ISO 160 1/4000 sec f.95 50mm (Leica M9, Leica 50mm noctilux, Aperture)
We were walking through the crowd at the Taste of Madison and out of the corner of my eye I caught these two enjoying time together. I’m not sure what was stranger, seeing these two showing affection for one another at a family friendly event or that they were lying next to a porta-potty?
ISO 200 1/360’s f.95 50mm noctilux (Leica M9, Leica 50mm noctilux, Silver Efex Pro 2, Aperture 3.3)
I enjoy capturing others taking pictures. Here’s a group getting their picture taken. I like the young lady trying to get the right angle and the guy nearest me telling everyone to hold up.
ISO 250 1/90’s f.95 50mm noctilux (Leica M9, Leica 50mm noctilux, Aperture, Silver Efex Pro 2)
Believe it or not, it took me 20-30 shots before I got this just right. I wanted to make sure that the one light behind the post was centrally located or at least close. Rangefinder cameras currently don’t allow for live viewing and when looking through the viewfinder, you are not looking through the lens. Because of this, you have to move very slowly either left or right to get the image where you want it (I enjoy the challenge).
I used my Leica 50mm noctilux and neutral density filter for the shot. I then used Nik Color Efex to add the ambient colors. The depth of field is not artificially created (bokeh). You can thank the noctilux and it’s ability to shoot at f.95 for that.
ISO 160 1/4000’s f.95 50mm noctilux
Over the next few weeks you will see a lot of pictures I took in Chicago. We always enjoy spending time there and is probably my favorite city to visit.
One morning, I drove to Alder’s Planetarium. The planetarium is a great place to capture pictures of the city. I shot a variety of pictures with my Olympus OM-D and Leica M9. I think I got every lens I had out of the bag. This one was taken with my Leica 50mm noctilux. Actually, this is 4-5 pictures stitched together to create a panoramic shot. I used Photoshop, Nik Software HDR Efex 2 (this is not a HDR), and Silver Efex 2.
ISO 160 1/1500’s 50mm noctilux
Note: click to see larger size (trust me it’s worth it)
July 4th we spent up in Chicago. Since we only live a few hours away it’s always a great place to vacation. I got up one morning at sunrise and headed out to Alder’s Planetarium to capture pictures of downtown. After shooting over 100 pics with my Leica 21mm super elmar and my Olympus OM-D with the Panasonic 7-14mm lens I decided to get the noctilux out to capture some great depth of field shots. Here is one them.
ISO 160 1/2000s 50mm noctilux ND filter
Re-post June 2011
I drove into Des Moines tonight for a meeting and thought I would capture some pictures. Des Moines is one of my favorite cities. Since graduating in 2005 from Des Moines University there has been a significant amount of renovation to the downtown area. I love the architecture and it’s always a great place to take pictures.
Iowa’s State Capitol sits on the east side of downtown (immediately behind me in this picture). There is a lot of sidewalks and landscape to its west. It also sits up high in comparison to the remaining downtown which allows for some great cityscapes. Also, I love how Locust street ends in front of the capitol thus allowing for a unique perspective.
This shot was taken at dusk using my Leica M9 and 90mm summarit-m. As Leica owners know, summarit is considered their “affordable” lens (most would disagree). Anyway, I’ve been very happy with its sharpness and have taken many great pictures with it.
Anytime I’m walking around big cities I’m always looking for good reflections. I came across this building with a nice reflection, only thing missing was a dramatic sky.
ISO 250 1/250 50mm
Victory…
ISO 160 1/250 f/8 21mm
I spent almost 4 years of my life in Des Moines, IA going to school. Twice a year I head back to my old school and each time I spend some time wandering around downtown. It’s not even comparable to Chicago or New York but they have a very nice and beautiful downtown.
A couple of years ago as I was walking around, I noticed that there were a bunch of bike racks with bikes to rent. Since I don’t live there I’m unsure how often they are used but I think it’s a good idea.
ISO 160 1/1500 f/1.4 50mm
