In your bag No: 1367, Adam Prosser
Adam shares with us a stunning bag. Pure simplicity, with some stunning cameras and lenses. I love seeing a bag shot as well presented as this one. Check it out.

I am a photographer based in Portsmouth, UK. I specialise in portraiture for musicians. 

I started taking pictures when I was in my teens but without any direction to become a photographer. I used hand me down cameras and took snapshots really like most young people looking at the world through a camera. It was at college and then university studying photography that it became a bug part of my life. I learned on film and saw the advent of digital cameras and at the time didn’t really appreciate film as a medium amongst the growth of the digital photo industry (I remember trading in a Bronica ETRS for a Nikon D50 when it came out, a mistake in hindsight). It has been over the last three years or so that I have made a transition, like a lot of people, back to film. I think this is partly to do with the aesthetic, partly to do with the wonderful cameras that are out there; but more than that it is, as many say, the process of thinking more about the images you make, a slower approach for considered and honest photographs.

Anyway, my bag. I recently received my Billingham Hadley Pro as a birthday gift from my wonderful girlfriend. I had wanted one for a long time having been using pretty basic canvas bags that eventually wear out and didn’t have added weather protection. It’s a great bag, small and subtle but big enough to carry a 35mm body and lenses as well as my Rolleiflex when I need it. I can also carry two Japan Camera Hunter film cases in one of the front flaps, leaving the other for a notebook, phone charger and other bits.

The Nikon FM is my go-to 35mm slr although I would like to add a black paint FM2 to my kit at some point. I have a Nikkor 50mm 1.8 pancake on the FM most of the time. It’s razor sharp, small and light. I have been shooting more film for work over the last year so I have invested in a Nikkor 24mm 2.8 and 35mm 2.0. These are great for working with bands or musicians in environmental portraiture situations. I will add an 85mm Nikkor to these eventually. I really wanted to build a solid set of primes for versatility and reliability and they are proving invaluable given I shoot video as well which they are great for.

I found the Rolleiflex 2.8D in what is my favourite camera store ‘Arundel Photographica’ in Arundel, West Sussex. Chris who has owned the shop for years has so much knowledge about most cameras from the last century. He’s super helpful when you are looking for something specific. It was on another visit to the store that I found a Rolleinar 1 close-up lens about a year after buying the Rollei – I had been trying to get one ever since. This has opened up the possibilities with head and shoulder portraits. The medium format depth of field is awesome and the eyes really ‘pop’. I had bought a reproduction lens hood for the Rollei but it is not made to work with the Rolleinar. As luck would have it, a genuine Rollei hood turned up on eBay recently. The bayonet 3 accessories seem really tricky to find.

The Fuji Instax was another gift from my beloved and is great fun. We use it a lot at parties and for more casual picture taking, capturing moments in life. I do like Zach Arias’ idea of using it as an opener when travelling for taking portraits of strangers.

As for film, I love shooting Kodak Portra or Tri X but love Iilford HP5 for black and white as well. I haven’t been too adventurous really but have started using Cinestill for a few things and whilst slightly unpredictable i’m liking the results so far.

Well, that’s my bag. Thanks for considering me for the feature. I love what you do and enjoy reading all the submissions.

My photography can be found at the following…

Website http://adamprosser.com/

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/adamprosseruk

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/adamprosseruk/

Twitter https://twitter.com/adamprosseruk

Thanks again,

Adam

Thanks for sharing your bag with us, Adam. I am loving that Nikon FM.
Keep them coming folks, we need more submissions, so get your bag on Japancamerahunter.com

Send me a high resolution image of the bag. Optimum size is 1500px across. Please ensure there is a bag in the shot, unless you don’t use one. The more you can write about yourself the better, make it appealing and tell us a story. Snapshots of your gear with a camera phone and no words will not be featured.

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Cheers
Japancamerahunter