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messaging that gets the ole blood pumping.
Lately I've been hitting the two endpoints of performance in regards to the cameras I have laying about the studio. Some days I am convinced that the combination of the big-ass Leica SL2 with the world's priciest 50mm lens is the only way to go. When I shoot with that combo I'm being careful to nail every technical process as close to perfection as I can. And I shoot slower and with more .... (over used word coming up) intention.
On other days I resist the siren call of potential near perfection and opt for something a lot more convenient to carry around and have fun with. Then I grab the D-LUX 8 and a couple of extra batteries. It's small and light and even got "upgraded" with a pesky, non-removable dust spot (no! I don't shove the camera in a pocket packed with lint...) which is up in one corner and makes itself known when I stop down past f5.6.
In the past a non-removeable dust bunny on a camera sensor would have driven me crazy. Now it just makes me hyper-vigilant about putting any important part of a subject in the offended part of the frame. At some point I'll see what Leica charges to clean dust off a sensor and only then decide if it's "reasonable" or so far out of the realm of normal that I'd never forgive myself for spending the money. I'm not "cheap" frugal on the "Mike" level just yet but...give me a few more years of retirement and we'll see.
Anyway, we/Austin is hosting the SXSW Conference event yet again this year. It's different though. We used to have a huge convention center and it formed the nucleus for .... everything about the event. Seminars, speeches, concerts, showcases, a big hall for showing off products and inventions, even a poster show of magnificent proportions. But this year was tragically different because the city fathers in their complete lack of a grip on reality tore down the 20 year old facility and embarked on a huge, new project that won't be ready until (they say) about 2030. Given the way city projects go in Austin I'll be surprised to see the completed project by 2032. And by then they will have killed off any inclination that the out of town, big spenders will have Austin on their radar as a possible destination for conventions and shows. Hell, I think they'll be lucky to host a quilting convention... or an RV show.
So, instead of one convenient, convergence of programs at one site the desperate show owners rented out hotel ballrooms all over downtown and have people/customers/attendees walking all over the place looking for their next class, conference, seminar or event. It's not the same. And it shows in attendance and even in the kind of guests this year's show is attracting. Gone are the famous and the beautiful, The chic and the innovative, replaced by customer service employees on vacation and downmarket bands hoping to pay-to-play. Seriously, making artists shoulder the cost of presenting their own content; content that's supposed to attract attendees, is shitty. Only at SXSW where all but the upper tier of management work in exchange for "volunteer access" to various show events. Don't volunteer to photograph for SXSW directly because you WILL NOT own the fruits of your work and your vision. They will own your video or photographs. In exchange for a pass to a seminar or two. A second tier music show or something similar. Maybe you'll enjoy learning how A.I can add more versatility to your inventory control software....
I like to walk around and see new stuff. I liked the older revs of SXSW, in years past, when corporations were game to spend big bucks to roll out fun stuff and give away killer swag. Now? You can get a free sample of Gatorade which now "features" 75% less sugar !!!!! Almost all of the big splashes of fun and over the top corporate excess are gone. All that's really left is Rivian offering you test drives of their electric SUVs over hills of dirt they created in the middle of Congress Avenue, just down from the state capitol. We're so proud.
Anyway, when I decided to go check out the outside manifestations of what used to be a great 12 day festival I wanted to travel light because I'd be walking in about a mile from my favorite parking spot and I didn't think I needed the ne plus ultra of cameras and lenses to partake of the street shenanigans. I took the "spot infected" DLUX 8 instead. And it was just the right camera to have with me. Small, light, beautiful files, lovely lens, actually really good battery life and a wonderful EVF. I didn't discover the spot until I got home and started playing around with the files... But I'll live with it. For a while.
All the photos on today's blog post were done with the little, cute and now tragically flawed DLUX8. Still like it. Just disappointed that its dust resistance is minimal... or non-existent.
And now, intermittent captioning will occur.
You don't need to wait for an annual SXSW to see this wall art (above). It's been around on the back wall of Esther's Follies for a long time. Kudos to Shannon for seeing that the work gets restorative make-overs from time to time. I love the tongue in cheek messaging.
So, I have a camera that shoots nice color files. Sure it can do monochrome as well.
But its real strength is color. Like the red and blue above. The SUV? A cop car, you know, just in case the mid-level attendees get rambunctious while wearing their Walmart chinos and bad, plaid shirts.
(reminding myself to order some white dress shirts. Just in case).
a photowalk for people who'd rather photo-ride.
And for traditionalists... Monochrome.
A friend/fashion designer I met several years ago while we were both laughing over a Mary Kay Pink Porsche 911 Turbo S parked out on 5th street. He always has a smile and a kind word for ancient photographers....
Every bar should show off with a great entry way. On East Sixth Street.
Dressed for downtown street photography. A nice shirt so I can use the bathrooms in the best hotels. Shoes I can walk miles in without discomfort. A dive watch in case I get tossed into a hotel swimming pool by rowdy programmers or coders. And a hat to cover my white hair.
Sure shootin' we got Monochrome.
Let's spend an hour understanding how we might manage our addiction to
using a computer program... Maybe by using it....less?
Free Tequila shots samples attract an interesting audience. Marketing at its best.
Serious iron. The right tool for the right job? I guess it's all contextual.
A political statement about Elon Musk's company.
Damn South African mutant.... Hey! give me back my social security number.
Another appreciation of color and cameras.
Zany photographer with an excessive sense of privilege takes time to do a selfie in a mirror in one of the stately and posh rest rooms at the W Hotel. A fine establishment with the best in plumbing.
Young people are in thrall to their phones. Even the Gen Z people are amazed at the tight bond.
and what quasi tech conference would be complete without robots out on the sidewalk.
I kept my distance because you never know when they might become completely and independently sentient and start trying to kill us all.... sigh.
A couple years in with the "new" car and loving it more every day.
Vroom. It's lovely and I never have to do any sort of math about the cost of
operation because buying something new is silly and much more expensive when
you already have paid for something you like...
That's it for today. Let's hope this incredible content doesn't attract the
predatory scrapers yet again.
If you send the D-Lux 8 to Leica New Jersey, expect to wait two to three months for it to return. I've had that experience twice with Leica gear that needed repair. Leica NJ is infamous for long turnaround times.
ReplyDeleteWhat? You don't have a backup D-Lux 8? Maybe you can find a mint-condition copy of the 100 Years Edition. (Insert smiley face emoji here.)
Working the dust spot in as part of the composition could be seen as a kind of "friction". Not one that I'd want though.
ReplyDelete