Just Start

One thing that I regret in my life is spending so much time wishing I had done something. If I could go back in time and tell myself one thing, it would be to just start creating. You may not be the best at photography, but you can start.

I’ve used full frame gear, APS-C, and even micro four thirds. Each of them has served a great purpose. I currently use an older micro four thirds camera with a 20mm prime lens. The camera and lens combo cost me less than my APS-C Sony a6000 did when I got it brand new.

The Olympus EM-5 MK2 with the LUMIX 20mm f1.7 (pictured above) has become my favorite combo for everyday photography. It is a truly pocketable powerhouse. When I am wearing athletic shorts, which I tend to wear quite often, I can comfortably fit this combo in the same pocket as my iPhone.

The 16MP sensor captures fantastic detail. I used to shoot the Sony A7Rii with its 42MP sensor. What I can say is resolution doesn’t seem to be all that. I don’t use any upscaling image processing, but I can confidently print a 20 x 30 inch print from this resolution, and the results are fantastic!

This is an older camera, so it does come with its limits. It is a contrast based autofocusing system, and with that comes some challenges. Single shot autofocus works great when you chose a small focus point. The disappointing part comes with continuous autofocus. I’ve learned to set the lens to single point autofocus, set my focus point, and capture several images in a row because the continuous autofocus is worthless. Knowing this, I act like continuous autofocus doesn’t even exist when shooting. Knowing this limit, I am able to work within my camera’s limitations to capture the images that I want.

This last image is of my wife on an evening walk. I take this thing with me every time I leave the house just so I can capture things just like this. This is a straight out of camera JPEG image with no editing done whatsoever.

While having something lightweight and portable, I have been able to capture images that I may have otherwise not been able to. So take that camera with you on your trip, take pictures whenever you can.

The simple moments often become the best memories, but those memories quickly fade when there is nothing left to remember them by.