Colorized

Photo: © S. Banos

So there I was very purposely sitting in this outta the way, dive of a bar minding my own, when this gorgeous woman approaches, sits down besides me, gently leans over and whispers, "So how's all that color coming along?" "Excuse me," I replied. "You're shooting color for the first time in forty years- do you think a thing like that stays a secret around here?"

OK, OK... no woman, no bar, and no one ever asked. Caught a few film noirs recently and... well, ya know. But since ya asked, just thought I'd update- photographically, this year has also been an outlier, but in a good way!  And it's all due to a little GR with a littler 28mm(e) lens that renders all these life like colors and details; who knew? But most of my initial positive impressions have indeed remained. 

Shooting in non SLR mode wouldn't be anything grand in and of itself, except that that has allowed me to get shots that I would have never gotten otherwise. Being smaller, quieter and less ostentatious, the GR has often allowed me to get closer to the subject, as well as allowed a different perspective. Even though it covers less area, I find that the 28mm "opens up" the perspective a bit, allows a viewpoint that is both WA and more "normal" at the same time- it doesn't always scream Extreme Wide Angle as the 20mm does. Do I miss some shots with it? Sure- just like I'd miss some without it. And color with a 20mm can be a little too much, more so than with B&W.

Photo: © S. Banos

So, is this the end of B&W, the end of analog, the end of...  Not really, I still take out the old analogs when needed- but yeah, the everyday go-to position has gone to the GR. You really can't beat the ease (shooting and post), portability- and frankly, after 40 yrs, the whole color thing is kinda cool. And... I already got enough B&W files to last me well past my lifetime.

"Can you see yourself completely digital in the future, color and B&W," she asked. Maybe, in five or so years when they finally make a decent EVF for daylight viewing. But no hurries, I'm pretty happy the way things are (hope the next gen GR has a tilting LCD)- "Wanna 'nother drink?"