Finding the right camera for traveling is a bit of a challenge. You can ask pro photographers and bloggers and enthusiasts and every one will have a different answer and different tips. I am still waiting on Santa to bring me a Mamiya 6 rangefinder but until then, the Yashica 635 is small enough to fit the bill. So I took it to France. The fact that my partner wanted to keep the 5D mkii for herself during my trip was part of the decision, but I do not regret it. As you will see below, I managed to get some nice shots of the family.
OK, technically, this one was shot BEFORE I left for France for some work / leisure trip with Inès. But it shows one of the good use for the Yashica 80mm lens and square format: full body portraits. This one was done at the adventure playground in the neighbourhood and shows Inès trampolining, or rather pausing between two jumps and looking around, up to no good as usual.
This is it. Departure lounge. Inès loves planes. Excitement was tangible. I hesitated between putting Ines silhouette or the plane in focus, and picked the plane. I have to admit it was almost staged as I asked Inès to pose in front of the window. She chose to look at the plane and walkway instead of me and it made the shot. I like it because it tells a story, which subject is more obvious than most other pictures I take. The start of a journey. Loud and clear.
Now in France with family, I started shooting my nieces. Judith is old enough to know she is being photographed and to "pose" for it, or do funny faces mostly. To get a spontaneous look from her requires me to spray and pray while interacting with her, or her to forget about the camera. After a few moments discussing around the table, she forgot I had the Yashica in my hands and I managed to get a shot when she was lost in her thoughts. Once again the camera shoes it's true talent, at least for me: close up portraits. I was too close to focus but I do think the look on her face makes a compelling picture anyway.
Smartphones... The best virtual nanny since TV. The two sisters and her cousins in their PJs are deep in a video game session on my phone, way too busy to care about me. It really helped that they were not moving too much as inside and night time on a 400 ISO film at F3.5 required a very steady hand and subject.
I didn't take this picture. That's me in the frame. My dear old friend and photograph Alain ([www]) took this one during a dinner at his place in Paris. Tried to use the "Putin in his chair, by Platon” pose (see it here) but I did smile, which ruined the intended effect, but not the picture.