Street Photography In Madison With The Canon R6 II

I picked up a mirrorless camera a few weeks ago and have been having a tremendous time walking around town with it, shooting some street photos and testing the capabilities of the new camera body with some of my existing glass. 


When I first got into photography, I used to love walking in Madison with my prime lens and camera, just to see what I could come up with. Every time I get some new equipment I still enjoy testing it on the street. I’m always super-impressed with the photo equipment I’ve owned throughout the years starting with my Canon 5D (classic) in 2006. I really try to not to chase gear too much though. Many of the great photographers did some of their best work with far less equipment than I have, so I try to keep that in mind. 

 

Days like this remind me that I’m far more interested in what goes on in the alleyways, loading docks and rusty fire escapes rather than the shiny building facades & lobbies out front. I love the access that being a photographer sometimes gives me. Green rooms, factories, biotech labs, locker rooms, and artist spaces are just of a few of the areas that I’m lucky enough to regularly visit in my career.  


I feel fortunate to live in an era where fast glass is quite affordable and flawless autofocus is almost a given. I live in a mindset where my equipment is never my limitation. If a shot didn’t turn out as well as I’d like-than the blame falls squarely on my shoulders. That said, I feel I’m quite effective at getting from point A (pre-shoot planning) to point B (getting the desired visual outcome) for myself and my clients. 


This post is not intended to be a technical camera review. But, I will say that I’m loving the autofocus, small form-factor, and in-body camera stabilization (IBIS) the R6 is providing me. Canon really took their time rolling out IBIS into camera bodies, but now it can be found in all their top-tier cameras and it’s a win for photographers. I was happy to learn that my beloved EF lenses work perfectly well on the RF lens mount platform with the simple use of a small adapter (that reminds me of my macro extension tubes).   

Harvey House, Madison. Canon 40mm prime at f9, 1/500 sec. ISO: 100.
Daytime grain elevator. Canon 40mm prime @ f/5.6, 1/1250 sec, ISO 100.
Tipsy Cow, b/w. Canon 35mm prime @ f/3.5, 1/25 sec. ISO 100.
Outdoor fountain, daytime. Canon 40mm prime @ f/2.8, 1/3200 sec. ISO 100.
Gushing, red fire hydrant. 40mm prime @ f/4.0, 1/640 sec. ISO 100.
I know a few alleys around here. Canon 35mm prime @ f/4.0, 1/80 sec. ISO 125.
Parked semi. Canon RF 50mm prime @ f/4.5, 1/60 sec., 6400 ISO.
Some functional analog tech. Canon 35mm prime @ f/6.3, 1/60 sec. ISO 100.
Street piano, Willy St. Canon RF 50mm @ f/3.5, 1/13 sec. handheld, ISO 400.
Machinery Row traffic in Madison. Canon RF 50mm prime. f/3.2, 1/2 sec. handheld, 100 ISO.
Canoes in the sunlight. Canon 40mm prime @ f/5.6, 1/640 sec. ISO 100.
Closing April 29, 2016. Canon 35mm prime @ f/4.0, 1/250 sec. ISO 100.
Every college photo student loves this angle. Canon 35mm prime @ f/2.0, 1/8000 sec. ISO 100.
Middleton Station, est. 1856. Canon 40mm prime @ f/5.6, 1/200, ISO 100.
Hotel Indigo at twilight. Canon 35mm prime @ f/2.5, 1/80 sec. ISO 1600.
East Washington, twilight. Canon 35mm prime handheld @ f/3.2, 1/60 sec. ISO 1250.

Nothing shown here is all that technical or anything like that. It’s mostly just me grabbing a minimum amount of kit and hitting the streets. I kind of loved shooting this way since it gives me the feeling I used to have when I first started out learning photography in college.