The image just above is my favorite of that day. I've been watching an Irish photographer named Paul Reid make incredibly nice portraits with his small camera and its twenty-eight millimeter lens and I was inspired to go out and do the same. Intermixed of course with lots of color images of buildings, gorditas and the Alamo. Paul uses a Q2 Monochrome for a lot of his work. Or at least he did when he was making the work that I really liked. I don't have a monochrome camera but I'm pretty sure I can get a nice black and white file out of my conventional Q2 if I'm willing to pay attention to the process of both shooting and post processing the files the right way (for me).
I've always been interested in what other photographers write about so I've been catching up on essays by Bill Jay and I find that there's a lot we share, idea-wise, about getting comfortable with being uncomfortable and progressing as a photographer. I think it's symptomatic of being a photographer to spend a certain amount of time looking for the lost gold of Cortez...oops. I meant the magic camera that makes the ones who discover it much better at making riveting and exciting images that stand the ravages of time, and the changing tastes of our own civilizations. I know, intellectually, that such a camera doesn't exist. In the same way that I'm pretty sure various vitamins and supplements aren't going to stave off inevitable death, and strict diets won't do much more than make you sad and hungry. But it's human nature, I think, to never stop looking for the Fountain of Youth. Or the perfect street shooting camera.
One of the things that Bill Jay and I agree on is the almost certain reality that you get better by doing whatever it is you want to do as frequently and with as much excitement as you can muster. Sitting at home reading about the Zone System or delving into arcane recipes for film development will only get one so far. Or not far at all. What really counts is being in a place, physically and mentally, where there is the potential for making photographs. Situations that provide the motivation to bring the camera up to your eye and nail the composition and all the other good stuff that makes photos sing. Sitting at home reading about photography is different than navigating the pavement and seeing actual stuff that you can actually photograph --- and maybe share with other people.
There are some things that help get me out the door. Even on days when I'm inclined to lay around in bed and have servants bring me various coffee drinks and freshly baked pastries. One of those things is the realization that I have no servants and if I want a hot beverage or a snack I'd better crawl out of bed and get my ass in gear. Coffee is a big help when it comes to getting out to shoot. Not because coffee is good or bad but it is a ritual and a time honored way to start the day. The caffeine is a big help for those who require an extra push towards the door. Any additional momentum is welcome.
Just the right pair of shoes is an important part of street photography. Oh heck, good shoes are an important part of just about anything. And as I get older it seems that good shoes are ever more important. Those pads on the bottoms of my feet aren't getting any thicker.... You need light and airy shoes for hot days, good, enclosed hiking shoes for temperate days and probably a pair of insulated boots for those times when the temperature refuses to rise about the level required to keep frozen foods frozen. I'd recommend some brands and models of shoes but I've found that everyone's feet/taste/budgets are wildly different so you'll just have to rely on good ole trial and error. I do know that thick wool socks are a helpful addition when moving from sandal weather to Arctic blasts.
Now that I find myself firmly ensconced in the Leica camp I understand that I need to take myself far too seriously and customize my chosen camera so it fits my taste while also looking just so professional and well decorated. When I see most cameras out in the wild, be they Sony, Nikon or Canon, they are generally unadorned and not outfitted with pricy accessories which are meant to convey that the owner uses his camera so much and so well that he's discovered small additions that bolster his already fine camera up into some higher tier of camera existence. If only wishing made it so.
Having become a de facto Leica snob I can't resist festooning the various cameras with all nature of aftermarket junk meant to convey just how serious I think I am about capturing vital images in fast moving scenarios under tremendous pressure. Or, in reality, I can't resist adding things that help to keep the slippery cameras from sliding out of my hands and crashing to the pavement. Were that to happen the only thing I know how to do is to affect a look of nonchalant annoyance while all the while I would be holding back tears and tormented by my heady loss....
When I bought a Leica Q2 I thought for sure it would be a perfect camera to hand hold and shoot with. Oh, how wrong I was. Its rounded and slightly slippery front desperately needed a front grip to keep it from sliding out of my hands. There's a Leica branded grip for about $10,000 but there is also one made by Hoage for about $75 which works just fine. I bought that one --- having spent all my money on the initial camera purchase. I presumed this would help with the handling since Leica designed a little depression on the back of the camera which seems intended as a thumb rest. But after using the camera for a few days I realized that only a gorilla would have the thumb reach to make their fashionable thumb depression workable. Aftermarket to the rescue again. A JCC branded thumb grip that fits into the hotshoe works quite well. Sure, I could have bought the Leica branded thumb grip but I'm pretty sure they have it made by Hermés and costs about $1200 USD. The JCC version is great and it was only $45. Now I need to get a can of matte black spray paint so I can paint over the (non-Leica) logos on the two accessories so no one will know that I'm just a really cheap guy....
Here's what all the "hood scoops, spoilers and air dams and curb feelers" look like on my camera. Be advised that I have yet to apply black gaffers tape over the logo. I'm just too afraid the logo will come off with the tape when I go to remove it....
15 comments:
I am down for a book of hilariously funny pieces like this! U r so great at words and photos!!!!
That comment was from Roland in Vancouver :-)
Thanks. Apparent from the dearth of other comments we two are the only ones who like it. I am happy I am not alone. Thanks for commenting :-)
It almost doesn't matter what camera you use, Kirk. The results are always solid.
I haven't added a body grip to my Q2 - yet. But I have added the thumb grip. The Q2 pleases me enough that it keeps me from pulling the trigger on an M240.
I'm hearing some rumors about a full-frame version of the CL - possibly later this year. If it's the same size as the APS-C CL, that'll be my next Leica purchase. If there's a less-expensive Panasonic version, even better.
Thanks for the mention of Paul Reid. Nice work. Time for me to hit the streets again, I guess.
You mentioned your post-processing of RGB files for B&W.
Some years ago I saw basic settings for color to B&W conversion.
Raw file>Adobe Monochrome>highlights -30>shadows +10>clarity +30
I think I got them from one of your posts. Whatever, they're not a bad start.
Can you share what your current workflow is? Yeah, yeah, I know, you're using a Q2 and I'm messing around with a Sony, but I'd still like to see how you're now handling B&W conversion.
I have a Sony RX100 VII but I put a piece of black gaffer tape over the Sony logo so people would think I was shooting a Leica. My next move is a phony red Leica sticker. I found a site on Etsy where you can get 24 for them in various sizes for $27.48. (Google "Phony red Leica buttons.")
Seriously, is the Q2 (or 3) as good as a main line Leica M with a 28mm?
Yesterday, when I was getting an oil change in the F150, I met an oil change guy who is still shooting a Nikon D1x from twenty years ago, seemed to know what he was doing, and was happy enough with it.
I love my old Panasonic GX1 with the 40mm lens for street stuff. At the other end of the spectrum I am seriously considering getting the Panasonic S5-IIX. Maybe hang a 20-60mm lens on it.
I'm loving your street stuff with the Q2!!
Eric
Leica Q owner here: +1 for thumb and body grips for Leica Q cameras of all vintages. They are a big help for those of us with larger hands. Before I bought them, gripping the camera was like trying to hold a wet bar of soap.
"But at my back I always hear
Time’s wingèd chariot hurrying near;
Dang! You mean to tell me time is short and
for sure I better get myself a Leica and become....
(motivated, happy, accomplished, photographer- before
it is too late). No, not exactly.
No, as you say just get out the door, any camera in hand, and
see and appreciate the world around us. Amen.
I guess his accent isn't familiar to you, Kirk, but Paul Reid isn't Irish. He's from Carlisle in Cumbria, northern England. :-)
Nice! Thanks.
Your recent posts have encouraged me to get out there using cameras I really love. As I get a real kick from looking at your medium format portraits I've loaded up with 120. Got a nice Minolta Autocord that works well with colour.
Incidentally, Andrew Marvell used to live in Highgate, North London which is my stomping ground. Everyday I walk past a plaque which commemorates him.
Misters Lumb and Lamb,
Thanks so much for the good info. I'll leave the Irish reference re: Paul Reid, in to showcase my abject regionalism. And, good to know that the work of Andrew Marvell is not forgotten. Carpe Diem!!!
Leica does make nice straps...
"Sit on your butt and read about photography and two or three things will happen. Your butt will get bigger. Your desire for the newest gear will grow to overwhelm you. You will miss out on so much potential. Wonderful scenes, people and weirdness just waiting to be plucked. " <-- amazing :-) ! ROFL as well! i read this blog for the photos and prose like this!!!!!
Kirk, you've gone Zen on me. It's all about the seeing and the practice. i like it.
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