Rolleiflex 2.8F Planar - Kid at Train Festival

Intense Focus, by Reed A. George

Rolleiflex 2.8F Planar, Kodak TMax 400 Film

 

A while back, I posted a series of images from a local train festival, mostly of kids enjoying the displays. (Click Here) to see those pictures, taken with my Leica IIIG.

 

Well, I just developed the roll of film that was in my Rolleiflex that day, and found this image. I really like how the boy's face contrasts well with the dark shirt of the lady behind him. I also seem to have gotten the focus just about right.

 

Every time I use the Rolleiflex, I get something that I enjoy out of it.

 

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Annoying Some Kids With My Rolleiflex

Get it Over With, Mister. By Reed A. George

Rolleiflex 2.8F Planar, Kodak TMax 400 Film

 

Every single time I use it, I am reminded why the Rolleiflex is such an important piece of photographic history, and my photographic present. I just love the expression on this little girl's face, as well as her posture. I also like that her shirt says "SMILE" on it...

 

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Kids at the Manassas Train Festival - Leica IIIG, Summitar 5cm f2 Uncoated Lens

Last weekend, some friends and I attended a train event in Old Town Manassas, Virginia. I focused on photographing kids at the miniature train displays with my Leica IIIG and wartime Summitar 5cm f2 collapsible lens. All of these were shot on Agfa APX400 film, exposed at iso 200 level.

 

 

It's great to see these modern kids so deeply interested in trains and mechanical things.

 

Speaking of mechanical things, shooting with the IIIG was a pleasant challenge. Focusing quickly is not the forte' of Barnack cameras, especially in shade, but I did pretty well overall. My Agfa APX400 did pretty well here, as well, if a bit on the low contrast side. All in all, a very enjoyable photographic experience.

 

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This is One Creative Dad

Sure, I took my kid out to the beach in driving rain and made a few unique pictures with her.

 

Rainstorm at the Beach, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 (in waterproof bag)

iso 80, f2.8, 1/320 sec.

 

But, if you're a parent who likes kid pictures that break the normal cutesy rules, you've got to see what Japanese photographer Nagano Toyokazu has created with his four year old daughter, Kanna.

 

(Click Here) to see Nagano's images on Lost at E Minor.

 

Looking back on my own images of my daughter (now 13 years old), I see an awful lot of normal images. Of course, they're dear to me, because of the subject. But, I see now that I could have been more creative. Well, there's always tomorrow! Or today?

 

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Following Up On Tips for Shooting Strangers - Wait For It!

Yesterday, I wrote about a post on Digital Photography School's site which gave 8 tips for photographing strangers.

 

One of the hardest practices for me to learn was to take my time and get the right shot, once I'd gotten over the barrier of talking to someone and getting permission to take their portrait. As I mentioned yesterday, many times I used to walk away thinking "If only I'd move a little to the right (or left)." or "I should've bracketed the exposure."

 

Well, I am learning to take my time and wait for the image I want. Here's a recent example. I was in San Francisco, walking around Chinatown with my Leica M6 and Summicron 50mm f2, when I saw this little girl and the woman I guessed to be her grandmother. I rather bravely walked up to them, and asked the older lady if I could take their picture. She smiled, which I took as a yes. As I put the camera to my eye, the little girl figured out what was happening and did this:

 

Oh, No! Not What I Wanted!, by Reed A. George

Leica M6, Summicron 50mm f2 (v.3) Lens, Kodak iso 400 Color Print Film

 

I felt it right on the spot - what a horrible shot I've just made. This is cheesing for the camera of the very worst type. The forced smile turned this sweet little girl's face into an image of stress and tension for me. But, I WAITED. As soon as she heard the shutter click, the little girl relaxed and gave me this:

 

Here's What I Saw in the First Place, by Reed A. George

Leica M6, Summicron 50mm f2 (v.3) Lens, Kodak iso 400 Color Print Film

 

This is what I saw in the little girl's face that drew me to photograph them in the first place.

 

One more note - on asking versus just shooting. Another thing that really drew me to this pair was how the older lady was looking into the face of the little girl (like in the top shot). I really wanted to catch that interaction between them, but while they were looking natural and not posing for the camera. I think you can probably see that in both pictures, on the right side, there are men watching me, rather protective of what I'm photographing. This prevented me from taking the candid that I hoped to get. So, asking directly at least got me the shot. If the situation didn't have this tension, I would have shot a candid first, and maybe then asked permission for a follow-up shot like I got.

 

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On Curiosity, by Mimo Khair

 

Curiosity

Image Source: http://mimokhairphotography.com/2013/01/23/on-curiosity/

 

Mimo Khair has a very nice blog about creative photography. Like me, she started a 365 day blog project in January 2011, and is continuing on past that initial year.

 

Mimo has a very interesting personal story, born in Lebanon, now living in Shanghai, China.

 

(Click Here) to go to her blog.

 

I love this shot of the little girl standing on tiptoes to peer at something. It has a tension, but not in an ominous or dark way. I would have been very tempted to convert this one to black and white and boost the contrast, but it does very well in color as well.

 

This is one of those shots that depends very little on equipment or technique, other than capturing the moment. I can guarantee you, two seconds later and the little girl would have been off her toes, moving on to the next thing. You can't be fiddling with camera controls when a shot like this appears.

 

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