Get Outside and Leave that Big Camera Behind
My Ricoh GR and the Joy of Street Photography
I enjoy making photographs, but gear can get in the way.
Street photography is my favorite genre. I like to document the present because when it changes, I’ve got a permanent record of the past that keeps its value.
Great street scenes often include people who don’t tend to like big cameras and lenses trained on them. Smaller cameras largely go unnoticed.
My favorite point-and-shoot camera is the Ricoh GR. The Ricoh GR is light enough that it can be worn on your belt. With its APS-C sensor, it is highly capable. It can be operated with only one hand, carried effortlessly with a wrist strap, operated automatically or manually, and can take images in RAW format or one of several excellent film simulation modes. The original Ricoh GR even has a popup flash if you need it.
The Ricoh GR has no optical viewfinder. With a little practice, you can point the 28mm fixed focal length lens towards the subject and frame the shot without needing an optical viewfinder. You can always use the rear LCD screen as a guide if you want to see exactly what’s in the frame.
My favorite Ricoh GR feature is called snap focus. Snap focus allows me to pre-focus the camera. I usually set it to focus at 1.5 meters (about 5 feet) so that when I am ready, I can hold down the shutter release without having to be concerned with the autofocus system. Snap focus is not ideal for all situations, but for daytime street photography it works well.
I highly recommend the Ricoh GR for street photography, but you can use any modern smartphone camera or point-and-shoot camera. Get outside and enjoy the freedom of a small camera today. Leave that big camera behind.
