or Delta 3200, is about simplicity, patience, and trust.
Across all four, my preference for prime lenses remains consistent: fewer choices, greater familiarity, and a more direct relationship between where I stand and what enters the frame.
Three of these cameras are dedicated to black-and-white photography digitally; the fourth takes me back to the physical origins of the medium.
What connects them is less technical.
I have to love the object itself.
Photography is physical. I carry these cameras, handle them, travel with them and spend countless hours looking through them. Their design, weight, controls, and character matter to me. A tool should perform exceptionally well, but it should also make you want to use it.
Ultimately, that is what I look for in a camera: something capable enough to disappear when I am taking a photograph, but distinctive enough that I still want to pick it up.