In 2023, photographer Daran traveled to Yosemite, USA on a shooting assignment. Carrying his beloved Hasselblad X2D and Leica M240, he captured travel moments beyond work — and through his cameras, retraced his younger footsteps on the streets of New York.
By Daran Wu
I used to always travel with the Leica M240 — but as the toy collection grew (ha~), it rarely got its turn. On my last trip of 2023, I wanted to recapture that old feeling, carrying my familiar one-body-two-lens kit (ZM 50mm F1.5 + Leica 35mm F2 7-element), using eyes and intuition to anticipate each frame, treating every shutter press as luck and practice, one frame at a time.
Shooting with the M is pure joy — spiritually and aesthetically. With a Leica in hand, no journey feels impossible. Without the power of modern mirrorless, the M still energizes my photography; through such a tiny lens, images take on a completely different character.
.
Just out of the subway — the familiar entrance of New York's Penn Station, where I still remember dropping an iPhone 6 years ago. A brief few hours in New York became a walk down memory lane. While the sun was still out, I became a street photographer, hunting for interesting light and subjects. The Hasselblad X2D on my shoulder unexpectedly became a conversation starter with several foreign friends.
.
I remember during this trip playing Cheer Chen's "The Meaning of Travel" — sitting quietly on a street bench as the melody played, my mind flooded with images of the past: the unforgettable, the special, the regretted, and the deeply felt people, moments, and things.
I remain full of curiosity about this world — and how will my own life journey unfold?
Let the next journey — and its images — tell the story~
.
Leica M240 + ZM 50mm F1.5 + Leica 35mm F2 7-element
X2D + XCD 55v + XCD 38v
Share this story
