DP2 Merrill photographer Shane Hicks from Oxford describes himself as a self-taught, enthusiastic artist that got instantly hooked using a digital camera. We describe him as a talented urban street photographer with an eye for capturing the world which the rest of us overlook.

Shane shared with us his thoughts on his photographic style and why the DP2 Merrill is a perfect companion;
In the mid 90s the term ‘Q-car’ (or ‘sleeper car’ in the US) was commonly used to describe a car that has high performance and an unassuming exterior. In Europe cars like the Audi RS4 Avant or BMW M5 fitted this bracket perfectly. The Sigma DP2 Merrill is my ‘Q’ camera – my photography falls into 2 main categories, street and travel and both were becoming increasingly frustrating with large multi lens DSLRs. The little Sigma is perfect for me, it’s unobtrusive, understated and the amount of detail that can be plucked out from the Foveon sensor and Sigma lens combination can be absolutely incredible. Post processing is an integral part of the photographic process for me so having very large detail heavy RAW files to play with has led to some startling results.
Regarding my photography style, I tend to spot and frame the shot with a view to the finished article, picturing in my head how it will look after post processing.  My photographic advice would be:
Street Photography – use a camera that you can take anywhere and always shoot then ask for forgiveness (VERY rarely need to but the moment you ask if you can take someone’s picture you get that ‘wedding photo’ smile). The DP2 Merrill makes a perfect stealth partner for this use.
Travel / Architecture – look for new angles, a different take on a traditional shot, look up, look down, look for reflections….look for something no-one else has seen.
The best thing about the DP2 Merrill is it can travel with me everywhere I go. I’ve taken shots I would never have been able to before simply because I have it in my jacket pocket. I’ve never doubted for a minute that the end result would be as good, if not better than my old full frame DSLR and lens combination. It is a perfect travel companion.