Aesthetics

I have a preference for black and white photography.  There's something about it, the focus on the quality of the light, shapes, tonality, maybe because it harkens back to a different era of photography or maybe because, at least for me, it's easier to focus on the feel of the image rather than the technical perfection.  

In any case, I finally indulged in something I'd been considering and wanting for years... a black and white only camera.  The Leica Q2 Monochrom. This wasn't an easy choice to make, I'd considered an interchangeable lens camera instead but between cost, weather sealing, and a desire to simplify, the Q2 won out.  

Going back through my own portfolio lately so many of the photos I've done that I was proud of at some point I look at now and they feel too clinical, too empty.  They're technically fine photographs, well lit, well styled, even good overall, but they just fall flat and feel more commercial or glamour than what I'm really wanting to do with my work.  It's like I was relying more on production than connection, which is likely because I was.

So, I simplified.  Got rid of my medium format gear, most of my Fuji X (kept the X-Pro3 and a 23/35/56mm combo) and picked up the Q2 Monochrom.  A black and white only camera with a fixed 28mm f1/7 lens.  A camera that I could use for travel and environmental portraiture, change up how I look at photography overall.  I haven't got a chance to use it in a portrait shoot yet, but I've done some wandering around town doing some street photography to get an idea of how it works.  I like it.  A lot.

I'm looking forward to using this camera a lot, maybe as my primary camera.  Stick with a black and white aesthetic and focus more on the things that really matter.  Less on the gear, which is odd to say in a post mostly about switching to a black and white camera.