Leica M3, Canon 5cm f/1.5 Sonnar, Kodak BW400CN

f/2 @ 1/80, natural light

And one more …

I think both of these came out quite lovely, and the slight sepia gives them a little extra warmth.  I’ll post the straight B&W next

for comparison.  As usual, the Canon Sonnar lens really sings.  It excels at drawing people at wide apertures, there’s

warmth, smoothness and character to spare.  Foreground to background separation, pleasing bokeh and just enough sharpness

but no bite.  And of course the M3 maximizes the 50mm lens: it has the best viewfinder and focusing patch, is small, quiet and discreet

and puts the subject at ease.  After poking the giant gripped 5D and 24-70 (with hood) in Jill’s face all afternoon I’m sure she felt more than a little relief

when I put it away and picked up the Leica.  It’s like shooting an Olympic target match pistol.  The 5D is closer to a riot shotgun, about as heavy and just

as subtle.

Leica M3, Canon 5cm Sonnar f/1.5,  Kodak BW400CN

f/4, 1/100

I chose another film shot for the sendoff.  I’m fairly well chuffed about the whole thing, as our friends the Brits would say.  I’m looking forward to the next session for sure.

The links to the galleries

- Film B&W

- Digital B&W

- Digital color

And even free stuff!

link

Leica M3, Canon 5cm Sonnar f/1.5,  Kodak BW400CN

f/4, 1/100

Rosemary and Brienna graciously came by last weekend to have their portraits done.  They join Chi Chi and Naomi as chapter two of the Mothers and Daughters series.  Like the first shoot, I shot with both the Mark II and the Leica.  After reviewing the shots I fear I have an abundance of material to work with, in both formats no less.  Of course, I make sure to choose models that mask my deficiencies of talent well; the better part of looking good is choosing good looking people to surround yourself with : )  There should be plenty more to share, I hope Rosemary and her family like them too.

Chris

Leica M3, Canon 5cm f/1.5 Sonnar, Kodak BW400CN

f/4 @ 1/60

This was taken as part of the “Mothers and Daughters” series.  Done by window light with a simple black background.  I would like to add a large piece of white foam core to the setup to open up a little of the shadows, but overall I was quite pleased.  When my M3 gets back from it’s CLA I’ll set up the next sitting and try again.

Full series here

link

Olympus XA, Kodak BW400CN

Ava Rae swinging like the big kids do. She’s fast approaching two years old and it’s getting harder and harder to think of her as a baby.

I finished up Chi Chi and Naomi’s shoot from last weekend.  You can see the full galleries here at my client site.

Part of the purpose of this project is to compare the two formats in terms of lighting, shooting dynamics, workflow and image processing.  The early conclusions are that digital is faster and the files have more latitude in image processing but that I really am drawn to the film look.  Film takes longer to develop and scan but the image takes less processing when the light is right.  With digital I can crop harder, change ISO and manipulate and fine tune multiple speedlights on the fly (with eTTL metering to boot).  But all of that comes at the cost of weight and bulk.  I keep my kit as pared down as possible but it’s still a lot of equipment.   With film I’d just rather not deal with all of that.  The M3 is smaller and lighter.  Rangefinder lenses are smaller and lighter.  Two or three rolls of film fit in a shirt pocket and that’s it.  And when you nail a shot it’s gold.  I’m encouraged to keep going and see where it leads.

Digital:

• Canon 1D Mk II, Canon 24-70, ISO 400, F/4 @ 1/125

Film:

• Top – Leica M3, KM 9cm Hexanon-M, Kodak BW400CN, F/4 @ 1/60
• Bottom – Leica M3, Canon 5cm Sonnar F/1.5, Kodak BW400CN, F/4, 1/60

Little Ava Rae hanging close to mom. She’s a solid hugger and she’s getting to be pretty nimble on her feet. I think this is two weeks of continuous walking, I don’t think we’re going back from here : )