A few weeks ago my father, once a keen nature and astrophotographer, asked if I wanted his eight-or-so year old DSLR. He's getting older, he explained, and no longer cares to carry around gear or go out shooting in the field. I have used mirrorless cameras for years and never actually shot a DSLR. But who would refuse the offer of a free camera and numerous lenses?
Buried in the bag he gave me, under several insane telephoto and macro lenses, was a small 50mm. He'd never used it, it seemed, Not suited to the kind of work he did. But of course for street, it's pretty much just right.
So this small project represents my first couple of nights with his camera, learning to use a DSLR. Using it in a way this camera that had spent most of its life attached to a telescope had never been used before.
And something strange happened - my photos started to look just a little different from my other photos. Slightly moodier, Slightly more cinematic. In trying to learn this style of camera I'd never used, I ended up challenging myself to try something different.
Maybe one day I will, like my father, point this camera back towards the heavens, But right now? I'm interested to see what we can do together on the ground.
