Photography

Whether in Stourbridge, Birmingham, London, on holiday or travelling for work, with my camera always by my side, I capture city scenes, candide portraits and the buzz of street life.

My journey into photography began at 16 years old, when I received an Olympus OM2 camera, equipped with a 50mm lens, as a birthday gift from his parents. This camera became my treasure, serving me for nearly a decade. During the early ’90s, while living in Barcelona, Spain, I dived into the world of film photography, mastering the art of developing and printing both black and white and colour photos.

In 1996, I embraced the digital era, becoming an early adopter of Sony’s mirrorless cameras, despite their initial limited resolution. My commitment to Sony saw me upgrading to a NEX 5 in 2008 and later to a 6400 model in 2013.

By 2023, I made the leap to the Fujifilm X system, opting for the mirrorless X-T5 camera along with a selection of prime and zoom lenses. The following year, I added a pre-loved Fujifilm X-E4 to his gear as a backup camera.

Three decades after my switch to digital, I decided to reconnect with the tactile experience of film photography. I acquired a vintage Olympus OM4Ti film camera, complete with three Zuiko lenses (28mm, 50mm, and 85mm), and a medium format Mamiya 645 camera, aiming to blend the disciplines of digital and film in my photography creativity.

In 2024, I swapped system for a Canon EOS R6 Mark II then a Canon EOS R5 with a set of zooms and prime lenses in order to improve my success rate with street photography and candide portraits.

I am honing my photography skills by attending talks and workshops offered by the Royal Photographic Society, Smethwich Photographic Society, and reading articles from Frame Photography Magazine and Photographylife.com. I teach myself with books and online, learn from trials and errors, and take part in workshops to improve my creative and technical skills.

Follow me on Instagram @brunovinel and Threads @bruno.vinel. Connect on Linkedin.