This year, I gifted a really interesting book to my sister for her birthday and wish I got a copy for myself. The book showcased images with symmetry and balance akin to the scenes in Wes Anderson visually stimulating films. Very inspiring. While driving my son to the babysitter’s this morning, I noticed these shacks and had to stop to make this image.
1/6400 sec at f/1.7, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2
Again, I find myself enjoying the reward of taking my camera everywhere I go. Today, while traveling for work near Binghamton, NY, I came up behind this rider on the road. I thought it was so cool that he had an entire wheel strapped to his back… with a tow strap no less! So impressed was I, that I followed him in to a gas station to make his portrait. This is my kind of guy; doing the sort of thing that I would do. He had changed the tire on his buddy’s bike and needed to use the air station to fill it.
Making portraits is something I’ve never felt comfortable doing. It takes courage to ask someone if you can make their portrait and there is a high chance of rejection in doing so. I’m so grateful that I had the courage to ask this guy, because this is now perhaps one of my personal favorite images of all that I have made over the years.
1/1250 sec at f/2.0, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2
I’ve made images of this bridge before. I really like this 1.2 miles of steel truss construction. Completed in 1906, it is still in use by Amtrak today.
1/2000 sec at f/4.0, ISO 200, 40mm, Leica MP 240
1/4000 sec at f/2.8, ISO 200, 40mm, Leica MP240
Spent this past weekend camping up in the Dax and all I got were these lousy photos :)
1/200 sec at f/4.0, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2
1/125 sec at f/4.0, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2
1/800 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200, 28mm, Leica Q2
Apparently these are called Kewpie Dolls. I saw them in a fun little store in Princeton, NJ this morning.
This morning, I spent a little time in the Callowhill area of Philadelphia, at the Rail Park, before the rain got too heavy. I’m not overly-jazzed about this image though I do really like this building and look forward to going back under better lighting conditions. This was shot with my Leica MP240 using a 28mm pancake lens. The trade off for the super tiny size of this lens, is the lack of detail in the corners of the frame. The transition from sharp to soft is, unfortunately, quite pronounced.
Took a walk around my neighborhood this evening as the sun set. Wish I had passed by this scene about 20 minutes earlier to catch it covered in that wonderful golden light. I’ve made images of this car before, but I like tonight’s results better.
I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: I love orange and blue together. This sweet 1971 Ford Bronco was parked outside of a repair shop in the town where I work. I was more than delighted when I saw it during my lunch time walk.
Driving home from the grocery store this evening, I was glad as ever to have my camera with me. Which made me realize that I’ve learned a couple of valuable lessons over the years.
One is that taking my camera with me everywhere I go has given me huge rewards. It’s not that I get “banger” photos every time I use it- because that is definitely not the case. It’s more that I am so happy that I get to use it when I want to. I sometimes have a hard time enjoying a scene when I don’t have my camera with me to capture it. Not always. But sometimes. Like I learned in the Boy Scouts: Be prepared.
The other is that if I want to make great photos, I need to seek the light. Not the subject. So many times I’ve gone to a known subject (truck, building, scene etc) but the light was not cooperating and I left frustrated. Instead, I’m now realizing that I need to go where the light is. Only then, are the possibilities of making a photo available. No duh right?
Sometimes it’s the colors that compel me stop and make a photo. Driving through Warminster, PA this afternoon, the blues of this Catholic High School caught my eye. The uniform symmetry and pattern of shapes & color are so pleasing to me.
Last week’s business trip took me down to Jacksonville, FL and then over to Chicago, IL before returning to Philly. I took my Leica MP and my 23mm & 40mm prime lenses with me. I’m still getting a handle on how to best operate this digital rangefinder but thoroughly enjoyed using it to make the below travel photos.
Using the last 30 minutes of light, this evening, I was able to get out and test my new Leica MP(240). I am absolutely loving it. Below are just some test images I took, of interesting patterns, while figuring out the best settings and how to manually focus for proper exposure. These are a little dark. Though the evening light was quickly fading. These were shot using a TTArtisan 21mm, f/1.5 lens.
1/1500 sec at f/3.4, ISO 1000, 21mm, Leica M240P
1/1500 sec at f/3.4, ISO 1000, 21mm, Leica M240P
1/500 sec at f/4.0, ISO 1000, 21mm, Leica M240P
This will have to be a part I of II post. I brought my Leica CL film rangefinder with me this past weekend and tried to remember to pull it out. (I was not too successful!) Nevertheless, I did have fun shooting it and am looking forward to seeing how I did. I’ll get this developed and posted soon.
I am loving this little camera. I blogged about it before and am still happy with it. Although it’s not a true Leica, and was really made by Minolta, it’s solid metal construction and the way it was designed to be loaded and unloaded, makes it fun to load and shoot. A quarter turn of the silver D-ring on the base plate, locks the camera together for a tight & light-proof seal. Love it.
I stopped to make some photos of this snowcat just outside of Lake Placid, near the summit of Whiteface Mountain. I just love the vibe of this old machine. It’s an Imp. What a weird word. I had to look it up. The formal dictionary definition is: a little devil or demon; an evil spirit. a mischievous child. This little hellion was Manufactured by the Thiokol Ski-Lift and Snowcat division of Thiokol Chemical Corp in Logan, Utah. That panel light technology, down below, makes me smile. So simple.
1/500 sec at f/5.0, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2
1/500 sec at f/1.8, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2
1/500 sec at f/5.6, ISO 5000, 28mm, Leica Q2
1/500 sec at f/1.7, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2
1/320 sec at f/9.0, ISO 6400, 28mm, Leica Q2
1/400 sec at f/5.6, ISO 6400, 28mm, Leica Q2
Friday night I threw some gear in the back of the Subi and set off for Keene Valley, NY; the heart of the Adirondack High Peaks Region. With no plans, other than to wake up and make some sunrise photos at Chapel Pond, I relaxed and enjoyed the 7 hour drive up to the Dax, arriving around 11pm. Through a thick snowfall, I pulled into the parking lot at the Indian Head Trailhead, cracked the sunroof, and crawled into my -20° bag for an incredibly comfortable sleep. I woke to an overcast and snowy morning around 7am. The rest of the day was mostly overcast with sporadic and brief periods when the sun would punch down, through the thick clouds, and spotlight a gorgeous scene before dimming back out of sight again.
1/500 sec at f/1.7, ISO 1250, 28mm, Leica Q2
I could not pass by this little Post Office without stopping for a few photos. Simple. Small-town. Americana.
1/500 sec at f/2.5, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2
Chapel Pond
1/500 sec at f/16, ISO 3200, 28mm, Leica Q2
1/500 sec at f/2.5, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2
1/500 sec at f/4.5, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2
Whiteface Mountain
1/500 sec at f/7.1, ISO 500, 28mm, Leica Q2
Whiteface Mountain
1/500 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2
1/500 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2
1/500 sec at f/3.2, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2
1/200 sec at f/4.5, ISO 100, 14mm, Sony A7C II
1/500 sec at f/10, ISO 320, 28mm, Leica Q2
1/500 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2
1/500 sec at f/3.2, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2
