Someone Loves NY, Barefoot

Leica M4-2, 35mm Summicron f2 v.3

 

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Wrapping Up - LHSA International Leica Society Spring Shoot in NYC

 

It's been a while since I last posted, but I think I feel a wave of refreshed enthusiasm coming on. Springtime is here, and there's plenty to get out and photograph.

 

Speaking of Spring, we just wrapped up the Spring Shoot of the LHSA, the Internatioanl Leica Society, in New York City. (Click Here) to check out LHSA.

 

While I mostly shot black and white film on this trip, the image above, from Central Park, was shot on my Leica M9, with the Elmar C 90mm f4 lens. This is a great little telephoto for travel, so tiny.

 

Anyway, the image won second place in the LHSA contest for the Spring Shoot. The prize is a free 16"x20" print from Digital Silver. (Click Here) to check these guys out. They may silver prints from digitial files, as well as offering film processing services. My plan is to get the image above printed for my prize. It will make a nice memory of this event.

 

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Yearning for a Trip to the City - the Real City - NYC

 

City Dweller, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summicron 35mm f2 v.3

iso 320, f6.7, 1/125 sec.

 

It's time. I will start planning my next visit to NYC.

 

It's such a vibrant place, literally full of stories and photographs waiting to be made.

 

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The Fountain at Bryant Park, NYC

I'm getting ready for a quick weekend trip to NYC. I love the place, and can't wait to walk around the City with my camera(s).

 

Here's a rather unremarkable shot I made earlier in the winter at Bryant Park, when it wasn't too cold:

 

Bryant Park Fountain, by Reed A. George

Leica IIIG, Summicron 50mm f2 Collapsible Lens

 

To see a truly remarkable image of the fountain as I assume it looks today, (Click Here).

 

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My Persian Friend

This is Alex. We met early one morning in Bryant Park in NYC when I was out taking pictures. I thought he was the perfect model for winter coming on in NYC. Finally, I got enough courage to ask permission to take his picture.

 

 

 

Alex, by Reed A. George

Leica IIIG, Summicron 50mm f2 Collapsible

 

Alex was born in Persia and has lived in NYC for over 30 years. We talked about the fact that under our feet at that very moment, there were 28 miles of stacks (archived documents) in the basement of the NYC Public Library. So much knowledge.

 

Meeting Alex was a major positive influence on me, though I'll probably never see or hear from him again.

 

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Big City Profession

NYC Subway Rider, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

iso 800, f1.8, 1/125 sec.

 

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Arrived in New York City

I was playing with the panorama setting on my iPad camera on the bus ride from Arlington, Virginia to New York City. Here are some examples.

The bottom two were shot from the moving bus.

 

Here are my traveling companions in our room.

It's a little chilly up here tonight, but the skies are clear and it's a great time to be in the City!

 

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Magnum Workshop Day 7/7 - Honoring Bruce Davidson

Bruce Davidson

Image Source: http://onlinebrowsing.blogspot.com/2011/05/bruce-davidson.html

 

Saturday, the workshop is officially over. I slept in, rolling in to the work center sometime in the late morning.

 

The big event was a presentation by Bruce Davidson, who arrived the night before. Bruce has been in Magnum for 56 years.

 

Davidson met Henri Cartier-Bresson while stationed in France with the US military. This clearly had a positive effect on Davidson's direction and focus in photography.

 

One of Bruce's most famous projects was "East 100th Street," where he documented life in an almost-exclusively black neighborhood in NYC. Davidson shot 4,000 negatives, most of them 4x5, in this project. In order to gain access to the neighborhood, he presented the residents with his work and his goal in photographing them. They held a neighborhood meeting and voted to let him in. That said, he still required a "helper" for the first year of the project.

 

Another famous project set in NYC, Davidson documented the subways and people who rode them. In this project, Davidson was mugged, and witnessed a lot of crime against others. One picture that stuck with me was an armed mugging.

 

(Click Here) to see that picture on the Magnum website.

 

Once color film became widely available and useful, Davidson could normally be seen carrying two Leicas - one loaded with color, one with black and white - and only one lens (a 35mm).

 

When asked for advice for photographers trying to improve their work, Davidson repeated what I'd heard multiple times during the workshop, and multiple times from David Alan Harvey: "Stick Around." By this, he meant don't be in a hurry, find the scene and let it develop. This is probably the most important lesson I learned during the weeklong workshop.

 

It is apparent that Davidson also has an interest in nature, as he's photographed it in urban settings including Central Park in NYC, Los Angeles, and Paris. He has a current work in progress where he's photographing people interacting with displays at the Museum of Natural History with a digital Leica and Voigtlander wide angle lens.

 

So, this is the last post about the Magnum Days workshop in Provincetown. What are my conclusions?

 

1. Definitely a worthwhile experience for me.
2. I learned, firsthand, many of the things I've read and only partially practiced over the years.
3. Each and every Magnum photographer is different, and their personalities are wide-ranging.
4. Telling a story with pictures in a relatively short time is difficult.
5. Magnum is very exclusive; the workshop assistants are great examples of first-rate photographers who are not in Magnum.
6. There are a lot of amazing photographers developing out there. The students in this workshop are not just digital "point and clickers." I'm encouraged about the future of people making quality images.

I really feel that I was exposed to both the history and future of photojournalism for a week, and loved the experience. Thanks to everyone at Magnum, in Ptown, and a the FAWC who made it happen.

 

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NYC in Winter

One of the artistic blogs I follow is "Daily Walks" by Diane Varner. Diane recently posted a little collage of images from a winter trip to New York City. It got me thinking about the City, which I usually envision in either Winter or Spring images in my mind.

 

Personally, I find NYC to be welcoming and wonderful in winter. Here's a shot I made with a Leica IIIC at the Central Park skating rink this winter.

 

Skating in Central Park, by Reed A. George

 

Diane seems to find winter in NYC a little less welcoming (based on her comments).

 

(Click Here) to see Diane's images. I find that for me, the warm yellow tint doesn't match the feel of winter in the City. The exception, to me, is the indoor shot of the bath - I think the yellow tint communicates exactly the right kind of warmth in that case.

 

It's always fun to see how different photographers interpret the same places and feelings.

 

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Some Street Photographs From My Solo Trip To NYC - Leica IIIC

In yesterday's post, I shared some images from an evening out by myself in New York City. Today's post follows on with the same theme, but in a less cohesive way. All shot with the same Leica IIIC (a Barnack-designed jewel from 1946) and either the Canon 50mm f1.4 LTM or an uncoated Summitar 5cm f2 LTM lens (ca. 1939), these are little pieces of the rest of my trip.

 

Korean Tofu Restaurant, by Reed A. George

Leica IIIC, Kodak Tmax 400 Film

 

I made this shot while eating lunch. I like how you can see a little into to very separate but adjacent worlds - that of the couple eating together, and that of the kitchen. I don't remember the exposure settings, but do remember using the table to help stabilize the camera to avoid motion blur.

 

Glasses, by Reed A. George

Leica IIIC, Kodak Tmax 400 Film

 

The shot above is my favorite of this series. Having both ladies in glasses looking right into the camera makes the moment for me.

 

Unique Cab, by Reed A. George

Leica IIIC, Kodak Tmax 400 Film

 

The Rink, by Reed A. George

Leica IIIC, Kodak Tmax 400 Film

 

What I like about the shot above is the juxtaposition of the graphic of a family enjoying ice skating together in the city (which was printed on the rink wall), and the actual people doing just that above. I wish I'd have caught the lady's facial expression a little better as she helps the young girl navigate the ice. I would have stayed longer, but had to move on to catch my bus back home. It's still presentable, I think, just could have been better.

 

I really love carrying a little Barnack film camera around in the City.

 

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An Evening at The Morgan

While I was on a business trip in New York City last November, I decided to get out on Friday night on my own. Looking for a little culture, but certainly not up for a nightclub or anything extravagant, I did a quick search online for things happening around town. Of course, there were a million things going on in the City on a Friday night, but I chose to have a quiet evening at the Pierpont Morgan Library, where they showed a double feature of Edgar Allan Poe films - "House of Usher" and "Murder in the Rue Morgues."

 

(Click Here) to read about The Morgan library and the Poe program.

 

As I headed out for the evening, I locked my digital cameras in the hotel safe and grabbed my Leica IIIC, along with the fast Canon LTM 50mm f1.5 lens, which happened also to be my Whole Lotta Leica lens selection for November.

 

As we sat down for the first movie, I noticed this lady's fur hat, and had to get a shot before the lights went down.

Hat, by Reed A. George

Leica IIIC, Canon 50mm f1.4 LTM Lens, TMax 400 film

 

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Vincent Price terrorize his sister's young suitor in "House of Usher," but decided not to stay for the second film. Walking out of the theater, I noticed music coming from the library lobby.

Lobby, by Reed A. George

Leica IIIC, Canon 50mm f1.4 LTM Lens, TMax 400 film

 

I went back to the Morgan's website, but failed to find any information on the guitar duo shown below. I caught just the final minutes of their performance.

 

 

Guitar Performance, by Reed A. George

Leica IIIC, Canon 50mm f1.4 LTM Lens, TMax 400 film

Following is the only creative shot I made that evening, looking over the shoulder of an artist in the audience who was sketching the performers. I love the elements of the hat and glasses on the table.

Sketching, by Reed A. George

Leica IIIC, Canon 50mm f1.4 LTM Lens, TMax 400 film

 

I really enjoy the fact that NYC offers truly something for everyone. Knowing that I wanted to get out and experience something in the City that night, I was a little apprehensive about finding something I'd really enjoy. I even considered just hanging out in my room for the evening, as I knew I'd be walking all over the City the next day, which I did. I really liked the fact that I could get out, see some people, soak in a little culture, without having to do much or stay out late. Quite a nice evening overall.

 

The IIIC continues to do an admirable job for me. It's a great little camera to throw over my shoulder and walk around, and with 400 speed film and a fast f1.4 lens like the Canon 50mm LTM, I can even use it reasonably well at night.

 

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City Street in Autumn

 

Autumn in the City, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Canon 135mm f3.5 LTM Lens

iso 400, f6.7, 1/180 sec.

 

This shot was one that actually required a telephoto lens in the city, not such a common thing. I noticed the scene from across the street, a busy street with cars going by fairly frequently. The black fence and gorgeous fall leaves behind made this beautiful backdrop for a shot of passersby. In order to get the shot, I needed a telephoto to keep me out of the street.

 

So, I popped on my Canon 135mm f3.5 lens, a Leica thread mount (LTM) lens that I picked up for a very low price, and waited. This is one nice lens. Sharp as can be. The only problem I've ever noticed with it is some purple fringing in very high contrast situations. Otherwise, it's top notch.

 

I photographed several people walking by, but this one came out best. Even with the telephoto, I had to crop the image to remove two very distracting car bumpers, one at either side. Hence the tall 16:9 frame.

 

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Adam Garelick's New York Street Portraits

I am on the bus ride home from NYC. The on-bus network connectivity is a little spotty, but I'll do my best.

 

Yesterday was Saturday, my free day to wander around and photograph the City. I started out the day with a quick breakfast at Bread and Butter, an amazing market with fresh food and drinks. Just a block from my hotel, I visited the store several times over the past week. Waiting in line for my breakfast, I looked over and noticed a guy carrying a Leica. Conversation ensued, and I found that Adam was also an M9 shooter like me, his being a silver model. Adam Garelick is his full name, and he's got a nice blog and project going on - street portraits of people he meets in NYC.

 

Here's an example of Adam's work:

 

Kyle, by Adam Garelick

Image Source: http://newyorkstreetportraits.com/

 

Adam has decided that the best way to describe what he loves about the City is to show the people he meets there. It's an intriguing project, and one that I'll continue to watch.

 

(Click Here) to see more of Adam's work on the project.

 

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Autumn in "The City" - NYC - and Some Thoughts on Wifi Cameras

I took my morning walk in the city this morning, on the way to my meeting. I walked by Madison Square Park, rather small urban space at 25th Street and Madison Avenue. Fall colors are still with us here as I write, so I captured a few images with my pocket camera, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5.

Fall Leaves, Madison Square Park, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

 

Flatiron Building in Fall, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

The Flatiron Building has been here since 1902, two years before my hotel for this week was built. (Click Here) to read about the building on wikipedia, as well as learn the origin of the phrase "23 skidoo."

 

Now, a little about photographic equipment. When I've wanted to go light on this trip, I've been carrying the diminuitive TS5 in my pocket. Last night, while out with a friend in a dark restaurant/bar, I wished I'd had the TS5 instead of the M9 I was carrying. A little flash, or even night shooting mode would have gone a long way. It's a little ironic to be limited in what I can shoot with such a higher priced camera. But, we all know the M9 isn't good for everything; it's just really good at what it does do.

 

The TS5 has wireless (wifi) connection to my iPad. Now, I would have thought this to be more of a gimmick than a really useful feature. However, not having to fumble with the Apple "Camera Connect" plug and shuffle SD cards between the camera and iPad is very nice, especially on travel. I uploaded these pictures during a break in my meeting without bothering anyone.

 

The combination of last night's limitations with the M9 and the advantage of wifi have me thinking that maybe I should begin to focus more on my new Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7, which has all of the features I'm thinking of, a superb set of lenses, and great image quality. At least for normal travel purposes. I'm considering options for what I want to do with this blog during the coming year (2014), after I've finished my Whole Lotta Leica and Skeletons From The Closet projects, at least for one full year. The GX7 could play a big role next year.

 

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Huffington Post Reports on Wayne Lawrence's Photo Project - Orchard Beach

by Wayne Lawrence

Image Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/20/bronx-riviera_n_3781903.html?ref=topbar

 

Wayne Lawrence has produced a striking set of portraits of New Yorkers at the beach, Orchard Beach, in Pelham Bay Park in NYC.

 

(Click Here) to read about the project and see several more images on Huffington Post. The images will be shown at teh Bronx Museum, starting in October, 2013. There is also a book planned.

 

I think this project is really cool. Clearly Mr. Lawrence spoke to his subjects, got their permission, and posed them at some level. I feel that these images capture our current time very well. It is also rather clear that Lawrence uses fill flash, but that doesn't take away from the images.

 

When I think of these images, my mind goes to the historic pictures at Coney Island, capturing a glimpse of not only the people on the beach, but of the time.

 

(Click Here) to see some of Harold Feinstein's historic pictures of Coney Island.

 

I'm heading to the beach next week - I hope this will inspire me to take some different pictures.

 

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Former Chicago Sun-Times Photographer John White Keeps it Light

 

Image Source: http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/27/in-flight-john-white-shares-his-light/?_r=0#/1/

M. Spencer Green / Associated Press

 

Recently, the Chicago Sun-Times fired all of their staff photographers. In today's world of digital music downloads and ongoing extinction of book stores, this doesn't seem like such a surprise. So much of the visual media is recorded on cell phones these days. But, you have to look a little deeper.

 

For example, one of those photographers was at the pinnacle of the craft. Pulitzer prize winner John White is now a former Sun-Times photographer.

 

(Click Here) to read an article on the NY Times blog, Lens, about Mr. White and how he mentored NY Times photographer Michelle Agins to a successful career in photography.

 

But, Mr. White is keeping his chin up. He says he's not fighting the darkness, he's lighting candles.

 

Here's to the true master photographers out there, adjusting to the modern world. Some of us still value what you can do - with a cell phone or a Nikon. And, you did it every day for a whole career.

 

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Andrew Esiebo on NYT Lens Blog - West African Barber Shop Project

 

Image Source: http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/19/documenting-west-africa-one-barbershop-at-a-time/#/1/

 

I am always interested in new photography projects, and how to find them. Many times, they end up being concepts that sound routine, banal, but once the photos are made, an unexpected depth is discovered.

 

Nigerian photographer Andrew Esiebo decided to photograph barber shops across West Africa, including the countries of Ivory Coast, Senegal, Benin, Ghana, Liberia, and Mauritania. Mr. Esiebo comments on the trust that is required to allow a barber to shave you with a straight razor; it leads to a special kind of relationship.

 

Mr. Esiebo found similarities in the shops across West Africa - hand painted signs, posters of sports teams, religion, famous musicians. He also noted how similar hair styles are across the region, even though each may connote a different meaning in different countries. Men's hairstyles can be intended to communicate toughness, freedom from conformity, or attractiveness to females.

 

Mr. Esiebo notes that most foreign photographers coming to Nigeria want to focus on photographing the slums. He feels that the barber shop project provides a different view. I agree.

 

(Click Here) to read the entire post on the New York Times' blog "Lens."

 

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We Don't All Have to Focus on One Style to Be Successful! Leica Photographer Carlos Rene Perez on the Leica Blog

 

Image Source: http://blog.leica-camera.com/photographers/interviews/carlos-rene-perez-a-life-creating-art-for-arts-sake-part-1/

 

Developing a personal style is one of the more difficult creative tasks for some photographers, perhaps even harder than learning the technology and mechanics. I have read and been told over and over that in order to really make a name for yourself, you must specialize, focus on a type of photography.

 

Carlos Rene Perez, whose exhibit "Absence and Presence" is currently on display at the Leica Gallery in NY has not followed that recipe. Taking inspiration from sources as wide as "Family of Man" and Gordon Parks' photographic poetry, Perez has remained a generalist. In addition to being a successful commercial photographer, his personal style has remained wide.

 

Perez was born in San Antonio, Texas, but moved to NYC in 1974. His first exposure to Leica was at the age of 18, when he saved up enough to purchase an M2. Now his standard kit is an M7 with 21, 35, and 50mm Leica lenses.

 

(Click Here) to read the full article and see more of Perez's work.

 

I personally cannot focus on one type of photography or one type of equipment. I've tried. Maybe there's hope for me yet.

 

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Skeletons From The Closet - Final Results Post From January's Camera - Pentax K1000 in New York City

I took the K1000, SMC Pentax 50mm f1.7, and SMC Pentax 135mm f2.5 lenses with me on a weekend trip to New York City. One of the nice things about living near Washington, DC is that I can grab a very inexpensive bus ride up to the city, even on a normal two day weekend. This time, I went up to meet my long-time friend Michael Williams and his family who were visiting from Australia.

 

I've already written about the photo tour I joined on that trip, hosted by NYC Photo Safaris. (Click Here) to read about that in my Whole Lotta Leica post. My choice of equipment (Leica M9 with a 1937 5.0cm f3.5 lens, the K1000, and only two prime lenses) did not match well with the class. That said, I still had some fun. Here are a couple of shots that I got using the Pentax during the tour:

 

Repeated Forms, by Reed A. George

Pentax K1000, SMC Pentax 135mm f2.5

Kodak Tmax 400 Film

Singers in Central Park, by Reed A. George

Pentax K1000, SMC Pentax 50mm f1.7

Kodak Tmax 400 Film

 

While in the city, I got a lot of walking in, as usual. I love just exploring the city. There's so much to see.

 

Storefront DJ, by Reed A. George

Pentax K1000, SMC Pentax 50mm f1.7

Kodak Tmax 400 Film

 

Hanging Out, by Reed A. George

Pentax K1000, SMC Pentax 50mm f1.7

Kodak Tmax 400 Film

 

Of course, Chinatown was one of my target locations. I love photographing in Chinatown - whether it be in NYC, San Francisco, or even the small version here in Washington, DC. There are always interesting people to meet and photograph.

 

Far Eastern Bluegrass?, by Reed A. George

Pentax K1000, SMC Pentax 50mm f1.7

Kodak Tmax 400 Film

Columbus Park Morning, by Reed A. George

Pentax K1000, SMC Pentax 50mm f1.7

Kodak Tmax 400 Film

I love how you can see the silhouette of the people practicing Tai Chi in the background on the left. The signs with Chinese characters also help to give a sense of place to this image.

And finally, here is a shot of my friends from Australia: Michael, Adele, Maddie, and Matthew (left to right).

 

Aussies in the City, by Reed A. George

Pentax K1000, SMC Pentax 50mm f1.7

Kodak Tmax 400 Film

I'm now well into February, and honestly missing my K1000, which is now back in the closet. I haven't had nearly as much time or weather to get out and shoot so far this month. I'll have to concentrate to have some results to show you for this month's Skeletons pick - the Super Ricohflex TLR. I'm sure I'll come up with something.

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What a Great Project! Memories Bought and Sold

 

Memories Bought and Sold, by Gloria Baker Feinstein

Image Source: http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/29/memories-bought-and-sold/#/1/

 
While holding an estate sale in preparation for a move, Gloria Baker Feinstein felt like she was selling her memories. So, she decided to photograph each item as it left, with its new owner. This resulted in an amazing set of images.
 
(Click Here) to read the story and view the images on the New York Times blog: Lens.
 
I find this truly inspired. It is what I hope to develop as a photographer - the ability to capture life's moments that mean something to me, but would not mean anything to someone else, unless I could describe them in pictures. This kind of project is genius, in my opinion.
 
How does one develop the ability to recognize an opportunity and develop a non-event into a meaningful collection of images? Many of my projects begin by "going out to take pictures." I don't think that often leads to a project like this. In this case, I'm pretty sure Ms. Feinstein did not start out with the goal of creating a photo project. Maybe it's like most other things - you have to be "not looking" to find it.
 
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