Tuesday April 15, 2014

NEW YORK NEW YORK – Tax day. This is ordinarily a pretty grim day. “The ides of April?” But today was actually visually interesting. A trip to our daughter’s office provided a new angle on the local cityscape; a new lens provided a fairly energetic rainy cityscape out my window, and I got some decent images of our granddaughter.

Day 1,643 of one photo every day for the rest of my life.

Baby V
Baby V
Francesca's conference room
Francesca’s conference room
Out my window
Out my window

On this day one year ago (day 1,278): Building. Obscured by a tree.

Obscure
Obscure

Friday November 22, 2013

NEW YORK NEW YORK – A day of getting very close with my iPhone – which does well as a macro camera. Today I shot light sources around the house. The stripes on the wall of the square one are an artifact of a 60 cycle flicker of the LED light source. This was a “make something out of nothing” day.

Light Bulb
Light Bulb
Light fixture
Light fixture

On this day last year: Mustique.

Hike
Hike

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