The relativity of closeness

 Stage 5 : Paris  1 Response »
Feb 272013
 

Have you ever noticed how close from one another are the tables of restaurants in Paris ? Yet, in most cases, it doesn't mean you are any closer that if you were world apart  (click on picture for high res)

Leica M9 with 60mm Hexanon at F5.6, 1/250, ISO160

Sho(r)t Stories #7 : Eero Lehtonen

 SHO(R)T STORIES  2 Responses »
Feb 232013
 

This week we disover the story of this shot taken in St. Petersburg by Eero Lehtonen from Finland.

If you'd like to participate in the future, instructions on how to submit a shot are located at the end of the this article.

Leica CL with 35mm Summicron on Rollei Retro 400S film

What is the Sho(r)t Story?

This one was taken August 2011 when I was visiting St. Petersburg with my girlfriend and my parents. If I recall correct we were coming from a restaurant and on our way to the nearby cemetery that has become a bit of an attraction since lot of historical person have been buried there. In particular we wanted to see Tschaikovskys memorial. We stoped at one alley to check the map and this guy steped outside to have a break from something. I regocnised the almost praying like posture of his and luckily had a nice beam of light hitting him. Snap and here it is. 
 
Why is this one of your favorite pictures ?
For once I think I've managed to combine graphical and emotional elements well into one frame. I also like the beam like light on the subject that really makes the sitsuation look like he's praying. Even though he just came out for a smoke. It's just one of those frames that hit everything right for my liking.
 
Which equipment did you use, and any technical considerations?
To be really honest I think this could have been made with any camera . . . anyhow. This one was taken with Leica CL (a camera I regret selling now a days) and 35mm Leica Summaron (the M2 nongogles version). Film used was Rollei Retro 400S that I bought in meters. Film was developed in TMax developer (it might not be the best and most noice free developer but it's fast and readily available). After the frame was scanned straight from the negative with Epson Perfection V330 Photo basic flatbed scanner that does decent job with Silverlight software out of B&W negatives. I really still strugle scanning slides. That's why I like to choose digital for color work and play with film mostly in B&W side of my photography.
 
Tell us about you and your photography?
These days I am a full day food and wine nut and study restaurant business. Photography alongside cooking is my creative outlet. I started my photography hobby somewhere early 2000's. Think it was 2001. I started straight a way with film photography using my dads old Canon film bodies. First I was more into landscapes even though I already liked a good photo taken of a person. After a while I bought my first own camera a digital one and started experimenting more with my photography. I got more and more and more interested in social documentary and street photography. This blog was one of the key factors that got me hooked on street work. So when I saw another readers picture chain coming up I couldn't resist.
 
To discover more of Eero's pictures : http://www.flickr.com/photos/eero-b1/

Varanasi – the problem with Instagram

 Street photography articles  5 Responses »
Feb 232013
 

Last night as I connected my Nokia N8 to our new LED TV, I was amazed to see how great the Leica M8-9 pictures rendered through the HDMI connection. What an amazing way to view pictures! Then I started to go through other pictures I had loaded in my phone and found a full series of Instragram-like shots ("Molome" on Nokia devices ) I had taken in India. Well, I was stunned to see the large difference in quality when viewed on a 32" screen. Contrast, sharpness, colors …. my Molome pictures looked like they were taken with a pinhole 1950 Fed camera. The fact that they were square did not help them as the 24x36cm is way better adapted for TV screens.

Obviously, nothing new here, yet it led me to the thought that one should shoot Instagram for what it is : a fast food like consumption of images through a tiny 4 inches screen. Thank you nostalgia filters for all the Likes you get me and for helping to hide my terrible compositions as well as my meaningless scenes.

Yet, if you actually plan to print your pictures in large sizes, sell them, organize an exhibition or simply view the trip of your life on your large TV Screen, then make sure you take along a real camera too. Because looking backwards, I wish I had taken all these pictures with my Leica M.

All pictures taken with Nokia N8 and Molome

Sho(r)t Stories #6 : Joeri van der Kloet

 SHO(R)T STORIES  1 Response »
Feb 182013
 
This week's short story took place in Santiago, let's discover all about this shot by Joeri from the Netherlands.
 
Leica M9 with 35mm Summicron
 

What is the Sho(r)t Story?

We were walking through Santiago as a part of our 4-month honeymoon. We were jetlagged and very groggy. Santiago turned out to be a very nice city for street photography though and the more we walked, the more pictures I took. Suddenly I saw a little girl across the street, sitting with her dog, wearing pink Croc-shoes and the dog had a leash in the same colour. Her friend, or brother, was playing with the dog, whereas the girl didn't seem to care. When I hit the shutter the dog made a move and the boy jumped away. I think it was the perfect moment.
 
Why is this one of your favorite pictures ?

 
Because I can keep looking at it and it will never be boring. Also the simplicity of the picture is something I like. It is just a snapshot but it seems you are actually there. There are no tricks, no extreme tele or wide angle, it is just a picture. It also leaves something to wonder: what is the boy thinking? And why is the girl not playing along? Another thing I like is the blur where the action is. My eye is drawn to the girl first, then the dog and finally the boy.
 
Which equipment did you use, and any technical considerations?
 
I used my Leica M9, or M9P, I'm not sure. The lens was my 35 summicron, one of my favourites, because of the rendering, the lightness and compactness. The shutterspeed was 1/180th which results in the blur in the boy and the dog. I processed the raw file in Lightroom and cropped a very little bit.
 
Tell us about you and your photography?
 

I am a documentary -wedding- photographer and writer from Holland. Street photography is pure fun for me and I always approach my assignments as if they were street photographic assignments. If you can work that way, weddings are just a thrill to do and with a rangefinder it will even make for a more exciting job.
 
Discover more of Joeri's work at www.luta.nl
 
 
If you would like to participate to this series, send me an email at yanidel@fastmail.fm with the following information :
- your name and location
- title of photograph (if any + equipment used)
- one of your favorite picture  (max width of 1280 pixels, you obviously retain all the pictures copyright)
- answers to the above questions .
- any links to your work (website, Flickr, Facebook, …)

The magic tree

 Uncategorized  No Responses »
Feb 142013
 

There is a magic tree on the shores of the Parana, and every kids seems to look for that place where they won't get into trouble. The door to the world of Oz?  (click on picture for high res)

Leica X1 at 36mm, F2.8, 1/500, ISO100

 Older Entries  Newer Entries