Calming Ramen
Over time, I've seen my gut instinct to initiate panic as the first response to any situation gradually ease off. The change has not been significant but I've definitely made progress. When it comes to photography, it translates to me hurriedly raising the camera up to my eye, twisting a few knobs and hoping I capture the moment. At times, I panic and fumble, missing the focus or failing to notice poor composition. However, I’ve also observed growing number of moments where I just watch the scene without a rush to raise the camera or making shots in a relaxed manner.
With the move from my X-Pro3 to X-T5, I wonder if I can encourage a further shift towards calmness. Can I choose composure over enthusiastic reaction, reading the scene rather than moving to act and making a more conscious decision rather than grabbing a shot and moving on? Is it bad if I miss the shot?
The first few days of wielding the X-T5 has resulted in more panic that calm. Should I make photos or shoot video? Should I abandon my standard full manual approach to adopt a faster Aperture Priority approach? Argh! Neither photo nor video came out right!
Breathe, inhale, exhale, breathe.
In the meantime, these are one of the last few photos I took with my X-Pro3. Ramen Daikoku is located in a wide laneway beside the Britomart train station in town. The wide laneway turned into a tight squeeze with a truck parked right in front of the shop and my 35mm lens. In a nod to meditation and calm breathing , I welcomed the challenge and made these images. May they inspire me to respond with kindness to myself.
Enjoy the process.
