The return of old friends

Sometimes I get the opportunity to photograph the same kids again, which is a great treat – time has passed and you get to see how they’ve changed since the last time. And if the kids remember you, it can help make them feel more comfortable more quickly.

So I was very happy recently to meet up again with Lucas and Kira, whom I photographed first several years ago now.

We headed off to a trail with their mother, and both kids soon relaxed as I let them run around with only minimal instructions or intervention.

That’s when you see kids as they really are, and as you can tell, Lucas is thoughtful and a touch reserved, while Kira is more open and friendly.

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Three generations of a family

Recently, I’ve had several jobs where I’ve been photographing grandparents, parents and kids – often families that are here in Santa Fe on vacation.

It’s great to see the interaction between the generations, and making images of groups that don’t often get together is a particular privilege – marking an event special enough that they called in a photographer.

These images are from a recent session for the Miles family, with two brothers representing the older generation, one of their daughters (Emily)  and her husband representing the middle group, and their young son as the third generation.

There are more limitations for a session like this than one where the main focus is on the children. There’s less scope for changing locations, and more of the shots have to be set up, but constraints often lead to some creative solutions, and Emily and myself were happy with the way the images turned out.

I love the thought that these will form part of the family history now, and maybe in 70 years time, that young boy will come back and another Santa Fe photographer will get the call to photograph the next three generations.

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Olympus OM-D EM-5 Review – Small and Mighty

I’ve had the Olympus OM-D E-M5 since November of last year, and it seemed time to do a review. Bought as a replacement for my old Fuji X-Pro1 – a camera that I had a passionate but stormy relationship with – I have to say the Oly is much easier to live with.

It focuses quickly, has great in-camera stabilisation, delivers quality images even at higher ISOs and has a wide selection of lenses. I’ve happily used it on a couple of paid shoots (in conjunction with my Canon DSLR gear), and it works very well for me as walkaround camera.

I got it with the 14-42 kit lens (on the basis that I’ll likely not be using it very much), and mainly use the Panasonic LUMIX G 20mm f/1.7 and the lovely Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f/1.8 .

Other folks have said lots of nice and useful things about the camera, including Chase Jarvis’ staffer Erik, and Scott Bourne, so if you’re thinking about getting one, there’s lots of good information out there to help – and you can rent one from Borrowlenses.com if you want to try it out.

I hope you enjoy the review below, and let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Keeping it simple – a holiday family photo shoot in Santa Fe

Sometimes it’s best if you just keep it simple. When I got a call from friends and previous clients Laura and Rick, asking if I could do a quick family portrait session for their holiday card, I of course said yes.

They were only looking for two or three shots, and were up against a deadline to get the cards made – through the great service Pinhole Press (as I recommended). So I invited them over to my house, knowing there’s some open space on an unbuilt lot next to us.

A picturesque setting can be nice, but it’s not always necessary. With a bit of creative thinking, and a knowledge of how your gear works and the look you’re after, you can make great images in the most unimpressive surroundings.

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Now with extra Yelp

Just a quick note to say that I’ve expanded my listing on the local business review site Yelp – covering Santa Fe and Albuquerque. So if I’ve photographed yourself or your family before, I’d really appreciate if you’d head over and give me an honest review.

> You can find the Yelp listing here

With luck it will help more people find me and hire me for their children and family photography if I do the sort of work they’re looking for.

Thanks.

Why I’m selling my Fuji X-Pro1

Wrestling with whether to keep one expensive camera or buy a different one doesn’t rate on the scale of real problems, but I’ve been torn recently about whether or not to keep my Fuji X-Pro1. I’ve finally decided to sell it, and here’s why

The bottom line is that I just don’t like using it very much. The autofocus is frustratingly unpredictable, even with the latest firmware updates, and to me the camera feels unresponsive and a bit of a struggle. It’s a testament to the quality of the Fuji X-Pro1 that it’s been a hard choice, and it’s a testament to its quirks and frustrations that it had to go.

The image quality it delivers when everything clicks is undeniable, but if you don’t enjoy using the camera and feel you’re missing shots, then even capturing great ones some of the time doesn’t help much in the end.

I appreciate its retro design, the simplicity of its layout and the lack of extra bells and whistles, but I draw the line at dodgy focusing and an all-round laggy feeling.

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