As I was walking down the street in Rothenburg Germany I asked these girls by pointing to my camera if I could take their photo. They all blushed and shook their heads. Rothenburg is a gorgeous medieval town, I’m ready to go back. What a beautiful city.
Tag: Leica M240
Morning Shadows
Morning Shadow, Idaho, 2017
The Traveler
The Traveler – Grand Central Station, NYC, 2017⠀
NYC Commuter
NYC Commuter
Commuter deep in thought as he works his way through Grand Central Station in New York City.
Be Kind to each other
Please be kind to each other.
Eclipse 2017
Taken during the great Eclipse of 2017. The oil spot on the pavement is pretty close to what I saw through my glasses of the eclipse in Utah.
The Portrait
I don’t get the opportunity to work with high school seniors these days like I used to. I’m hoping to get back into it soon. I love the one-on-one experience and the opportunity for me to be somewhat creative. I love this moment where there was a brief pause as we were waiting for the rain to stop. It gave me the opportunity to capture a relaxed moment. I love the texture of her hair and the glimpse of her smile. To me this adds a bit of mystery to the image.
Hawaii Sunset
This would have been just a typical Hawaiian Sunset but just at the right time this family launched their boats and paddled off right in front of us. I overheard people complaining that they ruined their “perfect sunset” but for me I was excited and captured them at this moment just before the sun disappeared. Look for the opportunities to add a human element to a photograph to give it more impact and meaning.
The Upper Hand
This was another favorite image from watching a group of men arm wrestling this past weekend. The man on the left would take each match by dropping to his knees and over powering his opponent winning the match in seconds.
Dedication
I enjoyed watching these men arm wrestle and try all sorts of techniques to get the upper hand. The man on the right was quite a bit shorter and tried to get all the leverage he could by using the table. After they went back and forth several times he ended up winning the match
A Quiet Moment
I have all the touristy pictures from Paris that everyone captures while they are there from previous trips. This time while I was in Paris I wanted to capture something unique but still recognize it was in Paris. My wife and I had just climbed the stairs to the top of the Eiffel tower and was walking to a night bike tour we signed up for. I saw this pregnant woman sitting on the bench by herself enjoying a good book with the Eiffel tower as a backdrop, It was exactly what I wanted.
I now have this framed in my office and still enjoy looking at it every day. My only regret was that I didn’t offer to send her a copy. I’m sure she would have loved to remember this moment. Her child is probably close to a year and a half by now.
From the Window – Wyoming
I’ve started a new project called “From the Window”. Living in the American west we spend a lot of time in our vehicles rather than walking or biking like most large cities or in European countries. With my kids getting older I’m now able to let them drive so I can enjoy the scenery and document what I see.
This image was taken a few days ago while driving through Wyoming for our spring break.
Time Capsule
I began my photography journey while working in San Francisco about ten years ago. I enjoy going back to revisit familiar places and find new adventures.
I like how the man in the back is looking over my right shoulder. If he were looking towards the front like the rest of the people this image wouldn’t be interesting to me.
Colors – New York
Taken on a recent trip to New York. I really like how the yellow and red colors pop in this image.
Mona Lisa
Louvre Museum, Paris 2015
Carnegie Deli
This landmark deli has been open since 1937 and will be closing their doors this December. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try out their famous pastrami sandwich while visiting Manhattan last month. Best pastrami sandwich I’ve ever had.
Venice – Slice of Light
Today’s configuration: Leica M(240) with Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f1.4
Venice is one of my favorite places to photograph. I spent a few days there last year and would love to go back for a week or two next time. This was taken early in the morning as the locals were heading to work and school. The shaft of light was gorgeous and I had to document what I saw.
Street Photography – Salt Lake City Utah
Today’s configuration: Leica M(240) with Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f1.4
I ventured out with fellow photographer Shaun this past weekend for a little street shooting in downtown Salt Lake City Utah. We’ve hit a bit of a warm spell so it was nice to get out of our winter hibernation and enjoy the city. I’m starting to like this type of photography and will be venturing out more in the coming months when I have time. It’s no wonder many of the street shooters use a Leica camera. I setup my camera to use hyperfocal distance focusing which allowed me to just concentrate on composition. Street photography is harder than I thought, these images are not that great but I thought I would at least share a few that I liked. The image above is my favorite from the evening.
Winter Scenes from Wyoming
We decided to spend New Years at the cabin this year in Wyoming. When we arrived it was -20 Fahrenheit, so we spent most of the time indoors but were able to get out in the afternoons to enjoy some fresh air. My favorite time to shoot is just before sunset so I stopped at a few places in Thayne and Afton of places that caught my eye.
Today’s configuration: Leica M(240) with a Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f1.4
Golden Spike National Historic Site
During the holidays I was able to take some time to go visit the Golden Spike National Historic Site. It’s about an hour drive from my house and is located in the middle of nowhere Utah. It was a cold, cloudy & snowy day but well worth the time to make the trip out there. I won’t get into detail what the place is but it’s where the Central Pacific Railroad met up with the Union Pacific Railroad in 1869 to complete the first trans continental railroad across the United States. The conductor would drive the train down the tracks then back again to give the spectators a show. I was able to capture some audio of the train as it went down the line and then returned.
That's a Wrap
I made it a goal this year to document the small things around me where I live. As I’ve looked through the few photos that exist from my childhood I’m interested not only people but the “things” in the picture. They probably don’t mean much to most people but I think my kids and grandkids will be interested one day. My wife has started her 2-3 day marathon of transforming our house back to the pre-holiday state. She loves the holidays and this is just a portion of what is being put back into storage for 10 months before it starts over again.
Welcome 2016 (leap year)
Today’s configuration: Leica M(240) with a Summicron 50mm lens
December has been a month of self reflection for me. I have made quite a few changes with my photography journey the last 12 months
The first change was to give up Facebook. I deleted the app from my phone a few months ago for a month and didn’t miss a thing. I noticed that my feed contained about 80% garbage and 20% worthwhile stuff. I decided that it’s not worth it for me to wade through the 80% garbage to get to the good stuff. I don’t have time for that anymore.
The second thing I did was I made a major investment in film photography. My first purchase was a medium format Yashica Mat 124G TLR in mint condition. I love medium format film and this move made sense for me. I love using a TLR, it slows me down and makes me think about what I’m doing. I also purchased a another Leica camera. This time a Leia M6 TTL in mint condition. It was manufactured in 2001 and is a beautiful camera. I’ve shot a few rolls through it and I’m still getting used to it but I have to say it’s a beautiful camera.
The third thing I’m curently working on is selling off all my Canon gear, all of it. It sits on my shelf collecting dust and doesn’t make sense for me to keep. I’m also selling all my other gear that I no longer use. I recently sold my Sony RX100 MII, it was a beautiful camera but wasn’t used enough to justify keeping it.
Who knows what will happen this year. I want to spend less time online and more quality time with my family.
-thanks for stopping by
Merry Christmas 2015
Today’s configuration: Leica M(240) with a Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f1.4
Merry Christmas from the Smith family, we were very blessed this year.
Dispatch from the Road
Somewhere in Idaho
A day at the skate park
I took out a new(used) camera out Saturday(which I will write about later) and ran into these guys at the skate park and wanted to try out some zone focussing on my Leica M. This was my first time using this method and I have to say I really like using it. I was able to focus on my composition and not worry about messing around with the focus. I can see why street photographers prefer this method. These guys liked the attention and were more than happy to repeat some tricks for me. It was a perfect day for shooting and skating, we’ve been in a bit of a cold spell and as you can tell by the snow in the background the temperature was hovering just above freezing.
