Sometimes we are so caught up in the technical side of photography that we forget that vision and passion are prime ingredients of image creation. My friend, Tom Kampioni, certainly subscribes to these principles. While his main genre is writing and film making, Tom often returns from his frequent travels with impressive imagery. He has never been a “gear guy” and that is his greatest strength. He is free of the “which lens or which camera dilemma” which cripples so many photographers. He connects with his surroundings and, most importantly, the people he encounters on his travels. He works with any photographic tool available at his disposal and this freedom transcends in his photos.
I am delighted to present some of the images from his recent trip to Spain. Even though they were not shot with the Fuji X-series cameras, we decided to share them with you. Let’s forget about cameras, lenses and processing and just enjoy the vistas. Tom wrote a few words about his experience.
Travelling through the hills of Castilla-La Mancha and Andalusia was the conclusion to my work on an independent movie called “My Don Quixote.” I wanted to visit the places that inspired Miguel de Cervantes in 1605 to write his first world best seller: “Don Quixote.”
Spain has changed since then. There are fewer knights and squires travelling through the hills of La Mancha but it is still a very beautiful and mystical country. I was travelling with my wife and nine-month-old daughter through the empty roads of Castilla-La Mancha and Andalusia. We drove from Madrid to Malaga via Toledo, Consuegra, Ubeza, Granada, Cordoba and Ronda. I planned my trip months before we went to Spain, knowing that once I got there I would have no control over anything. Family goes first, photography whenever there is time and a spare hand to press the shutter button without dropping a baby. September is a good month for photography in Spain since it is mostly cloudy with occasional storms. My wife probably has a different opinion but I really like dark rainy clouds in my pictures.
I don’t think I have a philosophy that I follow when I take my pictures. I don’t even have a camera that I would recommend to anyone. For me it is all about location, light and having good time.”
Here are some of other favourite images from Tom’s travels.
Poland
Kazbegi Georgia
Georgia
Island
Talin, Estonia
Oslo, Norway
Toledo, Spain
Tbilisi, Georgia
Madrid, Spain
Stockholm, Sweden
Chicago, USA
Next time, we will return to our own material, shot with the Fuji X-T1 and X100S. We have downloaded the latest beta version of Iridient Developer and we really like what we see. Stay tuned.
2014 © Olaf Sztaba Photography. All rights reserved.
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