NEW YORK NEW YORK – Out with the Leica Monochrom again today. I’m trying it out as an infrared camera – I strapped on an infrared filter and snapped a couple of dozen images. This isn’t really practical because the filter needs 10 stops additional exposure – the camera evidently has very good infrared filtering. Here’s an example:
IR
Back to normal:
Madison Avenue
Film from a few weeks ago:
Caroline and Maria
On this day last year: Todds.
Todds
NEW YORK NEW YORK – You may have noticed that I’ve been shooting with a Sony Nex-7 and Leica lenses for the past three weeks. I decided today to return to my Leica M 9 for a quick comparision. The first thing I noticed was that the Leica seemed heavy and the shutter release seemed rough and noisy compared to the Nex-7 (!!). No kidding. The Leica. But it’s also a pleasure to focus in good light and the frame lines are really a terrific way to see – not a surprise since I’ve been shooting Leica Ms for most of my life. I spent the day looking up at facades with a 35mm Summilux lens. What I noticed when I got the images home is the files are supurb. Mostly in focus and well-exposed. Beautifully detailed and nuanced. The old M9 body still has some life in it. I really do like the 18 meg files produced by the Leica more than the 24 meg files produced by the Nex-7. Here are a couple of examples.
Madison
Park Avenue
On this day last year: attractive woman at the Knick.
Dinner at the Knick
NEW YORK NEW YORK – A very wet day. I went out in the rain with my Leica and a 35mm pre-ASPH version IV Summicron lens, known as the bokeh king. (Here is Ashwin Rao’s terrific article on bokeh). “Bokeh” for you non lens nuts is the causality of the out of focus image; good bokeh is creamy with smooth transitions between in-focus and out of focus areas; bad bokeh is crunchy with abrupt transitions between in-focus and out of focus. Modern highly corrected designs tend to have poor bokeh; older designs tend to have good bokeh.
S. Feldman Housewares
From 3:03 AM on February 14, 1999.
3:03 AM February 14, 1999
NNEW YORK NEW YORK – So I’m using my Alpa and a 35mm Schneider as my walk-around camera. This only works on sunny days – I’m a sunny day kind of guy so I prefer these anyway. Here’s in image from Madison Avenue and 55th Street
Good light
Here’s the next in my series of 24 self portraits taken in 1999. This is from 12:58 AM on February 14, 1999. I slept on a cot in my studio, setting an alarm to wake my hourly for a picture. I clearly haven’t been to sleep on yet because I still look fairly well put together.
12:58 AM February 14, 1999
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – The long-awaited blizzard arrived this afternoon. The snowfall was very heavy but it was warm enough in Manhattan that it quickly turned to slush – there was not a lot of accumulation.
Madison Avenue