Week 52

• December 26, 2004
• Nikon F3HP handheld.
• 35mm f/1.4 AIS.
• 1/15 at f/2.8.
• Kodak Tri-X.

I was shooting the scaffolding surrounding this building for the Salon (topic: “Passages”). This isn't the picture I entered, but I liked the tonality and lighting of this frame best of all my shots that night, much better than my submission.

Week 47

• November 26, 2004
• Nikon D70.
• 35mm f/1.4 AIS.
• 1/50 at f/2.8.
• ISO 1600. White balance: preset.

Yet another band shot.

Week 46

• November 21, 2004
• Nikon D70.
• “Kit” lens at 52mm; 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 G ED manually-focused.
• 1/125 at f/11.
• ISO 1600. White balance: auto.

Although I am a stick-in-the-mud, stalwart black-and-white film photographer, I always wished I had a digital camera so I could test studio setups for lighting. Trouble is, I never did any studio setups. Until today. A bowl of clementines inspired this still life, my first. (The “studio” is a room in the attic, and I set up a piece of cardboard on the ironing board. Welcome to the big time.) I used the D70 to experiment with lighting. I tried my usual bounce flash at different angles, but I preferred this version best, which employs the flash handheld off camera at a low angle. The ISO of 1600 was an accident; I wasn't paying attention. I then shot the scene in black-and-white, although I'm not that sure I'll like it as much.

Week 43: Votives

• October 26, 2004
• Nikon D70.
• 35mm f/1.4 AIS.
• 1/60 at f/2.8.
• ISO 1600.

Tried to make a composition out of these votives seen at a party... I think I set the white balance to daylight to keep the colors warm; another picture from that night has the “correct” white balance, but it leaves me cold. (Heh.)

Week 37

• September 12, 2004
• Leica M4 handheld.
• 50mm f/2 Summicron-M with yellow filter.
• ¹/₁₂₅ at f/4 (I think).
• Agfa APX-100.

At the Jenkintown Jazz Festival. Mark Elf and Jimmy Heath run down a tune together near the main stage. This is cropped to about half the frame.

Week 34: Fog Machine

• August 25, 2004
• Leica M4 handheld.
• 50mm f/2 Summicron-M.
• ¹/₃₀ at f/2.8 (I think).
• Kodak Tri-X (new).

This was taken during our local National Night Out. Among the many diversions, someone from the Fire Department (I think) had a fog machine, which delighted the kids. I enjoyed the helicopter landing the most myself, but that didn't make as interesting a picture.

I am experimenting with dilute Perceptol, and this roll was developed in 1:2 for 8 minutes at 75 degrees. That's the time I've worked out to print on Agfa Multicontrast Premium RC using a condenser enlarger with filter 2-1/2. After saying all that, this is actually a scan of the negative, slightly cropped.

Week 33

• August 14, 2004
• Nikon D70.
• “Kit” lens at 48mm; 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 G ED.
• 1/100 at f/5.
• ISO 1600 I think. White balance: auto.

Fooling around with the D70 while my wife was driving.

Week 32: Wedding

• August 13, 2004
• Leica M4 handheld with Metz 54MZ-3 flash.
• 50mm f/2 Summicron-M.
• ¹/₅₀ at f/8.
• Kodak Tri-X (new).

I'm finally getting around to editing and printing the negatives from a wedding I attended in August. I had a great time. I'm planning to put up a selection sometime soon, but I wanted to pick out one for PAW. Of the six rolls I shot, I think this is my favorite.

Week 31: Governor Curtis

• August 4, 2004
• Leica M4 handheld.
• 50mm f/2 Summicron-M.
• ¹/₁₂₅ at f/5.6.
• Fuji Velvia 100F.

We arrived in Rockland, Maine for the Lobster Festival late in the afternoon and wandered up to the ferry terminal where I took this. The vessel is the Governor Curtis, a ferry which runs between Rockland and Vinalhaven. I don't know how often the ferry runs, but the terminal was deserted, although there were two long rows of empty vehicles staged and ready to board. I guess everyone was at the festival.

This slide was scanned with a Minolta Dimage Scan Dual III and Vuescan software. One of the reasons I use Vuescan is that it does so well with color balance, but in this case I didn't want the colors balanced. The ferry was painted white, but I wanted to preserve the range of tones created by the late-afternoon sun and not correct it away. None of the automated settings produced what I wanted, so I ended up using “Image” (instead of “color slide”) as the Media Type, and “Auto Levels” as the Color Balance setting. With these settings, the scan is remarkably close to the colors of the original slide.

Week 29

• July 16, 2004
• Nikon D70.
• “Kit” lens at 34mm; 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 G ED
• 1/40 at f/4.5.
• Unknown ISO.

One of our guest cats Snuggles in a hurry.

Week 26: Flag

• June 20, 2004
• Nikon D70.
• 35mm f/1.4 AIS.
• 1/500 at f/2.8.
• ISO 400.

A 13-star flag given to us by my wife's parents.

Week 25: Ostrich Ferns

• June 20, 2004
• Nikon D70.
• 35mm f/1.4 AIS.
• 1/60 at f/5.6.
• ISO 400.

Baby ostrich ferns in our back yard.

Week 22: Plates

• May 21, 2004
• Nikon FM2n.
• 50mm f/1.8 AIS.
• 1/125 at f/5.6.
• Fuji NPH 400.

Dinner for 400, Morristown, New Jersey.

Week 21: Ouida and Terry

• May 17, 2004
• Nikon FM2n with bounce flash.
• Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 AIS.
• 1/125 at f/5.6.
• Fuji NPH 400.

Week 18: Waffle House

• May 1, 2004
• Nikon FM2n braced.
• 50mm f/1.8 AIS (I think).
• 1/2" at f/2.
• Fuji NPH 400.

The Waffle House in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. No, I wasn't drinking when I took this. I'm usually much steadier at 1/2-second.

Week 17: Powerade

• May 1, 2004
• Nikon FM2n braced on bench.
• 35mm f/1.4 AIS (I think).
• 2" at f/2.8.
• Fuji NPH 400.

As you can see, it's some golf shoes lit only by the glow of a vending machine. I like it. I set the camera on a bench for this 2-second exposure.

Week 16: The Band

• April 24, 2004
• Nikon FM2n handheld.
• 50mm f/1.8 AIS (I think).
• 1/30 at f/2.8 (I think).
• Fuji NPH 400.

The band making last-second preparations before the guests enter the tent.

Week 12: Checking Out

• March 22, 2004
• Nikon FM2n handheld.
• 50mm f/1.8 AIS (I think).
• 1/15 at f/2 (I think).
• Fuji NPH 400.

Around 4:30 in the morning... I don't know what posessed me to take pictures at this hour.

Week 7: In the Greenhouse

• February 14, 2004
• Nikon FM2n handheld.
• Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 AIS (I think).
• 1/250 at f/4.
• Fuji Astia.

We attended a grafting workshop and, while my wife practiced her grafting technique, I took lots of pictures. The light was diffused through the translucent plastic of the greenhouse roof and looked to me about perfect.

Week 4: Men in Black

• January 31, 2004
• Leica M4 handheld.
• 50mm f/2 Summicron-M.
• 1/15 at f/2.
• Kodak Tri-X.

This photograph is significant not for its aesthetic qualities, but because it's the first time I've ever pointed my camera at strangers where there was some chance of them noticing me. I have always been petrified of doing real "street photography" for just that reason, but for some reason that night I had more courage. Whether these gentlemen noticed me, I don't know, but they showed no sign. (That night I took one at even closer range, but because I used an 1/8-second shutter speed instead of 1/15, most of the image was too smeared to use.) I admit that taking pictures in such a safe situation was hardly challenging, but for me it was something of a breakthrough. Scanned print printed at Grade 2 on Agfa Multicontrast Premium RC.

Week 3: Oakes

• January 17, 2004
• Leica M4 handheld.
• 50mm f/2 Summicron-M with yellow filter.
• ¹/₅₀ at f/2.8.
• Agfa APX-100.
• Bounce flash. Scanned a cropped print.

More animals this week! Here is our Seeing Eye puppy Oakes at my in-laws' house. Not a very sharp picture, but nevertheless my favorite from this trip. I was shooting 100-speed film with bounce flash and a yellow filter, which forced me to shoot almost wide open. I believe the softness is due to my inability to focus on a moving target, and Oakes never stops moving! Because of the softness, I made the print quite small. It is also a fairly tight crop of about 1/4 of the full frame.

Week 2: Cabs

• January 10, 2004
• Leica M4 handheld.
• 50mm f/2 Summicron-M.
• ¹/₈ at f/2.
• Kodak Tri-X.

I had my camera on the seat beside me as I pulled up to stop at the light at 65th and Central Park West. This wasn't the best picture from that week, but it was the most interesting of the few whose subject wasn't a cat or a dog. I think a PAW should have some variety and not just be pictures of, uh, paws.

As you can see, it's just some cars sitting at a light. With all the flare and other problems, it wasn't even worth printing, so I just scanned the negative.

Week 1: Harley

• January 4, 2004
• Leica M4 handheld.
• 90mm f/4 Elmar-C.
• ¹/₅₀ at f/4.
• Fuji NPH 400. Bounce flash. Scanned the negative.

A cat picture. Sorry. Kyle Cassidy, the inspiration of this PAW project, hath writ "The 10 Commandments of Leica Photography," Commandment Three of which states, Thou shalt not photograph thy dog, nor thy cat, nor thy ass. I've broken this rule before (but not recently), and I'm sure I will again. There are just so many animals in my life right now.

This is my sister-in-law Carol's cat Harley. This picture was from the first roll taken with my new Metz 54-MZ3 flash I received for Christmas. Thanks, Anne! I was also using a "new" lens--a 90mm Elmar-C I borrowed. Thanks, Jim!