And Another From the Handley Library - Fujifilm GS645S

 

Young Adult, by Reed A. George

Fuji GS645S, Kodak TMax 400 Film

 

I absolutely love how this image turned out. The "Young Adult" sign on the back wall was a bonus; I didn't even notice it when I was shooting the image! Too funny.

 

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The Handley Library in Winchester, Virginia - Fuji GS645S Medium Format Rangefinder

I have happily re-entered the Fujifilm camera owners crowd. No, I didn't buy an X100... I re-bought a camera that I had owned in the past, the 6x4.5 medium format film rangefinder GS645S. With a slightly wide angle (38mm equivalent) 60mm f4 lens, this is one perfect little travel camera.

 

I shot a 15 exposure test roll of TMax 400 in my new camera in Winchester, Virginia, last weekend.

 

Handley Library, by Reed A. George

Fuji GS645S, Kodak TMax 400 Film, Red Filter

 

The Handley Library is in my opinion by far the most interesting architecture in Winchester. Built in 1913, it strikes me as a little piece of Europe in rural Virginia. I shot this image with a 2-stop red filter, to darken the bright blue summer sky and bring out the contrast in the clouds. I think it worked.

 

Here's a shot from inside the library, in which I was attracted by the light rather than the subject.

 

Inside the Handley Library, by Reed A. George

Fuji GS645S, Kodak TMax 400 Film

 

I think this image demonstrates what I love about this camera. A wide range of tones, and sharpness that is as good as it comes, if you ask me. Not bad for a 30 year old film camera. I'll write more about the camera in coming days, but suffice it to say the GS645S is a wonderfully compact, if not sturdy, high quality imager.

 

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Halls of Knowledge

Halls of Knowledge, by Reed A. George

Nikon F, Nikkor 45mm f2.8 Pancake Lens

 

I took this shot at the Carnegie Library in Washington, DC. Not bad for a 50 year old camera.

 

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Opening at the NYC Public Library: "Public Eye: 175 Years of Sharing Photography"

From December 12, 2014 - September 4, 2015, the New York Public Library is hosting an exhibit of a selection from the library's enormous collection of photographs, collected since the 1800s. I saw the banner announcing the show on my visit to NYC last weekend, but the show had not yet opened at that time.

NYC Public Library, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, 50mm Summicron f2 v.3 Lens

iso 400, f8, 1/125 sec.

 

The exhibit will be arranged around contemporary themes from social media: crowdsourcing, image sharing, and street view. It will be interesting to see how these themes are interpreted and which images from such an expansive collection will be included.

 

The exhibit will be held at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Fifth Ave at 42nd Street, NYC.

 

(Click Here) to read more about it on the NY Times' blog "Lens."

 

I really hope that I can get back up to NYC before the show ends next September.

 

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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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Whole Lotta Leica - February Results - W-Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5 With The Woodshedders at Lovettsville Library

 

The Woodshedders at Lovettsville Library, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, W-Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5 LTM Lens

iso 640, f3.5, 1/60 sec

 

One of the benefits of living in Northern Virginia for me is the vibrant local music scene. The Woodshedders are one of my very favorite bands in the area. Ryan Mayo (bass), Jesse Shultaberger (drums), Dwayne Brooke (guitar), Jared Pool (mandolin) and Dave VanDeventer (fiddle) usually play to larger crowds in nightclubs and music festivals.

 

(Click Here) to go to the Woodshedders web page. Don't pass up a chance to see them.

 

On this particular Saturday in February, they played an acoustic show for the local library in Lovettsville, Virginia. The Hello Kitty and Spongebob balloons on the wall are not part of their normal stageshow.

 

My daughter and I attended this show, and it was wonderful, as expected. My February Whole Lotta Leica lens, the W-Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5 LTM, worked quite well for this close up and intimate setting.

 

The Woodshedders at Lovettsville Library, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, W-Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5 LTM Lens

iso 640, f2.8, 1/125 sec

 

Dwayne and Jared, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, W-Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5 LTM Lens

iso 640, f2.8, 1/125 sec

 

The audience was a mix of regular Woodshedders' fans, and regular library patrons. The picture below shows that some kids really know how to mix their sources of entertainment.

Reading (and Music) Are Fundamental, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, W-Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5 LTM Lens

iso 640, f4, 1/30 sec

 

I like how the Nikkor allowed me to focus on the detail of the book page, rendering it sharply, yet include enough in the background to let you know what's happening back there. The 35mm focal length gives a wide enough field of view to include some context, even in a small room.

 

I now know the Woodshedders well enough to coerce them into a posed shot once in a while. I thought it would be fun to get a shot of them studiously reading in the library. I started off by handing them children's books, but a helpful library employee quickly gathered biographies of musicians - much more appropriate.

 

Saturday Afternoon With The Woodshedders at the Library #1, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, W-Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5 LTM Lens

iso 640, f4.8, 1/30 sec

 

Jared took a book on Monk, Dwayne - Django, of course, Ryan - Mick Jagger, Dave - Jimi Hendrix, and Jesse - Sting.

 

Standing on a chair, I closed down the lens to f 4.8 to get a little more depth of field, and shot.

 

Saturday Afternoon With The Woodshedders at the Library #2, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, W-Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5 LTM Lens

iso 640, f4.8, 1/30 sec

 

I always feel a little rushed when I have five people waiting for me to get the shot so they can go on their way. I think these shots turned out well, but I must admit that I held my breath until I got home and checked that I was able to get all of the band members' faces in focus. I should have taken a shot or two at iso 1250, with the aperture closed down another full stop. That would have ensure that no one's face came out blurry. But, I got lucky with f4.8.

 

For me, it's important to learn from each and every photo opportunity. Learning to slow down, make sure I've got the shot, and not be shy about directing my subjects to do what I want to capture are all lessons that I need to continue to focus on.

 

After shooting live music for a couple of years now, I am really enjoying the chance to shoot some more personal shots of the bands that I really like. It adds nicely to the stage shots that I've focused on so far.

 

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