Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. I'll spend it being on my best behavior. So here's one for you....

 I think I have posted this for nearly every Valentine's Day since the blog has been around. That's a long time. For some reason it's always been one of my favorite photographs. 

There was a huge, used bookstore called, Brock's Books, on Commerce Street in San Antonio, Texas. One afternoon in the 1980s I was walking through the downtown area taking random images with a rickety old Nikon film camera and an ancient 28mm f3.5 Nikon lens. A lens from before Leica invented the first workable autofocusing technology. A lens that pre-dated program automation in cameras. 

The camera was loaded with some kind of E-6 slide film. The bookstore always had "giveaway" books in a cardboard box out in front of the shop. This is exactly how it was when I saw it. I liked including my high tops. Proof that we had em something like 45 years ago. I snapped one frame and moved on. 

When I ask Austinites if they have a favorite photo of mine they always list two. One of Governor Ann Richards in a gray cowboy hat holding a big bouquet of yellow roses, and this image above. Some stuff is more or less universal.

I'm thinking this was taken in 1982 or 1983. Years later I went back to see the bookstore again but it had long since been closed and replaced by some chain restaurant or some other tragic and more temporary business. 

I think it's important and wonderful to be in love. Everyone should try it.

Photos from several walks. Captions where necessary.

This is a new sign that popped up this week on a storefront on S. Congress Ave. 

There's still paper over the windows and no other information. Could be anything. 

Pretty sure whatever business it is it won't be aimed toward the geriatric 

demographic. Maybe a central Texas surf shop? Or just another THC store?

A group of young film makers interviewing people at random on S. Congress Ave. 

intersected with a group of people who were following along a corporate mascot

giving people free red roses and wishing them a Happy Valentine's Day. 

All very sweet. 

Ancient photo from a color slide. The scene is a Latina fashion show

from San Antonio. Circa 1990. Grabbing stage shots for the AV company 

that did the lighting and sound. 

Maufrais is an endless source of hat inspiration. As I have more and more

chances to visit my dermatologist I am liking the idea of hats more and more.

And, as a photographer, I like hats that have a lot of texture.

They photograph better in black and white. 

This image is NOT from a dedicated monochrome camera but I 

like it just as if it was. 

Unknown artifacts at a street vendor's display.

Skinny depth of field. 

The mannequin representative approved of the Carl Zeiss 85mm f4 ZM lens.

I was allowed to shoot the first three songs...

I must have liked the ZM 85 because I used it all day long one day. 

Mounted on an SL or an SL2.

The residual result of boredom and a stroll in a light rain in the early night time. 

On S. Congress Avenue. Armed only with a Leica M240 rangefinder and a

Thypoch 50mm f1.4 Simera lens. NOT from a dedicated, monochrome

camera but yes, from a regular, boring, mundane M240. 

Same as above.

One more experimental go with the ZM 85mm f4. 

If I remember correctly this shot was done on an M240, 

assisted by an EV-2 EVF. No frame lines in camera

for the 85. You could use the 90mm frame lines but I'd 

know I was cheating. 

That's all I know.  Today. Gallery Opening this evening. Pasta for dinner. Swim practice in the morning. Flower shopping after swim practice. And, yes, I cleaned the bathrooms. Hey, after all, tomorrow is Valentine's Day. 

 

I'm almost always concerned about getting the color right. Not necessarily "accurate" but subjectively right. It has to make me happy.

Two more images from this afternoon. The top one is the bottom of the small swimming pool at the Hotel San José. The bottom one is a detail from the courtyard at the Austin Motel. In both of them I think the color is just right. Not accurate, but just right. 

Again: Leica SL (the original, professional, mirrorless camera) coupled with a well regarded zoom lens from the R camera era. It's the 35-70mm f4.0 R. It's lovely. I wish I were faster at focusing it. But what would be the fun in letting a camera do everything for you? Right?