The image that made me get into the M system
Mar 21, 2021
19
Its 2018, i come from a long and exhausting work trip from India and all i want is for home comforts and of course, to resume my love for photography. At the time i took my panasonic camera to Mumbai and i felt limited in what it could do so i decided it was the time to take the next step.
Size and weight was a concern, but also lens availability and price. I was looking at several options and i started to become interested in the M system mostly with the intention of adapting lenses. I had never owned a canon camera and all reviews were stating how great the Canon M5 was, the AF was great paired with L glass, and how video was great too (right...)
To me it was about getting access to EF lenses more than anything, so when i saw the M5 selling for 500 euros with the 11-22mm i thought this now or never. I took the plunge a week before my trip to Italy, and the first time visiting the Amalfi coast. Now, i work in the field of travel, my main job is to train people on Travel sales, cruises etc. So i always had this image in mind of Positano, welcoming, colourful and blissful. So my main goal for the entire trip was to take a shot of the hillside village and in part that is why i decided for the M5 with the 11-22mm.
The day came and i arrived to Positano. The town was everything i hoped it would be, vibrant, full of people, happy... i take a few snapshots when i get there just to check the best angle and location. I proceed with the exploration since "my shot" had to be at blue hour, with the town lights on. When i returned to the spot towards the end of the day i was faced with 2 obstacles:
1 - The last bus back to Sorrento was arriving at any moment
2 - I had 2 photographers in "the" spot waiting for the same thing it was.
It was funny really, i couldn't even get mad. The guy had a sony APSC camera and he was boasting to his friend how good the dynamic range was on that thing. It's almost as if i was on DPreview.
I scramble to find a second location, and i manage to find one on an include road. I mounted my tripod quickly as light was fading away completely, and soon the colours of positano would be washed away in darkness.
I got the composition, and i took the shot:

After some Editing with Capture one, Affinity Photo and topaz denoise:
