Documenting Your Life: The Ricoh GR Series
Photo: Weston M
Something that has been intriguing to me lately is the idea of documenting your life. Instead of searching for a photo, letting it come to you. In order to capture these unique moments and everything in between, you need to bring your camera with you everywhere. This concept has spawned a new style of photography and has made compact cameras much more valuable in recent years. Select camera brands are shifting their ideology from larger feature packed cameras to smaller systems that are more travel friendly. This past October we saw the Sigma fp get released which is the smallest and lightest full frame camera on the market. Like many others have said before, the best camera is the one you have on you.
Ricoh’s GR camera series has been at the forefront of this movement. Since 1996 with the release of the first edition GR1, Ricoh has been perfecting what is arguably the world’s best compact camera. In March of 2019 they came out with their latest iteration, the GR III. Whether or not it’s the best camera for you depends on your needs. For me personally, something that can fit in my pocket is a must. The GR III is the smallest APS-C sized camera in the world and has a retractable lens allowing you to fit it anywhere which has helped it become so popular among street shooters.
”The GR philosophy is that confrontation with society is the essence of photography, and art is merely the result. And the moment when chance becomes necessity, a piece of art becomes something that transcends time. Image quality and response are the means to respond to the photographer's intentions. The camera is fine in a supporting role. Good photos are born of various eras, countries, areas, and devices, but the feeling they portray never fades, but rather the strength they embody grows stronger with time. Because of this, the most important quality a camera can have is neutrality. It should assimilate into the photographer's eyes, hands, and heart.” - Ricoh
Photo: Kin Li
Samuel Lintaro Hopf, who typically goes by the name Lintaro, is a photographer and filmmaker that has made his GR camera a part of who he is. I’ve been following Samuel on YouTube for some time and have learned a lot from watching his POV street videos and how he dissects the situations around him. Everyone sees things differently and it allows you the chance to experience life from his perspective as he moves throughout a space. Samuel first got a GR in 2013 and it quickly became a very personal object for him as he used it to capture his twenties while living in Germany. That has since transcended into a series called the GR project in which he travels around the world to meet other GR photographers and learn from them. In the latest episode, he roams the streets of London with photographer Sean Tucker.
I just got a GR II and plan on doing a full review in the future so be on the look out for that. I don’t want this to come across as a Ricoh promotion. There are many excellent compact cameras whether that be digital or film, use whatever system you think works best for you. Life is short and documenting it can allow you to carry these special moments with you.
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