The GRIII and GRIIIx now have a new Image Control, Negative-Film.
I've always thought if they said “Yukio, we're going to make a New Image Control just for you. In return, we have something we want from you, hehe,” I would want a negative film tone.
I was worried about what they were going to take away from me in exchange, but I was very happy that they responded with a firmware update instead.
As a matter of fact, when I went to Kujukuri by bike, I couldn't get the shots I wanted no matter what Image Control I chose. I wanted to recreate the feeling of shooting negatives, but I couldn't get it right no matter how I tweaked the parameters.
In the Heisei era, I could give in and say that in the past I could have only used the film I had at the time. But now it's the Reiwa era. Having grown up in the microwave era, I don't want to eat cold lunches. I thought about developing the photos in-camera in Negative-Film, but I didn't have any RAW files.
I only shoot in JPEG format because I believe that what I felt on the spot at the time of shooting is not something I can remember later. But maybe this is where RAW development works.
I've been to Hawaii many times as a professional photographer, but I'm confident that I could shoot like someone who'd never been there if I were ordered to. But it must be difficult to capture the view I saw when the state of emergency was declared with the feelings I had at the time.
I'm planning to use Negative-Film more often from now on. It'll be great if, when I look at the photos later, I can think, “Wow, that's the tone of 2023, it captures how I felt at the time.”
Yukio Uchida
Born in Ryotsu City (now Sado City), Niigata Prefecture in 1966. Uchida became a freelance photographer after working as a public employee. Besides his commercial work in advertisement and with actors and musicians, he has a reputation for black and white snap shots of people and streets. He also writes for camera magazines and newspapers. His main publications include “Leica to monokuro no hibi (Leica and Days of Monochrome)” and “Itsumo kamera ga (Always with Camera)”. Currently, he also teaches photography and speaks for camera manufactures.
www.yuki187.com/gr-diary
