Someone Loves NY, Barefoot

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

 

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Protest!

On October 16, 2015, there was a march and protest against genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and more specifically, against Monsanto, in Washington, DC.

 

Disclaimer: My coverage of this event does not indicate that I do/do not identify with the protester's position on this issue.

 

The event began at the United States White House, in Lafayette Park. The protesters took to the street, and marched from the park to the headquarters of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

 

The welcome at the EPA (by Department of Homeland Security) was calm, yet firm. This officer informed the protesters that they were welcome to protest on the front lawn, but if they attempted to enter the EPA building, they would be arrested. No one attempted entry.

 

 

Many of the protesters dressed up as honey bees, a species they have identified as being affected by Monsanto's products.

 

 

The honey bees staged a "die in" on the EPA lawn.

 

There was a range of speakers at the event, ranging from the very young (10 years old?) to adult. Their logic ranged as well, and a lot of numbers and statistics were stated without much context, in my opinion.

 

Next, the group marched on to the DC offices of Monsanto. This gentleman was attempting to get into the building, presumably on some sort of official business, when one of the protesters offered him some "Monsanto Bucks," a printed fake currency meant to represent the money that changes hands between government and company officials. He did not accept it.

 

The Monsanto building had prepared well, and had security guards and tape at the doors. They would not let this gentleman in. Apparently disgusted, he seemed to have had no choice but to walk away.

 

 

Interestingly, his security badge lanyard says "Criminal Division." I'm not sure what to make of that.

 

This was the only instance of tension that I witnessed during the protest. The police were present, but as you can see, quite relaxed and friendly with the protesters.

 

 

At this point, the energy of the group started to wane, and I moved on with my evening.

 

This was an interesting shoot for me. I covered it entirely with my Leica M9, 35mm f2 Summicron v.3, and 90mm f4 Elmar C lenses. Great fun.

 

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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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Belle of Belle Haven Plantation - Leica M9

During the recent Spring Shoot meeting of the LHSA (International Leica Society), we visited Belle Haven Plantation.

 

I've posted some images of the live oak trees at the plantation. (Click Here) to see those.

 

For our visit, one of our members arranged to have Gail come out to the plantation and model for us in period dress. Here are the shots of Gail that I feel are worthy of sharing;

 

 

All were shot with my Leica M9 and 35mm f2 Summicron (v.3) lens.

 

(Click Here) to learn more about LHSA (International Leica Society).

 

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Live Oak Trees - Belle Haven Plantation - Nature Shot with Leica M9

During my trip to New Orleans for the LHSA (International Leica Society)'s Spring Shoot, we got to visit Belle Haven, a plantation that has been closed to the public for many years.

 

Our visit was wonderful, and I got to spend a lot of time out wading in the wet grass photographing the amazing old live oak trees on the property. Shooting with my M9, I manipulated the images in NIK Software to get the look I wanted. Here they are.

 

Live Oaks, by Reed A. George

 

All of these were shot with the M9 and either the 35mm v.3 Summicron or 50mm f1.4 Summilux (titanium).

 

One thing I don't like (or haven't figured out) in the NIK software is that if I want the same frame effect on a series of pictures, the frames come out looking exactly the same, including the dark and light smudges around the edges, which are supposed to represent the individual results of chemical darkroom techniques. Each one should be slightly different.

 

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the result. Not everyone agrees with manipulation, but I got the feel from the images that I was looking for.

 

(Click Here) to learn more about LHSA (International Leica Society). The national meetings like the Spring Shoot are great, but there are also many other reasons to join, including a great publication (Viewfinder), newsletter, and local groups and activities.

 

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Live Oak Tree - Lousiana Plantation - From Raw Image to Interpretation

I just returned yesterday from the LHSA (International Leica Society) Spring Shoot in New Orleans, Louisiana.

 

One of our (brilliant) activities was a visit to Belle Haven Plantation, which has been closed to the public for many years. We were extremely lucky to get access. The enormous live oak trees on the property were so beautiful. Here's a raw image that I took of one of them.

 

Live Oak, Starting Image, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summicron 35mm f2 Lens

iso 400, f5.6, 1/60 sec.

 

I walked out into a huge puddle of standing water to get this shot. I exposed to keep the highlights from blowing out, knowing that I could recover detail from the shadows with the M9 file. Right out of the camera, it looks underexposed.

 

I decided to do a quick edit on the image in Snapseed, on my iPad. Here's the result.

 

Live Oak, Interpretation, by Reed A. George

 

I'm sure that I can make a nice straight image from this file, but I kind of like this manipulated version. I purposefully added the vignetting around the edges, simply because I like the look.

 

Maybe I'll post the same image processed in Lightroom with much less manipulation. It will be interesting to see which version I like best.

 

If you're interested in the LHSA, check us out by (Clicking Here).

 

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Weekends at Lake Anne

Weekend Visitors to Lake Anne, by Reed A. George

Leica M9 Titanium, Leica Summicron 35mm f2 (v3)

iso 200 Color Print Film

 

For today's post, I'm simply sharing a couple of images that I took at Lake Anne in Reston, Virginia a few weeks back. We've had an incredibly nice August for this region. This particular morning was sunny, cool, and relatively low in humidity. Not what you'd normally expect in Northern Virginia in August.

 

Lake Anne has a nice farmer's market on the weekends, and has that great symbol of real culture, a used book store. It's the only used book store I know of around here.

 

As you can see, I shot these with my Leica M6 on color print film. I just decided that black and white looked better, so went with it. Hope you enjoy the images.

 

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The Gate - Leica Landscape

 

The Gate, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Summicron 35mm f2 v.3 Lens

iso 200, f16, 1/250 sec.

 

I shot this old gate at the site of a bluegrass show I attended recently. It's odd, the unique old gate and a single piece of fence. No reason to worry whether it's opened or closed at this point, is there?

 

I like it silhouetted against a field of green. I also like how the small clump of daisies in the foreground provides another focal point.

 

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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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New Orleans, Latrobe Park at Sunrise

Latrobe park is dedicated to architect Benjamin Latrobe. Located in the French Market, it's on the former site of a waterworks designed by Latrobe. Now, it's a cool place to relax in the shade of a hot day, just a few steps from the Mississippi River, and on the edge of the French Quarter.

 

I was walking through on my morning exploration when the light through this statue caught my eye.

 

Latrobe Park Statue, by Reed A. George

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

Kodak TMax 400 Film

 

Man, I could sure spend more time in New Orleans. Friends who visited a week after me told me of the torrential rains during their trip; not a drop of rain while I was there. In fact, I'd love to shoot the city in fog and rain. Maybe my next trip to New Orleans will be selected for moodier weather.

 

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New Orleans Streetcar Color

 

Streetcar Color, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summicron 35mm f2 v.3 lens

iso 200, f8, 1/250 sec.

 

Now this one would not have been as good in black and white.

 

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Visual Poetry - Audubon Park, New Orleans

Visual Poetry, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Summicron 35mm f2 v.3 lens

iso 200, f3.4, 1/1000 sec.

 

Knowing that it was important to get out of the French Quarter, at least for a little while on my recent trip to New Orleans, I hopped a streetcar to Audubon Park one morning. After my own SNAFU, whereby I rode past the station where I needed to change lines, walked several blocks to recover, then discovered that the streetcar line was under construction and being supported by bus, I was quite a bit later arriving than I had planned. The bright Louisiana sun was well up in the sky when I got to the park. That did not stop me.

 

This is one of my favorite couple of images from that morning. I saw this composition as soon as I walked into the park; an hour later and the lighting would have been all wrong. There are several things I love about this shot. The light is at nearly exactly the right position to put the statue's face in a nice combination of light and shadow, and light the body of the statue perfectly to stand out against the dark backround of the live oak branches behind it. I love how the statues interact, including the third and fourth, slightly out of focus in the background above the child statue at bottom right. They're barely even elements in the composition, which is how I wanted it. The palm tree in silhouette way back there is another important element to me. The similarity of the main statue's pose and arm position to that of the lovely live oak tree behind is probably what attracted me to this composition in the first place.

 

Of course, the next time I go to New Orleans, I will be at the park at sunrise; that would just be spectacular. Not having made it at the perfect time on this morning, I'm quite pleased with this result.

 

The Leica M9 and 35mm Summicron pulled it off nicely for me. I think this one warrants a print.

 

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Morning in Jackson Square, New Orleans

Morning in Jackson Square, by Reed A. George

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

Ilford Delta 3200 Film

 

As I sit writing this morning in my local Starbucks, this image reminds me of the wonderful coffee and chicory I had just enjoyed at Cafe Du Monde a few minutes before I shot it. I like Starbucks; I loved my Cafe Du Monde coffee that morning.

 

Morning is very quiet in the French Quarter; most of its denizens are at least semi-nocturnal. I always enjoy seeing new places early in the morning, to get a different perspective.

 

The sunlight was just coming up over the bank of the Mississippi River, which would be on the right in the photo above. I like how the edge of the light follows the intersection of the two sets of stairs, going off at different angles. While the steps in the lower section are fully light, those in the middle have light only on their edges. The pigeon at right is similarly edge-lit, which gives it a bit of a focal point in my opinion.

 

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Live Oak Tree, New Orleans' Audubon Park

Live Oak, Audubon Park, New Orleans, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Summicron 35mm f2 Lens

iso 200, f16, 1/60 sec.

Edited in Snapseed

 

On one day of my trip to New Orleans, I took the streetcar line to Audubon Park. Actually, due to construction on the streetcar system, I had to make part of the trip on a bus. In any case, the park is lovely. The light coming through the branches of the amazing, enormous live oak trees there was amazing, even mid-day on a clear, bright day.

 

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A Street Portrait From Behind?

I'm in Tokyo still as I write this. Yesterday, on my morning walk, I captured this image.

 

Street Portrait From Behind, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica 35mm Summicron F2 Lens

iso 400, f8, 1/125 sec.

 

 

The only place you can see the subject's face is in the big round mirror on the left. These are place all over around Tokyo for safety (so drivers can see pedestrians and vice-versa). It's pretty cliche to photograph them. But, I've never seen them used in exactly this way.

 

It would be fun to see this projected or printed very large, to see if capturing the face as a tiny part of the overall composition works or not. I think the lines in this composition work very well.

 

This is a straight jpeg, out of the camera, but with some cropping in Snapseed.

 

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Street Photography as Time Travel (Kenneth Reitz on Leica Camera Blog)

 

At the Seafood Market, NYC, 2010, by Reed A. George

Leica M8, Rokkor 40mm f2 Lens

iso 320, f4.8, 1/125 sec

 

A local (to me) photographer, Kenneth Reitz, was recently interviewed for the Leica Camera Blog. A software developer, Kenneth lives and works in Winchester, Virginia. He even mentioned the famous(?) Apple Blossom Festival held there every year. In addition to proximity, several things Reitz said gave me the feeling that we have a lot in common.

 

Like me, Reitz came back to photography after college. He has this to say about the role of photography in his life:

 

"...it makes me happy and keeps me sane."

Exactly, Kenneth. I couldn't have said it any better.

 

Reitz sees street photography as a form of time travel. The shot above takes me back to the moment, three years ago, when I shot the picture. I'm sure it will do the same 20 years from now, if I'm lucky enough to be around still.

 

Also like me, Kenneth has an interest in pieces of Leica history. He has recently purchased a 1954 M3 (which must be a double-stroke, like mine, based on the dates). When asked about shooting film, Reitz comments that everything he's ever created exists only in an electronic realm. Film breaks that pattern.

 

Here's where Reitz and I differ - he shoots only a single focal length - 35mm. Shooting a 35mm f2 Summicron aspheric on his Monochrom, and a 1979 model 35mm f2 Summicron on his M3, he comments:

 

"I plan to shoot with only my 35mm Summicron for the rest of my life."

 

Personally, I will shoot with mine, amongst many others, for the rest of my life. Committing to a single lens for a month (e.g. for my Whole Lotta Leica series) is challenge enough.

 

Kenneth even mentions meditation in passing. This is something I've become more interested in of late. Seems like I should contact Kenneth to see if we can have coffee together sometime.

 

(Click Here) to read the interview on the Leica Camera Blog.

 

(Click Here) to visit Reitz's website.

 

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Whole Lotta Leica Results - Summicron 35mm f2 in Lahaina, Maui

I found that I didn't actually carry the M9 around a lot on vacation in Maui. I think this was mainly because I was out in the sun, sand, and water a lot - not exactly the best environment for a rangefinder camera. But, I did make it a point to go into Lahaina town with it. Here are a couple of shots I made:

 

Chinese Wing Ho Museum, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summicron 35mm f2

iso 160, f11, 1/250 sec.

 

The Wing Ho Chinese Society built this house in 1912 on Front Street in Lahaina. The house fell into disrepair for many years before being rescued and renovated in 1983. I was happy to catch these Asian (Chinese?) tourists leaving the museum.

 

Biker, Front Street, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summicron 35mm f2

iso 160, f11, 1/250 sec.

This was a quick reaction shot. It paid to have my camera exposure set, and hyperfocal distance set on the focus scale. With the 35mm wide angle lens, the depth of field at f11 is considerable, and allowed me to quickly pull up the camera and shoot. Again, the 35mm field of view allowed me to be close to the biker (on the sidewalk as he rode by), and get some context of the street as well. With a 50mm, it would have been harder to get focus, and I probably would have had to confine the composition to the biker himself. As it is, this shot gives some clue as to where it was taken. Asian biker, Hawaiian store name, you get it.

 

I could get used to shooting with a 35mm lens. Maybe I should.

 

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By the way, if you travel to Hawaii, you may want to read the book below, This Is Paradise. It is a series of short stories that gives you a feel for the real modern Hawaii, away from the tourist resorts. It is for mature audiences (just a warning). I enjoyed it very much. Please buy yours through the link below:

 

 

Doggie Diptych - Whole Lotta Leica - Summicron 35mm f2 v.3

I sometimes like to shoot a series of images. Usually a triptych (three images) works best, but sometimes just two images (a diptych) can suffice.

 

While attending an event in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, I witnessed this little girl approaching a dog from his blind side. She tentatively reached out to pet him when he turned and spooked her pretty good:

Doggie Diptych, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summicron 35mm f2 v.3

iso 320, f9.5, 1/180 sec.

 

The Summicron 35 excels for this kind of shooting. I was close enough to see what was going on, but far enough away to capture both the little girl interacting with the dog, and his owner watching from the right of the frame. This is why the 35mm focal length is so popular for street photography. The Summicron is one of the best 35mm lenses made, even the older version 3 like mine.

 

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A Few Family Portraits With August's Whole Lotta Leica Lens, the Leica Summicron 35mm f2

During the month of August, I carried the Summicron 35mm f2 on my M9 just about every day. I shot a few pictures of the girls that put up with me every day, including having their pictures taken. I think the Summicron did a pretty good job of capturing them.

 

First, my wife. We had a nice afternoon tea while our 12 year old daughter was off playing paintball. Pretty civilized compared to our daughter out running around in camouflage on the paintball field.

Afternoon Tea, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summicron 35mm f2 v.3

iso 320, f2.8, 1/90 sec.

 

On another evening, I took my daughter out to walk around Leesburg, Virginia. We happened into a cajun restaurant where the evening lights were quite interesting.

 

Dusk at the Cajun Experience, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summicron 35mm f2 v.3

iso 320, f2.4, 1/45 sec.

After Dark, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summicron 35mm f2 v.3

iso 640, f2, 1/25 sec.

 

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A Walk In The Woods, With Leica M9 - Composing Differently

Yesterday, I posted an image I made at Manassas National Battlefield, on my way to a hike at the Shenandoah National Park. Here are some shots from the hike itself.

 

I have been in the situation of shooting nature with my M9 recently. Not exactly what most nature photographers grab on their way out, the rangefinder presents challenges. It doesn't play well with long telephoto lenses or macro. This is part of the fun for me. In fact, it forces me to compose differently, maybe even better in some cases.

 

This little white mushroom was sticking out of a bank of green along the trail. If I were carrying my Nikon DSLR, I would have been motivated to grab a macro lens, and show as much detail of the mushroom as possible. It did have an interesting texture; this would not have been a bad idea. But, it would have missed some of the context, the contrast between this little fungus and everything else around it. This month's Whole Lotta Leica Lens, the Summicron 35mm f2, showed that quite well.

 

Shroom, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Summicron 35mm f2 Version 3

iso 400, f8, 1/25 sec.

 

Perhaps a little more in the normal Leica realm, I really liked the abstract shapes made by the flowing water, wood, and stone in the creek below. I would have liked to use a neutral density filter and get a longer exposure, to let the water flow even more. I don't carry filters for my Leica lenses.

Creek, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Summicron 35mm f2 Version 3

iso 160, f16, 1/3 sec.

I shot the leaf below from several angles before getting what I wanted. What really attracted me was the reflection of the green leaves and dark tree trunks above the water. This green patch was actually quite small, so my shots with the 35mm wide angle lens included too much. I switched to my lovely little Canon LTM 135mm f3.5 lens. This is an amazingly sharp lens. I was able to get it up on a tripod pretty high, and isolate the reflections from the rest of the scene. The leaf in the water provides an anchor point for the eye.

Summer Reflection, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Canon LTM 135mm f3.5 Lens

iso 400, f5.6, 1/60 sec.

I spied this Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon), sunning himself by the creek. My nature photographer instincts kicked in, and I started shooting from afar, to make sure I got a shot of him. Again using the 135mm, a rather modest telephoto length, I kept easing closer and closer. Here's the closest shot I got.

Northern Water Snake, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Canon LTM 135mm f3.5 Lens

iso 320, f6.7, 1/1000 sec.

Upon looking at all of the shots I took when I got home, I discovered the one below. Including the full body of the snake, and more of his surroundings, I actually prefer this one:

Northern Water Snake With Context, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Canon LTM 135mm f3.5 Lens

iso 320, f6.7, 1/1000 sec.

 

I most definitely would not have made the shot above with a DSLR and long telephoto. Just to be clear, this is not a weakness of the DSLR per se. It is my own way of thinking when I'm using that equipment. I'm really glad that I forced myself to work with what I had.

 

I continue to learn about this interface of equipment and creativity.

 

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