Some Shots with the Pre-AI Nikkor 55mm f1.2

I took my old 55mm f1.2 Nikkor out, mated to my Nikon F2SB body, loaded with HP5, to Washington, DC. Here's what resulted:

 

 

Tough to focus (manually), lots of misses, but hey, what's a f1.2 lens for if not shooting in the dark? Fun stuff.

 

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This Photo Project Could Work Well in Any City - But Started in San Francisco (Project24)

I absolutely love and miss San Francisco. Though I've lived in many different places, and was not born there, I consider the Bay Area to be home.

 

Check out this cool photography project in San Francisco, "Project24."

 

Image Source: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=149616

 

In this project, each of 24 photographers gets an assignment consisting of two pieces of information: the hour of the day and the neighborhood they are to shoot in. That's it. They shoot with black and white film for one hour. I think this is a great idea.

 

(Click Here) to read more about Project24.

 

I want to do one in DC.

 

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Finding Space in the Big City of Tokyo - with Leica IIIG

 

Urban Space, by Reed A. George

Leica IIIG, Ilford HP5 Film

 

This gentleman on left was out early in the morning at the Tomioka Hachiman shrine in Tokyo. The lesser shrines are always a good place to go for some space and relaxation. The big ones, like Meiji Shrine, are frequently very crowded. The secret in either case is to be out early.

 

I find this to be true in almost any big city. New York City, Barcelona, Tokyo, they're all pretty quiet in the early mornings.

 

Here's another shot from the shrine. I focused on the cherry blossoms, rendering the fountain slightly out of focus with shallow depth of field. There was no one else in sight when I shot this.

Quiet Morning, by Reed A. George

Leica IIIG, Ilford HP5 Film

 

So, if the crowds in the big city get to you, simply get up early! Jet lag sure helped with that while I was in Tokyo.

 

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A Shot I Like from Chinese New Year

 

Noodle Shop Spectators, by Reed A. George

Leica IIIG, 50mm f2 Summicron Collapsible

Ilford HP5 Film, Developed for 7 1/2 mins. in D-76

 

The Chinese New Year parade in Washington, DC had much lower attendance in 2015 than last year. I managed to shoot a 36 exposure roll of Ilford HP5, but really spent as much time talking and having lunch with my friend, Charlie, as I did shooting. This is the noodle shop we decided on, where the chef is making noodles by hand in the front window. You can see the ducks hanging on the right.

 

We both had a nice bowl of roasted duck noodle soup, and then stopped at the Chinese bakery next door for a pastry.

 

I do have some more images from this roll of film to share, but this one is one of my favorites.

 

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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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Whole Lotta Leica - Canon LTM 50mm f1.4 - Kevin the Kiteman!

UPDATE: I don't know what I was thinking. These images were shot with November's WLL lens, the Canon 50mm f1.4, not October's WLL lens, the Summicron 50mm f2 v3. I've updated the information below.

 

Starting out my day of walking around NYC, after meeting Adam Garelick (see yesterday's post), I saw this interesting character riding by:

The Kiteman, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Summicron 50mm f2 v.3 Lens

Canon LTM 50mm f1.4 Lens

iso 400, f6.7, 1/250 sec.

 

Camera set and ready, I struggled to get it out of my jacket and nearly missed him. But I did manage to grab this shot.

 

He smiled and stopped, and called me over to chat. He asked me if I'd ever flown kites as a kid, and what kinds of feelings those memories brought me. He explained that by selling kites in the city, he not only gets to introduce kids to them, he gets to re-introduce adults to flying kites. In fact, sometimes the kids can't get the string out of their parent's hands. He told me that he's had a customer 80 years old just smile from ear to ear from flying a kite again.

 

Frankly admitting that he "hustles" for his money, he said that he tries to do things that spread a little happiness to people, because he realizes we're all in this world together. He told me that instead of being in a jail cell somewhere, he's doing something positive. I told him that I believe he'd be doing something positive even if he was in jail.

 

Our conversation turned to the specific kite that he was flying as he rode by. He said

 

"Do you know what this is?"

 

Phoenix Kite, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Summicron 50mm f2 v.3 Lens

Canon LTM 50mm f1.4

iso 400, f5.7, 1/250 sec.

 

I said I knew it was a phoenix, a bird rising from the ashes. He was surprised, and said I wouldn't believe how many people said it was just a chicken! The phoenix is an important symbol for him, and shows the ability to rise above anything.

 

I didn't want to carry a kite around the city all day, so I didn't buy one. I did give him a little cash just to help out; he really would have preferred to give me a kite in exchange.

 

His name is Kevin. "Kevin the Kiteman."

 

I love the City. I love being able to meet interesting people. Kevin's doing what he can to help people be happy.

 

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One Camera (Leica M Monochrom), One Lens (28mm Summicron) in Tokyo, by Dave Powell

 

Image Source: http://shoottokyo.com/controlled-arrows/

Dave Powell of the photo blog "Shoot Tokyo" has posted some images and notes on the experience of using a single lens and camera, narrowing the options so that he can focus on composition and light.

In this case, Dave chose the Leica M Monochrom and Leica Summicron 28mm f2, a lens I've written about before.

(Click Here) to read my experience of borrowing a 28mm Summicron at an LHSA event. In my case, I shot with color film and my M4-2 body. I found this lens to be quite impressive.

(Click Here) to read the original post and see more pics on Shoot Tokyo.

I don't see any amazing or once-in-a-lifetime shots in this post, but I do get the feeling of walking around in Tokyo, probably my favorite city in the whole world. That's a tough call, actually, because San Francisco and New York City have their positive points. But, overall, Tokyo really does it for me.

Dave emphasizes concepts that resonate with me - single lens excursions, shooting every day. I tried to arrange to meet up with him the last time I was in Tokyo, but he was in Boston at the time. Talk about reversals. I'll try again next time, as I'm sure we'd have plenty to talk about.

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