WARREN CONNECTICUT – I drove up here this morning – my first time in Connecticut in over a month (apart from a flash trip to fetch Basil). Boy do I need this. I missed the most beautiful month of October in New England history, and arrive here today a driving rain. That’s the first image. Oh well. It cleared up later so I caught up with the end of the fall color. All taken with my medium format Leica S2.
RainLook upqAutumn ColorAutumn Color
WARREN CONNECTICUT – The conversations around here today were about people’s bad drive – the Saw Mill Parkway was closed because of flooding from torrential rains. Build an ark. Today is midway through what turned out to be three days of steady, heavy downpour. Demotivating to a guy who likes blue skies and puffy clouds. I’m going to push a bit on the technical side this weekend, so watch out for gimmicks. Today I tried to cut the gloom by using on-camera flash for landscape with my Leica M and Leica S, shooting for either very wide or very narrow depth of focus. Here are some example:
Out our front doorFoundation planting
On this day last year: Why did I take this? Allow me a moment of public self-flagellation. Why on earth did I take this? I guess every year needs a worst picture but this looks like I was out to establish a low point.
NEW YORK NEW YORK – Sandy passed by here last night. It was noisy, but up here on Carnegie Hill we didn’t loose power (or anything else). We think of Carnegie Hill as a neighborhood on the Upper East Side, but it’s actually on a hill. We stayed in until the weather quieted down and then took a walk in the neighborhood. Not much drama here. The FDR Drive is closed, which permitted getting some angles that I’ll never be able to photograph again. All taken with my Leica Monochrom and 35mm Summilux FLE lens.
FDR DriveAfter SandyDebrisMunicipal Asphalt PlantJoggers on the FDR
KENT AND WARREN CONNECTICUT – We’re showing our age: Maria and I went to a birding class in Kent this morning. We took a walk with the group behind the Kent town hall. Interestingly there were fewer birds that normal (our guide reported) because they had gone to ground feeling the low pressure as Sandy approached. Later in the day I experimented at bit with high ISO landscapes – shooting at ISO 5000 and f16 to maximize depth of field. Both images taken with my Leica Monochrom and 28mm Summicron lens.
BirdingRocks
WARREN CONNECTICUT – So here’s an experiment. I’ve been shooting almost solely for the last six weeks with my Leica Monochrom, a digital camera that shoots only in black and white but offers enhanced resolution and a distinctive film-like look (after some processing). It’s fall here and I’ve been working against the grain, generally a good idea, and shooting the New England foliage in black and white. I thought that I’d show you what the foliage looks like both ways today. First a black and white image taken with my Monochrom and a Leica 28mm Elmarit lens, and then an images taken in color with my M9 and the same lens. First the black and white:
Fall color
After spending a bit of time with this I’ve decided I like it – it has the grittiness of a 1940s image shot on orthochromatic film.
Here’s the color images, taken a half mile from the first image and in color.
Fall color
Not bad. Captures the moment but a bit pedestrian. For now I’m sticking with the Monochrom.
