As follow up to my shoot in Istanbul for the advert for the G3X, I also shot sample images with Neil in London. These photos would appear on the product pages for the camera, so I was really keen to show off its abilities and put it to the test for the kind of challenging action I usually shoot.
We decided to shoot the product samples in and around the Southbank area of London. The purpose of this was twofold. The Southbank has been an iconic and important location throughout the history of Parkour, and it was also a focus of the media tour I helped put together.
I shot the sample images with Neil first, ensuring to work closely with the Canon team to capture images that reflected the brand and the specific key features of the G3X. The lens of the camera really is great, having an equivalent 35mm zoom range of 24-600. Having this level of zoom gave me an ability to shoot images that would be otherwise difficult to capture, especially Neil’s eye for example.
I focused on strong lines and colours to create contrast for the sample images, and shot with just natural light to better reflect the ‘run and gun’ nature of the camera.
I’m pleased to report the camera handles itself well for Parkour Photography. The shutter lag is managable, the autofocus fast and the vari-angle screen is really great for both stills and video. I should also mention that the optional EVF is really exceptional, although it is a premium extra.
I also helped plan and host a media event in London to promote the whole new range of Canon cameras, from the powershots up to the 5DS.
We took the media through the history of parkour at the southbank, with shooting setups for them with Katie McDonnell and Erik Mukhametshin. Then boarded a boat down to Trinity Bouy Wharf, where they had an opportunity to try Parkour themselves at the academy there.
The response from the event was amazing, with journalists and instagrammers posting their photos and generating interest in both the campaign and Parkour.
Overall I had a great experience working with Canon, both in the film and the photography side. I think it’s really progressive of them to be focusing on niche artists and influencers, and as someone who has always uses canon cameras to support my work as an artist, it’s humbling to now have them support me back.
