Fire! At the Leesburg Car Show

Yesterday, I posted some images I took after dark at the car show in Leesburg, Virginia. Just as we were leaving, one of the business buildings in town caught fire. More emergency vehicles than I knew existed in the area converged for the fun. Here are some images I made of the event, using my Nikon Df and Nikkor 50mm f1.2 AIS lens.

 

This is my favorite shot of the event. I love how sharp the firefighter's face is, the police car and fire truck in the foreground, and the burning building and ladder crew in the background. This one deserves a nice print.

 

Here are some other images I made in the few minutes we hung around.

 

 

My understanding is that luckily no one was injured in this fire. I feel fortunate to have had the Df and f1.2 lens with me; there wasn't much light to work with. I hope these images tell the story well!

 

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How to Take a Unique Car Show Image? Go at Night!

My friends Dennis Gallus, James McKearney, and I have been frequenting a couple of annual car shows for a few years now. This year, with Dennis moved off to Arizona and James spending more time in Boston, I didn't even know when the Leesburg car show was scheduled. It just so happened that I took my daughter into town to enjoy the evening air and came upon it, just after dark.

 

These are some of the most memorable shots I've ever made there, and it's in large part due to the darkness.

 

Night at the Carshow, by Reed A. George

Nikon Df, Nikkor 50mm f1.2 AIS Lens

 

Later on in the evening, we got a surprise, which I'll cover in a future post.

 

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Summer Evening Games - Zeiss SW, Biogon 25mm f2.8

In order to test out a new film, Agfa APX400, that my friend Dennis Gallus gave me, I wandered into this place in Leesburg, Virginia one night last week. The place is called Shoes.

 

 

Literally located in an old shoe repair store, Shoes is now a coffee shop and restaurant. In the summer months, they open their outdoor dining area, complete with a bocce ball court. These nice people put up with me photographing their game as the sun went down.

 

 

 

This last one shows the emotion of that winning moment. That's about as exciting as bocce ball gets!

 

Shooting this roll at the box-indicated speed of iso 400, I found this roll to be mostly underexposed. I had to bring all of these shots up quite a bit, which emphasizes the grain. Now I'm not against grain, mind you. In fact, I kind of like the look.

 

I've now shot a test roll, exposing the film at 100, 200, and 400. We'll see if I can find the right exposure and developing times for this particular film. After all, I have 100' of it to shoot!

 

The beautiful Zeiss Biogon 25mm lens is a perfect mate for the slightly oddball Zeiss SW camera, a 35mm body with built-in meter, but no rangefinder. The SW is designed for use with wide lenses, where focusing is not critical because of huge depth of field. (Click Here) for an article about the SW on Shutterbug's website.

 

You can either just guess the distance to your subject and set your lens focus based on the markings on the lens body, or you can use an auxiliary rangefinder. I guessed. I think the 25mm is about the longest lens I could reliably use in this way, but could do okay with a 35mm in a pinch. It gets much easier when I mount up the Voigtlander 12mm f5.6. That lens has pretty much unlimited depth of field. You can set the focus once and shoot all day.

 

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Marshall Tucker Band at a New Venue in Leesburg, VA - the Tally Ho Theater

Okay, the venue's not really new, as it originally opened in 1932. But, it was fully renovated this year, and transformed from a musty old movie theater into a first-rate live music stage.

 

(Click Here) to go to the Tally Ho's website, and see upcoming shows.

 

I attended my first concert there last weekend, and was lucky enough to meet the new owner. He invited me to come the following night and shoot the Marshall Tucker Band's concert there.

 

Marshall Tucker Band's Tour Bus at the Tally Ho, by Reed A. George

HDR (seven shots), Nikon D700, Nikkor 24mm f2.8 AF Lens

 

I haven't seen the Marshall Tucker Band since I was a kid. I saw them with Charlie Daniels and the Allman Brothers, back in the day.

 

Marshall Tucker Band, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 50mm f1.4 AF-D Lens

iso 3200, f2.4, 1/90 sec

 

 

Doug Gray of the Marshall Tucker Band, by Reed A. George

Nikon D300, Nikkor 85mm f1.8 Lens

iso 3200, f1.8, 1/125 sec

 

Doug Gray was an original member of the band, which has been in existence for 41 years!

 

I got to meet Marcus James Henderson (keyboards, flute, sax, and vocals) and Chris Hicks (guitar and vocals) in the green room at the Tally Ho. Nice guys, they were pumped up, and made sure this Sunday night show was as lively as a normal weekend.

 

 

Marcus James Henderson, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 50mm f1.4 AF-D Lens

iso 3200, f2.4, 1/125 sec

Chris Hicks, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 50mm f1.4 AF-D Lens

iso 3200, f2.4, 1/125 sec

Chris Hicks Onstage, by Reed A. George

Nikon D300, Nikkor 85mm f1.8 AF-D Lens

iso 2200, f1.8, 1/125 sec

The Marshall Tucker Band did a great job of packing the Tally Ho on a Sunday night.

 

The New Tally Ho, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 35mm f2 AF-D Lens

iso 200, f5.6, 4 sec

 

Photographically, I leaned on my trusty Nikon DSLRs and a selection of 24mm f2.8, 35mm f2, 50mm f1.4, and 85mm f1.8 lenses. I found myself shooting the highest focal length 85mm on the APS-C sensored D300 a lot, because I simply needed more reach. Next time, I will certainly bring along a 180mm f2.8, another favorite concert lens. I would rather use the even lower noise D700 sensor when shooting in these tough lighting conditions.

 

I'm really pleased to have the Tally Ho back open, renovated, and hosting great live music. More to come from future shows there, you can be sure!

 

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More Local Music - Jake and the Burtones

 

Jake and the Burtones, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Lumix 14mm f2.5

iso3200, f2.5, 1/50 sec

Last Friday night, I went to see a local bluegrass band play at Market Street Coffee, in Purcellville, Virginia. The first thing I realized was that Market Street is the same shop that closed down a couple of years ago in Leesburg. When I say "the same," I mean "the same," right down to the paint color on the walls and every piece of decor. It literally could have been picked up as one piece in Leesburg and placed back down in Purcellville.

The next thing I noticed is that Market Street is a young person's hangout. They accepted the old man (me) in very courteous fashion, however.

The band, Jake and the Burtones, showed up at show time, moved a table out of the way, and voila! a stage! They played a very nice set of Grateful Dead tunes, including 1/2 Step Mississippi Uptown and Catfish Joe. Very nice welcome for an old Deadhead (me, again).

(Click Here) to see the band's facebook page.

 

After a few songs, bassist Jack Pugh had a seat, and two of the band's friends stepped in to cover bass and add fiddle.

 

 

... and Friends, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Lumix 14mm f2.5

iso3200, f2.5, 1/50 sec

After several songs, the originals reformed and whipped up some mighty good music.

Here are a few more shots I like:

Fiddle

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Pana-Leica 45mm f2.8 Macro-Elmarit

iso3200, f2.8, 1/40 sec

A Few Laughs

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Pana-Leica Summilux 25mm f1.4

iso1600, f1.8, 1/50 sec

Those Shoes

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Pana-Leica 45mm f2.8 Macro-Elmarit

iso3200, f2.8, 1/40 sec

This was a very relaxed setting. I got to introduce myself to the band, and hope to see more of their shows in the near future.

The G3 performed very well for me. I am now quite comfortable with iso3200, as long as I expose properly. The Summilux allowed me to shoot at iso1600 some, as well. No flash was used, or necessary.

DMC-365.blogspot.com

All of these images and more are available for purchase at creativeobjective.com.

(Click Here) for a link to this set.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good Spot to Write a Blog - King Street Coffee

I am always looking for a good place to hang out and write.  I've got a new one to add to my list - King Street Coffee in Leesburg, Virginia.  

 

King Street Coffee, Leesburg, Virginia

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Lumix 20mm f1.7

iso160, f5, 1/160 sec

 

 

Located in an old house in historic Leesburg, the living room is a perfect place to hang out and read and write.  It's located at the corner of S. King and Royal Street, and here's the proof:

 

King Street Coffee, Leesburg, Virginia

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Lumix 20mm f1.7

iso160, f5, 1/160 sec

 

Reopened after a brief closing during the purchase from the previous owner, King Street has been open since September, 2010.  The coffee is locally brewed (by Winchester Coffee Roasters, Winchester, VA), and is great.  (Click Here) for Winchester Coffee Roaster's website.

 

They use an old-fashioned library card catalog system to organize their customer cards - buy ten cups of coffee, get one free!

 

Customer Card Catalog

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Lumix 20mm f1.7

iso400, f2, 1/25 sec

King Street also has a rotating artist's display.  Currently, there is some really cool work by artist Stephen Loya.  

 

(Click Here) to see Stephen's website.

 

Today's friendly barista, Abbie, was extremely shy about having her picture taken.  Thanks for giving permission, Abbie! 

King Street Coffee, Leesburg, Virginia

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Lumix 20mm f1.7

iso400, f2.5, 1/8 sec

So, if you're in this neck of the woods, drop by for a nice cup and a chat!

 

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