French Quarter in the Rain - Leica IIIC and Summar 5cm f2

I recently attended the LHSA (International Leica Society) Spring Shoot in New Orleans, Louisiana. One of my favorite places to photograph, I was hoping we'd get some inclement weather to build some mood into my pictures. I was not let down - it rained on and off, sometimes quite heavily, during my whole trip. I loved it.

 

Here are some shots of street musicians playing in front of Rouse's Grocery on Royal Street as a rain storm rolled in and subsequently left.

 

All were shot with the Leica IIIC and Summar 5cm f2 lens. One of Leica's earliest fast lenses, the Summar is infamous for being being soft. I happen to have a clean copy, without a scratched front element, which is rare. I find it to be a wonderful lens.

 

 

Shooting iso 400 film (Kodak TMax 400), I couldn't quite get a fast enough shutter speed to capture the rain as I wanted. I hope that you can see it in images 2 and 3.

 

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Rain Makes Night Photography More Dramatic - Leica M9

Armstrong, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summilux 50mm f1.4 Lens

iso 640, 1/16 sec.

 

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My Entry for the LHSA Spring Shoot Photo Contest

I'm at the LHSA (International Leica Society) Spring Shoot in New Orleans. We have a couple of contests going on. I'm entering this shot for the "Spirit of Nola" contest.

 

Spirit of Nola, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summilux 50mm f1.4 Lens

iso 640, 1/250 sec.

 

This city has more than one defining spirit. Bourbon Street bars are one, this is another. The local people are generally very nice, and this lady gave me permission to photograph her saying hi to the neighborhood puppy.

 

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Hello From The French Quarter!

I am currently at the LHSA (International Leica Society) Spring Shoot in New Orleans. Today started with a 6:00 am walk through the French Quarter from my friend's house to the Four Points hotel, where I met up with the LHSA group for a private tour of a gorgeous old Southern plantation, more on that later.

 

Here's the first thing I decided to shoot this morning.

 

Scooter, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summilux 50mm f1.4 Lens

iso 800, f1.4, 1/8 sec.

 

It is 6:00 pm, and I just caught a short nap. Now, I'll grab a quick bite, and head back to the LHSA event for a photo walk. Then, my friend Ben is picking me up to go shoot a recording session of his band, Deltaphonic. I'm definitely making the most of this trip!

 

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French Quarter Photo Tour

 

French Quarter, by Reed A. George

 

I'm honored to have been asked to lead a morning photo tour of the French Quarter in New Orleans as part of the LHSA's Spring Shoot, April 15-19. I will be leading the Saturday morning group.

 

The Quarter's not exactly an early morning kind of place, but that's okay.

 

Now I have to put my mind to planning a route that will give my fellow photographers the best chances of capturing a Leica moment!

 

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Back to New Orleans

Scooter in The Quarter, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

iso 400, f4, 1/200 sec.

 

I just made my room reservations (on AirBnB) for a trip to New Orleans next month. I'll be attending the LHSA (International Leica Society)'s Spring Shoot.

 

(Click Here) to learn more about the LHSA, and the Spring Shoot event. If you're a Leica enthusiast, you may really enjoy the Society. I do.

 

I also have a couple of great friends in the area, so will also get to spend a little time with them.

 

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And Here's the Image My Friend Picked from My New Orleans Trip

My friend James did me the amazing favor of lending me his house in New Orleans. This enabled me to spend a long weekend without any responsibilities, to explore the city. When I returned, I shared my favorite images with James, and asked him to pick one to have framed for his place, if he wanted. He chose several, and told me to surprise him with the final selection.

 

Because James felt a little funny about having his neighbors in any of the images, he selected only those without people in them.

 

Here's the one I chose to frame for him:

 

Trompe O'eil, by Reed A. George

Leica M6 Titan, Leica Summicron 35mm f2 v.3 Lens

 

The subject is a Trompe O'eil (Fooling the Eye) mural, accompanied by a bronze statue of a girl. For fun, someone gave her a paper hat from Cafe Du Monde.

 

I think it's a fitting print for James' French Quarter home away from home.

 

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French Quarter Reflection

French Quarter Reflection, by Reed A. George

Leica M6 Titanium, 50mm f1.4 Summilux Lens

 

I shot this image early one morning in New Orleans. It's a little cliche' to shoot reflections all the time, so I don't. In this case, I like the difference in emotion that it gives, as opposed to shooting the balcony itself directly in the early morning warmth. I like how it has an almost night time feel to it. Don't be afraid of black shadows in your pictures, if that's the emotion you want to communicate.

 

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The Hole in the Fence

The Hole in the Fence, by Reed A. George

Leica M6 Titan, 50mm f1.4 Summilux

Ilford Delta 3200 Film

 

I'm not sure why I like this scene, but something told me to capture it. Shot in the French Quarter, New Orleans.

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The Dark Side

Another shot from the French Quarter in New Orleans.

The Darkside, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

iso 320, f2.3, 1/125 sec.

Edited in Snapseed

 

This is an ornamental wrought iron work above a doorway in the French Quarter. It was creepy. I had to capture it.

 

The LX7 continues to amaze me, even though I've owned it for quite some time. The flexibility of the fast Leica zoom lens (f1.4 at 24mm equivalent, f1.9 at 50mm), multi-aspect ratio framing, zone focusing ability, and so many other features is tough to beat. This is the ultimate compact travel camera, in my opinion. Ready for fully automatic snapshots, or for manual control and interpretive image creation, the LX7 is one of the best cameras I own.

 

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My View of the World Today (May 3, 2014)

Due to the generosity of a friend, I'm relaxing in the French Quarter in New Orleans this weekend. What a great setting. You never know who's going to walk or ride by the open shutters.

 

Open Shutters, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

iso 200, f3.5, 1/500 sec., edited in Snapseed

 

 

I made a series of images of people and other things coming by the open shutters throughout the morning. Friends of the owner drop by and say hello from time to time. No agenda, no stress. I can use this once in a while!

 

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