Leica M3, 35 Summaron f/2.8, Kodak Portra400NC

and a few more …

So I’m a sucker for that backlit, windblown, Brigitte Bardot look – I’ll admit it.  But when you look like Ava, why not go with your best look?  It’s scary to think how beautiful she’s going to be.  All I have to do is look at Naomi to see what’s going to happen.

Some more here

Leica M3, Leitz Summaron 35 f/2.8, Kodak Portra 400 NC

f/4 @ 1/125 or so, opened up for light shade

and a few more, all with the M3 + 35 Summaron and Portra 400 NC

Leica M6, 35 CV PII, Kodak Portra400NC

1/500 @ f/8 or so

M6, 5cm Hexanon-M, Kodak Portra400NC

f/4 @ 1/100 or so, opened up quite a bit

Naomi came home from the Rice’s birthday party last weekend with the coolest face paint.  The outfit doing the paint had a very nice setup with quality brushes, sponges and paint.  It looked like a movie studio on location with big foldout makeup cases, mirrors and lots of little colored tubes of paint.  Naomi chose the butterfly design and then got it glittered for that extra touch of fanciness that pleases little girls so much.

Technical notes – This was a deliberate attempt to use a little more “contemporary” framing.  The dramatic coming-in-from-the-top view is overused but it is eye catching.  I thought the green grass behind her might complement the color in the face paint.  I have to say that I think I got pretty much what I was going for, a nice feeling.  Also, the 50 Hexanon-M shines here by giving a little more contrast, sharpness, and “pop” than the Sonnar.  I happen to think it shows nice bokeh with the open aperture as well.  And last but not least, a shout out to Portra400 NC.  Great film with great color.  I’ve been tempted to try some Ektar or Fuji Professional but with results like this it’s not worth the effort.  Shoot a few rolls of drugstore color film and then shoot Portra and there difference is clear.

Leica M3, KM 5cm f/2 Hexanon-M, Kodak Portra400NC

f/4 @ 1/250

Isaac and I always take the kids to the park on Fridays.  On this day, he brought his guitar and made a little music for the birds and flowers.  I happened to have three shots left on the roll and wouldn’t you know it but one of them turned out all right.  I think this shot shows what I’m always looking for – a signature moment when you get a glimpse of someone’s inner world.  This is where the Leica, and a good fifty, shine brightest.

Hat’s off to you my friend, thanks for letting me be there.

#1 – Flower crusher

Leica M3, KM 5cm f/2 Hexanon-M, Kodak Portra400NC

f/4 @ 1/250

#2 – Glamour twins

Leica M3, KM 5cm f/2 Hexanon-M, Kodak Portra400NC

f/4 @ 1/250

#3 – Supermodel in training

Leica M3, KM 5cm f/2 Hexanon-M, Kodak Portra400NC

f/5.6 @ 1/500

The Hexanon gives a nice, contrasty modern look – but not too modern.  It handles color and B&W equally well.  It’s light, quick to focus and looks wicked sharp in shiny black.  They call it the poor man’s Summicron but I feel like a million dollars when I mount it on the M3.  I’m always happy to shoot a few rolls with the Hexanon and then a few with the Sonnar, then a few with the Summaron, then back to the Hexanon.  Lather, rinse, repeat …

For the full set –> click here

Leica M3, KM 5cm Hexanon-M, Kodak Portra400NC

f/5.6 @ 1/250, intentionally exposed +1 stop – slightly high key and desaturated.  Not sure if it’s a look that works everywhere, but I wanted to try it out.  As usual, a good subject renders the details meaningless.

A little lag on the notice, but I’ve had a full photographic schedule lately.  A nice problem to have : )

Without further ado, here are the March and April family photos:

Main page

March 2010

• Land Park
• East Portal Park
• At the zoo
• Alyssa’s birthday
• Ava Rae
• Inside playtime
• ArtBeasties
• Little Dragon

April 2010

• Tahoe Park
• Bertha Henschel Park
• Backyard Babies

And now for something completely different …

Leica M3, KM 5cm Hexanon-M, Kodak Portra400NC

Probably f/4 @ 1/250

One downside to shooting a lot of film is the time it takes for processing.  But on the other hand, a little distance is sometimes nice.  You get to rediscover what you shot a few weeks ago and take a fresh look at it.  When I got my M3 back from the shop I decided to heat up the Canon 5cm f/1.5.  I had quite a nice run with it and my stash of Tri-X.  So then I bolt up the 50 Hexanon-M and shoot it for  a few rolls, with color no less.  Two different beasts and I’m not sure I could pick just one if I had to.  It’s a bit of an extravagance to have two fifties but since I held out on the M6 I don’t feel like denying myself unduly.  Especially when my friend, who shall remain nameless – Phil Hinson cough, cough – just bought himself a bitchin’ mountain bike.  I continue to flog my old Bianchi down the bike trail and resist the siren song of a new bike, a second M body, etc etc.  Just more film please – thanks Freestyle.

With shots like this I’m beginning to really “get” the Sonnar lens signature that everyone talks about.

Leica M3, Canon 5cm f/1.5 Sonnar, Kodak Portra400NC

f/1.5 @ 1/750 (approx)

This was shot at f/1.5 with the Canon 5cm LTM on my M3.  The day was mostly overcast with short bursts of bright sunlight; when the clouds rolled in I could open the lens up and shoot wide open.  It’s a little moody for a commercial shot or conventional kid photography but I like the look.  I did only minimal processing in Lightroom, what you see here is 95% of what the lens put on film.  In the right light the lens renders a very 3D effect with rich, muted colors.  As an added bonus, the lens is equally capable with color and B&W film.  I like it so much I just sold my Leitz 5cm Elmar f/2.8, leaving me only this 50 and my KM 5cm f/2 Hexanon-M.  I feel that I’ll survive, but with an M3 the call of the fifties is hard to resist for long : )

Naomi Skywalker and Ezekiel Solo prepare to battle it out with the forces of evil on the deck of the starship Bertha while Princess NaNa 3 watches intently from below.

I’m finding that I really like shooting with the 35 Summaron, goggles and all.  I like it so much I’ve almost got myself convinced that I need a second M body just for 35.  A black M4-P keeps calling out to me …

My tendency is to always want to get in tight but the wide angle and fixed focal length really force you to change your perspective.  In looking at a lot of older family pictures, I’ve realized that a part of what gives them their unique look is the environmental aspect – the inclusion of the wider surroundings as well as the subject.  When you see an old picture, you notice so much more than just who it is (in fact, the names of those people are more often than not lost, all that’s known or knowable is the where); you see the buildings, cars, home furnishings and the like that the shooter took for granted at the time.  It’s only with the passage of years that those environmental aspects become noteworthy.  I hope that I can be varied enough in the types of shots I frame that my girls will enjoy them as much 50 years from now to them as I do now.

M3, Kodak Portra400NC, 35 Summaron @ F/4, 1/500