Tagged: technology
The walks, part one
A few weekends ago, I did some test shooting with a new camera. Following a digital videographer’s advice, I rented a Canon 5D DSLR, with a microphone, tripod and a 50mm lens.
Having shot for over ten years with mirrorless film and digital cameras, the DSLR was a beast: big and heavy, the camera intimidated me from the moment I took it out of the box. Sat on a bench near the Leadenhall building, I tried taking my first picture: one of the skyscrapers nearby. A few mistakes later, I got it.
My aim was to go to the Royal Exchange, because it tended to be pretty deserted on a weekend. This Saturday, however, it was hosting a thousands strong march for the environment. A number of photographers and videographers were documenting the event, but I decided to duck out until I had an at least rudimentary knowledge of this camera.
Once at home, I transferred the camera to a case of my own and headed out to shoot some video at the Woolwich riverside. From there, I shot tests at a railway crossing in Charlton and on the South Bank.
What struck me on this excursion was what I saw as I walked between and around these sights, looking for something to photograph. I’ve been on photo walks before, both with friends and by myself, but I was really fascinated by the things I didn’t see when I had driven or taken public transport past them many times before.
Building, shops and accommodation I had barely glanced at before were there in all their detail. Different neighbourhoods with their residents and visitors. Different topography and sounds. As I walked, I thought about the photographer Don McCullin’s advise to photographers who wanted be war photographers:
“I say, OK, if you want to be a war photographer, go to the inner cities in England. You don’t have to get on a plane to the Middle East or wherever. There are social wars in our cities: homeless people, poor people, people begging outside of banks. You will find the most incredible poverty and that is a war as big as any other.”
While I didn’t feel as if I were documenting any kind of war, I did feel like I was walking through parts of the city that were ignored: the alleyways and neighbourhoods considered not pretty enough for an Instagram story; the people I may avoid, or who may avoid me; the unobserved. I wondered what I’d learn if I visited these areas more rather than just passing them by.
I finished the my first day shooting video on Waterloo Bridge and the South Bank, before bringing the gear back home.
New phone, who dis?
My last mobile phone had repeatedly given me warnings that it was overloaded, running out of space and was going to be functioning badly soon. Despite my clearing as much data as possible, the warnings continued, so I bit the bullet and finally bought a brand new phone.
This was a painful process: the research, the choices, the buying; all aspects of shopping are draining to me. Eventually I have purchased a phone that I am pleased with.
Previously, when I’ve purchased a new phone, I’ve happily worked through a few features and geared the phone’s looks just the way I wanted. Not now, though.
This new phone is being used, but not with enthusiasm. It has the same cover, the same menus and the same app placements as it had when it arrived from the retailer.
I want to regain that fascination with technology that I’ve had with previous purchases of phones, cameras and computers, but it hasn’t happened yet with this item. It feels slightly disrespectful.
I think often about the fact that a mobile phone has 100,000 times the processing power of the guidance computer that landed man on the moon. Staying with the Apollo, realising that a single search on Google would use as much computing as the entire 17 mission programme, has had me wanting to put a little more respect on learning the capabilities of this small new phone in my possession.
Feature films have been shot on mobile phones. They’ve been used to make amazing TikTok videos. What else can be done with these great little machines?
Burning Details 
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