Trip down memory lane: Occupy Wall Street in Chicago, 2011

A few weeks ago I sent some undeveloped rolls of film to the lab (in case you care, it's The Darkroom, in CA), and when I looked at the scans I found a little surprise.

It turns out that in October or November 2011 we spent a weekend in Chicago.  Of course, I took with one of my Leicas, the one that got out the least, a nice M3.  However, I also included (just for the heck of it) my then newly acquired Canon 50mm f1.2.  After a Saturday of sights and meals and visiting Central Camera in Wabash St., my wife and son wanted to take a rest, but I went out for a walk.

This is what I came back with, stored in a roll of Arista II ISO 400.  Of course, the first image is the interior of Central Camera back then (it hasn't changed much, but then, I haven't been there for some time).

Central Camera in Chicago.

Occupy Wall Street protesters in Chicago's LaSalle St.

 

 

Protesters holding signs.

 

Holding out for Free Speech!

Protesters on the ground.

Couple with sign.

Protester with flag

All these folks were congregated around the LaSalle street area, which is still the financial center in the Loop. But their activities were largely pacific; they weren't vociferous or even loud.  Besides, it was late in the evening.  The lens helped, though, and it was interesting to shoot with shutterspeeds as fast as 1/125 wide open. 

Are we back where we started?  Will it get worse?  At this point there have been far more demonstrations (and for different reasons) than after Obama's inauguration in 2008.  The passage of time is very evident now... even in this blog!  But we'll hang in there, because life is too beautiful to ignore it, and photography still offers an outlet when everything else fails.

Leica M4-P

Even though it can be considered just another variation of the M4 model (along with the M4-2), the M4-P precedes the M6 (second metered Leica) by just a few years.  It was issued in 1980, and its appeal came from the fact that it included the framelines for a 28mm lens.  Previous bodies didn't have this feature, and photographers had to use external viewfinders in order to compose and frame photographs when using this particular focal length.

I bought one copy off the auction site for an incredibly affordable price because the seller erred on the side of sincerity, and the camera didn't sound too appealing to those not willing to compromise.  When it came, I was surprised at how well taken care it was.  Shortly afterwards I got another 28mm lens (mentioned below), and set out to shoot away.  Here are some results.

Corner of Wabash and Wells Streets, Chicago.  Lines... all over...

Corner of more lines, down Washington St (right past Wells).

Lamps inside the Chicago Lyric Opera. 

Then, we have these ones:

Aprés l'opera...

Shadows and bicycles in campus.

The Kishwaukee tree. 

I am fully aware that these are not breathtaking views, but they were all done with my M4-P and an Ultron 28mm f2.  I think these two are made for each other... even though very recently I split them.  Why?  I have a star-of-the-show Elmarit 28mm f2.8 eternally attached to one of my M6TTL bodies (which haven't seen much action ever since I got my unmetered ones), so it went to the M4-P.  I haven't exposed any film with this combination, but we'll find a way soon.  In the meanwhile, all for the sake of sharing images here instead of using any social media, have a ball looking at these ones and stay put.  I may have some surprise around the corner. 

A wider perspective

Sometimes it's easy to forget things... like other lenses.  So, this post is meant to remember them.  In this case, a nice, wide and fast lens I happen to have: a Voigtländer Ultron 28mm f2.  I had it with me on February 2014, when I went to Chicago and made these images with my Leica M4-2 and this lens. 

The first image is "The Zebra Zone."  A man crossing the street on Wabash Avenue, followed by "Under the L" (also in Wabash).  Then comes "The Downward Spiral," a photograph inside the Chicago Cultural Center, of the staircase near their main exhibition hall.  At the end, "Benches Horizon," a man sitting in the row of benches close to the walkway that goes from Millennium Park to the Art Institute of Chicago. 

Is there a substantial difference between a 28 and a 35?  I tend to shoot with the latter, it simply comes natural to me.  About 10 years ago I acquired a 28mm Elmarit, and used it occasionally when I went on trips, but never quite bonded with it.  When I got this one (which I really didn't need, but wanted a companion for an M4-P I purchased some time ago), I decided to challenge myself and "learn" to see the world through a wider perspective.  I think I managed to succeed... but only because I learned to get closer.  That's the odd quality of this focal length: at the same time you can get closer to your subjects, it still gives a lot of foreground and perspective.  In short, a "wider" closeness...  Strange?  Sure, it is, but you'll have to allow it this time. 

To think I was wearing a heavy coat when I took these photographs...

Coming soon, photos made with my M4-P.  And also coming soon: the arrival of a new Leica M4, and the return of the prodigal Leica M2, this time in black paint.  Of course, what really matters is the photographs one can make with tools like this one (taken by the seller of the camera):

See you soon!

Corners

I am not gone again, taking an three-year leave...  I'm actually busy developing film that I exposed in all of my Leicas.  I have run a number of rolls through my Ilfosol soup, but haven't scanned any yet because all the negatives are terribly curved. 

All in all, I didn't want to neglect this blog for long, so, given the response to the tilted framing question, here goes one more: let's do corners.  Here are some that I like, all made with my M4-2 and Konica Hexanon 35mm f2.

Ellwood Mansion's roof meets the blue skies of DeKalb.

Street near the main square in Woodstock, IL.

Funky mailbox at home in Prospect Street, DeKalb.

Chevrolet 1952 that used to be parked in front of a house in Lacas Street, DeKalb.  Its driveway mate was another Chevy '52, identical color and model, with the licence plate L17 9487. 

Stairs inside the Art Institute main entrance. 

And, speaking of entrances, here's a quinceañera, being photographed right in front of the Art Institute entrance on Michigan Avenue, Chicago. 

These are all corners, in one way or another.  Corners are meeting points, spaces of confluence, something begins and something ends in corners; hence the roof lines (all straight) against the capricious, irregular pattern of the clouds, the corner at the end of the tilted street view in Woodstock, which is not the same corner (but a corner nonetheless) as the one with the pot mailbox.  These corners led me to think about corners of things, like the Chevy corner, made in 1952 and never driven again after some point.  Then, what do we make of all the corners in the stairs inside the Art Institute, or the corner turned by the girl who just turned 15, who is "cornered" by the photographer into posing strangely sensual, next to a lamp post?

What do you think?

Possibly more corners next time... that, or some camera porn! 

Tilted frame

Even if I have a 35mm eternally attached to most of my camera bodies (my two M5s have it, and so do my M4 and M4-2, and one of my M6TTL), not always am I able to "take it all" in the frame.  Some times I have the need to tilt the camera in order to capture what I want within the frame.

All these photographs were made with my Konica Hexanon lens, with the exception of the 4th and 5th, in which I used a Voigtlander Ultron 28mm f2.
I do like the tilting of the frame; to me, it shows a slightly different view, less conventional, a bit quirky.  Hence, I do it often, and sometimes even in vertical.  If I find the ones I have in mind, I'll post them.  In the meanwhile, let me know if you have done this, when and why.

Film crisis

Some early work with the M4-2...  All of them were made in Chicago, on December 2012, on Kodak BW400CN film, now discontinued, and with my Konica Hexanon 35mm lens. 

And this circumstance throws me the proverbial wrench; I had not bothered to develop and scan film for the longest time because of the existence of chromogenic film and thanks to 1-hour developing.  Why would anyone get in trouble developing when they do it at the drug store?

Well... Not only Kodak stopped making this film, but also my local drug store stopped working on film.  Sure, they will send the occasional roll out, but won't return the negatives and that's not what I want.  Hence, I was forced to return to my developing days, and I placed an order for Ilfosol 3, Ilford quick fix, Heico wash aid... and some Agfa APX stuff (yep, it's still around at B&H).  Let's see how things work out.  Looks like I'm going to spend a nice winter, developing and scanning some of my backlog.  

In the meanwhile, here are some images from a trip to the big city... 

Next time, framing, tilting, composition... What's your take?

How did I learn to like the 50mm lens?

The answer is easy: when I had to pair it with a new body: an M4.

I was interested in playing with a Leica M4, but the real one, the one that came out before the M4-2.  I was lucky to find one in decent shape... but didn't have the cash for another 35mm lens (which is my favorite focal length), so I took out the bag my very underused 50mm Summicron and attached it to this new body.

It was a revelation...

Here's the proof:

This is Washington Street, in Naperville, at Christmas time (1/60th, f2)

My son on a Santa Claus lap (1/15th, f2).  He got some candy...

This is Washington Street, but in Chicago (1/60th, f2)

Art Institute lion, from Chicago (1/1000th, f8-11)

I must admit now that this same M4 body has been equipped with a nice Zeiss 35mm f2 lens (in silver), and that I fell for another Zeiss lens of the same type but in black, currently attached to my M4-2.  The Summicron will return to the M4, of course.  I learned to like it, but right now... I'm having second helpings and indulging in my use of the 35mm focal length.

What's your favorite focal length?  Do you feel that it's the only creative avenue for you?  Have you "forced" yourself to use something different... just to stretch your creative muscle?

Sound off in the comments!

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!

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!