We know that photographers love talking about their gear. But the Phoblographer, through our interviews, also works to remind people that gear isn’t everything. Indeed, the manufacturers all more or less create variants of the same cameras. But the Ricoh GR, for the moment, is pretty unique. There are so many different variants of it. We’ve been reviewing them for years doing things like street photography and travel. Some might like the GR IIIX. Others might like the original GRIII. What made these cameras so special for years is the snap-focus that works similarly to zone-focus. It’s much easier to do this with the Ricoh lineup than with most other cameras on the market. And so these photographers have absolutely proven that.
Ethical statement: All images in this roundup belong to the photographers and were provided to the Phoblographer with permission in our interviews. You can click further into those interviews to see more. You can also purchase one using our links.
Table of Contents
Shai Levy Made Colorful Portraits With Ricoh
Shai tells the story in our interview. Here’s a quote
“Marrakesh, more than anything, is a city of trade. It’s in the air, it’s the soul and obviously the matter of this place. When asking permission from locals to take their portrait, you get one of the three: 1. A polite “No.” 2. “Yes, but please pay me.” 3. An Ok,” he said on his personal attempt to “trade” with the people.
Josh Estey Does Photojournalism with the Ricoh GR
Take a deeper look through Josh’s website for more. Also, check out our interview, here’s a quote from it:
I was not here to exploit the suffering of these children but to show a desperate need, while maintaining the dignity and humanity of each child. The parents understood this explicitly without language. They would grab my arm and pull me close asking for their child to be photographed. These mothers knew their children were fighting for survival and needed help. They entrusted me to tell their story.
Salvatore Matarazzo Makes Images Like Bruce Gilden
Sal makes photographs that get us staring into them. Here’s a quote from our feature on him:
We can say that the set’s title alone — Eyes From The Street — is a suggestion of what viewers should look for (and look at). Still, it’s also evident in the way he captured most of his subjects: positioned at the center of the shot, eyes either wide open and staring straight at the camera, or closed as if in defiance to the flash and Matarazzo’s tight framing. In other photos where we don’t see these qualities, we nevertheless still have details that get us looking for eyes, human subjects or otherwise: bright colors, furry faces, stern expressions, and expressions.
Olga Karlovac is One of the Most Unique Photographers Alive Today
It’s hard not to fall in love with Olga’s work. Here’s a snippet from our feature on her:
She doesn’t consider herself much of a gear lover. “I use simple Ricoh GR II at the moment,” she tells us. No filters, tripods, etc. are included. “This one really gives me everything I need. My trilogy of books has been made with the same cameras, Ricoh GR and Ricoh GR II.” Olga states that her Ricoh GR died when she went out to go photograph with it in a rain storm.
Dominik Schulze Finds Inspiration from Alex Webb
In our interview, Dominik said:
I approach my pictures more from a creative level than an emotional one, and that’s something I still want to work on. I only have a few very strong memories of individual pictures that have touched me. So far, All I want is you is one of those few and one of the more emotional images I have. I value the lessons I learned from it, and I think it will always hold a special place in my mind.
Chris Leskovsek Used the Camera When He Moved
Photographer Chris Leskovsek took up photography when he moved. Here’s an excerpt from our interview:
“Moving to New Zealand was a big personal change for me. A big cultural shock, new everything, homesick, etc It was both sweet and sour, and at times quite depressing. That’s when I saw myself picking up the camera just to head out of the door and go explore this new place. Maybe it was an excuse just to head out and clear myself while documenting the process.”
Willie Velazquez is a Modern Master of Street Photography
Willie was named one of NY’s Best Street Photographers by us. Check out our full interview where he talks about using the Ricoh GR, here’s a snippet:
Willie’s thought process and creative vision are fascinating. While many street photographers shy away from photographing the homeless and disabled, Willie tends to embrace it in a way that tells a much larger story than what we tend to see from more green photographers. Part of this perhaps comes from his upbringing.
Andrew Kung Uses Light in a Beautiful Way
Here’s a quote from our interview with Andrew:
I think about my social media and my website slightly differently; with my website, I want to show my favorite, best work – and sometimes that’s only 15 images. I treat this almost as an art gallery or an experience that someone has, keeping in mind that people are only on websites for a couple minutes. With social media, it’s a broader showcase of my work and allows for a more continuous engagement with my images, so I’m posting and publishing a wider net of images.
Martin U Waltz’s Street Photography With the Ricoh GR
Here’s an excerpt from our interview with Martin:
“I always felt when travelling that the most interesting part was roaming in the streets, without any directions or goal.” says photographer Martin U Waltz. “So it was actually a small step to street photography.” Based in Berlin, Martin describes his signature style as high contrast black and white. Last year, he was voted as one of the 20 most influential street photographers and he’s won a number of aways including solo exhibitions in many big cities.”
Michael Young Makes Black and White Images with the Ricoh GR
Here’s some insight into how Michael thinks, provided within our interview:
As a Christian Black American Photographer, I believe my identity shapes my perspective and subject matter that I point my camera at. As I transition into shooting more documentary stories, I hope to capture images that convey the ways in which Black Americans have been historically marginalized and the ongoing struggles for equality and justice. I want to highlight the complexity and diversity of Black Americans and the importance of representation and visibility in the industry. When I’m out shooting in the street, it’s sad to me that someplace inside of me, I have to hope I’ll make it home and not just because of the crime in the city but also because of policing in this country, that is something I wish no one should have to experience.
Street Photographer Jonathan Higbee is Truly One of the Best of Our Time
For most of us, Higbee needs no introduction. Here’s an excerpt from our interview:
Street photography isn’t obviously the act of documenting every day occurrences in public as they happen–but one of the biggest challenges that everyone who calls themselves a street photographer faces is getting their work out there. Photographer Jonathan Higbee never let that slow him down.
He loves gear, but he never let it slow him down or cripple him. In fact, he’s been fighting a struggle inside of him that only fuels his creativity and drive to succeed as an artist. The result: he actually makes taxable income from his street photography in addition to his other work. Indeed, Jonathan lives the dream of so many aspiring photographers out there.
And it’s not just us that recognizes it. The lead image of this story made the cover of the World Street Photography Awards 2016 book
Dimitri Keungueu Makes NYC Look Like a Noir Film
In our interview with Dimitri, we said the following:
“New Yorker Dimitri Keungueu has spent the last two years, since moving to the big apple, developing and honing his skills as a street photographer. In his photo project, which he calls 8am /8pm, Keungueu captures the frenzy of midtown workers going to and from work – a necessity of his life, being a family man and having a demanding job. His work features a very high contrast black and white look, a focus on light and dark that he says is an important aspect of his style. “I like to play with daylight.” Keungueu tells The Phoblographer, “Because most of my shots are on my way to work, I started to become used to the light and to understand which spot was more interesting for me at a certain time in the morning.””
Ciaran O’Brien Used the Ricoh GR to Beat Depression
Ciaran found the Ricoh GR after an accident, and it helped him get over depression. Here’s a snippet from our interview with him.
Ciaran feels he wouldn’t have found photography if he hadn’t taken a nasty tumble some years ago. “A hiking mishap on top of a mountain in the Lake District caused me to be laid up in bed for 4 months after breaking my fibula and tibia in a few places,” he recalls. This was such a severe incident that a mountain rescue helicopter had to be called to the site. “Alas, it was too windy for the helicopter to take off, so I couldn’t even arrive at the hospital in style,” he recalls amusingly.
Inside the Mind of Ricoh GR Photographer Ghebosu Florin Emil
Here’s a bit of our interview with Ghebosu:
I am looking for interesting people and aesthetically clean and interesting backgrounds with many elements that describe the place, moment, or the character. I use bw film and Zeiss lenses to be more disciplined and small cameras to look less aggressive when shooting on the streets.
Rikard Landberg Loves His Ricoh GR
Rikard is a street photographer that loves film! But also uses his Ricoh! Here’s an excerpt from our interview:
“I’ll be honest, I switched back from digital to film because it was so much cooler, at least at first. In the beginning it was so frustrating to only have manual controls without the ability to see the pictures in the camera. I missed the P-mode, AV-mode and so on. But the more I trusted my camera and my eyes the better became my pictures. What first made me frustrated now became a release. Suddenly it was all about taking pictures. When I photographed digitally, it was more about image processing and cool effects. Film photography taught me that it doesn’t matter how good you are at Photoshop, if the picture is not interesting from the start, it will not become more interesting just because i know my way around Photoshop. Film photography makes me think about what I’m doing before I do it. A roll of film holds 36 moments and every moment is going to cost me money. It forces me to choose the moments I want to capture.”