All images done with the Panasonic Lumix S5 and the Voigtlander 40mm f1.4 lens.
Processed in Adobe Lightroom Classic.
Wednesday, November 09, 2022
Snaps from the vacation. Just stumbling around Vancouver with a camera and a map I can't really read... Thank goodness B. is map literate and spatially well oriented.
B. is certain that I have "Map Dyslexia" as I can't figure out where I am going without the sun as a directional reference. Or known landmarks to guide me. Thank goodness for partnerships.
She's a map savant and a guide book researcher. The perfect city guide....
On Friday it rained most of the day. On Sunday it snowed! We didn't care. After Texas's long, hot Summer of drought we found the chilly, damp weather exhilarating and refreshing. We logged about five miles a day of walking which burned enough calories to compensate for the occasional donut or croissant. We explored the northern seawall in the rain before heading to a wonderful little restaurant called, The Greenhorn Café. We both had the Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon. Delicious. And the casual atmosphere reminded us of the old Austin, hippy restaurant start-ups of yesteryear. Just that the Greenhorn had better food.
It was a lovely day on Saturday and B. was excited about renting bikes and making the big loop around Stanley Park. We had walked in the park a few days earlier to see the aquarium --- which was delightful --- but all of our friends insisted that the seawall hike and bike trail around the park would be a high point of the vacation. It was. Around every curve was another beautiful vista. It's almost tragic that I am not more of a landscape photography enthusiast but there it is. I hadn't been on a bike in a couple of years. It's true what they say; you never forget how to ride one. B. rode expertly. We both wore helmets out of an abundance of caution --- and it is a city ordinance to do so.
On one side of the park, as we came around a dramatic curve, we were hit in the face by freezing cold wind. And some water spray. It was fun and exhilarating.
Every once in a while I'd ask for a stop so I could try my hand at photographing the scenery. I think with practice I might be able to get the hang of it. The S5 and the 40mm were a nice pair for this. They are both small and travel well when biking.
It's good to get out and start walking early. The light can be very soft and interesting at the same time. We walked down from our hotel to Canada Center which is attached to a giant and glorious hotel. This convention center area is also where the giant cruise ships dock. The views along the walkways are wonderful and at this time of the year almost completely abandoned by tourists.
I love the idea of the pontoon planes. The reality of it, not so much. I've flown in too many small planes to maintain any attraction. They are the one sort of conveyance that triggers my own motion sickness....
Being from Austin my first questions as I walk along this public walkway are: Where's the graffiti? Where is the trash? Where are the panhandlers? The cigarette butts? Once I cycled through that mental exercise I was ready to document this urban scene. One and a half stops of negative exposure compensation, f5.6. WB = Cloudy icon.
And, of course, any time you like a scene it seems a good idea to turn around and get the 180° angle. To see if that works too.
As one walks through the downtown area in Vancouver there are small parks and green spaces that pop up which I find calming and a nod to compassionate city stewardship. This small park, with a stairway down to the seawall, was gorgeous in the soft light just after sunrise.
Snowflake mannequin. Nice bokeh from the 40mm....
Luggage shop on Robson.
I love finding replica statues of ancient Greek statuary styles. They are so incongruous when used as vehicles for advertising. This one was in front of a Saatchi Jewelry store. I tried a different angle or look every time I walked by.
On the mezzanine level of our hotel there is a discotheque that is currently closed for some maintenance to its swimming pool. Yes, there is a swimming pool right in the middle of the large nightclub space and it is surrounded by casual couch seating. I can only imagine that when the facility is open at night beautiful young people frolic bikini-clad in the pool while men in shark skin suits faux casually watch them in a predatory way while quaffing very expensive drinks. And, on an upper level some James Bond Movie Villain sits surrounded by his bodyguards, drinking pricey Champagne and dreaming of world conquest. Thankfully, it was closed for maintenance. The world is safe for now.....
We strolled in the rain just before the snow arrived on Sunday. We found ourselves in Yaletown surrounded by trendy restaurants just coming to life and the mid-morning of a cold, gray Sunday. Groggy couples drifted toward their favorite venues in search of morning cocktails and comfortable food. The one thing I saw that tickled my optical nerves was this combination of colors sitting quietly in the mist.
Just another window rabbit. Again. I like window displays. They speak volumes.
Looking across from Granville Island to downtown. A sunny Saturday afternoon.
I like the small ferry boats. Water taxis? The trip across takes minutes but the
act of traveling across water is always fun. Well, almost always fun.
Just off Robson St., a few blocks from our hotel, we found a zany shop called, Dank Mart. They specialize in finding the most kitsch and bizarre products from regional markets around the world and sell them as either novelties or, scary version, personal favorites of their target customers. Interesting to see how regional junk food can be. Not shown, but a conceptual favorite, were the "Lady Gaga" Oreos. And I almost bought a box of the "Magic Fruity Pebbles" just to see what might be magic about them...
While out walking around we also stopped in and browsed at a number of different stores which don't have similar, corresponding types in Austin. My kid buys a lot of stuff from a store/website called Uniqlo. It's a Japanese store that sells clothes and clothing accessories. A lot of their sizing runs small and thin. This fits Mr. B. because he is shorter and wiry.
I've ordered a few things from https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/ and been happy with the products. In Vancouver we found a different store filled with Japanese clothing and housewares, stationary, etc. called Muji. I found a pair of water resistant shoes there that I really like. They were cheap and fit in my suitcase so I bought them. I liked this image of the bag on the bed back in the hotel. Big floor-to-ceiling windows make just about anything look good...
Yeah. Version #7.
Earlier in the week. On a day with a pleasant, persistent drizzle, we walked over to Stanley Park to visit the aquarium. It was smallish but sweet and incredibly well run. I loved the harbor seals and the otters but my photo skills failed to serve me well during their appearances. I did strike a bit of success with the jelly fish. They move slowly. I'm guessing I have 50 variations of "slow motion" jelly fish dancing. I recommend the aquarium and enjoyed the looks of awe and discovery from the small children around us.
Lumix S5 = good
40mm f1.4 = really nice and compact. Sharp
Kirk's skill with seal photography = minimal
Seawall = a lovely place to walk and breathe
Muji = lots of fun, small, inexpensive stuff that you think, in the moment, you'd love to have.
Vancouver = an obvious hit with we Texans. We'll be back soon.
From a photo point of view I didn't get much done on this trip. what I did shoot I liked and I also liked just walking along under umbrellas with my best friend savoring the experience and living in the moments.
Our favorite restaurants? Tableau. Next to the Loden Hotel on Alberni.
Sushi? Hello Nori
Ramen? Horin
Coffee? 49th Parallel. Georgia and Thurlow
Breakfast? Abode, on Robson.
Casual lunch? Greenhorn Café
quick drop ins for coffee, pastries, a brief rest: Breka, all over the city
Overrated? Easily.....the Market at Granville Island.
Tuesday, November 08, 2022
One of the promised mannequin shots you know you were waiting for....
At a shop called "Snowflakes" on Georgia St.
Back from Vancouver. Well rested. Well fed. And ready to get back to work. Which camera?
I found Tim Horton's. I ate a donut. It was just okay. But I got to check another
"international" experience off my culinary bucket list. (Caution: hat hair).
I approached last week's vacation in a different way than I would if I had gone solo with the intention of shooting randomly, in the street. Instead of planning the trip around photography I thought it might be nice and relaxing to just go with the vacation flow and enjoy seeing a new city while spending quality time with the most important person I know. B.
To that end, and for the first time in over 40 years, I took only one camera and one lens. No back-ups, no second options, no safety net. My thought was that carrying anything extra would just wear me down, slow me down and distract me from soaking it all in. I did pack two extra batteries and on the first day I carried one of the extras with me but the camera I used was fairly parsimonious with energy and after that first day I just left the extra batteries in the room. I still came away with about 1300 photographs but they are mostly fun snapshots and personal memory images.
So, let's get to the camera and lens stuff. Since I made photography a secondary priority I decided to lock in on one focal length and make my vision correspond to the focal length option at hand. No wide angles, no telephotos. I went with the 40mm f1.4 Voigtlander and I'm pretty happy with me choice---with a few caveats. I really like the focal length and didn't feel at all restricted when looking and shooting.
There are two things I would have changed but we learn with each adventure. The first is that the minimum focusing distance is too long. I kept comping stuff only to find that I didn't have the focusing resources with that lens to get as close as I'd like. Since nothing in particular was riding on the outcome of any of these shots it's more an observation and a reminder should I use the lens for work. Secondly, I too boldly discounted the advantages of weather proofing in lenses and between camera bodies and lenses.
It matters so little in drought-stricken Texas where you can stick your camera under a hat for the few minutes a month it might rain but in Vancouver last week we were treated to lots and lots and lots of rain and even a nice, floaty downfall of big, fat, soft snowflakes. I worried from time to time about water intrusion and kept a small cotton handkerchief in my pocket to wipe off excess moisture. The issue was the need for an adapter which let me use the Leica M mount lens on an L mount camera. So many interfaces for sneaky moisture to slide in between. For the most part though the camera and lens were under my umbrella. And nothing went awry.
Still, for most things the Sigma 45mm f2.8 might have been a better choice as it has some weather sealing and, to be truthful, I could have used AF to good effect from time to time.
But, being somewhat eccentric and enjoying counter-intuitive photographic strategies, I'll probably bring the same lens along on the next adventure as well. Mostly because it's tiny and cute and still way sharper than it needs to be.
I'll post some night shots because that's where it really shined. Shone?
On to the camera. I have lots of L mount cameras to choose from but the one that made the most sense to me on this trip was the mighty Lumix S5. Why? It's weather resistant, the batteries hold a ton of charge, it's full frame and has a really good 24 megapixel sensor that's also a low light champ. It's smaller and lighter (by far) than my Leica full frame cameras and.... finally, I know the menus and the operation forward and backward.
Some might bicker about the AF but since I was using a manual focus-only lens it didn't matter. On the flip side its implementation of focus peaking and image magnification during focusing is nearly unrivaled which might make it the winner of the "all around manual focus full frame" camera niche. If you carry and use the camera every day you quickly make the focus punch-in an automatic gesture. Which is great because the adapter I was using for the M to L (or maybe it's the lens calibration itself...) wasn't accurate vis-a-vis the marked focusing ring. I tried zone focusing for a while and quickly found that it wasn't nearly accurate enough. Which is kind of sad since that can be such a quick way to shoot. But, as soon as you figure out an issue you figure out a workaround and move on.
When we left our hotel (great choice of location and venue!!!) each day I just tossed the camera on with a strap and left everything but my wallet and room key back at the hotel. No pocket clutter. No camera bag. Just unfettered camera access and ease of movement.
I'd love to write one of those paragraphs where I try to find something negative to write about the S5. People seem to love those "pro and con" articles. But try as I might I can't find a single thing wrong with the S5 for photography. The one mark against the camera is only in the video realm and that's just the tiny HDMI plug. Otherwise Panasonic may have devised the perfect, economical, user camera for still photographers. It even fits nicely in my hands. Oh, and I was able to use it just fine with my chunky gloves on.
In use I'd drape the camera across my chest (as I've told people not to do for years....) on a Peak Design leash strap (which I've pooh-poohed for years), left the power switch in the "on" position and just grabbed the camera when I wanted to shoot something. I tried to stay in the f2.8-f4.0 zone since I'm not really a landscape photographer and kind of resent having to look at most images where everything is in sharp focus.
Also, while I shot almost everything in color I tried imagining each shot as a black and white photograph. I guess that is a super of mine. I can't wait to pull some of the images into Lightroom and start converting. It should be fun.
Vancouver was just great. Everyone (except the guy on the beach who spit at me ---- well dodged --- because he thought I was photographing him....) was extremely nice and helpful. Just so, so nice. And with the strong dollar vacationing in Canada was cheaper than staying at home. We winced when we realized how limited Austin's restaurant scene is by comparison. We loved (absolutely loved) the rich cultural diversity. And just the general, day-to-day consideration and respect the Canadians seem to show for each other --- and their visitors.
Some people questioned our choice to travel in an off season/dicey weather part of the year but you have to consider the huge advantages: cheaper hotel rates, uncrowded attractions, no lines for entry, easy dinner reservations at the best restaurants, quick cab arrivals, unhurried and uncrowded airports, lots of available upgrades, etc. etc.
On sunny, bright days we rode bikes around and around Stanley Park, grabbed ferries to Granville Island and the north shore and walked every cool street in downtown. On rainy days we explored galleries, museums, the aquarium (loved the sea otters!) and just savored the thrill (to Texas traumatized by heat and drought) of walking around being slightly chilly and feeling the mist of rain. Followed by rewards of good coffee and Lucky Donuts at 49th Parallel.
Our outwear was perfect. Our waterproof shoes did fine service. Our small umbrellas got lost frequently but were easy to replace at about $6 each at any store. And our choice of hotel couldn't not have been better for location, level of service and quiet comfort. Dang. It was just a really nice vacation.
More images to follow...... don't fret. I was sure to grab shots of some mannequins.
Proof to the hundreds of seasoned travelers as well as the mountain of guide books
which insist we must, as good tourists, circumnavigate Stanley Park on bicycles.
they were right....
As workmanlike as a good hammer.
Buy one, they're really useful.
What's ahead? I'm working on post production for a national ad campaign for a medical products giant. We're shooting product on Tuesday next week and three talents on location Wednesday. Lots and lots of pre-production to keep me busy between now and then.
My favorite assistant is already booked on someone else's shoots for those days so I'm in the process of meeting new assistants. Ditto with our make-up person. I'm more or less assembling a new team. And then there is the ongoing effort to keep the studio space clean and efficient. That may be the single biggest Herculean task of my career. Staying organized...
More from Canada shortly.
Nice to be home.
Sunday, November 06, 2022
Saturday, November 05, 2022
Having fun in sunny Vancouver.
We’ve had two days of crystal clear clear sunlight and two rainy days that didn’t slow us down in the least. Vancouver is a wonderful city!!!
Yes, I have only one camera and one lens with me but it’s actually a nice change. Can’t believe Leica got me a beta SL3 just in time for our trip. Wow! 22 stops of dynamic range, 120 Megapixel sensor and 10 terabytes of built in storage!! And an IP 1200 rating for resistance to electro magnetic 🧲 pulse weapons. All that and a 24 megapixel EVF.
Oops! I forgot about that NDA I signed….
I ordered mine with the Komodo Dragon leather. Sucks for the endangered species but DAMN it looks good…
Back to reality and home in a few days….
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