View Full Version : Whats in the bag?
ChrisBlack
01-10-2009, 22:05
Interesting little ditty on YouTube, that I was going to post in the Leica thread, but upon viewing the video, it fits Nikon and Canon and other such stuff as well.
The guys name is Chris Weeks - a freelance photographer in LA: http://www.chrisweeks.net/#/client/template.xml?aaa=home A photographer to the stars, amongst other things.
As I'm the polar opposite to a pro photographer and am still scraping money together for single lens for my main body, I found it geekily fascinating to see what stuff Weeks had with him. To the likes of Radiohead and DHB etc, they may find this less interesting.
Also, Weeks makes some interesting comments regarding Leica, Nikon and Canon's pros and cons:
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Fozzybear
01-10-2009, 22:28
That was really interesting. :thumbs: He's got a lot of money's worth of gear in that pack! :eek:
Now that's some gear! He doesn't like Canon glass ;)
Look at his portfolio WOW!
raymondlin
01-10-2009, 23:22
Really interesting, thanks...though i am surprise that he doesn't rate Canon glass.
downhillbiker
02-10-2009, 01:49
Chris (Black, not Weeks!),
Like how you mention that I'd probably not appreciate this, because it gives me a chance to say that you're totally right! Heh heh. Please don't take the following as a slight at what you've posted!
I treat my kit like a carpenter treats his hammer - it is vital to what I do, but it's not the be all and end all of my work. I couldn't give a toss about 90% of what's in my bag, other than it makes the images fit what I want them to be in my head. I keep my memory cards kicking around the bottom of my bag, I use whatever batteries I buy at Tesco on the way to a job, I don't own a digital Leica because I think they're totally overpriced, and I think Canon or Nikon glass is probably much better than will make a damn bit of difference to my photos.
That said, I'm not presumptuous enough to say that Chris Weeks doesn't need any of what he carries - I don't do his job. I will say that I don't rate his work too much though - his portraits seem to rely to much on who's in them, his music stuff is bettered by a lot of the people I follow on Flickr, and I'm just generally not too into what he produces. But of course, that's just my opinion.
I will say that I don't rate his work too much though - his portraits seem to rely to much on who's in them
Interesting POV - I'm not really very good at spotting celebs; I don't tend to recognise them. So I'm taking his portrait work largely at face value, and I like it a lot. I can see the people's personality shining through in the shots on that site.
His travel stuff on that site isn't great though - looks like typical snapshots with nothing to grab my attention.
Art's very subjective isn't it? ;)
Chris, your gear list in your sig, shouldn't that be Leica M6 body? You still haven't got a lens for it yet. ;)
silverpenguin7
02-10-2009, 11:12
If I was a sports guy I'd switch to Nikon
How strange does that sound! I know times have changed in recent years but it still sounded funny to hear him say that lol
I could wear a (photo) vest but then they'd think I was Ken Rockwell or something
Best...quote...ever! :D
downhillbiker
02-10-2009, 11:44
Art's very subjective isn't it? ;)
Totally! That's one of the best things about it.
On the brilliant Rockwell comment - one of the guys I know who's an agency photographer in London, told me that photo vests are generally known as '****** jackets' down there... :D
ChrisBlack
02-10-2009, 22:38
Chris, your gear list in your sig, shouldn't that be Leica M6 body? You still haven't got a lens for it yet. ;)
Cheeky. You'll soon be eating my Summicron action, damn your eyes! :lol:
What gets me is how come he doesn't need to put lens caps on the stuff in his bag :D
He must get paid a lot, look at the v-dslr vids on Youtube...very expensive equipment.
Personally, I've checked out his work and I think he's fantastic. While Art is subjective, he wouldn't be getting so much if he was average would he.
downhillbiker
03-10-2009, 13:45
While Art is subjective, he wouldn't be getting so much if he was average would he.
Any jobbing photographer will tell you that being good doesn't necessarily mean you get the most work, and that getting the most work doesn't mean you're automatically the best snapper.
As I've said - I don't like his music photography (at all, if I'm frank), and as was said by someone else, his travel stuff isn't spectacular. Maybe my opinion on his portraits is against the grain, but we all have our own taste.
Yes, I guess thats true.
His travel stuff isn't wow at all, but it does have its own visual style.
downhillbiker
03-10-2009, 15:08
I a key part of how I judge pros these days is down to the internet. They're not up on the same un-impeachable pedestal they perhaps used to be, as there are so many great amateurs out there, on Flickr for example.
One of the biggest things - and something that you can't judge from a few photos in a portfolio - is a pro's consistency. To have someone who can reliably produce great images in a variety of situations is what often sets them apart from a weekend warrior on Flickr, who may produce one absolutely brilliant image amongst hundreds of poor shots. You can't do that on a commission, or you'll take a big hit to your reputation.
What I'm getting at is the idea that I rarely look at someone's website and think "wow!" - I'm much more inclined to see their work over a period of time, and make a judgement based on that.
emeyedeejay
03-10-2009, 21:17
Can anybody explain what the large focus ring type thing was - I think it got described as something for follow-focus - is it a "push-pull" focus device?
One of the biggest things - and something that you can't judge from a few photos in a portfolio - is a pro's consistency. To have someone who can reliably produce great images in a variety of situations is what often sets them apart from a weekend warrior on Flickr, who may produce one absolutely brilliant image amongst hundreds of poor shots. You can't do that on a commission, or you'll take a big hit to your reputation.
This totally depends on the style of photography though.
If you're working on a commission to produce a portrait of a star, you're only going to have limited time with that person (probably the time directly relates to your reputation - I'd expect Snowdon or Bailey to be given more time with someone than Chris Weeks).
So in that instance, consistancy is key.
But, if you're producing art (by which I mean something that's less purposeful than product shots, or family photos) then it really doesn't matter about consistancy does it? Looks at Winogrand - he died with thousands of unprocessed shots and basically went through film like it was a machine gun, yet he's regarded as one of the great photographers.
Can anybody explain what the large focus ring type thing was - I think it got described as something for follow-focus - is it a "push-pull" focus device?
Think so.
Can anybody explain what the large focus ring type thing was - I think it got described as something for follow-focus - is it a "push-pull" focus device?Not push-pull, but rotation perpendicular to the focal plane rather than parallel with it.
I guess it's more intuitive; if you want the focal plane to move towards you, you rotate the dial towards yourself. Another guess is that it will also gear the focus so it's much less sensitive than using the focus ring.
emeyedeejay
04-10-2009, 17:37
:thinking:
Will have to give that a little thought :D
Ahh - is there a dial/know that you twiddle sort of away and toward yourself which then gears onto that ring which then moves the lens focus ring? So you don't actually man-handle ( :n0rty: ) that large ring you see in the vid?
Ahh - is there a dial/know that you twiddle sort of away and toward yourself which then gears onto that ring which then moves the lens focus ring? So you don't actually man-handle ( :n0rty: ) that large ring you see in the vid?
That's the one. He shows the attachment that drives the focus ring in the second (5D video oriented) video at 3:21 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3tHON2H6HU#t=3m21s).
emeyedeejay
04-10-2009, 20:04
Got it :thumbs:
Interesting that there are apparently no front lens caps even for storage.
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