Learning the Leica Q3, One Walk at a Time.
A small solo photowalk. Just two hours.
I left home with no real plan other than to walk to the “Belém Cultural Center” and visit an exhibition featuring paintings, sculptures, and photography. The destination was almost secondary. The real purpose was to spend some time with my new Leica Q3 and continue the process of learning it.
The camera is deceptively simple. Beautifully simple, actually. But like any good tool, it reveals its complexity only when you start using it seriously. In a good way.
Today's lesson wasn't about photography as much as it was about understanding the camera itself. Exploring the focusing system, experimenting with different focus areas, and customizing buttons to better fit the way I shoot. I decided to reassign the two rear buttons—normally used for Photo/Video switching and AEL—to control Metering Modes and Focus Zones. The small button on top of the exposure compensation dial now activates the Digital Zoom.
Once inside the exhibition, something happened that fellow photographers will immediately understand.
The exhibition itself was excellent. Interesting paintings, thought-provoking sculptures, and strong photographic work. Yet, if I'm completely honest, I barely saw any of it.
Not because it wasn't worth seeing, but because my brain was busy doing what a photographer's brain tends to do. Instead of looking at the artwork, I was looking at the lines around it. The geometry of the rooms. The contrast between light and shadow. The colours of visitors' clothes. The relationship between people and backgrounds. Reflections. Layers. Shapes. Patterns. Visual tension. Potential frames.
While others were admiring the art, I often found myself admiring the space around it.
Museums can be surprisingly difficult places to photograph, but they are wonderful places to train the eye. I tried to find contrast, geometry hidden within sculptures, visual conversations between artworks and visitors, and moments where colours seemed to echo each other across the frame.
Nothing extraordinary. No masterpiece. No decisive moment.
Just a couple of hours spent observing, experimenting, and slowly becoming more familiar with this new piece of art called the Leica Q3.
Sometimes that's enough.
Not every photowalk needs to produce great photographs. Some are simply about learning to see, learning to use the camera, and enjoying the process of carrying a beautifully crafted tool through the world.
