I never consciously realized that every city has its own color palette. But there are colors I see in Austin and different colors I saw in Chicago.

It's funny that some things seem hidden until they become obvious. I walk around Austin all the time and I expect that the colors I see on the sides of buildings, on business signage and logos and on all sorts of display advertising are universal. That if you went to London or Lima you'd see pretty much the same assortment of colors. But when I walked down a few streets in Chicago last week one of the things I noticed very much was how different the color choices are from Austin's. More pale blues. More subtle greens. Paler bricks. Softer stone facades. A profusion of mint green colors in various strengths. Less deep red. Fewer signs with contrasty yellows. And it all makes a difference. 

Chicago, at least the parts that I saw, seems a generation older or more mature than Austin and it's reflected in the color choices everywhere. But some things are more universal. Women's leggings are generally the same deep black. Tattoos seem more color uniform; but I think you have to be a big, big fan to have the Chicago Cubs logo prominently tattooed on the back of your thigh... It's mostly the national chain stores and fast food restaurants that have colors in their trade dress that transcend locations and cities. Seeing the yellow arches of McDonalds in the context of local Chicago seemed familiar and at the same time a bit strange. 

The other thing I noticed as a photographer is that in the center of Chicago is that every business, gallery or restaurant is compressed into a tighter space and has less room around it. Less "negative space." Texas, and Austin in particular, is so much newer. So much more spread out. Except in the very center of our downtown businesses are insulated from each other, framed by ample parking lots, never touching side by side. While in Chicago it almost seemed in some places that business had carved out some territory for themselves out of the side of a building. Directly adjacent with no space to spare with other businesses that had done the same thing. The streets are narrower and more crowded which changes the way a photographer interacts with the space. We get so comfortable with our local status quo that even little changes are more pronounced to our photographer's point of view. 

Color choices can be very contemporary or they can be era defying. A lot depends on the demographic of a store, restaurant or gallery's customer demographic.  Businesses that have survived for decades have a vested interest in maintaining their signature look or risk losing customers. New businesses ( which seem to come and go more rapidly in Austin ) can experiment more at the outset as they have no existing base to lose. 

Every year design gurus and color intensive concerns "reveal" the popular colors of the year. Some interesting colors don't survive in consumer culture for more than the year of their announcement while others become mainstream. Light, neutral gray is a currently a popular color choice for new car exteriors. I see it everywhere now. In a year or two it will make the vehicle model seem dated and passé. 

Red (PMS 185) circles back around every ten years. Various shades of green are "evergreen" for financial services companies. A banking concern called PNC uses a horrible combination of orange and blue that's so badly matched that when they bought out a bank chain here in Texas and used that nasty logo on stationary, direct mail and their branch signage the result was a profound exodus of customers in a very short time frame. Color really does matter though logic-titians does like to admit that we have big reactions to color.

Chicago's blue sky is different than Austin's. Less intensely saturated. The buildings are more demure in tone and less prone to flashy color display. But the result is that they seem to defy trends better and the overall effect is the perception of stability. 

I like color and often photograph things just to see how the colors of objects or signage render in the digital space. On my monitor. And it's fun to find funky uses of color. I'm interested to know if anyone else pays attention to variations of color in their photography practices. It's the age old question of: "How can I be at all sure that all people see colors the same way I do?" The answer is that we'll probably never know. 

One of the reasons I use certain cameras is that technical trade-offs give them greater color differentiation. More color discrimination which basically means finer and finer degrees of change in tone and hue. The trade-offs may be that the camera has to do more processing and so trades off speed of capture and file processing. Even when the underlying sensor is the same between brands it's the processing protocols that make many color and tone differences.  This may be one reason why some cameras have better high ISO noise performance than others. One model is getting you multiple images quicker while another company might give you a more realistic and complex color palette by giving up speed and different performance parameters on the borders. It's a choice. Always a choice because technology is always a trade off between speed and accuracy. Just a few thoughts after a wonderfully engaging swim practice on a bright Saturday morning. Thoughts?

The Armored Bridge of Millennium Park in Chicago. Impervious to RPGs?

It is sinuous. 

I was so tempted to slide down the exterior of the bridge but I didn't want to get lost...

World famous graphic designer captures yet another color anomaly on Wabash Ave.

Several colors in the above image that I saw repeated in various places throughout Chicago's downtown. So different from Austin. But a nice change for me.

The softer nature of the stone work color.

Another Saturday Spent Swimming, Writing and Avoiding the Chaos on the east end of our neighborhood. That would be the outdoor music festival for a couple hundred thousand "friends" in Austin's Zilker Park. And after the two weekends of a noisy and crowded concert (Austin City Limits Music Festival) the city of Austin will spend a quarter million dollars for a study with consultants to figure out what happened to the once healthy turf at the park which is now a giant field of raw dirt. And at the next rain will become a giant field of mud.  Oh well, it's about as appealing to me as a concert of leaf blowers and chain saws. And we get enough of that...

And traffic is a mess everywhere. Staying here in the bubble. It's safer and saner that way.

 

Psychedelic Photo Journey in the depths of Chicago.

 Leica Q2. Tripping on some Cabernet Sauvignon...

In front of the fountains in Millennium Park. Chicago. Two different crops. Q2.

 

Vacation Cam. As opposed to Travel Cam. Or "Serious" Cam.

For many years my focus about cameras was skewed towards models that I could use for professional applications. When I traveled by myself with the idea of making photographs for "art's sake" I had certain ideas about what would work best. And for most of my working life I tried to shoehorn work cameras into vacation cameras that I would take along on family trips. It was always a division of attention and intention between "being" a "working" photographer and not turning family fun into a photo "death march." 

Last week B. and I took a small vacation. We went to Chicago. In the past I might have taken along an SL2 or SL camera and a collection of "interesting" prime lenses. A bag to keep them all in. A million batteries. Maybe a back-up camera or two. Maybe a small tripod as well. Given enough packing time and I could fully get to the point where over half of my luggage was photo gear. And when I came back home I'd chide myself for taking along so many pieces of gear that I never used. Never touched. 

This time around I decided to concentrate on seeing stuff unencumbered by the addiction to endlessly documenting the encounters with life. I took two cameras but I knew all along that I'd be carrying and using only one of them. The other camera was there because the "need" to have a back-up camera is, at this time, too well ingrained in my mind to let go. 

On last week's trip the Leica DLUX8 was the perfect camera for me. It is small and light. I can wear it around all day without issue. The files coming out of the camera are very, very good --- considering the lower resolution than I am used to and the smaller format. In all it's a gem.

There are a few things I wish were a bit different. I would love for the camera to remember which focal length I was using when it shut down to save power. I also wish it had a setting that would enable zoom stops at the usual, traditional focal length angles of view. 24, 28,35,50 and 75. It would be quicker to use if the camera could do that. Another place I would change is the diopter setting wheel on the back. It's not lockable and sometimes, when it rubs against the pocket in a camera bag or against my shirt or jacket, the diopter setting changes. That's a pain in the butt which could be remedied just by increasing the strength of the detent.

Another small issue I have with the camera is that the lens extends a lot out front when one turns the camera on and the lens looks too skinny in relation to the whole package of the camera. It's just an aesthetic thing but it does give me pause from time to time. 

Oh, one more thing. When you create a user profile and then set it for use it works fine as long as the camera is on but once you turn the camera off and then turn it back on again it seems to default to the standard/non-user profile and you need to either choose the profile you want again or change the parameters that are important to you in the moment. Kinda renders the idea of user profiles moot....

The focus locks on quickly in the single shot mode. I can't tell you anything about the continuous autofocus mode because I've never used it and don't intend to use it. I like the single square right in the middle of the screen or the finder, the way the photo gods intended it. I do tend to reduce the size of the AF measuring square and in that regard you have a lot of options. The smaller the better for accuracy's sake.

Finally, a nod to all the Leica Haters.... at least the red, circle Leica logo is very, very small. Understated. You probably don't even need to tape over it to be adequately stealthy out on the street. 

Hint: Don't buy the $170 Leica battery if you feel like you need an extra battery. There is a Panasonic option that I believe is identical and it's about $35-40. There are also some generic options for about $20. I'll stick with the Panasonic ones, just to be a bit conservative. 

The camera needs an add on grip or a nice half case with an integrated grip to feel just right out on the street. And a thumb grip is a welcome accessory too. 

Finally, in their infinite gap of wisdom, Leica decided to only include a wrist strap. Major fail from my point of view. All cameras should have traditional neck straps to free one's hands for getting coffee, paying for coffee and drinking said coffee. I found a Q2 neck strap for $30 and it's perfect for this camera as well. I could write a whole new blog about straps. I think I've found the current favorite one of all time. We'll cover that later.

I'm so glad you asked!!! Yes! There are mannequins in Chicago. These were all around 

the Macys Department Store. I know you'll love glancing at them and will want to click in and see them in greater detail. It's just the thing to do...

The Navy Pier. My least favorite "attraction" in Chicago...

Homage to James Popsys.

Street photographer grabs my photo when I was walking down the sidewalk. 

Included as a daylight sample of the DLUX8 performance.

and, of course, you will look so cool as you go out to photograph the world around you!!!

Cheers.

Low clouds and tall buildings. Chicago.

I know, logically, that the Leica Q2 is capable of "better" image quality but one thing I really like about the Leica DLUX8, especially as a travel camera, is its ability to zoom to 75mm for those times when you really can't get any closer to your subject and really want a more compressed image. 

We don't often see low hanging cloud conditions in our part of Texas so as we were walking back from the Navy Pier in Chicago it was novel to see a cluster of clouds wrap around a tall building and linger there. I had my DLUX8 hanging around my neck so I pulled it up, zoomed to 75mm and snapped away merrily. 

I'm sure I could have grabbed my Q2, switched the crop setting in Jpeg to 75mm and soldiered on with a 6 megapixel file but it was more satisfying to capture the right angle of view in camera and to be able to pre-judge it as I shot. It's great to have the option to go wide (24mm equivalent) to short telephoto (75mm equivalent) in one compact package. 

Would the image have been "better" had I brought along an SL2 camera and the big, 24-90mm Elmarit zoom lens? Maybe so. Would I need whatever improvements the big, heavy lens and big heavy body provide? Not likely since most of the images I shot on vacation are destined for display on the web. Would I have enjoyed the extra exercise I'd get from carrying around four or five pounds more of gear?

Not likely. 

It's different selecting gear for vacation trips than selecting gear for work. Different requirements and, in some cases, no requirements at all...

I am back from Chicago. It was a nice, long weekend. I made photographs while following my art director wife from museum to museum.

 

A fellow photographer we met out on Wabash Ave. 

Chicago is a great city; at least the parts of it that I saw... The people I met in the streets were mostly congenial and, well, normal. It's kind of amazing because I read a couple of guidebooks and watched a couple of popular, mainstream YouTube videos before we headed there and each one tossed in a warning of sorts about crime. Lot's and lots of crime. It was suggested that I avoid publicly visible camera wearing and that I keep whatever bag tightly cinched across my chest or risk being robbed in broad daylight; right there on the streets. But I have to tell you that inside the "Loop" I felt as safe or safer than here in Austin and I consider Austin as pretty darn safe. I've long since given up worrying about carrying a camera in the streets -- even a pricey one. 

It's an easy journey from Austin to Chicago and I have to sheepishly admit that I have been to the "City of Broad Shoulders" a half dozen times or so, but mostly on business during which we flew in, shot a job at a specific location, and then flew out again. No tourism and no sightseeing. It was so different for me this time...

B. and I left on Friday morning last week. I opted for premium economy seats on United Airlines and paid a small, additional fee for priority boarding as we were packing only carry on luggage and I didn't want to be in one of the boarding groups that requires battling for overhead compartment space. The flights are easy; it's about two hours and twenty minutes between the two cities plus whatever lucky time you get to spend on the tarmac waiting for a gate to clear. The price of the tickets was acceptably low and I was reminded that domestic airline pricing was, on average, higher back in the 1990s. At least the way I remember it. 

I packed two cameras and used one of them about 90% of the time. My choice? By far the little Leica D-Lux8. The other camera was the Q2 which, on paper, should produce superior files but in reality is limited by comparison to its smaller, lighter and cheaper sibling. I brought along four extra batteries for the D-Lux8 but really could have pared it down to one battery in the camera and one in the pocket. The camera sips battery juice and I found a fully charged battery lasted all day long. But in context, that's a full day of tourism, not full-on photography mode. As it was I shot about 1600 images over the four days I was out of town and by the fourth day my concern about running out of battery juice dissipated entirely. A big plus over the Q2 is that D-Lux8 batteries can be charged in camera which means I don't need to pack an external charger. 

I wore my camera with me everywhere. On every street. At every venue. Usually right over my left shoulder but sometimes just dangling in the middle of my chest, tourist style. No issues. No second glances from...anybody but a few young photographers sporting their own cameras with their straps wrapped around their wrists. A quick smile and nod of recognition in both directions and everyone moves on. 

We stayed at a nice hotel at the corner of Wabash and Wacker (which sounds funny when you say it out loud...) and it was nicely positioned for quick, pedestrian access to nearly everything we were interested in seeing. Our overriding goal was to spend a day at the huge, labyrinth-like Art Institute of Chicago. 

I've written this before but I'm writing it again because it was so amazing: Seeing original art, as opposed to seeing photos in books or online or on post cards is a whole different experience. When one stands in front of a favorite Renoir, Monet or Hopper painting and sees the rich detail, the elegant brush strokes and the magnificent handling of color --- at scale --- it's a whole different experience. Like the difference between watching a great movie in an IMAX theater instead of watching the same on a cellphone screen while bouncing down a potholed street on a shaky bus...

Hopper's "Nighthawks" is now burned into my retinas and my brain. So wonderful when the original painting is right in front of you... So different from a postcard...

Fifteen minutes after checking into our hotel we were out heading South on Wabash looking for a sandwich shop for a light lunch. That's when we ran into Teri B. photographer. She's a well established Chicago and San Francisco wedding photographer. Here's her website: https://www.teribphotography.com/

She was sporting a shiny and vintage Leica M6 and photographing a friend in the street. In one hand she was carrying a plastic bag filled with fresh film. We chatted for a few minutes and I asked her if she was exclusively a film shooter. "Nope." she replied, "I have an M11 and an M11-M (monochrome) up in my hotel room but I mostly use them for work..." No fears about a "public display of camera" here either.  Nice. Love her website. The visuals are great and the copy is letter perfect. 

Teri B's M. with 35mm Summicron. 

the plastic bag holds the film inventory. I think she had just stocked up at Central Camera which is across the street.  She has a nice and interesting YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@teribphotography/videos

And I especially like her story about doing a whole wedding in France with one Leica M240: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlT7Ml4iwM0

Sorry YouTube makes you watch commercials. But it's worth it to see good stuff.

After meeting Teri and photographing her friend, B. and I headed down the street to a bakery/sandwich shop/café called: The Goddess and the Baker. The sandwiches were huge. We split one. The guidebooks all caution tourists not to make eye contact with locals. Ha! We were in the middle of lunch when the folks behind us asked about my camera and we ended up yakking with a charming, young couple who both had cameras and were obviously interested in photography. Paranoia makes for many lost opportunities....

Dinner the first night was at a restaurant called, Perilla Steakhouse. It's a Korean steakhouse where meat entrées are prepared at one's table. Here's the website: https://www.perillachicago.com/ Our server was fun, very knowledgeable and has an advanced degree in political science. She made our meal one of the most memorable we've had in years. And her wine selections were so perfect. Prices? Reasonable. 

We walked around on Michigan Ave. for a while and then, beat from traveling and mild sightseeing, headed to our very, very quiet room to get some sleep. We were anticipating a six hour Art Marathon at the Art Institute the next day and wanted to be on our game. Favorites in the galleries all mapped out in advance. I'll have more as I dive into processing the images. Hope you come back and read it all. 

This place is filled with new and used treasures. Modern and some even predating me.

Gracious and happy counter help and so much to see. Almost bought an ancient Leica SL film camera complete with its original 50mm Summicron lens but in the end "settled" for a Central Camera bucket hat. Couldn't pass it up. A very nice bricks and mortar camera shop. Old school. 

This is Johann Buis. He is a musicologist connected to the Chicago Symphony. We met him in front of the camera store. Turns out he is a good friend of our mutual friend, Anton Nel, the world renowned concert pianist. You might remember him from my coverage of "33 Variations" Here is the blog post with lots of photographs of Anton: https://visualsciencelab.blogspot.com/2012/12/look-to-art-and-youll-look-at-fun-art.html

More info about Anton: https://music.utexas.edu/about/people/anton-nel

Johann Buis was wonderful to meet and converse with. He's been a leader in the  classical music world for decades. And a long time Chicagoan. So nice to meet interesting people in the streets....

The amazing fountains in Millennium Park. Ever-changing images of Chicago residents; 2000 of them, shown on fifty foot tall video monolith. Kids spend happy time running through the water. So relaxing to just sit and watch. Every once in awhile the people in the photos on the towers would purse their lips and water would shoot out. Kids laughed, parents smiled.

People photography at "The Bean." 

While we were out seeing the sites B. had an observation. Seems every so often a couple would walk up to me and ask me to take a photograph of them with their phone. Three, maybe four times in a day. She wondered if there was some sort of photographer vibe that attracted them. I kept having to move people closer to the camera. I got good reviews on the work. But it wasn't so much fun that I'm rethinking retirement. Still, it's fun to photograph people just on the spot. One couple looked at their images (I always shoot half a dozen) and suggested that I could have a career as a professional photographer... Sigh. 

This is Henry. He's making a photo of his wife in front of the "Bean." 

I loved the color of the camera and asked if I could photograph him photographing. 

He was quite happy to do so. I then used his Instax camera to make a couple of portraits of he and his wife in front of the "Bean." Fun to meet people!

Breakfast sandwiches? Really, no clue. But hey! Tuck. 

A rare photo of B. Standing in front of the "Bean" I was attempting to explore the sunstars that the Leica  DLUX-8 provides at f11 and f16. Works pretty well as far as I can see.....

And negligible flare...

From the Goddess and the Baker on Wacker Ave. 

I think this means you should find a different blog to read. But that's not very nice!

Exterior signages on the Contemporary Museum.

A very small satchel bag is all I brought along. Worked fine for holding all the crap we usually drag around. And, of course it's a Domke product for which I get not affiliate cash or recognition. 

Neon at the Chicago Cultural Center. 4th floor. 

A lesson I learned on this trip: Hire a good, reputable car service to get from the airport to your hotel, and vice versa. Make reservations in advance. The trip from O'Hare to inside the Loop can be as long as 90 minutes at rush hour. If you take a taxi you are at the mercy of the meter which is combination of time and mileage. A luxurious, private and punctual Lincoln Navigator or a Suburban with a driver is available at a fixed cost. And the price differential isn't much. But a private car service means: No waiting. No lines. No surprises. No dilapidated and smelly cars. A quiet ride. A door to door service. Worked well in both directions. 

I have more to talk about re: Chicago but I'm afraid we've already hit our limit for today. Hope you are  happy and well. It's nice to be home. Already planning the next adventure...

All images from the DLUX8.