Re-post October 2011
I feel like I’m posting a lot of pictures from Chicago recently. I was there twice within 6 weeks at workshops and fortunately captured many pictures.
Here is a wedding that we came across when walking along Michigan Avenue. What really caught my attention was the bagpipes. I focused on the bride and groom and stuck my camera up in the air and caught this picture. I really like the bubbles being released into the air, it adds a little to the shot.
I originally posted this picture back in August 2011 after attending the Leica Akademie Shooting Experience in Chicago. It was probably my favorite shot and was taken from the hip using Leica 24mm.
ISO 160 1/250 f/8 24mm
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.
As my skills as a photographer have improved, I find my self looking at the world around me differently. For example, this weekend I was in Chicago for a street photography workshop given by Steve Huff. We were all standing at Crown Fountain in Millennium Park taking pictures and this couple were having their pictures taken by a professional photographer. As I stood and watched, I looked down and liked the reflection of the couple, photographer and background. Therefore, instead of taking a picture the couple I decided to focus on the reflection.
