Xpro3

Gold

BY BERT STEPHANI

So, what gear do you bring to the Under 18 Belgian Athletics Championship? What about a slow medium format camera and a short(ish) manual lens? At least that’s what I did: GFX50R and the Mitakon 65mm F1.4.

But the real reason I was there is that my girlfriend’s eldest daughter participated in the pole vault competition. Because I knew I wouldn’t have good access, I also packed my X-Pro3 and dusted off the XF50-140 to document one of the best days of her life. Before the big day, I gave her my best advice: crush the competition … and boy, she did just that! With a series of beautiful jumps, she went over 3.40 meters, improved her personal best and won the Belgian championship.

Above you see the the sequence of the jump that sealed the deal. It’s art in motion but the picture that we like even better is the one below of the most relaxed smile we’ve seen on her face in ages. The pressure of high level sports is a very heavy burden to carry for a teenager. But when the stars align, it’s all worth it.

DEFINITION 42 | DARKNESS DESERVES BETTER

BY BERT STEPHANI

STEPHANI-darkbanner-01.jpg

I’ve always liked the night, dark clothes, dark images.
The association between “black” and “bad” doesn’t exist to me.
In the shadows I find simplicity, peace and elegance.
The darkness shuts out the noise and makes time irrelevant.
Darkness deserves a better rep ...

Three moments, defined in softer tones.

By Patrick La Roque

I was roaming streets again, unsure of what I would find. We never know, do we? Every exploration always seems impossible at first, like an equation that won’t be solved. But then patterns emerge and slowly, pieces begin to fit.

I was roaming streets again.
New camera around my neck.
Same rush in my bloodstream.

Shot with the X-Pro3 and the original X-series lenses