Ricoh The Unofficial Unauthorized GRD3 International Street Thread

I spent a couple of days in Altantic City earlier this week (when the heat was merely oppressive, before it turned deadly) and did a LOT of shooting along the boardwalk. Jeez, if America is a melting pot, places like AC and Vegas must be the burnt residue that never quite comes out of the pot. Fascinating place - I can't say I like it but to say I'm fascinated by it is a huge understatement. Such a weird combination of rich and poor feeding off of the gambling culture and the fact that its also a very poor city in the midst of all of this and throw in an old beach resort community with a decidedly middle 20th century feel and you get quite a lot going on. Between really well off folks coming for the casinos, middle class folks from Philly and NYC coming down for the beaches and casinos, some of the locals hanging out and some panhandling and others just working menial jobs (like pushing the seeming millions of taxi "carts" up and down the boardwalk), foreign visitors checking it out and getting some sort of warped impression of the US, its all a bit overwhelming. I took a lot of shots, some with the GRD3, a few with the X100. As much as I love the X100 for some stuff, I'm just more comfortable shooting with a small camera without a viewfinder for this kind of work. When conditions allow of course. It can't compete with the X100 for IQ, but for this kind of shooting, IQ isn't the priority. Some of the shots are flattering to the subjects, many are far from it, but its how I saw it...

Here's a flickr set for anyone who wants to see the whole bunch of them:

Atlantic City - a set on Flickr

And here are a few GRD3 shots:

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-Ray
 
Very cool shots Ray. You should spend some time in the airports like I do to get another different view of our melting pot here in America. I'm not real comfortable yet on taking these kind of pictures with my GRDIII but I do like what you've done here.
 
Wow!!!!

Ray, I'm with Don on number 3 - absolutely fantastic! This one is en par with my other favorite of yours of the well dressed fellow (a lawyer I think) walking right by those steps by a court house, I think it was...in Philly? You know the one. This one of the Amish, or Mennonites is excellent. My runner-up for favorite is your first, but I'm enjoying all and your color image is a classic view of a "skunk patch" gone wild.

Now I have to run off to Flickr!
 
Wow Ray, wow.
I suspect a good call on the GRD3, because there is a lot of stealth in these shots.

If I had not read your comments about the mix of people, I would have come to the same conclusion from your photographs. Great storytelling.

I have to say I really enjoy all of them, but, yes, number three is a deeply striking capture. Really though, they are all very very well made. I know I am enjoying photographs when I sit staring at them, sucking in the details, and I can't stop looking at these.
 
Thanks folks. I'm touched by these comments. Its not why I shoot, but its always nice to get positive reinforcement. I don't think I can do anything different with the GRD than I could do with the LX5, but I just seem to do it with the GRD and not with the LX5. Its a really fun camera to shoot with for no tangible reason other than it just is... Go figure...

-Ray
 
And, to my absolute lack of surprise, your photographs look like your photographs - whether shot with the GRD, X100, LX5, GF1, EP1, or whatever.
-Ray

Exactly! There goes the old it's the photographer, not the camera. However, I'd like to add that the photographer must be at one with his or her camera to make their pictures their own.

Don, congrats on having yet another way to show us so beautifully what you see.:th_salute:
 
Great shots. Interesting how people react to this little camera, they look at it in a relaxed way and seem not to be bothered at all. Stealthy streetshooter.
 
Exactly! There goes the old it's the photographer, not the camera. However, I'd like to add that the photographer must be at one with his or her camera to make their pictures their own.

Don, congrats on having yet another way to show us so beautifully what you see.:th_salute:

I'd have to agree with this. Ray and Don are both showing how street shooting ought to be done. I'm giving up... at least with the GRD. I simply cannot keep my shakes under control when I use it, and I get about one in every 50 thats in focus, even with snap focus. I really wish I had the stability of hand that R and D have, not to mention the unadulterated talent.

Then, there's Norman, who is clearly shooting from the hip really well. Love them all.
 
Thanks everyone. Sue, maybe you should rethink the GRD. The camera was designed for street. Perhaps you should rethink street as per the GRD. What I mean is, the camera really does GRIT well. So then, try using higher ISO's to emphasize the grit. I like it up to 1600 for sure. That way even in snap focus, you get a higher shutter speed. This is one of the cameras that when the files are somewhat noisy, that translates to grain. I'm saying grain because of the old film days.
Even on my X100, I often shoot at 2000 or more in bright light.
Don
 
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