With a Mirrorless Camera Every Day is a Photo Walk - Guest post by Chris Corradino

This past June I ran a guest post from a photographer in the Alien Skin Showcase, Chris Corradino. It was a great post and in the process of talking on the phone with Chris, I gave him a standing invitation to do another guest post. He's not only a great photographer, but the guy can write!

Well, a month or so ago he sent me the post below and some times I wish I was more organized. I started to do the layout and then something interrupted my thought process and *poof* it disappeared.  Last week I found it, but even better, walking around PPE in NYC, I actually had a chance to meet Chris and talk to him. There's another great reason to attend conventions/trade shows - finally meeting people, you respect and enjoy, face to face.

This guest post is all about mirrorless technology and I'm shooting myself with a Panasonic GH3, it's totally revitalized my passion to simply get out with a camera.  The quality is amazing along with how great it is to travel light, a point raised by several of Panasonic's Luminaries in Luminary Corner.  Plus, now you've got the ability to shoot 4K video with the new GH4.

About Chris:  Chris Corradino is a dynamic photographer, leading international workshops across the globe, and recently named a Study Leader by Smithsonian Journeys. He is also a licensed teacher with the New York Institute of Photography, providing personalized instruction to students of all experience levels.

Chris admits to sitting in a small wooden blind for several hours waiting for a bird to appear, and waking up long before sunrise to capture a mountain range bathed in morning light. Yet, as majestic as these scenes are, he finds even  greater satisfaction in creating a unique photograph of something that would have otherwise gone by unnoticed.  It’s this elusive pursuit that inspires him to press the shutter and study life, one frame at a time. For more, visit online at www.christography.com

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by Chris Corradino
 
A DSLR is a commitment. You make a decision to take pictures, pack your gear, and head out. This has proven to be an effective formula for a very long time. For those who needed some added motivation, activities such as "Photo Walks" became quite popular. If you listened to the chatter at these events, it was typically about what lenses were left at home because they were just too heavy. 

All-around zoom lenses were the preferred weapon of choice. Otherwise, the rest of the kit just sat on a shelf collecting dust. The iPhone started to change things though. It provided users with another capture device, and more importantly, one that was with them all the time. 

It wasn't long before our commitment to the DSLR began to erode.  For a while, the internet was overflowing with low res smartphone images. These devices were widely embraced not because of their superb image quality, but their connectivity. It was easy to share a moment with your friends and family in a heartbeat. Truth be told, the actual clarity and resolution was far from ideal. Then, there was the lack of manual control. Ultimately, it was an inferior point and shoot that was connected to the internet. Despite these limitations, this technology took the world by storm. 

Citizen journalists were replacing actual professional photojournalists at an alarming rate, and it seemed cameras were everywhere. One of the most powerful images of 2009 "Miracle on the Hudson" was captured on an iPhone by Janis Krums when Flight 1549 went down. The quality was lousy, but Janis managed to capture a moment in history that no one else did. 

Meanwhile, talented photographers like Damon Winters worked to push the boundaries of what someone could do with a phone camera. His prize winning collection from Afghanistan was captured with the Hipstamatic app.  As the phones improved, so did the built in camera. 

In 2012, an iPhone image by Ben Lowy graced the cover of Time Magazine. While it suffered from some noise artifacts, the image was unquestionably powerful. it seemed DSLRs, were no longer necessary to achieve professional-type results.  

All of this set the stage for the Mirrorless evolution. Photographers wanted the best of both worlds with a ultra portable, highly capable camera, with interchangeable lenses. Industry giants like Canon and Nikon were slow to adapt. No one could blame them of course, as most of their sales come from DSLRs. Meanwhile, other manufacturers seized the opportunity and started developing groundbreaking products. Panasonic, Fuji, Olympus and Sony all led the charge. They created cameras and lens systems that weighed a fraction of a DSLR while retaining all of their functionality. To seal the deal, they added features like built in Wifi, advanced autofocus, tilt and touch screens, electronic viewfinders and more. Each manufacturer continues pushing the envelope with silent shutters, built in time lapse, live composite modes, and even a full frame option. The once muted reaction has quickly grown to a roar. 

Signs of this major shift are evident all around us. Well-respected professionals like Bob Krist sold all of his DSLR equipment as did Zack Arias.  Chase Jarvis called them "DSLR Killers"   

You can't look at a camera magazine without seeing a clever headline about migrating to mirrorless. At the 2014 Photokina show, the buzz was not about the bigger, heavier Canon 7D Mark II, but the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100. The future is here now. No longer does one have to decide if they should take their camera. You can keep a mirrorless body in your bag, jacket pocket, or sling. Every minute of every day is a photo opportunity. 
  

Images copyright Chris Corradino. All rights reserved.