Tag Archives: Ricoh GR

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Behind this shot : Happy kid.

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I made this photo last week. I spotted this little girl with her windmill on the Place de la Mairie. My attention was attracted by laughter from children. The streets of Aix-en-Provence are more and more frequented by tourists enjoying the pre-season. Given the current temperatures, we quickly believe that it’s summer ! The two little girls were dressed identically and had fun with their windmills. At the time of tablets, video games or other addictive screens, it was refreshing to see that a simple windmill could give them as much pleasure. Do you have the right to take pictures of children in public places ?

 

 

  • Legal point of view

Children have a different image right compare to adults in the sense that their parents are the custodians of this right. As for adults, nothing legally forbids us to take their photos, but what is problematic, of course, is to make these photos public. For adults, case law has been handed down in disputes between street photographers and people who complained that their image right was violated (because they appeared in photographs). Freedom of artistic expression takes precedence over individual freedom (in public places) insofar as the photo does not undermine the dignity of the person photographed or causes them harm. The same goes for children.

 

 

  • Ethical point of view

Like many people, I am a father of two young children. How would I react if someone took a picture of them ? I will be honest with you, it would surprise me. The problem is that we are now living in a society that has lost its innocence. Blame it on all these sordid stories where children have been abused. Our society has become very suspicious and generally we are wary of any unusual behavior with children. Me first, I am very attentive to what is happening around my children in public places. Taking pictures of children in street photography is pretty tricky. You do not know how the photographic act will be interpreted.

 

 

Some prefer to stay away from children because they are too sensitive subjecs. I do not think that’s the case. I just think that the reaction (if there is a reaction) may be more epidermal because we deal with offsprings of people. Personally, I am naturally attracted to children on the street. I like their candor and their joie de vivre. They are unpredictable and always offer us interesting situations to photograph. Children see life as a game and are constantly having fun. Quite often I try to photograph them in a discreet way without arousing the suspicions of the parents or otherwise I show the parents that the situation seems to me amusing and that is the reason why I make a picture. The smile often allows to tacitly validate the photographic act. This is the case for this photo below made in Bath during my recent visit to UK. I saw this mom playing with her three daughters in the street. When I saw this scene, I rushed on it and took the picture smiling because I was really amused by this scene. The mother gave me back that smile because she knew I was not a threat.

 

 

Let’s go back to the opening photo of this Blog. Here, I operated in a discreet way without the parents suspecting that I was taking the little girl in photo. My little Ricoh GR makes me very discreet and especially harmless. I avoid being intrusive with children, preferring to keep a little distance. I tried to take a photo while trying to capture an interesting attitude, but I had a lot of trouble. I followed them a bit because the dad took his little girl on his shoulders and I was waiting for something to happen. Like very often in the street, nothing happened. We went up the street Gaston de Saporta, then we passed in front of the cathedral. I thought at that moment that there was nothing to wait. That I would not have my picture. It was at this moment that the father and the little girl turned around, finally offering me this interesting picture. I love this picture because there is a lot of simplicity in this one. It is a photo that breathes the joy of life and the little girl stands out perfectly on the sky with its windmill.

 

 

All the pictures were made with the Ricoh GR and the Ricoh GRD 4.

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BLOG en, Slideshow

Ricoh GRD 4 : Grande Finale.

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Recently I had a comment on a YouTube video of someone telling me that my Blogs on the Ricoh GRD 4 made him want to buy one. It surprised me a bit because as I said before, I basically write for myself. This Blog is a personal diary of my photographic journey. I almost started it at the same time that I discovered Street Photography in 2016. I’m always amazed by the reach that some of my articles can have.

 

 

I spent 3 weeks on vacation in Reunion Island to shoot exclusively with the Ricoh GR. But as soon as we got back to Jouques, I had put the GR away and had pulled out my old GRD 4 for my work in the street. It took big problems with my GRD 4 for me to dust off my GR. Basically, the GR was a backup camera in case of glitch with my GRD 4. It must be said that the GRD 4 was my only camera for 2 years. I only bought a second hand GR just recently. While in Bristol, I had recovered a brand new GRD 4, but I still wanted to use the GR there. Why ? It was the opportunity for me to actually test this camera in the street. I had used  it 3 weeks in Reunion, but it was for the holidays. It was in Bristol that I began to realize the potential of the Ricoh GR.

 

 

Let’s talk about annoying things right away. Some will say that I drool, but the GR is really lame in low light. The auto focus is really bad when the light is lacking. It changes me from the GRD 4 which excels with its hybrid AF. Beyond ISO 6400, the files are really awfull in color but still remain exploitable in B&W. In general, the rise in ISO is not great on the Ricoh GR … Beside that, the GRD 4 is much better with its small sensor. In narrow streets with little light, keeping the same depth of field and the same speed, I am at ISO 400 max while the GR easily climbs to ISO 1600 or 3200. It is 2 to 3 Diaph difference.

 

 

Since my return from Bristol, my opinion on the GR has changed. I know his weaknesses, but I also know his strengths. Compared to GRD 4, the buffer is incredible. No need to wait 2 seconds between two shots. But what changes especially is the APS-C sensor. I’m losing depth of field, but I’m gaining dynamic ! Normal tell me, I go from a small sensor 1 /1.7 “to an APS-C sensor. Why does that change the game ? With the GRD 4, I have to pay close attention to light conditions because the dynamics of the camera is not great. It’s hard to recover things in the highlights and save information in the dark … The GR on its side has a better dynamic range and allows me to pay less attention to the light conditions in the street. I do not change my settings when I go from shadow to light. What I was doing constantly with my GRD 4. Casually, getting rid of it allows me to focus more on what is happening in the street.

 

 

It’s been over a month now that I only use the GR in the street. I learned to cope with its lower depth of field. When we get used to not worry about this element, it’s quite disturbing to see that some elements in the photo are not in focus. I have to be careful about the focus. Which I absolutely did not do with the GRD 4 which was for me a Point & Shoot ! The GR demands more discipline on that side. To get rid of it, I would have to shoot at f16, but in this case the ISO would go up inexorably … My settings on the GR are quite basic: f8 | 1/500s. If the ISOs rise too much, depending on the situation, I degrade the aperture, the speed or both !

 

 

The GR has become over the weeks my only one camera for my work in the street. I was scalded by my misadventures with my GRD 4. The pinnacle was reached when I had problems on my two GRD 4 in Paris. Like an idiot, I did not want to take my Fuji XE2 with me during this trip. The GRD 4 was released in 2011. Even though Pentax still provides the Ricoh GRD 4’s service, the parts are starting to run out and it’s not at Leica’s level. These cameras are not made to last. I’m at my 4th Ricoh GRD 4 in not even three years. I know that the GR is not free of defects too (dust on the sensor …). But the small difference is that there are plenty on the market opportunity in case of problems.

 

 

I know that my work is very much related to the Ricoh GRD 4. I think that many people have discovered my Blog through my articles on this device. Michael Ernest Sweet told me at the time that this Ricoh GRD 4 was a Street Legend. Just that. I totally agree with him. No other camera will allow me to photograph so close people in the street, no other camera will offer me this crazy depth of field … But there is also the rendering of photos with this CCD sensor ! It’s organic and really beautiful. Besides, the GR has a very digital renderfing. Even by working on the RAW files, I can not get the quality of Ricoh GRD 4.

 

 

By switching to the Ricoh GR, I know that some will not understand. I am one of the apostles of the Ricoh GRD 4 … I have always boasted the superiority of the GRD 4 ! So what, I return my jacket ? I’ll be honest on that. The GRD 4 is really good, but the GR allows me to worry less about my settings in the street. I also wanted to stop this Ricoh GRD 4 addiction. These cameras even if we continue to find them on eBay, are increasingly rare. And buying them secondhand carries risks. My last two GRD 4 had besides had problems shortly after their purchase … I know that the GR can also have problems, but by switching, I have the embarrassment of the choice with the GR, the GR 2 and even the brand new GR 3 (all APS-C Sensors) !

 

 

That’s why I stop using GRD 4 for my work on the street. Well not completely, but it’s not my main camera anymore. During the last two weeks, I still wanted to shoot with the GRD 4. After several weeks spent with the GR, I found myself clumsy in the street, spending a lot of time modifying my aperture or my ISO according to the available light. There are also situations where I regretted the GR. These outputs have confirmed my choice to move on the APS-C sensor. I have always considered the camera as a tool that serves my vision. The GR is the device I need on the street today.

I have grouped you in a slideshow, a collection of photos taken in the last two weeks with the Ricoh GRD 4. Kind of Tribute to this camera that had accompanied me this last two years in the streets of Aix-en-Provence. All photos were taken with the Ricoh GRD 4.

 

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Paris : Far away, so close …

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Ça y est, je m’atèle enfin à la rédaction de mon Blog sur mon court séjour parisien. Les souvenirs sont encore là mais j’ai l’impression que ça fait une éternité ! Paris c’était il y a 1 mois, mais entre temps beaucoup de choses se sont passées. Bristol a beaucoup occupé mon esprit et j’ai d’ailleurs rédigé un bon paquet de Blogs sur mon séjour en UK. Il faut dire que j’avais passé une semaine à ne faire que de la Street Photography. La dernière fois que j’avais fait ça, c’était à Liverpool il y a 3 ans … Continue reading Paris : Far away, so close … →

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The lost files.

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Je farfouille en ce moment dans les photos de mon séjour à Bristol pour éditer mes vidéos faites avec mon Action Cam fixée sur mon Ricoh GR. Ces fameuses vidéos T.M.E (Through My Eyes) que je réalise depuis quelques temps déjà. Je dois en avoir deux de Bristol que j’essaye d’éditer. Me fallait donc les photos correspondant aux vidéos. Alors que je parcourais mes fichiers sous lightroom, je suis tombé sur quelques photos que je n’avais même pas pris la peine de regarder. Continue reading The lost files. →

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Behind this shot, BLOG

Behind this shot : I’m a liar !

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Je n’ai pas encore eu l’opportunité de partager avec vous certaines photos réalisées il y a quelques semaines de ça à Paris. Entre temps j’ai enchaîné par mon séjour à Bristol. Regardez cette photo. Je l’ai prise il y a un mois de ça, dans le métro parisien. Je n’ai pas l’habitude de prendre les transports en commun chez moi car la voiture est bien plus pratique et les transports en commun bien moins efficaces. Ici à Paris, tout se fait en métro ou en bus. Continue reading Behind this shot : I’m a liar ! →

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Back in Bristol.

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La ville de Bristol est d’après différentes études une des villes où il fait bon vivre en Angleterre. Elle est classée #2 (après Londres) pour les moins de 30 ans.  Elle a même eu le titre honorifique de la capitale mondiale du Vegan devant des villes comme Portland, Edinburgh, Vancouver et Seattle. J’ai passé 1 semaine là bas pour des raisons différentes, mais en me baladant dans les rues de Bristol, j’ai pu sentir pourquoi cette ville était très différente des autres villes anglaises où j’avais pu séjourner. En 1998, j’étais resté 6 semaines à Bristol pour mes études et je n’ai presque aucun souvenir de cette période. A l’époque j’avais 25 ans et on a du passer tout notre temps dans les pubs ou autres nightclubs. Je ne me souviens même pas avoir visité la ville. En fait j’avais choisi Bristol comme destination car je voulais aller dans la ville du groupe Massive Attack pour éventuellement les voir en concert. Sauf que je me suis rendu compte qu’ils étaient en tournée aux USA pour la sortie de leur album Mezzanine … Continue reading Back in Bristol. →

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Behind this shot, BLOG

Behind this shot : The Brexit Unicorn !

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Comme vous avez pu le remarquer, depuis quelques temps j’ai crée cette nouvelle rubrique Behind this shot qui me permet de vous parler d’une photo qui m’ a marqué. Ici en l’occurrence il s’agit d’une licorne un peu grassouillette que j’ai photographié la veille de mon départ de Bristol. Je ne suis pas arrivé sur cette scène par hasard. Je traînais devant le centre commercial de Cabot Circus quand j’ai vu deux jeunes filles habillées façon manga dans la rue. Je me suis tout suite dit qu’il devait y avoir une GamesCon pas très loin. Continue reading Behind this shot : The Brexit Unicorn ! →

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Social Media Anonymous.

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Bonjour, je m’appelle Jeff et je ne suis pas allé sur les réseaux sociaux depuis 4 semaines déjà … Ne vous méprenez pas, c’est une boutade et j’ai beaucoup d’empathie pour toutes ces personnes qui souffrent d’addictions et qui essayent de s’en sortir dans des thérapies de groupe. Que ce soit à cause de l’alcool ou de drogues, je reste persuadé que parler permet de mettre des mots sur des maux et donc est un pas important vers la guérison. Il s’agit d’accepter qu’on a un problème et aussi accepter que les autres puissent vous aider.

 

 

Ça fait un peu plus de 4 semaines que j’ai effacé mon dernier lien avec les réseaux sociaux. Honnêtement, je pensais que le manque allait être terrible et que ce réflexe d’aller checker son feed, de voir si des personnes avaient liké mes photos serait plus fort. Mais il n’en est rien. Rien de tout ça; la vie continue avec ou sans réseaux sociaux. il faut dire que j’ai été pas mal occupé ces dernières semaines entre les visites pour la vente de la maison, notre semaine passée en famille à Paris et maintenant à Bristol.

 

 

Je vais vous avouer que j’ai un problème avec le grignotage à la maison. Comme tous les parents qui ont des enfants en bas âge, j’ai tout plein de biscuits ou friandises qui traînent dans les placards. Et quand je m’ennuie à la maison ou si je ne suis pas en train de bricoler, j’ai tendance à grignoter. Ce n’est pas vraiment par faim (ok je suis un peu gourmand …) mais c’est essentiellement parce que je m’ennuie !  J’ai ce même sentiment en ce moment avec les réseaux sociaux. Ils ne me manquent pas car j’ai tout plein de choses qui m’occupent en ce moment.

 

 

J’espère juste me tromper car à un moment ma vie reprendra un fil plus monotone, plus routinier et ça veut dire que je recommencerais à être addictif aux réseaux sociaux ? Cette réflexion est assez intéressante car j’ai toujours dit que j’étais présent sur les réseaux sociaux pour montrer mon travail, avoir un retour sur ce que je faisais … Mais si au final j’étais sur ces réseaux pour tuer l’ennui ? C’est prétentieux de parler pour les autres. Je ne le ferais pas. C’est une réflexion qui ne concerne que moi. Je n’ai pas à juger les raisons de quiconque.

 

 

D’ailleurs on en a parlé un peu avec John Harper, cette semaine quand on s’est rencontré dans Bath. John me pointait l’absurdité et la futilité de ces plateformes mais même ça, il déclarait qu’il y était toujours. Il y a toujours certaines choses qui vous retiennent. Pour John, c’est la possibilité pour des membres de sa famille de voir les photos de ses enfants. Personnellement, j’étais arrivé à un point où plus rien de me retenait.

 

 

J’ai déjà évoqué comment ces plateformes sont très chronophages. J’en étais à près de 1h passée par jour sur Instagram. 5% de ma journée ! Vous vous rendez compte ??? Et je reste persuadé que des personnes passent encore plus de temps. Il serait beaucoup plus utile de passer cette heure à faire des photos dans la rue. Bien évidemment ce n’est pas possible car on ne fait que checker de temps en temps son feed, on ne passe pas une heure d’affilée dessus. D’ailleurs pour parler d’ennui, très souvent au travail, je checkai Instagram parce que je m’ennuyais … C’est pas si con finalement ce lien entre les réseaux sociaux et l’ennui …

 

 

Est ce que ça me manque de voir le travail des autres ? Honnêtement ? Pas vraiment. Il y a beaucoup de photos chiantes sur Instagram ou autres plateformes. Ce sont des photos sans âme qui se ressemblent toutes ou sinon des photos à l’esthétique léchée comme si la rue était un studio de shooting.  Alex Coghe a écrit un Blog il y a quelques jours qui résume tout ça. Sa conclusion était qu’il ne voulait plus être associé au terme Street Photography car la pratique était vidée de toute sa substance. Même si je suis à 200% d’accord avec Alex, je continue à penser que je fais de la Street Photography. Sûrement pas celle prônée par tous ces festivals ou soit disant collectifs influents. Je ne me laisserai pas dicter ma vision de la Street Photography qui est assez old-fashionned.

 

 

 

Le fait d’avoir complètement coupé les ponts avec toutes ces pollutions de l’esprit me permet d’être plus libre dans la rue. Pas de tentation de faire ce que les autres font. C’est moi avec mon Ricoh et c’est tout. Mais je continue de fréquenter les blogs de certaines personnes comme Alex Coghe, John Harper et Don Springer de manière régulière. Je suis abonné à leurs Blogs; donc je suis tenu au courant d’une nouvelle publication.

 

 

Je suis aussi réaliste. Je reviendrai tôt ou tard sur Instagram. Mais ce qui est sûr c’est que pour le moment je n’ai aucune envie de replonger dans le tumulte des réseaux sociaux. Ma passion pour la Street Photography est toujours là et je profite de chaque instant pour documenter les rues.

 

Toutes les photos ont été réalisées avec le Ricoh GR à Bristol et à Clevedon (UK)

 

 

 

~o~

 

 

Social Media Anonymous.

 

 

 

 

Hello, my name is Jeff and I have not been on social networks for 4 weeks now … Do not get me wrong, it’s a joke and I have a lot of empathy for all those people who suffer from addictions and who are trying to cope in group therapies. Whether because of alcohol or drugs, I remain convinced that talking can put words on problems and therefore is an important step towards healing. It’s about accepting that you have a problem and also accepting that others can help you.

 

 

It’s been a little over 4 weeks since I deleted my last link with social networks. Honestly, I thought the lack was going to be terrible and that reflex to go check his feed, to see if people had liked my pictures would be stronger. But it is not so. Nothing of that; life goes on with or without social networks. I must say that I have been pretty busy in recent weeks between visits for the sale of the house, our week spent with family in Paris and now in Bristol.

 

 

I’ll admit that I have a problem with snacking between meals at home. Like all parents with small children, I have plenty of cookies or sweeties hanging around the cupboards. And when I’m bored at home or if I’m not working in the garden, I tend to snack all kind of stuff… . It’s not because I’m hungry (ok I’m a bit gourmet …) but it’s mainly because I’m bored ! I have this same feeling right now with social networks. I do not miss them because I have so many things that occupy me right now.

 

 

I just hope I’m wrong because at some point my life will resume a more monotonous, more routine and that means that I would start to be addictive to social networks ? This reflection is quite interesting because I always said that I was present on social networks to show my work, to have a feedback on what I was doing … But if in the end I was on these networks to kill boredom ? It’s pretentious to speak for others. I will not do it. It is a reflection that concerns only me. I do not have to judge anyone’s reasons

 

 

Besides, we talked a little with John Harper this week when we met in Bath. John pointed to the absurdity and futility of these platforms but even that, he said he was still there. There are always things that hold you back. For John, this is the opportunity for family members to see the photos of his children. Personally, I had arrived at a point where nothing was holding me back.

 

 

I have already mentioned how these platforms are very time-consuming. I was almost 1 hour a day on Instagram. 5% of my day! You realize ??? And I remain convinced that people spend even more time. It would be much more useful to spend this time doing photos in the street. Of course it is not possible because we only check his feed from time to time, we do not spend an hour in a row on it. Moreover to talk about boredom, very often at work, I check Instagram because I was bored … It’s not so stupid finally this link between social networks and boredom …

 

 

Do I miss seeing the work of others ? Honestly ? Not really. There are a lot of lame photos on Instagram or other platforms. These are pictures without soul that are all alike or otherwise pictures with aesthetics licked as if the street was a shooting studio. Alex Coghe wrote a blog a few days ago that sums it all up. His conclusion was that he no longer wanted to be associated with the term Street Photography because the practice was drained of all its substance. Even though I’m 200% in agreement with Alex, I still think I’m doing Street Photography. Surely not the one advocated by all these festivals or so-called influential collectives. I will not let myself dictate my vision of Street Photography which is old-fashionned enough.

 

 

Having completely cut the bridges with all these pollutions of the spirit allows me to be freer on the street. No temptation to do what others do. It’s me with my Ricoh and that’s it. But I continue to frequent the blogs of people like Alex Coghe, John Harper and Don Springer on a regular basis. I subscribe to their Blogs; so I’m aware of a new publication.

 

 

I am also realistic. I’ll be back sooner or later on Instagram. But what is sure is that for the moment I have no desire to plunge into the tumult of social networks. My passion for Street Photography is always there and I take every moment to document the streets.

All photos were made with the Ricoh GR in Bristol and Clevedon (UK)

 

 

 

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Behind this shot, BLOG

Behind this shot : It’s all about the perspective !

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Mes garçons adorent le foot et m’avaient demandé de leur ramener des maillots de foot en souvenir de mon passage à bristol. Il y a 3 ans je leur avais ramené ceux de Liverpool Football Club. Cette année ce sera Bristol City Football Club. C’est moins clinquant que Liverpool car Bristol n’est pas en Première League. D’ailleurs ils ont très peu de chances de jouer les play off pour la montée car ils ont perdu leur dernier match à domicile … Je crois que mes enfants s’en fichent de ça. Eux ce qui les intéresse c’est le fait d’avoir un beau maillot de bristol. Après m’être renseigné, il n’y a pas de magasin officiel dans le centre ville. Je dois aller jusqu’au stade et récupérer tout ça à la boutique. Je sais qu’il y a des bus pour y aller. Ce n’est pas très loin et je préfère marcher pendant 40 mins au lieu de faire ma feignasse.

Continue reading Behind this shot : It’s all about the perspective ! →

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Behind this shot : Two become One.

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Un très court Blog à propos de cette photo prise ce matin  dans les rues de Bristol. Je termine ma semaine ici et la météo a quelque peu changé depuis mon arrivée. Fini les températures estivales et le beau temps mais place au temps typiquement anglais qui vous oblige à constamment avoir avec vous votre parapluie. D’ailleurs la météo locale ne s’embarrasse pas et au niveau prévision, vous avez du soleil, des nuages, de la pluie de prévu. Donc aujourd’hui comme depuis mercredi, je me ballade avec mon parapluie car on est susceptible d’avoir des averses … Continue reading Behind this shot : Two become One. →

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