I picked up my first serious camera in 2011 — a Sony A580. I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew I wanted to take better photographs than my phone allowed. Nine years later I'm still at it, though the gear has changed considerably.
The journey went roughly: Sony A580 → Canon 5D → Leica Q → Leica Q2 → Leica M10 → Sony A9 → Hasselblad X1D. I've shot professionally along the way — weddings, school photography, sports, theatre, orchestral concerts. The work shaped what I bought; the buying shaped what I shot.
The Hasselblad changed things. When you're shooting a 50 megapixel medium format sensor, you slow down. You think more. You stop firing bursts and start making photographs. I bought it partly for commercial work but found I enjoyed it most for personal projects.
COVID-19 cancelled everything booked for 2020. No weddings, no schools, no events. It was a financial hit, but it also forced a reset — more time for personal photography, street work, portraits of family. The Sony A9 is the professional workhorse. The Hasselblad is the camera I enjoy.
The lockdown photographs in my collection from that period are some of my favourites. Sometimes constraints produce better work.
