NEW YORK NEW YORK – A dreary rainy day. I finally got out with my Nex-7 and a Leica 50mm Summilux lens in the early evening. Grim.
On this day last year: Central Park reservoir.
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Friday February 24, 2012
Author: Woody
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.
On this day last year: attractive woman at the Knick.
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Wednesday February 22, 2012
NEW YORK NEW YORK – Back home. A longish day at the office but after five days on the road I thought that we deserved a home-cooked meal so I stopped at Fairway where I found a nice piece of swordfish, decent tomatoes, and miraculously very nice basil and fresh peas. I combined these items and the usual stuff from the larder, and a good pinot grigio, into dinner at home for two. Taken with my Sony Nex-7 and 24mm Leica Summilux lens (and a stepladder).
On this day last year: cigarette butt. A walkabout with a wide lens.
BOCA GRANDE FLORIDA – A sad morning. We’re packing to go back to New York. We took a pre-breakfast walk down to the beach. We’re on the Gulf of Mexico facing West, so phnotography is better in the evening here than in the morning. This is what I got at the beach club with my Sony Nex-7.
On this day last year: Caboose Gallery.
BOCA GRANDE FLORIDA – We spent today on the beach. Maria could do this all day every day forever. One day is about the limit for a month or so for me. This a long beach – 7 miles or so. I took off walking with my Sony Nex-7 and a 35mm lens. Here are three images from the day. Sunset at the Gasparilla Inn beach:
The Gasparilla range light. These structures are only called light houses when there is an actual house for a tender to live in. The Gulf of Mexico (and the bay behind the island) are shallow here making navigation tricky for large boats. Three frames stitched.
A portion of Maria’s horde of shells from the beach.
On this day last year: Washington CT Congregational Church.
GASAPARILLA ISLAND FLORIDA – Our friend Don Burton (who has introduced us the Gasparilla) took us on a boat ride today, a rare gray and threatening day. There’s an area on the east side of the island that has canals and houses built by boat fanciers. This captured with my Sony Nex-7 and 90mm Elamarit lens.
On this day last year: Still winter.
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Saturday February 18, 2012
GASPARILLA ISLAND FLORIDA – The beach club at the Gasparilla Inn provided a demonstration today by a professional sand castle builder. That’s right. A guy who makes a living on the beach making castles (or whatever) out of sand. Makes the rest of us feel like we’re kind of doing it the hard way. Given that it’s Presidents Day weekend (for those of you outside the US we used to celebrate Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays separately, which happen around now, whenever they fell; more recently Presidents Day is celebrated for both of them on a Monday in February, making a three day weekend), a Presidential theme is appropriate.
Our sand castle architect chose an image of a Purple Heart because it incorporates a silhouette of Washington. The Purple Heart is a democratic decoration: it’s given to all who are wounded or killed in action. I received one during my Marine Corps service in Vietnam. It is the only decoration received by most Marines, soldiers and sailors who are killed in action. At the start of the Gulf War I started wearing a Purple Heart lapel pin (which I continue to wear today). I can’t articulate why. It’s with some difficulty that I write these sentences. Anyway, here is the Purple Heart rendered in sand, captured with my Sony Nex-7 and a 24mm Leica Summilux lens.
On this day two years ago: Vietnam Memorial. I’ve looked back two years here (rather than my usual one) because on February 18, 2010 I photographed my shadow on the Vietnam Memorial (shooting infrared) in DC. The juxtaposition is a coincidence and I understand that it borders on the maudlin.
