A walk through South Congress Avenue in the middle of Austin. Still practicing with that new (to me) Leica 35-70mm zoom. Basically a 50mm lens that's willing to be flexible...

 

Sixth Street and Congress Ave. both go totally nuts on Halloween. Tons of young people in costumes. Much alcohol consumption. A modicum of disorderly conduct. A dab of good clean fun. This weekend is a home game for UT Austin so Halloween festivities will be even ... better attended. 

I have the right attitude now when using the 35-70mm f4.0 lens. I now think of it as a standard line with wiggle room. 

I thought about going out this evening as photographer, Terry Richardson, for Halloween, but couldn't find those really crappy looking eyeglasses. Decided to go as something even scarier === the guy who designed the camera menus for Olympus...

Out for Ice Cream on Halloween Afternoon...

 

Fun little cameras and their facility for traveling light.

 

For all the years I worked professionally as a photographer I would inevitably approach vacations as yet another permutation of the professional life of a cameraman. I'd pack a "really good" camera, the three lenses I held in highest regard at the time, a second matching body, plenty of batteries and maybe even a small table top tripod. Out the door with a camera bag I would guess I was carrying ten or fifteen pounds over that left shoulder. Always the left shoulder. Don't know why...

But when I finally decided to retire from the day to day work of being a commercial photographer I decided to do it in the very most binary way: a total abandonment of anything that even remotely smelled like a client driven assignment. No exceptions. 

Once that switch flipped I felt a sense of relief when it comes to organizing for a trip. When we went to Chicago four weeks ago I packed the a small, consumer-esque Leica DLUX8 and the Q2. A couple extra batteries and....absolutely nothing else photographic. No identical back-up cameras. No specialty cameras. No interchangeable lenses. No tripods. It was... freeing. 

B. and I walked everywhere. At least 10,000 steps a day. And as you can imagine the DLUX8 over one shoulder felt like a feather; especially compared to toting around a couple of Leica SL2s and a couple of prime lenses. The smaller camera trades ultimate image quality for speed, comfort and, actually, flexibility. 

The small camera will never match the ISO performance of the SL2-S or the SL3-S but for all those photos we tend to take between sun up and sun down I'm hard pressed to worry about the difference. 

I thought the small batteries in the DLUX8 would be problematic but one in the camera and two in the pocket were enough for even the most photo intensive day of shooting, with lots of chimping and reviews.

When I was working every day I dreamed of vacations on which I would walk around with two Leica rangefinders. One equipped with a 28mm lens and the other with a 50mm lens. In my imagination I'd walk down long streets and pull one of the cameras up to my eye and grab just the right shot and then, a block later it would be the other camera with the other lens and it would be just right for that shot. 

I have to say though that while I had successes with two rangefinders on a personal trip to Montreal the  nice EVF and the quick automation of the little point and shoot camera was faster to use and actually gave me better Jpeg color and quicker lock on for AF. At least when comparing the DLUX8 to a pair of M240s...

I thought to myself that I should buy a second one, you know, as a back-up. But then it dawned on me that nothing in the near future would depend on the reliability or fallibility of my camera. If I'm on vacation in any civilized city a broken camera (if it's the only one) can quickly be replaced at a camera store or big box electronic store in short order. In fact, if the vacation is for family fun I could forgo getting another camera altogether and press the ubiquitous iphone into service. I can always circle back to a fun location at another time to get whatever artsy photos I might have missed the first time. Not something I could have willingly said back when work cloudy my recreational thinking...

While my first impulse it to always buy a back-up camera when I become satisfied with a recently purchased camera it feels healthier to change away from that impulse and spend more time looking than shooting. 

I recently compared the two versions of the DLUX8; the chrome, 100 year anniversary model and the basic black model. I bought the black one because the chrome one looked cheesy in photos. But when I compared them in person, side-by-side, the 100 year model looked really good. Really nice. Now I wish I'd spent the extra $200. 

The image at the top of the blog is a quick shot of cloud's swirling around a high rise in Chicago. I looked up and the image was there. The clouds were moving quickly. I pulled the little camera up, zoomed the lens out to its longest focal length and shot three frames before the clouds moved on and moved away. The image relied on getting organized quickly. 

I would not have gotten it if I'd been shooting with one of my M cameras and needed to stop and change lenses, etc. The final image might have been better but timing insisted that it would never have existed. 

Everything is a tradeoff. You get to pick the combination of features and performance you imagine will work for you. 

Loving the small camera concept. Doesn't have to be a Leica. One of my favorite small cameras of all time was the Canon G10. Wish I still had one. I think...

Just something fun I saw when I was over at the UT Campus today...

 

Fun photos from an itty-bitty camera. Dinner party.

 

A bouquet of flowers on Will and Mary's kitchen counter. 

Birthday celebrations never seem to end until the last day of the month. Yesterday I had a fun lunch with my good friend, ATMTX. We went to Hopdoddy's and ordered our favorite burgers as salads. Lotta greens, high quality beef patties, a confluence of yin and yang happiness. Lunches with ATMTX are always fun. We grabbed a booth and started sharing stories. He'd just come back from the Leica (LSI) event in Montreal and before that he'd been in Japan for weeks. 

He always brings new stuff to share. The only big news he had from the LSI conference was about getting to go hands on with the new Leica M EV-1 camera. To say  he had "mixed feelings" is to simplify too much. EVF not as good as the one in the SL2 or SL3. The long start up time gives you a chance to brew coffee and check the mail. The EVF runs at 60Hz instead of having the option to run at 120Hz as in the Q3 and SL2+ cmaeras. A handful of missed focusing instances on what should have been straight forward shots. And .... miserable battery life. But he gave the camera some leeway as it was a pre-production sample. In fact, it was even engraved with, "M11 EV." So he's waiting to see just how much new firmware will improve the product.

His overall assessment of Montreal as regards photography is in line with mine; it's a great place to hang out and take photographs. The natives are for the most part quite nice and the public transportation is efficient and pleasant to use. The "Old Town" is picturesque and the hotels have big, well appointed rooms. He even made it to CamTec in the old town. That's the Leica dealer in Montreal's center.

We chatted about the LSI program and he gave it two thumbs up. A favorite speaker was Gajan Balan. He's a Toronto based photographer that I follow on YouTube. Smart, energetic and great at video production as well as high end still photography. He's a Leica ambassador (or whatever Leica calls them). https://www.youtube.com/gajanbalan

After the wrap up on LSI and Montreal it was time for ATMTX's big reveal. That's the part of our mostly monthly lunch where we show each other new gear we've acquired in the meantime. I had only one meager piece of gear to show off. It was the Leica R 35-70mm f4.0 ROM lens I've written about here ---  maybe last week. He had more stuff to show. A new Voigtlander 50mm lens, an older, beautifully preserved Leica IIf screw mount camera, and in addition to his previously purchased D-LUX8 (the standard model) he also splashed out for the 100 Year Edition of the same camera; complete with chrome lens and controls. It looks so much nicer "in person" than I expected. Now I want one as well. 

We had a long conversation about the current state of photography, the economy, investing, divesting, and estate planning. But we had to break early, just two hours in, so I could have downtime before the next celebration which commenced at 5 p.m. We'll catch up a few weeks from now after both of us do a bit more travel and shooting. 

After a quick stop at the house to check on stuff, and to read the Adam Gopnik essay in the new Richard Avedon "Immortal" book I headed over to Will's house for yet another kind, and festive, birthday celebration. Less camera talk but more food talk here. Will smoked three racks of ribs in his hand built smoker --- for hours and hours --- to prepare the main course of out extended happy hour/dinner. He is the most amazing rib chef in all of Texas. As well as a stellar photographer. We were joined by our mutual friend, Mark, who kindly brought the (really good) wine. 

When I go to Will and Mary's house I am always impressed with the beautiful flowers every where. Wonderful bouquets in every room. And I love the paint colors all around the interior and exterior of their home. They are just right. 

Will is my polar opposite when it comes to photography. He shoots with one camera. The same one he's had for ten or more years. He buys cheap zoom lenses for his camera. He is appalled at my apparent lack of restraint when it comes to buying gear and teases me about it mercilessly. All in good fun... He's been needling me about my promiscuous camera buying habits for at least 30 years now...

But sometimes (usually) his minimalism works. Will is preparing for a one artist museum show that will be up for the first half of 2026, here in Austin. He's got work in many prestigious collections, including my favorite photo depot, the Humanities Research Center at UT Austin. Portfolio collections at Witliff  and more. He's done ample and beautiful work for many magazines but my favorite showcase of his work has always been the stories he's shot for National Geographic Traveler. And, in fact, about ten years or so ago he did a big spread about .... Montreal. 

We talked about famous photographers, new books, great shows, and more. We feasted on ribs (he sent me home with a survival Ziplock baggie full of ribs for later) and home made tortillas made into tacos with an amazing guacamole. Mary made a big, dark chocolate and ganache cake for the dessert and then, as I was leaving, handed me a smaller cake, made from the same recipe, covered with fresh raspberries, and asked me to share it with B. A wonderful coda to the "birthday week." Endless dinners and lunches, too many gifts and good times spent with best friends and close family. 

I've been spending more time shooting with the DLUX8 because it's so small, convenient and at the same time a powerful imaging tool. More to follow in a later post.

The balance to all these sybaritic meals? One or two hours a day of good, fast swimming with yet another set of friends. The water at the pool was perfect today. I swam in Matt and Mark's lane and got in max yardage. A charmed existence. At least for me...

a door and wall at Will's house.

A bouquet of flowers on Will and Mary's dining room table.

Love the accurate light balance on the flowers and the cool, blue 

light coming in from outside behind... 

The chocolate cake made just for me to take home. 

All photos: DLUX 8.

Night time images. Daytime editing.

 

There are as many reasons to photograph as there are photographers. I have always been attracted to writing and always found photography difficult and ponderous. But that makes it an eternal challenge for me and I'm always looking for that "secret" that will unlock my hidden designer/artist/photographer. 

Like an engineer trying to understand a Jackson Pollock painting. And I'm jealous of photographers who seem not only able to capture subjects effortlessly but for whom the patina of deep meaning effortlessly decorates their work. I have such a tendency to give primacy to the surfaces. To the immediacy of seeing rather than the nuances that intertwine art with philosophy. But I go out every day and try to find that point of leverage which might make my own efforts seem more... profound. 

Probably not going to find it by photographing mannequins but sometimes you have to pay attention to the demands of your subconscious...

Night time will always be more mysterious.

Not sure why but I really like this photograph. Taken late at night through a store window. A 50mm lens. An older rangefinder body. But wow! The detail is just right...

 

Handheld. 

No IBIS.

A 50mm Thypoch lens.

f2.0

ISO 800. 

I went out walking after the sun went down. A time of day I'm usually at home winding down. Getting ready for the next day. But B. was out of town and there was a one evening lull between Monday's birthday dinner with family and Wednesday's next event; Smoked, BBQ ribs at Will's house.

I was at loose ends. Nothing better to do. I thought about diving into the seven or eight books I got as birthday presents but thought to save those for later. When I might need homebound distraction more. 

Foot traffic fades as darkness seeps in and around the storefronts and the sidewalks. 

When I was photographing mannequins I met a fellow photographer who was shooting with a Noctilux .95 graphed onto the latest Nikon/Red video/photo camera. He had an interesting take on that combo. 

I talked for a few minutes with a street musician that I see regularly in the neighborhood. 

Young people smiled at the old man with a camera hung around his neck as they passed by on their way to a restaurant or bar. I smiled back. It was all so congenial. 

Then I slipped back into my car and headed home to eat leftover chocolate cake

and to post process my favorite new images. 

And to mentally prepare for swim practice on the first 

morning of cool temperatures since April. 

And it was good.