Lens culture. (Patreon)

Just extracting this gem from Inna's shooting, and just for my Patrons.This photo is special because of the light, painting only half the face of Inna, whilst leaving most of the rest in the dark.And it was difficult to reach the right exposure balance for this picture, because I wanted to preserve the atmosphere I perceived at the moment, and finally I'm happy about the result.

This is a photo shot with the "humble" Leica SL2-S + Contax-Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f1.7 combination.It is unkind to call humble this magnificent camera, but its 24MP compared to the more than double MP count of the GFX on a bigger sensor, or the 40MP Leica M10 dedicated to BW only, it is an undeniable argument.And the 50mm lens too is one of the cheapest Zeiss classic lens on the market.But together, this is still a killer combination!

In the future I will have to use more the SL2-S, because GFX and M10M are a handful to use, both while shooting, as well as whilst editing, the whole process is slowed down considerably.Using the lighter option of the SL2-S (possibly with more glamorous lenses like the newly arrived 1980 Contax-Zeiss Planar T* 85mm f1.4; or some of the latest Leica-R lenses I'm buying from a collection in perfect conditions I run into), will provide me a quicker approach, more fresh and carefree, and easier to work with afterwards.I wonder if we will enjoy the Leica-R lenses as much as the Zeiss ones...

What I can say for sure, at the moment, is that my project is not only about pretty ladies undressed, but also about an exploration of photography culture and history, revisiting how the best classic lenses work on the best modern digital cameras.I'm sure that, at least some of you, are enjoying also this aspect of my project, if only for the natural and organic appearance of my models. And feel free to express your preferences about lenses or cameras in comments, and let me know if they affect my style of shooting, for better or worse.

To tell you the truth, looking at today's photo, or back at the ones I was shooting in the beginning of the project with the Leica M240, I'm asking myself if it is worth buying all of these cameras and lenses. I could have stopped years ago, with the Panasonic Lumix S1, and still produce great photos.On the other hand, exploring all these technical nuances of photography is a huge incentive to improve my style and grow my visual taste.

If you want to learn more about the Bramley Apple Project or Archives, or DA subscriptions, ask me on bramleyapple@yahoo.com