An unexpected pair. A big, medium format camera attached to a small, skinny 75mm rangefinder lens. Let's see how it all worked out.

Optical shop on S. Congress.

In the first week of January a commenter asked me if I had ever tried using the Voigtlander 75mm f1.9 VM (meaning Voigtlander for M) lens that was launched last year. It had never dawned on me to try. But after nosing around on the web and looking at various combinations of MF cameras and 35mm format lenses I decided I'd go a super nerd and give it a try. The lens is very small and light and it works well on the intended format (24 by 36 mm) but I had misgivings about its ability to shine across a bigger slab of sensor. 

A while back I'd bought a TTArtisan M to GFX adapter so .... what the hell? In actual practice the camera dwarfs the lens. But that's fine since it also cuts down on both the weight and the overall size of the package. The adapter was a good fit on both ends and so off we go.

The weather during the day I decided to do this grand experiment was gray and overcast. Chilly but not uncomfortable if you dress for it. I did my usual walk through downtown, came home for lunch and then went out again for a walk on South Congress Ave. later.

Since the lens has no electronic connects to the camera and is completely manual in all respects I had to work with it a bit differently than I would with a dedicated GFX lens. I wanted to use the black and white formula for Tri-X so I imput that. The one "clerical" error which some overly diligent reader will no doubt discover is that I didn't change focal length setting in the manual lens set-up menu in the camera. In the exif it will read as a VM 58 which is the reference I've set up for a profile to use with the 58mm f1.4 lens from the same company. Please note that if you are one of the people who enjoy getting a lot of use out of your red pen. 

Once I had the camera mostly set up I aimed it at an evenly lit nine foot stretch of white seamless paper to see how bad the vignetting might be. The far corners were very, very dark. I decided to use a crop frame and chose 6:5 instead of 3:2. That trims the corners a bit but I decided to leave off making vignetting corrections in post so you can see exactly how the camera acts with this lens. 

It's fun to shoot with this set up. The lens is quite sharp in the center of the frame, even when used at or near the maximum aperture. Since my fastest native GFX lens hits its limits at f3.5 it was nice to be able to mess with even shallower depth of field with the 75mm used at f1.9, f2.0 and f2.8. You'll see samples below. 

The Fuji is a fun camera to use in that it's reasonably sized for a camera with a larger sensor and it also has really good in body image stabilization; even with non-auto lenses. The finder is big and bright and, if you want to be all Super Sneaky the rear LCD can be used as a waist level finder. 

When you use a non-communicative lens you'll find good focus peaking which gets even better if your whole photo is in black and white but the focus peaking indicators are a bright color. Me? I like red. To get the best focus out of the lens I suggest pressing in on the rear dial (which is also a button) and using the image magnification feature. It works very well. 

I didn't have a particular agenda in my outings but I did feel more comfortable with the camera than ever before. The one change I'll make before I use the Tri-X profile again is to turn down the grain effect in the formula. I think it's a bit over the top. Just a thought. 

So, if you can deal with the vignetting you might find the 75mm lens a good, fun addition to the GFX toy box. I do. And it makes me want to try out the Voigtlander 90mm f2.8 Ultron as well. That gets me a bit further into the portrait range but it duplicates what I already have with the (dreadfully heavy) TTArtisan 90mm f1.2. Might want to get rid of the big one and get the smaller VM. Who knows?

Take a peek at the pix and a gander at the captions. Fun with photography.

Austin photographer outfitted for mild winter weather. 

See how tiny that lens is? Weird, yeah?

Latté at Jo's Coffee on S. Congress. At the edge of the lens's close focusing range.

I think this is an ashtray. It's been so many years since I've been around people who smoke while drinking coffee. 20 years from now I doubt young people will be able to identify it. 

It does have a very utilitarian design. 

Austin restaurants are nearly overrun by these metal chairs. 

Doesn't mean I don't like em. Just, well....they're everywhere. 

Some day, when I win the Texas State Lottery I'm going to buy one of 

the Stetson "Open Road" hats. Just to have one. Just to better remember 

Lyndon Baines Johnson. Just to have a two season hat for a one and a half season 

state. But I sure like the way they look in photos. 

Used boots. Who thought there would be a whole industry around them. 

Found in a casual men's shop. Multiple copies for sale. 

Such an odd thing to pair with slacker jeans and flannel shirts. 

So strange to have flannel shirts in central Texas. 

Sexual politics in a window display...

Ah. The female gaze. 

rules to follow or just more fantasy?

Nice bokeh. 

Claimed and then claimed again. Does someone have a contract?

Cars. Weird. Not one I'd pick out. Even with my lottery winnings...

And the Subaru Forester has a lot more cargo space...

That's my current take on the Voigtlander 75mm when paired with

the Fuji GFX 50Sii. 

Hope you liked it.

 

Group of Italian Visitors to the Vatican. Circa 1995

 

original print scanned for the blog with an iPhone.

I made a trip to Rome to photograph with the Mamiya 6 camera in 1995. It was a delightful camera. The rangefinder made focusing quick and easy. The big, 6x6cm film format made for luscious prints. The 50mm, 75mm and 150mm lenses were nothing short of fantastic.

I wasn't a small camera. It wasn't unobtrusive or discreet. But really, all that blather about having to have the tiniest, fastest, quietest cameras in order to operate in the street is really just a reflection of the self intimidating self-talk of timid photographers. Working with honest intention is the best form of invisibility.

I spent a bit over a week walking through the streets of Rome that year taking photographs of whatever caught my eye. I never got push back from anyone; anywhere in the city. I don't hide my cameras. I don't put my cameras under a jacket or coat only to be whipped out for a tiny moment to steal a scene. I work in the open for everyone to see. A genuine smile is the best lubrication for making photographs with strangers more comfortable --- for everyone. It's also better than resorting to long lenses. 

When I walked around with my medium format rangefinder camera I kept it focused to about ten feet. I learned to read the light and to keep the shutter speed and aperture settings close to what I thought the prevailing light might call for. The settings got tweaked when I pulled the camera up to my eye but... the settings were already in the ballpark.  

I hardly ever settled for one quick frame but would shoot at least two, and usually four or five, frames of a scene, trying with each new frame to fine tune my composition further. To narrow down to what caught my eye in the first place. 

I felt the same pattern emerge when I went to Montreal last year with a Leica M. It's fun to look for images. Even more fun to continue shooting until you've distilled the moment down to its essentials. Walk for ten or twelve hours a day when you are out on an adventure/vacation. You'll beat the odds for getting photographs by playing the numbers, constantly practicing, and getting yourself to the places where the situations for photos are most interesting...

OT

I often talk about exercise here. Most of the people I know who are around my age and who are active photographers are also in great shape. And few of them can "blame" being in shape on genetics. Good physical fitness, heart health, lung capacity, walking endurance and so much more is accomplished by spending the time and having the discipline to exercise every day. Not just an amble around the block if the weather is nice but long runs or long swims, or anything that gets the heart rate up and sustained for an hour or so every damn day. A good standby? Toss a camera bag over a shoulder or a backpack over both shoulders, toss a battery and a memory card into a favorite camera and head out the door for a two hour photographic fun walk. 

So many Americans are sedentary throughout their work lives and then, when the results of not having the discipline to exercise come home to roost they just pass it off as a normal part of "getting older." And they throw up their hands in surrender to America's enormously profitable medical industry, leaving "the system" to tidy up the mess. If I had one tip for younger photographers; hell any younger people, it would be to get up off your butt for at least an hour a day and put in the time doing something fun, enjoyable and physically demanding. Go play soccer. Ride a bike; fast. You'll thank me decades later when you are prescription free, not getting bigger and bigger, and not having to give up the very things that bring joy. Like walking for hours through fascinating streets with your camera as your companion, discovering and rediscovering the big, beautiful world. 

My other tips: wear good shoes. eat well. smile more. worry less. You live well by living well.

Monday's shoot goes well. Coffee and preparation are the secrets.

This photo has nothing to do with today's commercial portraits project.

It's here because, well, I can't really show you client work before they get to use it...

The studio looked so nice this morning. Bright, blank, white walls. Astringently clean. Almost every doo-dad and toy whisked off to its rightful storage area. I spent time yesterday cleaning up and then setting up the backdrop and lighting for four portraits this morning. Oh, an also sorting through and setting stuff in the menu of a Leica SL.

I'll be using the resulting selections of each person as a series of composites, with an urban landscapes in the background. PhotoShop now makes this so easy that I wonder if it's profitable to ever shoot a portrait in an outdoor environment in the future. So much easier to blend controlled content together. Maybe I'll hire models to pose in different outfits and looks in the studio and then composite them for my street photography. At least you'd get total control over the look of the scenes! (Not really serious because....you'd miss the whole reason to go out and shoot = the walk!!!). 

Our house is the perfect place to entertain a group of executives who decided to save on gas and time and all come together at once. Our living room is huge and the dining room is comfy so while I was photographing one person the other three could hold an impromptu meeting while sprawled out on the couches or they could sit around the dining room table with laptops blazing. 

No matter where they ended up the glue that holds the day together is good coffee. Well, that and a gingerbread loaf together for a subtle sugar and profound caffeine high. I made a big pot of coffee with freshly ground coffee beans about ten minutes before the client arrivals. I used the nice china. True to form everyone took time to minister to their coffee and cut a slice of the gingerbread loaf and then stand around and catch up. 

I got quizzed by the CEO who asked if I knew what their company did. Silly man! Of course! I read every line on their website and Googled anything I was hazy about. And I did that a week ago so the information could percolate in my brain and stick well. 

I pulled each person out, solo, into the studio to do the photos. I like to work one-on-one so it's nice to have an adjacent space to put those still waiting for their turn. And even nicer not to have anyone else there to distract the sitter of the moment.

I spent about 20-25 minutes with each person. The lighting didn't need to change; I was lighting to emulate the look of a bright but overcast day on which the clouds would be thin enough to show the direction of the light but not so strongly as to cast hard shadows. I was using a 72 inch, soft white umbrella as the main light. 

During the time I spent with each person I asked them specifically what their roles were. It's a technical company that uses LLM and A.I. as part of their offerings to clients. Fortunately for me Ben and I had a long technical discussion about information apps and LLMs the evening before, when he came over for out routine and cherished (by me and B.) Sunday dinner. I was at least able to nod and gesture pseudo-intelligently as the CTO discussed the requisite coding strategies for their project. 

I think the secret to a good exec portrait is to get your subject talking about what they know but also being direct about how they might change a pose, expression or article of clothing to make everything work better. When in doubt ask them to discuss the recent triumphs of their children. That nearly always works.

Since I was using three fairly powerful LED lights as my illumination sources I was also able to use one of my Leica SL cameras in its face detection AF mode. In this set up it's actually closest eye detection. And the camera and 24-90mm Leica Vario Elmarit zoom lens worked perfectly. No missed shots from faulty AF. No hunting either. 

There was lots of handshaking and upbeat banter as the clients headed back out to do whatever it is that entrepreneurs do. I was happy with the results and sat down straight away to edit. To separate the good expressions from the less good one. A little bit after lunch time I had personal galleries up online for each participant. Now just waiting for the selections to embark on the second half of the project. Urban landscape selection and compositing. 

One project like this one once a month would be just right. Absolutely just right. 

 Ah, the influencers...from a morning at the museum - last week.

The woman with her back to me is standing in the Ellsworth Kelly "Chapel" at the Blanton Museum on the UT campus. When I walked into the art space I see that she has set her seflie stick tripod with phone on the floor at the center of the space and walked about ten feet in front of it to do a series of poses and then to narrate, in Japanese, a short presentation about her experience. All to the "audience" of a mounted smart phone. 

I thought it odd that, a. The museum staff would allow a tripod in the gallery since it's against the museum rules. b. That this influencer was able to commandeer the public space. And, c. That this kind of content would have a big enough audience to make her work there profitable. But then I don't really understand the economics of being an "influencer." 

I wonder if I could get away with the same strategy. Crusty old guy walks in with a huge Gitzo tripod, plumps down a big medium format camera on top,  and maybe a few lights around the edges, and then paces backwards until the distance is just right, and then dances a little jig while humming some 1950's show tunes. I'm pretty sure it would trend on TikTok. Can't wait to see what kind of sponsors I can get. 

But I'm pretty sure the museum would toss me out pretty quickly... "Ageism" I'll scream...

Why the big soft spot for Leica's M240? Isn't that camera just obsolete? Depends....

I'm not particularly new to Leica cameras but I was surprised by just how much I liked the first Leica M digital camera I've owned. So much so that I picked up a second one from Leica Store Miami (don't worry, no links....) when they got in another one which had recently been CLA'd by Leica. So, let me explain why. 

My first Leica rangefinder cameras was a IIIf which was one of the older, screwmount bodies. It came with a lovely, tiny 50mm f3.5 Elmar lens that collapsed into the body when not in use. That model was discontinued in 1955. So, about as old as I am.  It was tricky to shoot with quickly because the focusing patch/ rangefinder window and the viewing/composing window were two completely separate, small, dim windows. The composing window didn't have frame lines, the presumption was that if you were using this camera you were probably using it with the 50mm lens and any other lens you decided to use on the camera you would most probably decide to use a separate finder for. The optical finders for various focal lengths would fit in the cold shoe on the top of the camera.  The routine for taking a photograph, after setting the exposure controls, would be to look through the rangefinder window to focus and then to switch your eye either to the camera's viewfinder window (50mm) or to switch your eye over to the shoe mounted optical viewfinder for the angle of view matching the lens. 

Not quite the whip it up to your eye, let the camera set every setting and focus for you faster than you can blink methodology we now "enjoy."  But truthfully, the old process was slow enough to cause many lost photographic opportunities. In between a bunch of SLRs I replaced the IIIf with a classic, Leica M3. That body is legendary. The finder would either make you swoon these days or make you dismissive. Why? You'd love it if you shoot standard lenses because for the 50 and 90mm users its finder images are big, and brilliant and the bright lines for each frame are easy to see and gorgeous. The viewfinder had a high magnification. But you'd hate it if you were a confirmed 28 or 35mm shooter because this camera didn't have frame lines for those focal lengths and even looking to the edges of the finder you were unable to fully assess a 35mm lens' coverage, much less that of a 28mm. This camera may have been the one that formed me into a 50mm lens advocate...

I owned many newer cameras Leica such as the M4 and a trio of different M6 cameras (.85. .72, and .55) but none of them felt as good in day to day use as the M3. 

When Leica introduced its first M digital camera, the M8, I was reviewing camera gear for Studio Photography Magazine and Leica got me a test camera and some lenses as soon as the camera became available. That camera was loud,  had a cropped frame, the finder lines didn't match the focal lengths of M lenses very well, and, did I mention that the shutter was quite loud? The camera also had a sensor that was too sensitive to infrared light. Leica had to start handing out IR filters to compensate for the IR overkill. I gave that camera a hard pass and started diving into DSLRs from Nikon and Canon.

Leica then came out with an M9. It was a full frame camera and many of the faults of the M8 were corrected with the new model. It was very pricey at the time (at least for me) and after I reviewed it I sent it back but... with a bit of regret. By using it over the course of several weeks for a review I got reacquainted with the unique pleasure of using a direct optical viewfinder camera, and also the advantages of focusing normal and slightly wide angle lenses with a rangefinder. Still, I was glad to have taken a pass on that model as well after a fault emerged in the sensor construction. The edges of the CCD sensor started to deteriorate and corrode and the cameras had to be sent back to Leica for a complete sensor replacement. Unfortunate pain in the ass for users who depended on that model.

From the point of the Leica M9 review until just a couple of years ago my mind was focused on doing all the domestic things that usually keep people from buying expensive and unnecessary luxury items. Things like saving up for the kid's college expenses, paying the mortgage and saving up for retirement. Sure, I still bought cameras and lenses but nothing as flagrant and indulgent as new, M series digital cameras and their attendant lenses. I fell out of touch with the brand. Until after the "adulting" dust settled. 

Just this past Fall I took a deep breath and started looking longingly at the M series Leicas. 

Sure, most people liked the newest models. The M11s or the just recently discontinued M10s. But there were great photographers here and there that sang the praises of an older model; the M240. In some quarters the M240 was regarded as something of a milestone when it came to design and build. Leica is helping people chase super high resolution with newer models but I was certain that for street photography and general art photography the 24 megapixels of the M240 were fine. Maybe even optimal. The one knock against the M240 is that the sensor tech and performance originating from a 2012 era CMOS sensor is not great when it comes to high ISO performer. It gets noisy at settings above 1600. 

Leica purists in some circles spurned the M240 because it came with video capabilities and they saw this as demonic and at odds with the "purity" of the M system. I guess I now fall into the camp of: If you don't want to use it just don't push the video button....

What I found when I got a very clean, nearly mint, recently Leica CLA'd M240 of my own was a very, very solid camera that's a bit chunkier than the old film Ms. The only dimension that's bigger than on the traditional film Ms is the depth of the body, and it doesn't impact me in the least. The M240 was one of the last standard models available in a glossy black paint finish over brass top and bottom plates. Newer M cameras (excluding special editions and silver models) have a black anodized finish over an alloy. The traditional brass construction shows a beautiful, warm brass/gold finish wherever paint wears off (edges, around strap lugs) while later units just show cold, gray metal. 

Most of the things about the M240 are part and parcel of the Leica tradition. The finder window is brilliantly clear and the optics are superb. The rangefinders do a wonderful job with lenses of 50mm or wider focal lengths. The solidity of the body and the lack of a mirror or a bouncy shutter make the camera very easy to handhold at slower shutter speeds than one might be used to. And the M takes a wide range of really good and really small lenses. Not just from Leica but also from Voigtlander and Carl Zeiss. And any number of Chinese lens makers...

If you need to adapt non-rangefinder lenses the camera makes it easy by providing live view. A first in the Leica M line of cameras. You can even mount an EVF to the accessory shoe if you want to work with the camera disguised as a familiar mirrorless camera. One advantage of NOT using live view or the movie mode is that this is the first mirrorless digital camera I have used that has nearly infinite battery life (hyperbole alert....). I've used the camera for days at a time without sucking all the power out of the battery. I have a back up battery I've never had to use while out photographing. 

The camera feels wonderful to use. It's a nice blend of thoroughly modern mixed with the DNA of the original, nearly seven decades old M3 film camera. The first M mount body.  And if you've shot with a film M Leica in the past picking up and using an M240 is like getting back on a bicycle. If you learned to ride a bicycle...

Contrary to popular (photo populist?) opinion owning a very useful Leica M digital camera doesn't need to be frightfully expensive. I just picked up a second body for $2400 that's in like new condition. The place I generally buy M series stuff from often has cameras that have, within the past year, returned from Leica Wetzlar service where they are exhaustively cleaned, lubricated, adjusted and brought up to "like new" condition. They even come back from Leica with a one year warranty. I like the assurance of all that so I'm willing to pay one or two hundred dollars more. Peace of mind. 

The other thing that can keep the price of ownership down is the wide availability of used lenses and also lenses from non-Leica lens makers like Voigtlander and Carl Zeiss. My current favorite lens for the M system is the Voigtlander 50mm f2.0 APO Lanthar lens which I purchased originally to use with my SL2 mirrorless Leica camera via an adapter. It's the finest 50mm lens I've ever owned. Brand new they are about $1,000. So, my price of entry to the system I really always wanted to be shooting with was about $3400. Far cheaper than the top of the line Sony, Canon or Nikon cameras. Especially when paired with the top of the line standard lenses from them.

The real benefits I see in using M series Leicas are: The direct, optical viewfinder window is a wonderful way of looking at the world. You are basically looking through a clear window and you have to have a mental construct of how things like depth of field, color temperatures, etc. will affect your final image without being able to see it while looking through the optical finder. Without the trappings. It's a very thoughtful way of seeing and reacting and making a photograph. Everything else is like watching TV. Second, most of the lenses designed for the M system are very high quality optics and because they are designed without autofocus mechanisms or image stabilization electronics they are much, much smaller. They present a really streamlined profile on the cameras. And the biggest benefit of these fully mechanical (and mechanically uncomplicated!) lenses is the reliability and ruggedness they bring to the mix. Also a peace of mind attribute. 

So, is the M240 camera obsolete and passé? Must we rush to buy the latest and greatest new high resolution miracle cameras? It's always a personal choice. A rangefinder camera is wonderful but it's not without its limitations. If you really need long lenses, super fast autofocusing, complete electronic nanny  features and tons of fine-tuning potential then you'd be much better off with one of the latest C.N. or S. cameras and lens lines. If you are a methodical and slow worker for whom the actual process of taking a photograph is a large part of the pleasure then the Leican M might be just what you are looking for. 

I won't be dishonest and say that I can use a Leica M240 for everything. It would make a bad film scanning platform. It's not my first choice for a flash-heavy event shoot. Can't really make it work the way I'd like for long lens theater photography. But for walking around in the capitol cities of the world making photographs of architecture, decor, life, art etc. I find it most satisfying. And the images I get from the raw files (compressed or non-compressed DNGs) are every bit as good as anything I see from other cameras with the exception that I won't be pressing these cameras into high (nose bleed area) ISO shooting. Even there though technology is your friend. The new DeNoise feature in Lightroom makes 3200 and even 6400 readily accessible to M240 users and the only downside is the extra processing time needed to implement it. 

Obsolete? No. Vintage? Almost. But at a time when people are seeking out decades old film cameras in order to use 35mm film the M240 is vastly better when it comes to image quality, speed of use and the ability to retain value. I see the M240 as a wonderful gateway into the Leica M system. If you buy one and try it out but then decide it's not for you it's probable that even a year later you'll be able to sell it for just about what you paid for it. Once these older Leicas find a "value floor" their pricing seems to stabilize and remain constant for years. 

As I wrote above, they are not for everyone. But I feel fortunate that I can now translate all the handling pleasures and haptic intimacy I once developed for the older film M camera with a new, digital manifestation. And I'm very happy when I use them. YMMV.

All files below were done with the M240 and the Voigtlander 50mm APO. Love the colors and the sharpness. 

 Added:  Since writing this I have added a +2.0 diopter to one of my 240s. It's perfect. Also bought one more, new battery just in case they become rare/hard to get. All set for a year of fun-tography. 

Back to work. Turns out my former neighbor is the CEO of an Austin based tech company. He'd like me to make some portraits of his senior staff.

Shot with a Leica SL in two steps. Step one was to photograph Chelsea

against a green screen at a theater location. The second was to photograph

a slice of Third St. separately. And slightly out of focus.

Then it was a simple task to composite them together in post.

This semi-retirement or progressive retirement concept can be tricky. I've gotten in six swim practices in a row and been to the gym twice this week and done a number of long walks but I have to admit I was getting a bit...bored. I was missing the early in the year photographic activities that usually arrived, like cedar fever, in the early part of January, in years past. 

I was just cracking open a new book to read. One about Josef Koudelka, when I got an email from the former neighbor who recently relocated from the house next door. He asked if I could make myself available for a photo session. His company needs five people photographed for website use and general P.R. He asked  for an estimate and I went online to see what new Carl Zeiss ZM 21mm f2.8 lenses were selling for. I added about 30% to that and sent over the proposal. The bid was accepted and now I'm booked for Monday morning. But at the civilized start time of 9:30. 

We'll use a similar technique to the one I used in the image above. I'll photograph each of the subjects against a white background, or a green screen, here in the studio and then I'll work with the new company's art director/marketing director to choose urban background photographs with which to composite their chosen people poses. It's a great way to work as opposed to attempting to go out to five different locations and shoot. Especially since the weather forecasts are getting dicier and dicier for the next couple of weeks. Including a 50% chance of rain on Monday. We already have a catalog of 1100+ urban images from which to choose so...no glitches in the schedule.

This will be the second commercial shoot I've done here in the studio since it was recently painted and upgraded. I'll be lighting with a handful of Nanlite LED fixtures because I like the continuous light and I've used them enough to be quite comfortable with their color. No surprises.  It's also a chance to work more with the Fuji GFX MF camera and a few of the lenses I've acquired. 

Diving back into the Josef Koudelka biography, "Next" can wait until Tuesday. After swim practice. 

I'll admit that I've been choosey with work over the last six months; turning down more and more projects. But my former neighbor is a fun guy with a sweet family and he's the kind of client you always wanted to work with. 

Bonus: the masters pool is closed on Monday so no loss of swim opportunity is entailed. And I can always go for a nice, chilly solo swim at Deep Eddy Pool in the afternoon. Now....when am I going to work that nap into the schedule?

My favorite scan of a black and white negative to date. B. at Sweetish Hill Bakery about 23 years ago. Sunday breakfast.

 

B. Photographed with a Pentax 645n camera and the omnipresent 75mm Pentax lens.

Damn. I used to take that camera everywhere. Including to our weekly Sunday breakfast and coffee klatch with friends. In this instance the camera of the day was the Pentax 645N. Almost certainly equipped with a 75mm Pentax lens. And the film, of course, was Kodak's amazing Tri-X 400. Fun to have a camera casually sitting on the table, out on the bakery's patio, just waiting to be picked up and used.

Just digging through my visual past and having fun in the New Year. Hope you are having a blast as well.