photography

Talking Musicians In Jackson on JTV

I’m kissing Squarespace goodbye and moving my two portrait projects to my blog. Instead of sending web traffic somewhere else, Artists In Jackson and Musicians In Jackson—as they’re updated—will live here, where visitors can learn more about my other projects. 

As I was putting together the project landing pages, I remembered JTV’s Bart Hawley Show featured Musicians In Jackson late in 2019, but I never shared that conversation on this blog.

So here it is. And many thanks to Bart for having me on to talk about my musicians and artists portrait projects.

 

 


Let the Sun Shine

Last year, we took a family trip to California that rebooted my whole year

I’m still feeling the effects of that winter trip filled with gorgeous West Coast sunshine. A week full of vitamin D does a body, and a spirit, good.

That’s why I looked so forward to a recent work trip to Phoenix, Arizona. The forecast? Sunny and mid 70s. Perfect for this winter-worn Michigander.

We had a few chances to stroll through the Sonoran Desert surrounding our conference resort, through the Phoenix Mountains Preserve near North Moutain Park. One morning we traveled with a hiking company, through a tunnel under the road, and wandered around a valley to watch the sun come up. 

On the other side, we watched the sun set over a nice BBQ dinner. In both cases, the desert light never left. 

Praise the sun.

Shot on the Canon R and either the RF 50mm f/1.8 or 24-105mm f/4.


Hello, February

Fog then rain then snow then sunshine.

Welcome to February. 


Building a Secret Stash

Photographer Jorge Quinteros, with some good “keep a fun fund” advice:

The real challenge isn’t in upgrading your tools, it’s in upgrading yourself.

That’s when the investment shifts. Instead of pouring money into a new lens you don’t actually need, you start to invest in the work itself. The personal projects. The stories you want to tell, the places you want to explore. 


Camera (in)Decisions: Canon M6 Review

Jackson, Michigan - foggy morning

It’s true that I upgraded my original Canon M early last year with the Canon M200

As the year went on and I used it more and more, a little itch in the back of my brain started. The itch, which weirdly has a voice, started saying, “Using this camera should be easier – and more fun, like your original Canon M was.”

What the itch said was also true. 

Some of those true things included:

  • The M200 is not a customizable camera. You get what you get, no mods allowed.
  • I really missed the physical button to center the focus point, like I had on the OG M and other M cameras.
  • I also missed the little handgrip bump on the front of the M. The M200 is as flat as Ohio

Last March, I said:

There aren’t many buttons or options, it’s not the toughest model, and you don’t have the in-the-hand control you have on a more advanced camera. But coming from the original M, the M200 felt at home in my hands.  

“Trust your instincts,” the itch said, and there I was with this 2019-era mirrorless camera that did not bring me joy.

With all these truths in mind, I went back and looked to see if I could still upgrade to a Canon M6 mark II. The price was still high, and it still wasn’t widely available. That’s when my budget-friendly brain had an idea:

What if I bought an original and used Canon M6?

It doesn’t have all the modern bells and whistles of the mark II, but it does have:

  • Customizable buttons – and lots of them. The M6 has an almost Fuji-level amount of physical dials and buttons.
  • A physical button to recenter the focus point.
  • A wonderful hand grip on the front – more DSLR-style than a modest bump like the M had.
  • All the features of the M200: higher resolution, flippy screen, faster focus, etc.

And, little itch, the silver version looks kind of cool, cashing in on the retro silver-and-black look of film SLRs and rangefinders.

So that’s what I did: I purchased a refurbished Canon M6 and sold off my M200.

Here are some glamour shots with the EF-M 32mm f/1.4, taken on the Canon 5D and EF 100mm f/2.8 macro lens.

So far? I dig the M6. I love the improved ergonomics, retro styling, faster speed, and manual controls – especially the bumpy, knurled dials for aperture or ISO. 

A few things I don’t love:

  • I do wish it had a viewfinder, even though I’m used to not having one on the M series. A rangefinder-style viewfinder would be so handy.
  • There’s a greenish/cyan tint to the files in Lightroom. I’m not sure if it’s the camera or Lightroom’s raw file handling, but I load up some files and they look icky.
  • Certain buttons on the camera drive me crazy: the touchscreen zoom button in the lower right and the physical manual focus button on the main dial. When I go to focus on a subject, the camera is unresponsive because I accidentally brushed that MF button. I turned it completely off in the custom settings.

Those quirks tell me that modern cameras, with so many hybrid demands put on them, are never perfect. My Canon 5D is perfect. Everything else has limitations or annoyances. 

The above shot shows me using the M6 exclusively on a new photo project to learn my new camera. 

This leads to the larger question about my camera strategy: what am I going to keep, and why do I need a different system than my EOS+EF system?

  • Mobility: I like the Canon M lineup’s weight and small size. It’s a perfect everyday carry and travel setup, including if I ever want to do some video.
  • Quality: Images are good, and the lenses make for sharp, pleasing photos.
  • Vibes: Since that first Canon M, I’ve admired the series, flawed though it is. It’s weird investing and tinkering with a dead mirrorless camera system, but I do love these little cameras.

With the M6, it’s so far, so good. This combined with my old, clunky (but reliable) M as a backup, and I’ve got an old+new system similar to my Canon 5D plus 6D.

I brought the M6 with me to Austin, Texas, and Monterrey, Mexico. It served me well during the holidays and on random photo outings. It feels so much better in the hand.

It also quieted the itch.


The Coldest Day

It’s cold out there.

Parts of the U.S. are facing an arctic blast – one of those goofy named weather phenomena. In the past few winters, we haven’t had much winter action in Michigan. So on this occasion, I laced up my snow boots and walked around the neighborhood to see what five degrees felt like.

The bright sun and crisp air were nice for a brief minute. But then the wind would pick up and I felt like my face was stinging. 

Not much moves on mornings like this.

Shot on the Canon 5D classic and EF 40mm f/2.8.


Austin, Texas: Night

I always want to do more night photography. Living in a small city, there’s not a lot of opportunity to grab night images like I’d like to.

Thanks to Austin, however, I had a great chance to tour around a decent-sized city to capture light, shadow, and color. My co-worker and I also stumbled on a commercial filming shoot taking place on 6th Street, near Voodoo Donuts, which provided an interesting behind-the-scenes view into a commercial production.

This night out inspired me so much that I thought, hey, Detroit’s not that far away. It might be worth a visit to get more of these kinds of photos. 

The trip also inspired me to continue working on a long-term night photography project closer to home. More on that soon. 


Digicam Winter & Nature Hike: Canon PowerShot SD750

This weekend, I made a thing.

It’s funny to see the recent digicam craze. Everything old eventually becomes new again, and sure enough, it’s the classic point-and-shoot camera’s time to shine.

So, after a big snowstorm this weekend, I hiked into the Kate Palmer Wildlife Sanctuary here in Jackson, Michigan, to take my trusty Canon PowerShot SD750 on a photo walk in the woods. I also shared a few classic and recent shots with the PowerShot – a camera I used for years, on many trips, from 2007 up until I bought my Canon Rebel T1i in 2010.

Bringing it out into the woods reminded me of a few things:

  • The files hold up decently, but man, my modern photography eyes are spoiled. There’s so much chromatic aberration, shadow noise, and corner softness with this 35-110mm lens.
  • It is nice to have a tiny, pocketable camera that you can carry anywhere. I used it quite a bit over the holidays because of the flash and the size.
  • “Unfussiness” should be a guiding light in more modern cameras. The Ricoh GR series comes close to this level of simplicity. Truly: point and shoot.

I can see the charm. These younger generations want something imperfect. Film is difficult and expensive, so classic digital is the practical (and affordable) way to go.

This PowerShot will stay with me until it’s dead. It’s still fun to bring it out once in a while and remind myself that, for a long time, this was the best I had.