Wednesday November 20, 2013

NEW YORK NEW YORK – A clear beautiful day. My kind of day to get out and find some light and shadows, but I’m house-bound because of professional commitments. I took an hour’s break with a telephoto lens out my window. I don’t often shoot with long lenses. This is a 280mm Leica lens made for the Leica R but used on my Leica M with an adapter. The M lets you focus through the lens with an electronic viewfinder but this lens is very demanding in terms of focus accuracy and good tipod technique. Here’s a sample.

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On this day one year ago: Mustique rocks.

Rocks
Rocks

Monday November 18, 2013

NEW YORK NEW YORK – One characteristic of Leica shooters is that we are likely to have multiple versions of the 50mm standard focal length lens. In my case I’ve lost count – six or seven – with the oldest dating to the mid-1930s and the newest being the f2.0 Summicron Asph. which is backordered and difficult to find. Today I’m shooting with a 1958 dual range Summicron which I have had modified for use on digital Leica M cameras. This is the classic Leica lens. Here’s what it’s images looks like:

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On this day last year: Mustique.

Maria swims some laps
Maria swims some laps

Saturday November 16, 2013

NEW YORK NEW YORK – More with the 18mm lens. I’ve decided to shoot straight up for a week. I mean really straight up – using a spirit level in the camera’s accessory shoe to orient it. Here’s one in our courtyard, again with the Leica Monochrom and 18mm Super-Elmar Asph.

Look up
Look up

On this day last year: James Beard Gala.

Kitchen at the Four Seasons Restaurant
Kitchen at the Four Seasons Restaurant

Friday November 15, 2013

NEW YORK NEW YORK – I’ve been a bit dull in the past few days. The baby Sony is convenient but it lacks charisma and just doesn’t move me. In a project like this (one photograph a day for the rest of my life) a switch in approach can help break out of the doldrums, so I switched back to my Leica Monochrom, this time with a very wide lens, the marvelous Leica 18mm Super-Elmar Asph. I’m using it with a level in the accessory shoe (to help avoid weird wide-angle distortions) instead of a viewfinder. Shooting with the lens I can point in a general direction and just assume that it gets everything. I like shooting wide. Sometimes I worry that it’s a gimmick but this really has helped me to get out of a rut and back into my groove.

Trash bin
Trash bin
1185 Park
1185 Park

On this day last year: An abstraction in our offices. I took this last year with my Monochrom and a Dual Range Summichron lens from 1958. Of course I’m reminded of what a charming lens this is. I may turn to it next.

Picture
Picture