Chris Porsz on camera equipment
Kodak Instamatic
My first camera was a Kodak Instamatic, then I progressed from Zenith, Practika, Olympus Trip to a Canon AE1.
I am a very minor untechnical amateur that just dabbles at it so I have to keep it simple. It helps to have good gear but mainly it’s about putting the miles in, being there and seeing potential. I entered the digital age with a Canon EOS 1000D, 60D, 70D and finally a 5D M111 as I often photograph in low light and adverse weather. I do not use flash and I am hopeless at photoshop so do minimal editing with the camera software. There is no substitute for getting it right first time in the camera.
I have changed my style and ditched the telephoto which gives that artificial compression. As Robert Capa said, ‘If your photos are not good enough then you are not close enough.’ My 24-70 2.8 lens is permanently attached and I shoot mainly at around 20mm with a fast shutter speed set ready to capture the unexpected sharp and in focus. I sometimes shoot blind from the chest and the wide angle with great depth of field and autofocus allows that. The downside is I cut a lot of heads off and I also often point the camera up to get a dramatic building backdrop. The downside of an SLR is it is so conspicuous with a noisy shutter and so I got a Fuji 100XF which I thought would make me a better street photographer. It didn't as I found it a bit fiddly and will remain a good quality back up. Good gear of course helps but the eye and walking has it!
I am a very minor untechnical amateur that just dabbles at it so I have to keep it simple. It helps to have good gear but mainly it’s about putting the miles in, being there and seeing potential. I entered the digital age with a Canon EOS 1000D, 60D, 70D and finally a 5D M111 as I often photograph in low light and adverse weather. I do not use flash and I am hopeless at photoshop so do minimal editing with the camera software. There is no substitute for getting it right first time in the camera.
I have changed my style and ditched the telephoto which gives that artificial compression. As Robert Capa said, ‘If your photos are not good enough then you are not close enough.’ My 24-70 2.8 lens is permanently attached and I shoot mainly at around 20mm with a fast shutter speed set ready to capture the unexpected sharp and in focus. I sometimes shoot blind from the chest and the wide angle with great depth of field and autofocus allows that. The downside is I cut a lot of heads off and I also often point the camera up to get a dramatic building backdrop. The downside of an SLR is it is so conspicuous with a noisy shutter and so I got a Fuji 100XF which I thought would make me a better street photographer. It didn't as I found it a bit fiddly and will remain a good quality back up. Good gear of course helps but the eye and walking has it!
