As much as I love exploring the world with the Leica MP or the new M9, I've been strongly influenced lately by the work of Daido Moriyama. Historically, many photographers (including Cartier-Bresson) advocated for the rangefinder even once the SLR was available; their philosophy was anchored in the belief that in order for the photographer to 'capture life unfolding', he/she needed to be invisible, and also that the rangefinder - with it's silent operation, unassuming appearance, and excellent optics - interfered the least. In other words, the observation of the photographer could be quickly translated into a photograph. Granted, back in the 60s, this was more of a choice dictated by the options (there was no such thing as 25 zone autofocus). Moriyama, however, takes it to the next level, truly leaving all unnecessary impediments behind. He wants the absolute minimum and therefore shoots the majority of his work with a simple Ricoh GR-1s...fixed 28mm lens point and shoot. It enables him to move swiftly and silently, translating his feeling into images.
In this spirit, I loaded up my old Olympus Stylus Epic (35mm f2.8) with my favourite Ilford Delta 3200 (I believe I last used that camera extensively on Mt. Logan in 2003). I captured the sad, the seamy, the dark, the playful. Pleased with the results, I'm sure to be visiting this space again.
all photos (c) 2011 J. Popowich
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