Back to Denver: Signs

When in Denver... read the signs!

This is part of a street that ends in Sixth.  Nobody complains about lack of information here.

The name of the place is just a hoot... and Brits probably crack up when they read it. 

Now, to think Silver Plume was a booming town and now it's reduced to a few houses (inhabited by very friendly people, I should add). 

Need I to say that these photographs were all taken with my M4-2 and my Hexanon?  I must except the first one, for which I used my Summicron 90mm.  The film?  Fuji Superia ISO 400, indeed.

The thing with signs is that they're silent witnesses of other times.  Like in the first photograph, they reveal what at some point existed in the world, things we needed to be aware of.  Otherwise, they show what was in the collective mind of a generation or a group.  Finally, like cemeteries, they indicate where something now lies.

I like photographing signs.  Not all are necessarily fun, but many have that particular trait of working as silent voices, testament of last and lost wills, or very late reivindications (or indictments).  In cities, while I look for them, not always do I photograph them unless something evidently obvious or funny leads me to immortalize them in film.  Whatever the case, the signs I have photographed, however trivial, have always told me something beyond their initial intentional message.  And that's just the beginning of the fun!

More signs later!

Monochrome

Who shoots black-and-white these days?

Old photographers, perhaps (M3, Agfa APX ISO 400, Summicron 50)

Adventurous individuals (same)?

Lonely souls?

How about all of the above?

The truth is that B&W ain't easy.  In short, it's not for wimps.  Not for chimps either.  And not for every one.  As a particular thing, the scene matters more, there are less distractions and more things to see in a B&W image.  

How does one do that?

My approach is that the image has to be relatively strong, or anchored in a good element, or else the viewer will not "see" it.  The best way to create something that catches the eye is to place an element that leads to the image, something that indicates perspective and tells us where to look.  When this added element is absent, the image gets watered down.  It simply fails to emerge from the gray. 

Now, this is not a rule, as I can think of many photos in which it is simply impossible to add perspective.  In these moments, the two-thirds rule comes to save the day.  At least to me.   Besides, in B&W, if the composition isn't strong, the photograph has nothing else to "grab" our attention and enter our memory.  

This is perhaps a simplistic trick, but it's worked for me ever since I came up with it.  

In any event, something I keep in mind all the time, when I carry my Leicas loaded with Agfa or Ilford stuff: color allows us to enjoy life, while monochrome film makes us think about it.  What could we say about all the photographs above?  They were shot in Thayer St, in Providence, RI, during a conference in Brown University in which I took my recently refurbished Leica M3 and the faithful Summicron 50 collapsible. 

For the next, we're going back to Denver.  

Color

Some time ago, a good friend of mine and very old-school photographer said to me that "color came to wreck everything"...

I think I agreed with him... out of courtesy.  Color, as the photograph above shows, didn't wreck much... provided that there was something to wreck in the first place.  These chatty girls (M6TTL, Hexanon, Ektachrome ISO 400) wouldn't look good in monochrome.  Try it yourself...

I can see where color works and where monochrome looks better, but I don't see them as direct opposites or, worse yet, mutually exclusive.  However, I must admit that I have a different attitude when I shoot color and when I load monochrome.  In the shot above, both ways would work well... but I like it in color as it adds a bit of familiarity to the scene (Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, with an M3, Summicron 50 and Ektachrome 200).  In monochrome... the observer probably would do a double take before figuring out what the image shows. 

And here we have a case for color: these chairs in a now defunct store from Esmond, IL, really had to be photographed in color (with my M6TTL and trusty Hexanon 35mm).  The wood under the light and the general cast are pleasing... at least to me, and the effect (hanging chairs, kind of a weird image) would get lost in monochrome. 

Did I settle the controversy?  Of course not!  However, if color came and stayed, why fight it?  It does help... or else, what would life be like without it?

Next time, monochrome. 

Need to photograph

Do you feel too the absolute need to photograph things? Just to hear the shutter go off and know that you have an image in the roll of film?

I do.  Not just occasionally.  Often.

This shot was part of a "challenge" in the Rangefinderforum some time ago.  It was the month of February, and we were supposed to find "Shadows" around us.  Shadows?  In February?  I found them, and photographed them with one of my M6TTL bodies and my Hexanon 35mm.  Of course, the end result is a crop; from what I recall, the frame was quite larger.  And the film was the nice Kodak chromogenic BW400CN... or was other type?

One of my early rolls of Scala yielded this image of one of my neighbors's street lamp.  Since I was mortally afraid of pushing it, I had to contend with the ISO 200 rating of the film and shot this image in the bitter cold of December, early in the evening, with one M6TTL and a Summicron 50mm.

This image is something I like coming back to ever since I photographed it first in Ilford SFX and my M6TTL with the trusty Hexanon.  Once in B&W, I needed it in color.  Once in color, I needed it under a different light.  I've been shooting the same image for so long that I could make a history of that corner at this point.  This version was shot in Velvia, shortly after a snowstorm, probably in 2005.  Scanning it was a pain, because I couldn't help getting those blue tones on the snow.  However, after examining the slide... yes, those corners ARE blue in the original slide.

Is it normal to have the compulsion of taking a photo just because?  Probably not, but then, who would object to it when it does give you nice shots more often than not?

Something nice about film

There's something very nice about film... 

Snowy house in DeKalb

Peeking at the menu in Barcelona

Leading an intense inner life (Barcelona too)

I get to make all the decisions!!

For instance, which photos I will scan (and potentially print), how I want them to look, what size I want them to be (and resolution).  Granted, these same things come up with a digital camera, although I don't think I have much of a say in some areas.  Of course, there are settings to arrange, but what if I want certan photos for certain purpose?

On the other hand, I'm just quibbling with myself.

These photographs (all made with film Leicas) have nothing in common.  I simply felt like posting them because some of them have never been seen elsewhere, and others, even if seen, didn't seem to attract much attention.  For instance, my snowy house was completely unknown.  Will it merit a comment here?  I certainly hope so.  The Barcelona shots, on the other hand, were admired by friends.  Does DeKalb stand up to Barcelona?  Easy to find out; check my other photographs. 

Be back soon!

Random Harvest

Today, I feel like posting Leica shots for the heck of it.

For instance, above is the town's supermarket (M6TTL, Elmarit 28, Scala).  It used to be the only one in town... but now it has to compete with another that sells upscale stuff.  I went there one night to get some bread, the lights looked cool... and I snapped this shot. 

Shortly after Thanksgiving, the stores in the town of Hinsdale throw their doors open to the people who feel like a little tingle in the air... and offer free stuff!  This lady works at an insurance company, but also gives popcorn away on these days (M6TTL, Summilux 35mm, Agfa APX pushed at ISO 1600). 

On our trip to Denver we stopped briefly at the public library, to take a look at the place... and use "the facilities."  I was a little bored and about to finish a roll, so here's the result (M4-2, Superia ISO 400, Hexanon 35mm).

Change of direction?

Christmas time in Geneva, IL

(M6TTL, Summilux 35mm, color film)

Chicagoans crossing the street

(M6TTL, Hexanon 35, T-Max ISO 400)

Aurora Literary Festival: a young participant

(M6TTL, Summicron 50, Scala)

For a while, I've been longing for a digital camera. 

On November 6th, 2008, I just ordered it.  It may not have been a bargain, but it wasn't too bad in price either.   It is a Nikon D700, full frame body, to use with all my wide-angle and long telephoto lenses.  

Will this mean I'll abandon my film gear?

Surely not.  Even though I like computers, mostly they are tools for a job, not entertainment gizmos.  Granted, I like them, but that's an added benefit.  Spending hours tweaking photographs is not my cup of tea... but then, shooting grainless images is something of a dream.  That, and not having to scan my photographs.  I'm not good at scanning. 

However, how about the shots posted above?  Reactions?  

Will keep you posted!