I get sick of saying “End of an era” but honestly I can’t think of a better way to put it, another one bites the dust? Anyway it is the end of another era. I, Matthew Robert Joseph of soundish mind and body have listed my 30mm Xpan lens on eBay. Don’t try and talk me out of it, those of you who know me will know that this won’t be an impulsive decision because I tend to over-think everything. I’m not selling the camera, just the lens. It has been on the chopping block a few times and it has been close, very close, this 7th year of our reign will be our last. Part of me even wishes I had sold it years ago when it was worth more and in better condition. So shed a tear, punch a wall, call me a fuckwit, it doesn’t matter. I like it wide but I also like it foreground. Here’s a link to the auction, you sick bastards: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/151077747631.

I used to work with an overly talented chap named Will Dougan, he made a couple of cartoons about our time together. Allegedly I was a bit hyper back then, but we know that’s not true, don’t we, don’t we, don’t we.

I think I blew a nearby Nikon DSLR user’s mind taking this shot, I was moving back and forward and up and down, taking my time to get the shot I wanted, after I took it I looked at him and he was just standing there looking at me with his mouth open. I smirked at him.

I like it wide.

It’s true, I have made no secret of this fact. But why do I like it wide? and why do I like it so, so wide? The answer?

Fucked if I know.

My first wide lens was on the wide end of a 28-200mm Tamron, I only used this for a few months before it wasn’t wide enough. Then came the 24mm, wow that’s wide! I actually liked the 24mm and used it for some time but inevitably it wasn’t wide enough. Then I wanted a 20mm, now that’s wide! But alas, I was too slow for a nice second hand one, certainly not buying new. Then I actually went a bit less wide, 35mm, that’s what that old French dude used to use so now I’m going to use it! Then I got the Xpan and the 45mm which is actually a 24mm, that’s kind of wide, but at least the neg is wide too. I desperately wanted a 30mm for the Xpan but I couldn’t afford it. I then bought a Horizon camera, this is really wide and really panoramic, this is cool. But something bad happened, it had some funky shit inside it that appears on all of my frames AND the shutter jammed open at the end of a roll and I rewound the film with the shutter open AND it was one of my last rolls of 35mm Agfa Ultra 50, You’re out of here! Then I find out about Voigtlander Rangefinders, this is a fun little camera and this 15mm is sooo wide, I bet there is nothing wider than this! Then as if by magic a 30mm for the Xpan comes into my life, is this what perfection looks like? And then… OMG! WHAT?! There is a 12mm? WANT! Then a few years pass and nothing much changes. 20mm on a APS DSLR, meh. A faulty 14mm fisheye. 50mm on 6×6? nice but not wide enough. I like 21mm now, no I don’t. I’m going to shoot wide video with this 7-14mm, no you’re just going to become a lazy photographer, that’s what. Have a look through the Xpan, cured, bye 7-14. I want a wide 4×5*, too heavy and too much work, try pinhole, meh. I want to shoot wide stuff on medium format, I want a Hasselblad SWC, but I can’t look through them properly, plus it’s douchey, no. Mamiya 7 & 43mm? Yes please!

* I should point out that at some stage in the future, provided the film is still available I would like to use a super/ultra wide large format camera but not until I’m old enough to get away with getting a camera bag that has wheels and one of those extending handles with the tripod mount on top.

But why do I like it so, so wide? A photographer once told me to approach my subject. Another photographer once told me to get close to my subject and one of those photographers once told me to connect with my subject. I guess my brain took all of this information and thought “Approach, get closer, connect, repeat” until I’m so close to my subject I don’t know who’s more uncomfortable. Shooting on the street is interesting with a super or ultra wide angle lens, people don’t know if they’re in the frame or not or they’re thinking he’s so close to me, he couldn’t possibly taking a photo of me, but I am. <RANT> While I am at it, street photography with lenses longer than 50mm should not be allowed. Maybe even longer than 35mm. How can you connect with your subject using a 70-200mm lens from across the other side of the street? I guess you could call them or use a signal lamp, the later would also help with the light situation on overcast days.Get close, deal with the consequences.</RANT>

Am I done yet?

No.

The pros and cons of shooting wide.

1. Distortion – Pro, learn to fucking love it.
2. The lenses are slow – Pro, your face is slow.
3. Taking photos of stuff from the footpath and not the road – Pro.
4. Taking photos of stuff in narrow alleys – Pro.
5. Taking photos of stuff far, far away – Con.
Couldn’t you just crop? – Fuck off.
6. Taking photos of people – Con, unless you’re careful, keep them away from the edge.
7. Taking photos at night – Con, the lenses are generally slow.
Use a tripod you lazy bastard – Kiss my arse.
Use faster film then – Ok.
8. Too much depth of field – Pro, Piss off, if you want to be one of the cool kids and shoot shallow DOF all the time go buy a fast tele lens, not a wide dumbarse.
9. That 12mm is unusable – Don’t fight with admins of the cool groups on Flickr.
10. Can’t you just move backwards? See 3 & 4.

I can’t think of anything else to say about the subject so I’m going to end with one bit of advice.

Get closer.

MJ

Here’s a photo that Chris took of me shooting some New Territories. Check out that bald spot, I swear he made it bigger.