On Method & Equipment

Whenever I see an amazing photograph I want to know how it was taken. Such curiosity is natural so I wanted to write about about the tools I use.

Most of the pictures on this blog are taken with a Canon D40 and a Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 lens. I picked the D40 because it's solid, fast and well-built. The Sigma lens is better than the basic zoom lens that comes with most digital SLRs but at $400 it's also a lot cheaper than Canon's professional L-series lenses. I figured it was a good compromise. I'm happy with both the camera and the lens so far and would recommend them both.

I also have a Canon SD1000 which is a small pocket digital camera and occasionally I will post pictures taken with this camera, like my recent post on Gualeguaychu. If you look closely at the aspect ratio of the photos you can tell which is which as dSLRs have a 3:2 ratio while smaller digital cameras are typically 4:3. I don't normally crop my photos altho I do fiddle with the levels and sharpness. I like the SD1000 because it is very small and very fast. I can take it out in almost any situation, briefly and inconspicuously. The quality is just OK and certainly no match for the D40.

Am I afraid walking around so-so neighborhoods with $1300 in camera equipment? You Betcha! Fear is valuable but paranoia is not. I carry my camera in a nondescript, black shoulder bag that I bought here. When I see a picture I typically check out who else is on the street, back up against a wall or parked car, take out the camera, take the picture, put the camera away, and keep on walking. If I'm going to a dicey area I'll take just my SD1000 which I wouldn't really care about losing. Also common sense and street awareness is key in any context. I've traveled a lot so it's become second nature to me.

Update March 2009: Lately I've often been using an old Canon XT with a 35mm F2.0 lens. It's light and small. I wish somebody made a small, lightweight, prime lens that was roughly 20mm in focal length but this doesn't seem to exist. The 35mm lens is a little too tight for my tastes but the best camera is always the one you have with you. I still use the SD1000 sometimes but it's images are clearly inferior to a digital SLR.

A note on the design of the blog: I was inspired by Boston.com's The Big Picture. I think that big pictures belong on the web where they can reach a massive audience. I think that all visual content should be made available in very high resolution just for the public good. I use blogger because it was what I was already familiar with. I tried to strip away as much as possible so as to just show the pictures. If you want to use the template, just ask. I'll send you the file.