Given that I’m quickly approaching 10 years of owning a camera, I decided to invest a bit of time in diversifying and developing my skills behind it. Last weekend, I used this “resolution” to join Josh and Sean for a workshop and, at the same time, test out the X-Pro3, which I was lucky enough to get on the same day it was released. Here are some pics from the workshop and my observations about the entire experience. I don’t find any of these images particularly noteworthy - they are snapshots rather than “unrepeatable moments”. What I find quite incredible, however, is that in the few hours that the workshop lasted I’ve managed to build enough confidence to get so close to random people I was taking a photo of (these were all shot with a 35mm lens).

The entire affair mostly focused on building confidence and developing a vision “on the street”. Josh is a master of the street and learning from him was a privilege. The things he sees and the way he behaves on the crowded streets of Soho makes you understand exactly how some of his shots came to be. He is a master of noticing the details that escape the most; he finds something interesting amongst what most of us find mundane. Also, he works bloody hard. He knows every light, every nook and cranny in Soho (and as Sean pointed out, every toilet as well) because he has been walking these streets every single day. Sean, on the other hand, is a completely different breed. I didn’t really know who he was before the workshop (he was a substitute for Craig), but his work - and especially on the streets, where he only started shooting a few months back - is inspiring as it’s focused on the use of light and textures, rather than the subjects. He’s a YouTube star as well if you fancy these type of things (I’ve binged a couple of his video this morning since we got stopped a few times).

As for the workshop, would I recommend it?

Well, in short, yes. Provided that you have confidence with your camera (they do provide technical guidance, but know thy tools and shit). It is an excellent foray into street photography - a discipline which often fascinated me but I rarely actually dared to try it out.

So what about the X-Pro3?

Well, it was everything I hoped it would be. Pass the initial set up, it works exactly as I’d hoped it would. I took my trusty X-T3, just in case I wouldn’t get used to working with it, but the combo of the OVF and very intuitive controls meant that I was able to forget the camera and get on with the work within the first few minutes. It’s a niche camera which no one (me included) needs, but I have to say, I enjoyed it immensely and will likely keep it in my bag at all times.