Constant States of Conversion

Text and photography by Patrick La Roque

The sun changes everything around here—the spirits stir, people freed by the shedding of their winter skin. As if we all get to be new again, every spring. For a few minutes I just stand on the sidewalk, looking up into the warmth, soaking it in.

These are strange days for me, heavy with what I sometimes feel are a few too many milestones. Last week I caught up to my dad; that is, I reached the age he was when he died. How fucked up is that? To realize you will always, from this point on, be older than your father, travelling a path he never walked? To understand—physically understand— how brief it all was for him...my god. I feel at once insanely lonely and profoundly blessed. 

Milestones? Yeah. No shit.

I guess I'm slowly realizing this is our reality: flux. Constant states of conversion forcing us to re-evaluate what we thought was true. We're the ever-changing light in the city, those moving shadows and shifting surfaces I love so much. 

Transient and forever renewed.

Field of Dreams

BY FLEMMING BO JENSEN

The past, the present and the future.

Connecting it all through the eyes of my loved one.

What I wouldn't give for the chance to go Home one more time.

Is there enough magic to grant me that wish?

Yes.

A roadtrip.

A first.

Unexplored territory.

The Place Where Dreams Come True.

Renewtown

Renewtown

It seems like a lot of cities of a certain age have a suburb named Newtown - or Villeneuve, or the local equivalent. The general rule seems to be that they're usually the second centre to be created, after the main downtown area becomes established; so, most often, they're just a little more than walking distance from the core of the city, but easily accessible by modern transportation.

Somehow though, that distance acts as a barrier just long enough for them to get a bit run down, to lag behind the modernisation or gentrification that hits the closer suburbs first. So, they're the last bastion of the independent shopkeep, the stores set up thirty to fifty years ago in the one location, who are still hanging on - even as the shopping malls and megastores spring up nearby...

Star(s) and Stripes

PHOTOGRAPHY AND TEXT BY BERT STEPHANI

Cuba has a complicated relation with the USA. The recent visit of president Obama was a very important step in reforging the historical bond between America and that little island off the coast of Florida. 

When I was in Havana in the beginning of the year, I noticed that the government still desperately tries to hold up the worn out image of communism/socialism. At the same time, most of the people seem to be sick and tired of it. After all, it takes only one little step outside "tourist Havana" to see that the system has failed in many aspects. The people of Havana are proud to be Cuban but a lot of them are at the same time longing desperately for America.  

The Cuban and the American flag share stars (well, just one star in Cuba's case) and stripes. In the streets of Havana those two flags seem to blend. Just like the idolization of the USA blends with Cuban pride. 

ISO 200 RHAPSODY

TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY VINCENT BaldeNsperger

Blé adolescent
Terre en overdose
Barcarolles animales
Vent d'ouest
Eclipse coquelicot
Signature d'une hirondelle
Aube lumineuse

Adolescent wheat
Earth in overdose
Animal barcaroles
Western wind
Poppy eclipse
A sparrow's signature
Luminous dawn

When the Sun Shines in Britain

TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN MULLINS

This weekend, the United Kingdom saw sunshine.  

It was a newsworthy event, as temperatures soared to a dizzy 21 degrees for the first time (it seems) sense 1955.

In a nod to the great English photographer, Martin Parr, I have been working on an ongoing personal project that I have subjectively titled "Britain Burns".

For the purpose of this month's Kage theme, A New Light, I wanted to shoot some images for us that formed part of my personal project but also showcased the incredibly British attitude towards this "New Light" - the sunshine.  Whenever it makes its rare appearance it seems the same things happen.  And they always happen in a very British way.

It seems that we Brits are born with this natural urge to acquiesce to the sun whenever it puts its hat on.  I see it as a rite of passage as Britain Burns and we have an inane propinquity with each other when this rarest of events unfolds before our eyes.

I am very aware that at the time of writing this, the area of Alberta in Canada is struggling with a very serious issue and the timing of this post is coincidental.  Whilst we in Western Europe embrace the heat on this day, my heart, prayers and thoughts go out to those in Canada who are affected by a burning of a very different nature.

All of these images were taken with the Fuji X-70 and the Wide Angle Converter which for me has presented another epiphany in terms of the way I can shoot candid street photography.

Review: The Little Strap That Could (Domke 1" Gripper w/ Swivel)

Text and photos: Charlene Winfred 

The Domke 1" Gripper Strap with Swivel once saved me.

In 2013, not long after arriving in Mexico City, I'd made the mistake of getting into the Metrobus - as the name suggests, a rapid transit system on wheels instead of rails - at rush hour. 

It was packed. I'd sardined into the bus with everyone else at the station, back against the doors, with both shoulder bag and camera (the good old X-Pro1) slung across my body to make sure they stayed with me. Arriving at the next station, the doors opened to disgorge the flood of departing bodies and take in a fresh wave of incoming ones. As they were closing, a guy who had been fighting his way to get out darted past, catching me full in a shoulder as he exited.

I started to tip over onto the platform, yelping.

A couple of arms shot out to help. One of them was grabbing for my shoulder but missed and caught the camera strap instead. It held and hauled, stopping my fall in its tracks.

"#^#&*^%#&^%&*" I'd thought as the doors closed where my neck had been before, half suspended by the strap and the good Samaritan hanging on to it. "It's going to snap."

But it didn't. Camera, strap and I were still attached to one another.

Tough strap for a tough camera

A few people have come across my beat up old X-Pro1 and read about the inadvertent torture testing it went through in the years I fell over all the time. I never mentioned the strap I used with it, that I still use today.

I bought this Domke Gripper strap in 2011, a year before I threw my lot in with Fuji and got the X-Pro1. So it started out attached to a Nikon. 

Price

In 2011, it cost AUD $23, which included shipping. The price hasn't gone up by much, so  it's still incredible value for money.

Construction

I've always looked for straps that were tough and grippy without being bulky or flashy. I owned a couple of Domke bags at the time for all my working gear, and loved their unassuming, utilitarian design as much as their bomb-proof robustness. Domke camera straps are made the same way.

Webbing and Swivels: The webbing is made of specially woven strong-as-hell fibre, and its swivels, tougher-than-nail metal. It has borne the weight of an average sized falling human, and is still slinging.

Non-slip: It's slipperier now on smooth fabric, as the non-slip bits have worn over 5 years of use, but one of the things I really liked about this strap when I first got it, was how it was grippy without being sticky. On the underside of the strap, two rows of rubbery non-slip material are woven into the main webbing material, so it sat on my shoulder no matter what I wore, yet didn't pull at my clothing when I lifted the camera to shoot. 

The swivel factor: Brilliant. This just does away with tangling. As a bonus, the main webbing can be removed from the camera during video filming to lessen bulk and flap factor, and the harness clipped to tripods / shoulder rigs for a little extra security.

Length: This is a strap long enough to hang from a tall person's shoulder. I wear it at maximum length so that the camera hangs within easy reach of my hand while walking, and so I can sling it across my body out of the way like a shoulder bag when I cycle / climb rocks / do stuff that requires both hands. It's also very handy for winding around my wrist when I'm actively shooting.

Left: photo by Flemming Bo Jensen | Right: special camera suspension by Flemming Bo Jensen

Conclusion

The 1" strap suits X-series cameras much better than it does the bulkier DSLRs. This single strap has been on every camera body I've used since 2011, including all of the X-series bodies: X-Pro1, X-E2, X-T1, X-T10, and now the X-Pro2.

It is simply designed, well made and discreet. Like the X-Pro2 it is now attached to, I forget it's there when I'm working as it stays out of the way. I value these qualities in my equipment, so for me, the Domke Gripper with swivel, is still the perfect camera strap.

8XMAY2016

OUR PERSONAL CHOICES THIS MONTH

Issue 003 - Words From The Editor

I'm delighted to be the editor for this, our third edition, of our year of publishing.

When I was invited to join the Kage collective I couldn't quite believe that I had been accepted into such a group of photographers.  I've subsequently learnt that not only are they amazingly inspiring photographers and storytellers, but they are also encouraging, educational, funny, emotional and driven.

Being a part of the Kage collective has opened my eyes to a whole new world of visual storytellers and perhaps as importantly, has offered me an opportunity to facilitate my own storytelling and put it in front of an ever increasing audience.

I would be remiss to introduce you to our third installment, without first, thanking you for your continued support throughout issue one and issue two.  Your comments and sharing through social media are greatly appreciated.  

This month, we have a rather lose theme ~ faces.   We have each put a different slant on our interpretation of the subject matter.  I hope you enjoy reading and regarding as much as I have.

I have decided to offer up a small video documentary filmed on the X-Pro2, and we have incredible images, with some twists and turns, from the rest of the collective.

As always, along with our individual stories, we have each offered up a single favourite image shot through the month of March.  

Enjoy,

Kevin, Wiltshire UK