More Parr

The Best Side, originally uploaded by John the Monkey.

Those of you who read the Magnum Blog have probably seen this already, but Martin Parr has a piece on there musing on our need to be photographed.

"These days, people photograph one another so prolifically and with such enthusiasm that I often wonder whether they actually look at any of the things they are visiting."

The photos illustrating the article are far better than those illustrating mine too.

How's it Look?, originally uploaded by John the Monkey.

The Vivitar 35ES and I

Vivitar 35ES, Fuji Superia 100, Lab Processed

Perhaps two rolls is too short an acquaintance, but try as I might, I simply can't get on with this little compact rangefinder.

It's not that it's shutter priority, because the automation on my current favourite compact camera (the Canonet QL19 GIII) is shutter priority too, as was the Ricoh 500G, another favourite. It's not that the camera is too big, as I've carried 'round the chunkier Minolta Hi-Matic 7s and Canonet QL19.

I'm not sure what it is, but somehow my composition on this camera turns out "baggy", the contrast from the lens is lacking and the colour rendition seems (to me) to be left in the shade by the crisp reproduction of the other rangfinders I've used.

Which is a shame - because in the hand, this is a nice, solid feeling little camera, and one I was excited to be able to get hold of, having heard great things of it. In fact, one of my flickr contacts (Rueno) used one to great effect.

Maybe I need more time with it, although that's time I could be spending with little miss canonet... :)

Canon Canonet QL19 GIII,
Ilford HP5+
Ilford Ilfotec LC29 (1+29), 9mins @ 20°c, 4 inversions each minute