Back to basics: X-Pro2 + 18-55mm lens and a visit to the Guggenheim

Lately, when I go out and want to feel unencumbered by photo gear I find myself putting the original Fuji 18-55mm variable focus zoom on my X-Pro2 and using it as a basic kit for walking around -- small, convenient, unobtrusive, but powerful enough for obtaining real quality images.

The Guggenheim just opened an extensive exhibit of work by the artist, Agnes Martin. Martin has been my favorite artist for decades. I love the subtle minimalist expression of her grid canvases and have always found them to be an inspiration for my own work. I had the X-Pro2/18-55mm combo with me but didn't really think I was going to need it. I was there to see the exhibit, not photograph it. Seeing just a few of Martin's paintings immediately changed my attitude, and, as always, I succumbed to the influence of her work. I didn't exactly photograph the exhibit. Instead I used the camera to record the impression her work was having on me as I walked through the exhibit.

When I work in a place, like a museum, I put the camera on silent mode with its electronic shutter so no noise emanates from it to disturb the silent solemnity of the space.  In the main I shot in Acros simulation mode, switching back to color for those few occasions where I wanted to incorporate the subtlety of color present in most Martin canvases.

This exhibit is the most comprehensive I have ever seen on Agnes Martin. It is well worth a visit to see it if you are in New York. The show will be at the Guggenheim Museum until January 11, 2017.

This is one of the few images I took in color. I did it to emphasize the subtlety of color used in Marin's canvases.