Not So Great is Good
Flynn Marr 27 June 2024
Let’s face it: sad but true, I’m not a great photographer. I have been at this a long time, I have taken hundreds of thousands of pictures, I know my way around my cameras, but I am not really that good at it.
The problem is that in my busy life I have too much going on to put in the effort that is required to excel at this. I am what is often called an advanced amateur. I love taking pictures, I take a lot of them, and my friends think I am good at it. But I know otherwise. Being a great phoographer is hard work and one has to be able to put the effort in. You have to scrimp and save to buy the right equipment, you have to go where the pictures are and you have to spend the hours waiting for the right moment, None of that is me.
Probably I am in the majority who love taking pictures but don’t rise to greatness. All of us take one or two wonderful pictures in our lifetimes but the quality of a photographer is determined by the totality of his/her output. Do they turn out amazing pictures time after time?
That said, it does not mean that in the time we have to devote to our hobby that we don’t strive to turn out engaging images. If we are going to carry a camera we should work to record what we see around us in the most interesting and competent way possible. Even in a busy life there are images all around us.
For instance, June in Vancouver is Italian month when the Italian community in the city celebrates their heritage. At one time Commercial Drive was a center of Italian commerce and culture in the city and in June that street is shut down and we all turn out for a street party. And this year June 9th was that day.
People love to come out when the streets are closed and you can walk down the center of the road. The food trucks are out, there are several stages where musicians are performing, there is food of every variety, restaurants are open, and it is great fun!
‘Arriva” is an Italian Restaurant that has been on the Drive for many years and we have spent many happy evenings there.
Susan and I love these events and we take the day off to join the party with thousands of others. And, of course, I take my camera. An event like this is an opportunity for street photography and it is a challenge to see if I can capture the feeling and tempo of the event. These are the times I enjoy my camera the most. But what camera? Well, we chose our equipment to match the circumstances. I wanted light and simple with a lens that offered a wide range of focal lengths. I did not want to carry multiple lenses.
I knew that I would not be producing large art prints from my outing so the chosen lens did not have to be the sharpest in the world and it was going to be a sunny day and that meant maximum aperture was not that important. Taking all of that into account I settled on my Canon 60D which has a APS-C 18mpx cropped sensor.
For a lens I chose my Canon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS which would give me a wide focal range in a simple light lens.
This is not a highly regarded lens and it shows considerable color fringing and the focus falls off in the corners. But remember, we chose the equipment for the situation. Lightness and convenience won out over sharpness and color accuracy. All of the pictures in this post are with this camera and lens.
As an aside, I believe that there are no bad lenses. There are only bad choices for a given task. There is a lens for every situation and there is a use for every lens. A good photographer knows his equipment and how to chose the right stuff.
Susan and I used to take the grand children to Marcello’s for pizza years ago and it is still here serving great pizza.
Famoso is a newer addition to the Italian restaurant roster on the Drive and we have yet to try it.
It may have been an Italian party but food from all over the world was welcome. Here the Spanish Paella looks pretty good!
Taking pictures in a crowd is always a problem because people get in the way. It is a constant challenge to find an angle that gives you a good composition without someone in the way. This is where a good zoom range is a real advantage. But you have to be fast. That means you have to know your camera and what it can do for you.
Because of the lens’s deficiencies I wanted to shoot at f/8 to f/11 if possible at a reasonable ISO setting. The 60D does not perform well above around 400 ISO. Higher speeds tend to get too get noisy. We were blessed with a bright sunny day so that posed no problem and we were able to shoot at ISO 200 for most of these images.
The food is one of the reasons people come to these events. Most of the restaurants move out to a booth on the street plus there are food trucks and other vendors cooking in the street. The Portugese community BBQ’s big fat sardines, Italian food is the food of choice and pasta and pizza are everywhere, there is usually a lamb or a pig on a spit at the Greek restaurant, and the gelato shops are thronged with people.
Gianni’s son Federico is an entertainer of the first class. He has a great voice and is a real entertainer. He can sing in almost any style or genre, both in Italian and English. At one point he had a supper club on the Drive but currently he has an authentic Italian “Bar” on False Creek in Vancouver.
Gianni Fuoco has been playing for the Italian community in Vancouver for several decades and well into his 90’s he is till performing.
All up and down the Drive there were stages set up and musicians, alone or in groups, were entertaining the crowd. Because Susan and I have been dancing for years we have come to know the best musicians, and especially the Italian one’s. Gianni Fuoco has been entertaining the Italian community for several decades and, at the age of 90 plus, he is still performing.
Gianni’s son Federico is a very popular entertainer as well and is carrying on in his father’s footsteps. He has an amazing voice and is a real showman. We appreciate him because his music is wonderful to dance to which we do often.
Another good friend of ours is Lou Moroco who was also there and Susan and I stopped by his stage to dance for a bit. Because his music is so danceable we follow him to the places he is playing whenever we can.
Lou Moroco was singing on a stage set up on a side street off the Drive and it was a really pleasant place to sit for a while and enjoy the music. The ground was sloping and uneven but we managed to dance to his music for a few minutes.
Sitting at the Bar Calabria with our friends Sue and John to have a latte and rest our feet. After three or four hours on our feet it is a welcome break.
Look at the colors and textures in this picture. A simple sign on the corner of a building is so interesting. It speaks of the character of the neighbourhood and the Italian people that created it. This is what I look for when I am taking pictures.
Part of the pleasure of these street parties is meeting up with friends we have not seen in a while. That is my wife Susan in the black sweater.
When I am out with my camera I am always looking for interesting pictures. I am watching for colors, patterns, unique lines of sight, and after a few years of this you end up doing this whether you have your camera with you or not. You watch the scene around you more closely. You see the colors more deeply. Patterns jump out at you.
Dorothea Lange was the American photographer who said that “The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera”. I am sure that this heightened sense of looking is what she meant.
You do not have to be a National Geographic photographer to develop the skills and insights of the great picture takers. You simply have to work at your craft, take lots of pictures, and look at your pictures with a critical eye.
I have always liked the Cafe Havana on the Drive. On the front wall, behind the patio seating, there is a fresco that has always pleased me. It is covered over with clutter but it is really a beautiful piece of art. The colors are muted browns with blues and yellows showing through. I love this painting, and after two trips to Cuba, I love Havana.
We call Commercial Drive simply “the Drive” and it is a beautiful street. It is made all the more beautiful when the people take it over and push all the smelly dirty automobiles away. This is when the city become a community and we all gather to enjoy being together and sharing food with each other.
And so, have I captured the day? If I have not it is not the fault of the camera and lens. As you can see, although old technology now, they have been up to the task. Their failings are not visible in these pictures. If they have fallen short the fault is mine alone. Good pictures do not require good equipment but only a good photographer.
We cannot all be great photographers. But we can all be good at our craft and strive to capture our world in new and interesting ways. And we can share what we do as I am doing here. Maybe I am not a great photographer but for me being good at it is enough.
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