Every time I come back to Des Moines, I always have to travel out to this railroad bridge in Booneville. For some reason I never get bored taking pictures of it.
Previously, I shot a HDR but I thought I would post a single shot I took this weekend using my Leica 35mm.
It can be interesting what you can capture, just holding your camera at the hip and clicking the shutter. With the Leica M9 you can set your lens focus (using zone focus) distance and can easily capture sharp pictures (this can be done with any camera with manual focus). It’s also a great way to capture people unexpectedly.
As I was walking in Chicago, I saw these 2 people sitting and smoking cigarettes. By shooting at the hip, I was able to capture them at their level, which allowed for a better composition.
Taking pictures of people in their normal environment, un-candid can be exciting. Personally, I think these pictures have much more meaning and can remind you of a time in your life that was very comparable.
I caught this couple on the subway system in Washington D.C. I really liked how he was showing her affection. I really liked the fact they were by themselves because it gave me a better opportunity of catching them in this moment.
I have to admit, even though everyone warns you how bringing a child into this world will change your life, you have to experience it to believe it. It has been a phenomenal 6 months. Yes, there are those sleepless nights but that is easily forgotten when she looks at you with those big blue eyes and smiles.
I still remember when we brought her home and I decided to start this picture series. She was so small, only woke to eat, and didn’t move. Now, she’s almost crawling and we can’t get her to sit still. This picture series is actually getting more challenging because she wants to scoot off the couch each time. Fortunately, she is always smiling and it never takes more than a few shots to get the one I want.
This time we took pictures of her laying down and sitting up and both were good but I think this one of her sitting is by far the best.
P.S. Go through the slideshow to see her previous pictures in the series.
Here is one more picture of the the old truck I posted about yesterday. Definitely needs a new paint job but the look works great for HDR.
As mentioned in my previous post, I have not had time to update my blog the past week. I’ve been extremely busy with work and have not had the time. I also have not had much time to go out and shoot.
A few weeks ago I did take a few shots of an old truck that sits a few miles from my home. I used HDR for this one, layering 7 exposures on top of one another. It turned out pretty good.
I recently posted “Our Savior“, which was my favorite picture taken at the old cemetery southwest of our house. Here’s another picture but from a different angle. Again, I think black and white works great here. I also think the “blown out” appearance of the background helps make this picture work.
Since writing my original review in May of this year, I’ve become much more experienced using my M9 and my opinions and thoughts have changed. Most of these changes are due to a combination of increased experience, meeting experienced rangefinder users, and research.
Steve Huff posted on his blog a letter from a frequent visitor “The Breakup Letter – “Dear Leica M9″ – By Paul Lanigan“. I found the post amusing and got me thinking that many have the wrong expectations and probably don’t completely understand the Leica M9.
You can read more here.
If you think about it, it’s kind of scary that you are always being watched. You never know when someone may snap a shot of you. This guy was very interested in his MP3 player. He never noticed he was being photographed.
I always like finding interesting people. As I was walking around Chicago, I came across a guy at the cross walk wearing neon yellow headphones. I politely asked if I could take his picture and he obliged. Later, when I was processing the picture I noticed the red buses in the background. I think the red adds a lot to the picture.
