The latest issue of the KAGE collective monthly publication is up today. A little late, and a little lean. We all have a lot of stuff going on with our lives at the moment, so it’s not exactly a walk in the park getting these stories done, less keeping them relevant! – But I managed to put up a story about the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride which took place globally on sep. 24th.
In 2012, the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride was conceptualised in Australia by Mark Hawwa. Inspired by a single image of Mad Men’s fictional character Don Draper and his classic styled motorcycle, the event sought to gather riders for a good cause, and rid themselves of the stereotype male motorcycle rider image.
It’s a good cause! And I can spend many lines giving thanks to everyone involved in the important piece of prophylactic indirect healthcare work. You can read my deeper thoughts about it over at the KAGE story.
Here, I want to touch down on the more technical photographic aspect of the thing.
I was sick as a dog that day, and had been for some days. But I managed to get going on some over the counter pain medication. So carrying my smallest camera would have been the ideal choice for my disease-ridden body! But I didn’t. I chose the GFX50s. I coupled it with the GF110mm f/2 for portraits and the Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM used with the Techart adapter for the more inclusive documentary type shots.
This combination can actually fit in my ONA bowery bag!! Go figure! A digital medium format system in a bag designed for the smallest of cameras. This is still so unbelievably cool to me!
The Techart + 40mm combo is great. It just works! Autofocus is spot on, and it is more than capable of handling events like this. Sharpness is great, and it covers the sensor so very well. And the combo is so small! It’s a pancake setup for your GFX. It’s perfect!
The GF110mm f/2 is just a mind-blowing lens. It doesn’t get any better than this. The contrast, the rendering, the OOF areas, the handling. Everything is just so bloody supreme with this lens. I wrote in my initial review of this lens back in spring, that this was one of those “must haves” for the GFX system. And ever since buying my own, that opinion still stands 110%. It’s just a flawless piece of kit.
Below are my shots from the day. Random order. Random documentary. Not curated like on the KAGE story. These are the shots I took that day. All of them.
Hi Jonas,
awesome pictures. I love the look you created for these images.
Can you give us some background information on how you edited these images?
Thanks!
Thomas
Wonderful work, I love that you inspect the world before shooting.
Beautiful shots!!!! Love the one with the ol’ guy and the pipe.
Jaw dropping shots, your not wrong about the 110 & the 40 sounds like a lot of fun! . Love the details and all adds up to tell the story so well.
Stellar photos! Amazing work!
great stuff, hat’s off!
The woman in the hat (RASK5540), is an outstanding composition: exc framing with blurred brim on the right hat leading to the woman’s eye. It is all supported by the B&W interplay: vertical white patterns in background with alternating superimposed black objects; angle of shoulder on right paralleling the brim of the woman’s hat; bright upper left corner balanced by dark corner in lower right.
(Well, maybe I’d darken the small, white patch left of the woman’s shoulder, leaving a slight rim of highlight along the lower shoulder area; a bit more mysterious and forces attention to her face).
Oh Jonas…
You are making it very very hard to resist the GFX.
🙂
Love your work…thanks for the fantastic website.
Best regards,
Mark