Mannequins for Bryan from the South Pacific; by request.

 

Fun with portraits. All manner of cameras. Mostly just for fun. Also, why didn't anyone tell me about the Avedon show coming up in Montreal?

 Important stuff first: There is a show of Avedon portraits, which are about aging, starting on February 12th, 2026 at the Musee de Beaux Arts. Here are the details:

https://www.mbam.qc.ca/en/exhibitions/richard-avedon-immortal-portraits-of-aging-1951-2004/

I can't wait to see the show. Avedon was one of the most important photographers of the entire 20th century. And the art museum in Montreal does a great job with exhibitions. I got the book today as a birthday present. Also got the new Sally Mann book and the Leica 100 book. And four different volumes of Billy Collins poems. People seem to have mistaken me for an addicted reader. And someone with an interest in photography.

Sadly, no Leica M11s in the stack of gifts. And I went to all that trouble to send along links....

Earlier today I was thinking about portraits so I looked through the 27,000+ portraits I've posted over the years to my Google Photo album (they wind up there automatically when I upload images for inclusion or possible inclusion into Blogger blogs). Here are some of the images that I enjoyed looking at again. 

I thought I'd share them with you for fun.

Self portrait. Of me. By me. 

The Avedon show. Heading there for sure. 

Already selecting matching down jackets and boots...

Hope airplanes are still flying between the two countries by then. 

The last photo walk before 70. It's all a matter of perception.

 

It's Sunday. Our second practice of the day is at 9:00 a.m. on Sundays so I got to sleep in an extra hour. I ate a vegan, blueberry and zucchini muffin and drank vitamin B12 infused coffee before I headed over to the pool. We had a "cold front" blow through last night and it was cool in the morning, with some fog hanging around. I've been working on both phases of my freestyle kick and I could feel a bit of fatigue in my legs this morning. But all-in-all the workout was great and we nailed down a bit over 3,000 yards in an hour. 

I came back home, gobbled down a huge serving of non-fat skyr (sibling to Greek yogurt: tons of protein; no added sugars of any type) topped with half a cup of organic muesli (no added sugar of any type), topped with half a pint of fresh blackberries. All washed down with one more cup of the vitamin B12 enhanced coffee. Then I did what a lot of people who are turning 70 seem to do these days, I started grappling with the upcoming cancellation of my Medicare Advantage plan and exploring just the right Medi-Gap supplemental insurance policy to combine with traditional Medicare, parts A and B. And that's just f-ing boring.

I think I have it figured out. We'll see after I've talked to my trusted advisor. 

With a happy belly and some resolution of the only "big thing" I have to deal with this week I thought I should grab a camera and do one last walk while still sub-70 years old. I mean, it is kind of a tradition for me...on birthdays and such.

I grabbed the M240, put an EV-2 EVF in the hot shoe, put the trusted Carl Zeiss 50mm on the lens mount, and headed out to see what might be interesting to me today. Turns out not much was. I blame it on my lackadaisical attitude. I secretly, or not so secretly, hate events like birthdays for myself. I'm always happy to drop by with flowers or a bottle of Champagne, or a brace of ribeye steaks to help a friend mourn the passing of years but for me? Not so much.

The weather was fine. Nice and sunny. Temperatures in the 70s. People out enjoying the day. But enjoying it in non-interesting ways; at least when it came to interesting visuals. I walked around for a couple of hours and really tried to find fun stuff to snap but I think my ennui about the upcoming aging milestone put creative blinders on me today. It happens. 

But that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with photography. It just means a crowded mind can be an inefficient mind. Too distracted to concentrate on photo-epiphanies. I predict that after tomorrow I'll be back single-mindedly looking for fun and inspiration and finding it everywhere. At least I hope so...

Random interior shot at the Austin Event Center.

Today's events were a LP record convention and a Coffee festival.

I was going to check out the coffee festival but heading into a fluorescent lit room 

in the middle of a beautiful afternoon seemed just...wrong. And so did the $30

entrance fee. I would have paid it but you could only sign up online and 

I generally don't bring my cellphone along with me on walks so I was 

stuck. Out of luck. Maybe all for the best.  I no longer have a turntable to play records

on so I "dodged that bullet" as well. Lovely dynamic range in those older 

digital M cameras....

Hat. Long sleeve shirt. Sunscreened to the max. 

Paranoia runs rampant after the latest phone call from 

the dermatologist. But nothing too unusual.

Scooters, powered rickshaws, etc. are making everyone who is using them in Austin

get fatter and fatter. Lazier and lazier. Semaglutide to the rescue?

Or maybe just....I don't know....walk?

yes, yes, the Punctum exists here for me.

It's the circular pattern of the sprinkler's outflow in the top right corner juxtaposed with the circular pattern of the semi-coiled hose in the opposite corner of the frame (diagonally). It of course reminds me of my mother since all philosophy fabricated by Roland Barthes is "Mother Centric" doses of Punk-tum.

Maybe the real punctum here is the light colored dog and the dark dog which represents the evil versus good aspect of mothers. Or Barthes's mother, at least. Anchored together on leashes extending from the dogs' implied human mother. Puntum-licious. All nonsense, of course.

One thing. I never get tired of this bridge. 

Yes. I am posting tomorrow. Drop by and say "hi !" 

With or without the exclamation mark...

Ellipses are always in fashion. Believe me. 

Just some odds and ends I keep coming across. From the "life of a working photographer."

 

video on location in Toronto.

It's kind of funny but every time I mention going someplace like Montreal at any time of the year, except the middle of Summer, people rush to tell me that it's freezing cold there and that I should buy lots of Arctic Expedition type clothing. People! Give me a little credit. I can read weather forecasts. I spent two weeks in St. Petersburg, Russia one very cold February (minus 25° anybody?). My toes, my fingers and even the tip of my nose survived with no frostbite. Insulated boots? Check. Inner gloves, outer gloves, huge mittens? I've got a box full. Hats? I probably have more winter hat inventory on hand than a typical REI store in the northern wastelands. Long underwear? Double check. Polartec, down, fleece, Gore-Tex, Smart Wool, and silk? Got em all. I've lived in cold environments and visited, during winter months, in many more. One of the things I like best about the cold weather is the increase in calories burned which means I can eat more fun stuff...

I was planning a trip to Montreal in mid-November. Just about to make hotel and airline reservations at the end of last week. But then I got a call from my dermatologist and got crappy news. The biopsy she did on a little spot on my left shoulder blade tested positive for squamous cell cancer. Something you want to get remediated ASAP. Like...on the 11th of November. If I could reach the spot on my back in order to clean and re-bandage it every day I'd probably leave town any way but... nope. Not that flexible. Also, and this is the most tragic part, I'm told I have to stay out of the pool for two weeks and no strenuous exercise until the stitches come out. Kill me now... But that means the soonest I can get out of town and into Winter weather is going to be early December. Hotel and air travel rates are even lower in January but we may already be at war with Canada by then so I don't what to put off traveling for too long....

More in a future post.

Movie making in Toronto.

I was in Toronto making videos for a German Medical appliance company six or seven years ago. I arrived during the first big blizzard of that winter. I re-learned how to drive a car with conventional tires, at night, on black ice. The secret, of course is to give up and not drive on black ice. But I am stubborn and there was a schedule to keep and work to be done. It wasn't super cold on the days we shot outside but it was still down in the single digits (Fahrenheit) and I noticed some peripheral members of the Canadian marketing team sitting in cars with the heaters running while we were out shooting in the deep freeze. Note to Toronto marketing people: Dress shoes aren't made for exterior, low temperature location work.... Nor are business suit pants...

Again, I survived.

But a large percentage of my working life was spent in Texas and while we can occasionally get super cold weather it's more like a two or three days per year thing. Many times at Christmas and New Years the dress code leans to short pants and short sleeve shirts. Survival tactics for a zany environment. 

The late-learned secret in this environment is to limit UV exposure as much as you can. Long sleeve, tight weave shirts, long pants with similar breathable, UV resistant fabrics. Big hats with big brims. And the ever present need to sunscreen the hell out of any exposed flesh. On extreme UV days sunglasses are mandatory. Looking back I wish we'd spent more time in air conditioned studios and less time feeling bulletproof and adventurous by shooting in the great outdoors...

Rehearsal. The process that makes everything work. 

Whether you are shooting in deep freeze cold or sweat drenching heat you'll probably want to work as efficiently as possible to limit your time in harsh conditions. During a blizzard or during a heat wave is no time to learn how to use a piece of gear for the first time. Pulling that instruction manual out of the camera bag while you get heat soaked is contraindicated. And learning about camera battery endurance while your breath freezes in front of you is also....not wise. 

The best approach? Rehearsals for every step you anticipate during a harsh weather shoot. You should know your camera operations by heart before you step into the atmospheric oven. You should know exactly how you want to light something before icicles form on your light stands. And you should rehearse the poses and looks you'll want from your talent while inside warm location, sipping hot toddies in front of the fireplace--- before you head out the door. 

Andy Roddick, Sir Elton John plus friends and relations. 

At the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin. 

I enjoy hanging out with some famous people. If you are good with people and have a non-creepy personality you may find that once you get into an celebrity rich environment and don't do something stupid, like pushing that screenplay you wrote at the director you are photographing, or talking too much, you'll be able to stick around for as long as you'd want. After working with Andy and Elton John for fifteen or twenty minutes I was able to pull up a chair and listen to them tell stories and joke around for an hour or so. I was also invited in for rehearsals for Elton John's private concert and then asked to stay on, at the back of the room for the actual concert. Being low key and low profile, and mostly silent, is a plus. Works with former presidents as well. 

If you want fun photographs of actors it's better to spend a lot of time on set and work at becoming just another part of the cast. Make friends. Become a familiar presence. Don't be pushy. Don't invade space or privacy. Just emulate the other crew members. My favorite theater shoots are the ones at which I know and have worked with the cast members over and over again for years. Once you are part of their "cast" you have the freedom to work the way you want to --- as long as you don't step over the line.

the Wings of Desire. Or just light blockers. 

Ah. The dreaded, impromptu group shot. Evenly lit and no wild distortion on the edges. I'll take it.

The secret of throwing together a group shot of 50 to 100 people in twenty minutes or less is to do your scouting well in advance, know how you'll light a large group evenly, and then BE COMMANDING and LOUD. Get them in position. Get the group looking in the right direction. Get them on the same page. And don't expect them to stay in place and be cooperative for more than about ten good frames. This is not the time to stop and learn how to use that new light meter! 

Fun to look back over stuff from a career. Every shoot seems burned into my memory. I can't wait to write the autobiography but I'm waiting for those NDAs to expire......

I'm looking forward to never managing a group photo of more than two people ever again...

The introduction of Leica's new M EV-1 clicked something in my brain. The realization that I have two EVFs for the M240 cameras and I don't think I used them except to test them when I first got them. The EV-1 inspired me to take another look at "old" tech.

With bucket hat and SPF, long sleeve shirt as 

UV protection. The camera and lens can fend for themselves. 

(image ghosting caused by shooting into double pane glass window).

Sometimes I overlook stuff that turns out to be pretty great. When I first read all the breathless proto-reviews of the Leica EV-1 I was a bit miffed that Leica didn't pay attention to the article I wrote on Michael Johnston's "TheOnlinePhotographer" way, way back in 2009. It was all about EVFs in modern cameras. And why, one day, most cameras used by pros and ardent amateurs would all sport EVFs. The ridicule from the "expert" gallery was priceless and I learned more than I ever wanted to in the comments about the difference between long bows and crossbows and the battle of Agincourt. Some people are just bad at knowing the future with any kind of certainty. Now here we are and just about every professional camera you can lay your hands on has....an EVF. 

But the introduction of the new camera didn't cause me to instantly crave it. In fact my response was the opposite. Not, "Oh Cool !!!" But more: "Here we go again." The buzz about the "new tech" from Leica jogged my memory and reminded me that I had two of the EVFs (re-badged Olympus finders) that Leica offered for the M240 cameras. They aren't the highest res finders but they do a fine job for composition and basic exposure display with those cameras. 

The problem was that I thought at the time it would be a good idea to buy the finders for future use and then life intruded and that intended use got pushed back further and further until .... well, you know how it goes...

So yesterday evening I dug out the EV-2 finders from their cases and I put one on my favorite M240, the gunmetal finished M-E version. Then I added a Carl Zeiss ZM 50mm Planar to the mix, set the camera to shoot Jpegs in black and white and headed downtown to see what I'd been missing. And, in fact, I was missing something. Those finders are great for subjects that don't move fast. In a black and white mode they are especially good. Mostly because you instantly eliminate the color artifacts, etc. 

I have to be honest. The live view process with an EVF in the hotshoe is a much slower way to shoot with that 2019 rangefinder camera. When you start up the camera there is a lag. When you push "live view" there is a lag, and then you have to remember to push the button on the back of the EVF to have the live view image move from the rear LCD to the finder. Once you are there and you push the shutter button the camera has to close the shutter and then re-open it to capture the image. It's time consuming. But if your goal is to have perfect framing, perfect visualization of the effects of aperture (shallow or deep depth of field) and a good emulation of the image the system works well for all stationary situations and most general photography. You just can't be in a hurry. Which I rarely am these days. 

When I came home and ingested the files into Lightroom and the ventured into the Develop module I was absolutely shocked at the detail the camera and the Zeiss lens working together provided. It's just amazing. And if I trusted the viewfinder image I found I got files that didn't blow out the highlights at all. And that's with the camera set to medium high contrast. 

The camera and EVF do everything I want in a daylight, street shooting camera system. I'm glad I resurfaced the two EVFs, each of which cost me less than $200. And even though the base camera which the M-E is sourced from is from 2012 (generic M240)  the EVF finder (and camera live view) provides focus peaking as well as punch in magnification for fine focusing. 

My belief now is the that Leica EV-1 is a cost cutting product as well as an "open the tent to more average-capable users" sort of product. I can't believe that an M11 or M10 with a dedicated external EVF can be much less practical in day-to-day use... But maybe that's just elitism talking. 

At any rate it was a revealing re-discovery of old tech that works. That's all I've got. 

 

 I always thought of mannequins as being "classy." I was shocked to see one

willing to wear such a raunchy t-shirt. But what was I to expect from

football culture. who would wear this in public?

A photo from the ancient Leica CL. The non-digital one. From about 1980. Maybe 1979. Who took accurate notes back then? Not me.

 

B. and I went camping at Bastrop State Park a long time ago. About 45 years ago. I brought along a camera that I was having fun with back then. Might have been one of only two cameras I owned at the time. It was a Leica CL film camera. I bought it used from Capitol Camera in Austin, Texas. It came with a 40mm f2.0 Summicron C lens. I was relatively new to photography back then but the learning curve on a camera with only three exposure controls and one focus control was pretty darn short. I'd already learned to process Tri-X film, make contact sheets and also make black and white prints. 

B. and I remember that camping trip as the first time I made a hollandaise sauce over a campfire for the poached eggs and steaks I was also cooking. Increasing the level of difficulty was the fact that we forgot to bring a flashlight and by the time I started cooking it was already getting dark.

Two pieces of advice to pass on to a younger generation: If you want to impress a woman you have recently started dating try making a perfect, smooth hollandaise sauce from scratch over a wood campfire. If you pull it off you will find your relationship off to a good start. Second, and this advice comes from decades of life, Always marry someone smarter than yourself. It works out better that way. (At least for you....).

That's the only worthwhile advice I can offer. 

I was being nostalgic about Leica rangefinder cameras today and went looking for this photograph. I think it speaks to the underlying belief we all have that a successful photograph depends about 95% of the time on having a subject you love to photograph and less than 5% of the time on which camera you end up using. 

Two keepers. 

Made it to swim practice today. The coach asked me if I'd be at workout on Tuesday. When I said yes he offered to host a special workout for my 70th birthday where we would swim 70 x 100 yards on 70 second intervals. That's a 100 yard swim every minute and ten seconds. I gracefully declined as I could not cover 7,000 yards in an hour and ten minutes even back in college...  It's good to know your limits. 

Now a bit frightened about going to workout on my birthday... but I'll get over it.

As Predicted, Leica drops a whole new camera (kinda). Let the feeding frenzy begin!!! Will I buy one? Probably not...

 

Leica M EV1

Leica took their basic M series rangefinder camera, took out the optical rangefinder entirely, and replaced it with an EVF. In one fell swoop they've taken what made one of their cameras totally different from just about everything else on the market and presented to the photography universe one more camera that uses an EVF instead of any sort of optical finder. Of course it works with 70 years worth of Leica M series lenses and that's a good thing but it's sure to stir up some temporary angst and controversy amongst the Leica faithful, and provide contentious fuel for the fires of legions of Leica haters. They will contend that you might as well just buy an XXX (cheaper camera) and put Leica lenses on it --- if that floats your boat. 

When I saw the flood of videos about the M EV1 from all the Leica toting influencers I immediately rushed  my favorite Leica store's website and added my name to the wait list to eventually be able to buy one --- but that's kind of a pro forma move since I am under no obligation to buy one when it becomes available. The retailer will just move on to the next person on the list...

Here's what the camera is in a nutshell: It's based on the existing M11 body design but uses an eyepiece that more closely matches that of the EVF enabled Q3. The big, optical viewfinder window has been totally removed and you are now going to compose and focus on a conventional EVF screen. The camera uses what we presume to be the same 60 megapixel sensor seen in the Q3 and SL3 cameras. It features the triple resolution capability that allows for raw files in smaller resolutions. (Nice). It comes with an SD slot and also 64 GB of internal memory. While I think the 64 GB is a bit stingy in this day and age I'm sure they limited it so that when the special edition version ("P") comes to market they can add more memory to that camera to enforce the difference between it and the stock version. Don't worry, you'll be able to tell the difference between models because Leica will remove the red, front logo on the luxe version. I meant "more luxe" version. One exciting feature for Leica lovers !!! No video. Oh boy! (not). 

I was prepared to be really excited about the new camera, after all I have a bunch of cool M mount lenses that would work really well on the camera and it sure will make composing on 28,24,21, and 18mm lenses a lot easier. Not to mention being able to use longer lenses than 90mm with more comfort and precision. But we've always been able to do that since the introduction of the M240 (2012) by attaching a shoe mounted, external EVF. So, hmmm. What's in it for me?

I found it delightfully humorous, and cynically disingenuous, to watch YouTuber after YouTuber get all exciting about the idea of an EVF on an interchangeable lens camera. As though this was brand new tech!!! Groundbreaking. Imagine, you can "PREVIEW" the shot you might want to take. Imagine, you can "REVIEW" the shot you just took, right there in the finder!!! Without even moving your eye away!!!!  You can see how your color temperature settings will impact the image you are about to capture!!!!! You can see focus peaking and, most amazing of all, you can magnify the frame you are considering shooting in order to focus the lens more accurately!!!!!! All things we've been able to do across many systems for many years. For well over a decade!!!!!!!!! 

If you don't need a full frame camera you could buy a Leica CL (the digital version) as well as an M to L Leica lens adapter and instantly be able to use all those cool M mount lenses in exactly the same way right now! No waiting for supply to catch up with demand. And as a bonus you'll save seven or eight thousand dollars into the bargain. As a second, added bonus you can even have video with a CL, if you want it. 

While I was getting all amped up while listening to the well oiled, Chris Nichols camera review machine I happened to reach over on my desk and grab my Leica SL2-S, the one I bought used this year for a little over two thousand dollars... Amazingly it already had an M mount lens attached to it via the Leica M to L adapter. Amazingly I could do things like: use focus peaking! accurately compose any focal length M lens with alarming precision! preview my exposure! check focus by magnifying the preview frame! see how different color temperature settings would affect the image I was about to take! when using Leica M lenses that are coded I could also have the camera automatically set accurate lens profiles! In fact, the only two things spending eight thousand more dollars would buy me would be a lighter camera (less weight) and a 60 megapixel sensor. I'd like the sensor but I am not yet so infirmed that the difference in weight between an M camera and an SL camera is so dramatic. Or that my current M cameras are not up to the task of....taking photographs.

From a marketing point of view I am certain that Leica is doing exactly what they should be doing as a "for profit" company. They are opening up their M "tent" to a much wider audience; one that was never going to buy into the rangefinder mystique. They've goosed up their aspirational product line with one that more firmly aligns with a much bigger target market. At the same time they are lowering the cost of producing more machines for the epic M product line. As we all know, if you can replace a complex mechanical/optical mechanism with an electronic package that is mass produced by Epson (the EVF screen) you cut so many costs while eliminating points of failure from mechanical shock, etc. Less warranty repairs? Greater reliability? Less manufacturing costs? More money in Leica's luxe pockets?

So, a more accessible product, less production costs, same high prices = higher profit margins and more inventory moved out the door. A win-win-win for Leica. 

I stated that I probably will not buy one. But I have been known to change my mind. So, please don't pillory me if you see me out and about with an M EV1 in my hands. I am only human and subject to Veblenistic behaviors like any one else. 

In the long run it's obvious to me that no matter what Leica says (and they have stated that they'll be making real, rangefinder M cameras till the end of time) within five, at the most, ten, years they'll quietly discontinue the optical finder Ms and let everyone know that EVFs have "gotten so good" that they've "eclipsed" the usefulness of the optical rangefinders and so, have discontinued them ---- except for special editions. $$$$

Now heading to the Hermés store on South Congress Ave. to buy a thousand dollar camera strap for my SL2-S. Just trying to feel better after finding out today that all my current camera tech is becoming obsolete. What's next? More complex menus?

Taking a breather to walk around with an ancient M240 and its EVF-2 finder. Who knows? Retro digital might be cool again.

No sweat, they are all just cameras....  As Roland says, it's just the punctum that matters...

Funny though to hear from influencer/people who swore that their optical viewfinder Leicas were the compelling differentiation from all other cameras only to see them swill Italian wines and gush about the potential of EVFs at an all expenses paid "vacation" and have them swoon because the brand (and product line)  they professed to love the most just adapted decades old technology. The surprised looks on their faces about the efficacy of the "new" EVFs seemed....inauthentic. 

My problem, as usual, is not the product but the junket and the flood of day one, "first look" testimonials. Almost like a religion...