The secret to this photo was the fantastic natural light and a simple black and white conversion. The workshop of los hermanos Juarez in Antigua, Guatemala had the left side of the room completely open to the light, and sun pouring through windows on the right. I could not have set up studio-strobes better than the available light that day.
 My battered Lumix LX2 never leaves my side.


For simple compositions with bright colours on an overcast day, a compact camera can do just as well as an SLR could.
 I found the doors and walls were an interesting enough subject that they overcame the technical imperfections of the camera.

Nice afternoon light filtering through clouds and a compelling subject. These conditions are certainly within the capabilities of a compact.

My personal photographic style has a tightly-cropped graphic aesthetic. Many of my favourite photos have been taken with compact cameras.


Even if you carry an SLR, a compact is a great backup. My Nikon D200 went kaput in Palenque, Mexico, but I still had the little LX2 compact to work with. I really wished I had my SLR at Chichen Itza, a few days later, but being limited to the compact camera forced me to be creative with my compositions.

 If you can find a stable platform for your compact, and use the self-timer to avoid camera shake, you can get good photos of still objects in low-light.