One thing we'd like to do here at Serious Compacts is feature the outstanding work being done with advanced compact gear. To me, an "advanced" camera is one that offers a high degree of control over the process of making photographs. "Compact" is more difficult to define. I tend to consider the smaller DSLRs to be compact, particularly when they're coupled to small and light primes or the smallest of zooms. For example, the Olympus E-410 coupled to the ZD 14-42mm zoom is about as compact as a Leica M-series camera with lens. That's just my personal take on where the upper end of "compact" lies. An interesting phenomenon of today's DSLR makers is that they tend to equate "small" with "entry level." So what kinds of artists use these "beginner" cameras?

Today's featured artist is Mitchell Kanashkevich, a 26-year old Australian photographer originally from Belarus. In his PBase profile, Mitchell cites Steve Mccurry, Olivier Follmi, Henri Cartier Bresson, Eugene H Johnson, Paolo Pellegrin, Phil Borges, Sebastio Salgado, and James Natchwey as favorite photographers. His "compact-ish" kit consists of a Canon 400D and several small and light primes. Mitchell's portraits of the people of India, Nepal, Thailand, and Belarus are remarkably warm and engaging, highlighting the great importance of the relationship between photographer and subject. He has great success in capturing both the outer and inner beauty of people met throughout his motorcycle journeys around the Indian sub-continent. Mitchell Kanashkevich's work is best viewed online at www.mitchellkphotos.com.