A WEIGHT LIFTED
SWITCHING TO OLYMPUS CHANGED PAUL HADAWAY’S PHOTOGRAPHY FOR THE BETTER
Two OM-D E-M1 Mk 2, 300mm F4, 40-150mm F2.8, 12-40mm F2.8, 8mm Fisheye F1.8, 60mm Macro F2.8, Battery Grips
Sometimes life throws you a curveball, something that forces you to change almost everything about how you do things. Paul Hadaway, a wildlife photographer with a passion for aviation, has long enjoyed travelling both in the UK and abroad, capturing stunning images of his subjects, but a traffic accident affected his ability to carry around and work with heavy DSLR equipment.
Hadaway explains that using a DSLR “had become increasingly difficult and painful and in the end I was no longer enjoying my photography.” But this changed when he discovered Olympus cameras and lenses. “Someone on the trip was using the Olympus system, which made me curious.” On return, he purchased an Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mk II with 14-42mm lens as a secondary camera.
This decision to try Micro Four Thirds proved vital, with Hadaway going from “contemplating giving photography up” to realising that he could in fact take his photography from strength to strength.
“I was due to go to Finland to take images of brown bears coming out of hibernation and was talking to one of the Olympus representatives about the trip, at which point they offered to loan me an OM-D E-M1 Mk II with the 300mm. With the loan of the additional kit I decided to just take the Olympus system and after packing my camera bag, the first thing I noticed was that I had halved the weight that I was carrying and no longer had to worry about my camera bag being weighed at check-in.”
Any early concerns Hadaway might have had were soon gone when he reviewed the images. “The benefits I found in my photography while using the Olympus system led me to sell all of my Canon equipment,” Hadaway explains. “It has now been just over a year since I made that decision and I have
found that, not only have I not looked back or regretted the decision, but I have found that I am again enjoying my photography. My photography is benefiting through the reduced weight and size of the system, which as a disabled photographer is a bonus.”
Hadaway feels that his switch to the Olympus system means he is also capturing better photographs than ever before. “Not only has my interest in photography been rekindled to the point that I am out with my cameras nearly every weekend, either at a reserve or an air show, but I have also been on a number of trips abroad for wildlife. Last November, I went on my first overseas trip specifically for aviation and an air show,” explains Hadaway. “I feel that Olympus has given me the freedom not only to get out with my camera, but it has given the freedom to be able to plan trips and projects for the future, which just over a year ago I could not have even contemplated.”
But these aren’t the only benefits Hadaway has experienced. “The Olympus menus and software are identically set up with the settings stored in Olympus Digital Updater software on my computer, which makes firmware updates for the cameras and lens straightforward. Equally, the features like Olympus Pro Capture particularly in wildlife are game-changing in that it increases the chances in successfully capturing an animal’s behaviour.”
“I NO LONGER HAD TO WORRY ABOUT MY CAMERA
BAG BEING WEIGHED AT CHECK-IN”