∴Photo Road Trip∴

A few thoughts on the Nikon Z8 and connecting with strangers

Every autumn in Korea I take a few days and road trip to some part of the country that’s caught my eye. This year it was Namhae, an island that is about as far south as you can go.¹ I treat these trips as mini photo projects, trying to gather a diverse set of images that serve as a bit of a portrait of the place.

Me being me though, I like to complicate things. Instead of shooting a few photos and then kicking back by the oceanside and savoring the last of the warm weather before Korea’s brutal winter sets in, I set about filming the whole endeavor.

The video is now live on YouTube.

This trip was particularly fun because I was testing out my new Nikon Z8. I bought the camera planning to use it mostly on commercial shoots, but I like to familiarize myself with new gear by taking it on a few photo walks. A trip like this, with all the different places and conditions in which to use a new camera, is the perfect testing ground.

The camera did great in low light, still providing sharp images and manageable noise.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not a big gear-head, and I encourage people to decide what equipment to use by determining either what the situation demands or by their aim for the final image. I must admit though that a modern full-frame camera like the Z8 feels impressively like a catch-all: useable in most situations and producing images with a lot of leeway to arrive at the result you want.

As for the video, I did my best with this one to show how I go about chatting to people I don’t know, making them feel comfortable enough to allow photography into the conversations. I’ve been thinking a lot about this particular dance lately, since reading Travis Huggett’s piece on Talking to Strangers.

I also wrote a newsletter a little while back titled Talking to Strangers,² where I traced the arc of photographing at a distance, through photographing in proximity to photographing from a place of acceptance. The Z8, for all the punch that it packs, did not intimidate the people I pointed it at, nor did it make me anxious introducing it.³ In other words, one of its best qualities was that, for how powerful it is, it didn’t get in the way of making connections with people I don’t know.

I hope the video gives you a sense of how I go about talking to people, and encourages you to try it too. And if that’s not your thing, then kick back and enjoy the oceanside.

Cheers,

Chris.

1. Especially in my little van.

2. More proof that global is increasingly local.

3. Bigger set ups have definitely been cause for hesitation in the past.