The idea of traveling with just a camera and a lens was nothing that I had decided for my most recent visit to Hong Kong. If I am being honest, it was mainly inspired by Lika’s design philosophy, Das vessentalichOr “necessary”, when I read about it a few months ago.
Lika cameras have long embraced minimalism, withdrawing distractions for a pure, spontaneous shooting experience. I always used it as an excuse to justify the cost of an excuse, yet I never practiced it. When I was planning for this family trip to Hong Kong, it hit me as a perfect opportunity to force me to talk, especially when I was away from all my camera collections and in the land of street photography. The real test was whether I could really embrace simplicity, oppose the urge to bring many lenses and rely on the same focal length to catch an entire journey. Keeping this in mind, I started this experiment, only armed A camera and a 28 mm equivalent lensTo see if it can actually be less. Most importantly, to see if it was worth the risk to bring only one lens to Hong Kong.
Leica cameras are built around minimalism – distraction for a pure, spontaneous shooting experience. I always used it as an excuse to justify the cost of an excuse, yet I never practiced it.
This experiment and the reasoning behind this setup
As a person who does not get to travel much often, each trip offers a rare opportunity to shoot in a new environment. The idea of traveling and having an unfamiliar location with just a camera and a lens is nerve-wrakeing, yet airline weight restrictions shouted me as the right opportunity for this personal use. After weighing the risks, I accepted the reality that I would essentially miss some shots. But it was the point: to streamline my gear, focus on the necessary, and embrace the leakage philosophy completely.
As this whole experiment was paying me tribute to Laika’s philosophy, it was only logical that I chose a leakage setup. In this case, I chose Lika CL as the main camera, which was paired with Lika 18 mm F/2.8 TL – the sole leika camera and the smallest autofocus leika lens that I currently have. The goal of simplicity was: no cumbersome lens changes, no unnecessary distraction, just me and my camera reacts to scenes in front of me, resulting in skills in shooting and borderless observation.
The minimum design and small size of Leica Cl made the camera the right choice, as it was very easy to deploy and move around. This is enough to say, you will not be able to find the exterior buttons and switches on CL that obstruct your liquidity in the operation of the camera. Personally, it was very comfortable for me and my shooting style, as it allowed me to focus on shoots completely instead of fidling with buttons and to be obsessed with settings. After all, this was the purpose of the entire experiment: only to embrace the essential things.
For the choice of lenses, I naturally not only a leikage badge towards the Lika 18 mm F/2.8 TL, but more likely because it has an estimated 28 mm full frame equivalent focal length, which is my favorite focal length for everyday documentary and street shooting. There was another lens that I assumed that possible could work well with the setup, but did not finally go with it. It was Leica 23mm F/2 TL-The an estimated 35 mm full frame equivalent focal length -just because I never clicked with it personally. Personally, 35 mm is neither dramatically sufficient dramatic nor being separated adequately. On the other hand, 28 mm, provides a more immersive perspective when used carefully, while allowing for dynamic compositions, while still maintains a feeling of realism without perspective deformation.
In addition, Leica 18mm also has a special coating on the front element, so it can be used without lens hood, making it more compact, less infiltration, and less scare, if I reach a subject with close-up shot. It was particularly useful in Hong Kong, where people are known to be angry. The ability to mix as a passive observer also allowed me to shoot more openly without affecting the scene, which is completely adapted to my style again.
My only complaint about this setup is the camera and lens color. It is very bright and does not help me contact my subject in a judicious way at all. If anything, it attracts people’s attention and is often a conversation starter. Therefore, equipped with a single camera and lens, I am ready to see if the compromise was worth it, despite knowing the minimalism in photography, there are advantages.
Performance and lesson learned: shooting with a certain setup
A family journey was the main priority of this journey, my shooting time was limited. The only way to balance family time and photography was to wake up an hour ago. Searching for the city before dawn not only gave me the time of uninterrupted shooting, but also revealed a separate side of Hong Kong. In my opinion, urban places have a different photographic mood before dawn. If anything, the discovery of the city in the dark also increases the chances of yield of images that are different and interesting for other audiences, as most of them are unlikely to look.
Therefore, I had no problem before finding it before the sun’s rose, yet to deal with my set of challenges, including jet lag and security concerns. If you are visiting a less safe area then be additional vigilant towards your surroundings. This is definitely risky to be in a foreign city in the morning, but those cool moments before the city jumped for the life of the city allowed me to experience and see the city in a different light (not intended to punish). I have become used to doing so in my hometown that I sometimes forget that life does not begin when the sun comes up.
In addition to dealing with the lack of shooting time, using this single camera-lens setup was also forced to be more deliberate with my compositions during my comments during the day. I would also say that the length of the focal is perfect for daily documentation, and I had to live peacefully with the fact that I was going to remember some shots, especially those who needed a long focal length. Instead of feeling restricted, towards its end, I found this limit to be free because I moved to understand the setup inside and out. I was no longer guessing myself about whether I should switch a lens or expect to take a shot that was out of my reach. I had the best meditation to make the best, and I took the most advantage of it.
The gallery below is a small part of the entire series that I shot keeping the style fluid. With no list of zero expectations and “Shots”, I found myself looking at things through my eyes with minimal effects, which suggests that the entire series is so transparent, reflects my experience. The result is a series that is messy and cannot be defined with the same definition until it is cured. They stand as a timely collection of vignts and comments of worldly life in that particular moment. Should you know whether these activities and buildings will still be present for decades?
final thoughts
The experiment was a success in many ways. I gained a deep understanding of all my time favorite setup in terms of 28 mm focal length and perspective compression, how the setup reacts to the environment, and most importantly-understanding all this helped me refine to work to work within my obstacles. This process was immersive, and I enjoyed freedom of travel light without colliding with gear.
Additionally, I have concluded my own hypothesis: if you have only one lens to shoot, go with a broader perspective in every way. The main reason is that it is easy to use in a tight environment to create a distance mark between the photographer and the subject. It indirectly translates into the ability to create a sense of participation for the audience and the spirit of immedia. However, keep in mind that the wider the lens is, the more careful you have to be with leveling and geometric deformation.
But here is a twist: as a clown, I did, in fact, brought a second camera body connected to a telephoto lens. Because let’s be honest, how can any photographer be – especially what is rarely found to travel – certainly goes through the opportunity to catch the shots that can only be out of reach due to a creed experiment? However, the telephoto setup was for specific purposes at a specific location, and I have still approached to travel with a one-camera, one-lens mentality. The primary focus remained on the experiment, and the results spoke to themselves. So, was it worth the risk? Absolutely. But will I ever leave my telephoto lens at home? Perhaps when I am bored of traveling at the same place.
Will you ever try a one-camera, one-lens travel challenge, or would you like many focal length flexibility?
