In the heart of darkness

I have a problem: I'm bad at puns.

So, what else to choose as the title of this post on night photography but a bad allusion?

Here you go. All these images were made with my black M5 and a Nokton 35mm f1.4 wide open. The B&W set belongs to Chicago, IL, and they were shot in Scala film rated at ISO 200. Not too bad...

The color ones come from Cartagena, Colombia, a beautiful city in the Colombian Caribbean coast, that preserved its colonial architecture and has been a Mecca for South American tourists for some time.

Let's begin with Chicago...

This is from the corner of Washington and Lasalle Streets, just like the one below.

From a purely technical point of view... nothing particular. However, I like the taxi turning here because it seems to add a certain "urban grit" to it.

Patrons at the Lyric Opera in Chicago.

Now, for the "grand finale," Cartagena. BTW, these photographs were made with Fuji C-41 film ISO 200.

Art fair, or art market near Plaza Bolívar.

Street vendor of a particular delicacy called "arepa." I bought one from another vendor and ate it shortly before taking this photograph. This is a block away from the Santa Teresa convent (now hotel).

Young bicyclists running about at past 8 PM.

Now, for the nitty gritty... I sent the Scala film to David Wood at dr5, which seems to be the last place on earth to get Scala developed. This was one of my last rolls... I am truly sorry about it.

Regarding the C-41 stuff, I sent it to Snapfish, a lab currently owned by HP. It's a pity they won't work on chromogenic film, because their color work (and digital prints) are quite satisfactory. And the prices too! BTW, this is not a sales pitch, but an explanation only. Those interested in getting Scala film developed or print film nicely processed should try their luck with these places. In the meanwhile, since Snapfish won't work on Ilford XP2 or Kodak BW400CN, I'm stuck with other places (locally, alas!). However, when it comes to real B&W, I'll soon return to working on my own.

So long and thanks for making it this far!

Using Transparency Film

Transparency film doesn't scare me. I load it in my camera and shoot it calmly, without any worries... And then, I get my results back. These photographs, made with my legendary M4-2 and Hexanon 35, simply show that slide or transparency film gets the job done as long as the metering is adequate. Look at the detail in the first image...

Farm equipment in a field in Sycamore, IL, fall of 2010. I really like Provia ISO 400 because not only shows all the detail there is, but also can be pushed up to ISO 1600 without a glitch.

The same tractor above, only now, from a distance, showing all its glory.

And now, the human touch: Mr Larsen, baker, on one of the last days of the farmers' market in Sycamore, IL (this one was done with my Summicron 90mm). Not too bad, huh?

Well those were the photos I have been offering for a while. But don't despair, there are more... And I'll be back soon with additional results from the M4-2 and a Nokton 35mm f1.4.

Metering

Can be a pain... But I've been lucky with it. Here are some samples of relatively "hard" metering.

As the rule goes, with E-6 film, meter on the highlights. With B&W film, meter on the shadows and with color negative film, in the areas in between. Is it really true? The photograph above (a good friend of ours staying at home) was metered on her face... Not the brightest spot in the frame, neither is it the darkest. With very little PP, I think this is a printable copy.

Metering this scene was tricky. I must admit that I didn't think about it at the moment (after all, it's a snowy scene). However, in cases like this, the sky is my criteria.

Now, for the last one, I chose to meter on the visible ceiling. So, I aimed my Sekonic L-208 at the area in question and used that as my measure.

From these experiences, I came to realize that the mantra above is not entirely the best. It's a useful criteria, but when push comes to shove, that is, you're there with your camera and meter in hand, the best thing to do is try to meter for the subject, or the subject area of interest in the frame.

Sure, I had done this in the past, not as often as I'd like, but it only became very obvious when I got my Leica M5 bodies. With these cameras, given their metering design, you are far better off metering on your subject than on anything else. Even the manual says so!

Good that we can apply the same principle of a lot of our work.

Coming soon... using the Leica M5.

Xmasy Winter Photographs

Some photographs of Chicago, through the eye of my black M5 with a Nokton 35mm f1.4 on Fuji and Kodak ISO 400 color film.

Near the Art Institute of Chicago

German Christmas Market

Streetwise Newspaper vendor, in front of the Art Institute.

There are more to come... while I scan some slides made with my M4-2. After all, that's the camera for which I started this blog.

Of course, I must confess and inform that I am currently expecting delivery of a new family member, pictured below...

Rear view...

Front view...

Of course, the photos are not mine, but rather courtesy of Don Tamarkin, of Tamarkin Camera, who kindly send them to me before sending the actual camera. I don't know when it'll come, but the payment was already sent. Of course, I'm trying to get busy, so I don't fret and get jonesing about it.

Colorful or not? Street shots

Color and black and white for street shots. Kosher or sacrilege? These are mostly streetscapes, so there may be something to say about their not being "street" but then... Take a look.

Isolation, or poor frozen bike (M5, Nokton 35 f1.4 on Kodak Plus, at f1.4, 1/125.

Corner with light and snow. Same gear as above, and almost identical EV, but on Kodak BW400CN.

Chair-Line by the Water Tower, on Michigan Avenue. Same rig, lens slightly closed (probably at f2.8) and a nice shutterspeed (like 1/250).

Why is it I remember all this? Simply because the M5 requires me to pre-meter, almost as if I had a meterless body, so that in the final adjustment I know what changes I'm making instead of turning madly the shutterspeed dial or the aperture ring.

Any preference? Let me know!

The reason I picked a Leica

Here they are, some photographs from a trip to Cartagena in August 2003. They turned out to be good enough (and my wife praised them so much) that I decided it was time to get a Leica camera. I earned it. They were all made with my old Canonet G-III QL17 and color slide film (except for the B&W, which are in Scala). See for yourself...

Couple in the Cartagena walls (which circle the city).

The street that follows Plaza Santo Domingo, in 2003. It's changed a little ever since...

I cannot recall the name of this street, but I think it leads to the Plaza Rodríguez de Madrid, in the San Diego neighborhood of Cartagena.

I still have my Canonet. Selling it would be out of the question. It's been resting for a while, without a battery, and I don't know exactly when I'll pick it up again. But it took going to a town that was in the middle of its summer, and it reacted remarkably well to all the abrupt temperature changes I subjected it to. After buying my Leicas I still used it a couple of times... but never later. Probably it's about time to dust it off and take it for a walk.

Next time I may have some recent scans from a nice slide roll used in my M4-2.

What if I had done these with a digital camera?

I have traveled all over the place with my Leicas. Here's some evidence, mostly produced with my M6TTL bodies and my trustworthy Hexanon or my newfangled Summilux, both 35mm.

In Amsterdam, I managed to capture these three men, not too far from a busy, commercial area. The whispering queen (M6TTL) did its job and they remained unfazed, in an image that strikes me as representative of urban solitude.

The fleamarket near the North Church (I don't dare write the name in Dutch as I cannot recall it well), with lots of vendors offering their wares.

Here, with my 28mm Elmarit and Scala film, I photographed the sign just because it made me chuckle. I don't quite know why... but the "Welcome seafood" made me think of a cook beckoning lobsters and crabs into a kitchen, while hiding behind the back a large stash of pots and pans.

In Dresden, my favorite German town, we arrived one time right before dusk. Walking down the Elba river after crossing the bridge, we were treated to this sight. I can imagine what a digital P&S would have done with this image: "rectify" the colors on the stone walls (!!!), and fix that terrible sky.

Then, there's the issue with the sun in this image below, with the backlit rider, the yellow sky and the dark foreground...

Now, what would have happened to the photograph below? Probably nothing, as digital gizmos are notably efficient at registering night images. I wonder why, actually... It was good that I was using a Leica M6TTL and my Summilux for some of these photographs, and good old Provia ISO 400.

I will return soon, with further images from the M4-2 on slide film.