Toledo Medieval Fest, June 2014

These images from Toledo (some sections and one of the June Medieval Festivals) are brought to you by:

My Leica M4-2,
My Konica Hexanon 35mm f2
My Leica Summicron 90mm f2 
My film stock Kodak BW400CN ISO 400

But enough with the technical babble.  Here's the goods!

This is the surviving mosque in Toledo, now a museum. 

View of Toledo, from a street that goes down to the Puerta Bisagra (Bisagra gate). 

The arches under which one walks to exit the city through the Bisagra gate.  This one leads to a small courtyard in which there's a statue of Alfonso VI (I believe). 

This very jovial man serves up churros and chocolate in the Kiosko Katalino, right outside the walled city, across from Puerta de Bisagra. 

Festival Medieval, in the beautiful park right across from the Puerta Bisagra. 

Band of musicians performing during the "Festival Medieval." 

This lady was not only the juggler and stilt-walker but also their gymnast/entertainer. 

The banners all over the place.  I thought they offered a nice abstract... and at the same time expressed very well the spirit of the celebration. 

Artisan/vendor at work. In fact, I bought a nice piece of jewelry from him... using a credit card!

So, these are memories of a town to which I'll return in the summer of 2016 (and I intend to make it happen), when I take another group of students to Toledo, with my university.  This time, I know what to expect, and not only will I take my Leica with again, but will probably pack my Summicron 50mm, just to see what happens.  In the meanwhile, I'll go back to my routine, but will return to look at these images (and others that I'll post later), and hope that you get interested in going there too. 

So long!

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!

Posting Images

Some images from the recent past. 

Some day in September 2014, Edmund, my son, and I, managed to catch a rehearsal of the Huskies Band in front of the NIU Art Building. 

We were on our way to the NIU lagoon when we saw them arrive to the lawn in front of the Art Building.  There's Edmund watching them go by.

The big drums pay attention to the conductor's instructions.

Big brass is always fun to photograph.  Here, I metered on the tuba, but opened one stop to compensate for the brightness of the sky.

The conductor leading the band.  It was a beautiful, sunny day, and quite agreeable in terms of temperature.  Here ended my roll (this is exposure 35, I think), and I think it was a good end to it. 

Of course, the camera was my M4-2, and the film was Kodak chromogenic BW400CN, recently discontinued. 

Shameless Plug

I'm talking about the stuff I use, that helps me do what I do, at least when it comes to photography.  Hence, I'm going to plug (shamelessly) some products, with the only authority I have, which is that I own them. 

First, my cameras.  But then, if you're reading this post, you're in the choir and there's no need to convert you. 

Second, my film.

I used (and still use what's left of it) Agfa stuff.  I liked it because I found the tonal range quite satisfactory, the grain was extremely fine, and it allowed me to push it even three stops (and I did this a few times).  When Agfa folded, then I bought the Arista II stuff, which was supposed to be leftovers from the big red-and-blue German A.  But all good things had to come to an end, and Agfa-Arista flew off the shelves...  That was bad...

So, I switched back to the manufacturer that got me started: Ilford.  Since I was looking for a fast type, I picked HP5 to try.  It wasn't bad...  Comparable to the Agfa-Arista in my eyes, just a tad less... something (like less contrasty, but then, developing also has to do with that).  I chose to stick to it, given that APX was history.  

That was fun, I'll say.  Shortly after all the lamentations and regrets were old news, I found something out: my idol of silver emulsion has feet of clay because it curves like an art nouveau design.  By that I mean that after developing, while drying, it won't remain flat, it picks a very curvy profile.  I remember having scanned some negs years ago, with an HP scanner I used to have, and got some very nice photographs that were simply unprintable because of all the Newton rings on them.  Now, after being forced to choose the home developing route, I wasn't feeling like dealing with more of those nasty things again...  But what to do then?

Find out...

So, I scanned a small batch of Arista-Agfa that I had developed some time ago.  Not even after being in the negative storage leaves had they learned the lesson... They were just as curved as... as curves.  However, I followed the directions in my Epson V500 (yes, I know, old model) and, voilà!  There we are: nice scans, without Newton rings.

So, here's where I finish plugging my (unavailable) film, to promote my scanner.  Sure, it's old, and according to the ScanDig site, a relatively modest machine.  But this humble scanner worked on my curvy negs and gave me nice images in return, so, praise the Lord and thank him for Epson film scanners, even if they're old!

But in the end, the film story takes an unexpected turn.  Remember how my favorite film had this undesired curve profile?  And how afraid I was about scanning because it would give me artifacts?  Guess what about the replacement stuff, the HP5?

It won't curve...

I checked and double checked some 24 hours ago.  The sleeved negatives in Agfa-Arista look like they were molded that way, while the ones from Ilford stock aren't that bent.  In fact, some are nicely flat.  Well, to me those are good news, and that also means that Ilford films deserve a nice plug here, there and everywhere.  What else can I expect?  They're not terribly grainy, and they have a nice range... and, it seems to me, they can be push-processed also...  Heck, looks to me I'm going to stock fairly nice amounts of HP5. 

Also, since I'd like to use a lens that would allow my fast glass to show some OOF areas under daytime light, I'll see to pick some FP4, ISO 125 film.  I know it won't curve, and it'll be nice to scan it in my V500. 

So, right now, I'm a happy guy, ready to continue developing and scanning film.  There's a huge backlog, but now I know there's an end to it. 

PS.  All the photographs above were made, like the ones in the previous post, with my M4-2, a Zeiss Biogon lens, and finally curved Arista II film.  The meter I used was a Sekonic L-208.  Location?  Sure: Madison, WI, on early October 2014.  

Home developed and scanned

My experiment on independence finally came to fruition.  

In October 2014 I went to a conference in Madison, WI, and took with my M4-2, and a newly acquired Zeiss Biogon 35mm f2, with lots of Arista film.  I developed the film later that month, and had to deal with the ugly curving that results from lack of humidity in the bathroom where it dries.  Then, I had to overcome my reluctance to scan (bad experience with Newton rings with a previous scanner).  However, I had to face my demons and scanned a few frames... and here's the results.

The night I arrived I went for a walk, looking for a place to have dinner.  Found it in this old establishment on State St, called... yes, State Street Brats (1/30, f2.8 on ISO 400 film).

For my last day of the conference, I walked all the way to the Capitol and decided to perambulate the area.  When I looked up, the intense blue sky, architecture and curvy lamp post hit me... and decided to hit back (1/1000, f5.6). 

Part of the charm of Madison is the Saturday Farmer's Market, for which people of all walks, colors and persuasions congregate around food, strolls and street shows.  Here are some musicians setting up shop not too far from the capitol (1/1000, f5.6-8)

I've been scanning some more film, so you'll get to see other photographs, in luminous black-and-white, from my M4-2 with the Zeiss or Konica 35mm, and from my M4-P with the CV 28mm f2 I got earlier in 2014. 
 

Made in Spain

This summer of 2014 I was in Spain, family and all, with a group of undergraduate students from my university.  Needless to say, I took a film body.  Again, needless to say, it was not any other Leica but the one this blog was started for: my M4-2 (and its inseparable companion, the Hexanon 35mm f2 lens). 

Here are some of the results from Madrid.

Plaza Mayor, weekly market

Custom-Made Poem, made by artist at the famous El Rastro, in Madrid.

Antique vendor in El Rastro

I just liked the textures under the intense sun in Madrid.

The lady on the bicycle saw me prefocus from a distance and smiled.

Plaza Isabel II at night (I think this was done with the lens wide open and at 1/50th or 1/30th of a second).

Light in Spain offers never ending opportunities.  Here's what I saw in Toledo during my stay.

Light leaking from a corner...

Light drawing boundaries between wall and ground.

The few times it seems to be uniform or even, one has to move fast...

It also creates beautiful effects... every day.

And I learned that nothing says "light" louder than pleasant shadows.

And nothing says weird better than shadows too!

A farewell to Toledo: night in the Plaza de Zocodover.

So, even though I'm slightly dissappointed (frankly, I expected better from myself), all in all, it could have been worse.  I learned something from this: not to repeat myself.  I don't know how many times I took the same photograph (the canopy over the street), but then... it's such a pleasant experience to do it that I may end up doing it again... and you, my brethren, my reader, will be glad to waive your finger at me and say "I told you so..."

Until then, thanks for your patience and have a very merry Christmas!

New Friend

New friend, just joined the ranks.  It's a Leica M2, anodized black (it was made in chrome silver), and in a more or less good shape.

The top looks a bit chipped.  I have repaired some of the finish with a permanent black marker, but this camera will definitely need a better, professional black paint job.

Here is the front; notice the two small screws next to the viewfinder window.  They're not original of the camera.  Let's hope it's not a banged up job of rangefinder replacement or some such thing...

By the way, these photos are not mine; the seller, Ken Hansen, took them and used them in the eBay auction in which I bid and won this camera. 

However, the camera isn't too bad of a picture taker.  I put a nice Zeiss Biogon 35mm lens on it, and then loaded it with some B&W film (which I haven't developed yet).  Later, I also used some color film with it, and here are some of the results.

Violin practice: part of our daily routine here in DeKalb.

My in-laws backyard.

The Chicago Apollo Choir, singing in front of the Art Institute, right after Thanksgiving.

Skater at Millennium Park (prefocused shot, exposure at 1/250, f4, on ISO 400 Kodak color film)

For the moment, I've yet to scan some of my film "production."  I just don't feel like scanning... because I'm afraid it's going to take forever and I won't be happy with the process or the results.  But I must try, sooner or later, and it's not like I don't have negatives...

Some time soon, this camera will leave for the Leica Spa in Oregon, WI, with Don Goldberg.  I want him to repair it or at least check it before I send it to Youxin Ye in March 2015, for its paint job.  In the meanwhile, I'll keep you guys posted!