This past Friday, I took my class to the Michener Art Museum in Doylestown to see the great exhibit “Unguarded, Untold, Iconic: Afghanistan through the Lens of Steve McCurry”. Visiting a museum to see a photography exhibit is one of the assignments my students have as part of the course “Living a Photographic Life”.

We never got into the Photoshop controversy and I’m glad we didn’t. Not that it’s something that shouldn’t be discussed, but I wanted the students to focus on the photographs and see if they could learn something about portraiture, composition, light, use of color (almost every picture was in color) and story telling in a good photograph – whether or not is part of a larger thematic body of work.

McCurry is a wonderful photographer and we focused on some key aspects of his work that were easy to detect with careful and contemplative viewing.

Almost all of his great portraits such as the justly famous Afghan Girl incorporate shallow depth of field. It appears that he focuses on his subject’s eyes. But within a few inches fore and aft, things are no longer critically sharp. No matter, it gives the focus of the portrait a great intensity that somehow would be otherwise missing. Additionally, many of his pictures of people are “environmental portraits”, such as a great photograph of a man standing in front of stacks of automobile tires. It’s obvious that this is how he earns his living and the image creates a story beyond the fact that it’s a great picture. Another spectacular environmental portrait is taken of a group of men in a café. Taking time to look at the photograph closely shows that behind them on the wall is a picture of New York that includes the Twin Towers. The picture was taken after the 9/11 attacks, and is remarkable not only for its composition and use of lighting but also because of the many meanings contained in it!

There are also pictures of larger outdoor scenes. In some the action is stopped completely, and others show the movement of daily life, enabled by use of a slow shutter speed. A picture that stands out contains a large street scene taken from vantage point looking down. People riding their bicycles appear to be moving, while others in the street and the majestic background beyond the main scene itself stand still in time.

Lighting is always beautiful, especially where it is used to effectively frame the main subject, or focus you in to what McCurry wants you to see.

Then there is the color. Those familiar with this website know that I am a black and white photographer and that I am not a great fan of color per se. McCurry knows how to use color and often his photographs are not only about the subject itself, but also about color. A striking photograph of a woman completely covered from head to toe in bright yellow fabric in front of a rich blue background tells you a lot about Afghan society and makes a bold and graphic visual statement at the same time.

But most importantly, each of McCurry’s exceptional photographs, while part of large body of thematic work, stand on their own for the deep and moving individual statements they make.

The exhibit runs until October 23^rd. If you happen to be in or near Bucks County you owe it to your self to see it!

It’s alive!!! It’s alive!!!

The FrankenLeica lives!!!!!

Is it a monster … or a really neat camera?

I was happy for a long time with my Leica R9. In many ways it was a stupendous camera, but not absolutely perfect for me. I say was, because now it’s gone. But, why?

Yes, I have said it before … it’s not about the gear, but damn it, I am only human!

A long time ago I tasted the forbidden fruit … yes I owned a Leica SL. Some say it’s the best single lens reflex ever made.   Built like a tank and able to stand a nuclear blast. Brightest viewfinder ever. A heavy piece of hand made metal and brass gears that perfectly mold to the hand. Unreal fit and finish. And yes, fully mechanical … except for the meter. For me it was as close to perfect as an SLR can be.

In my humble opinion Leica pretty much got it right with the Leica SL (although I prefer a split image focusing screen as found in the SL2 that came later – more on that below) without any useless microelectronic enabled “features” for needless choices to make. So simple, so pure.  And yet it was gone. Sent away due to the incredibly lucky acquisition of the latest Leica R ROM lenses at great prices. Unfortunately they were incompatible with the SL lens mounting flange, mirror box and other inner protrusions. It broke my heart to see it go, but lets face it, as important as it is to have a meaningful tactile relationship with one’s camera isn’t it really about the glass in the final analysis?

So earlier this year I found a few references on the Web concerning how the SL could be modified to accept certain Leica R ROM lenses – but not my 35mm Summilux R f/1.4, as it fit too far into camera body, hitting the mirror box. Was I interested? Silly question! Then I read that Doug Herr, the great wildlife photographer and Leica SL devotee had some silver parts found on the original Leicaflex transplanted to his SL.

My devious mind started to think about all the diabolical possibilities and soon the plot was hatched!

Yes a beautiful Leica SL was about to be dismembered and put back together again with added body parts!!! My partner in crime in the fiendish plot was none other than the great Don Arthur Goldberg (DAG), Leica repair guru extraordinaire.

After a number of conversations we agreed the dastardly deed could be done. The trick though with a Leica SL is to find one where the prism isn’t de-cementing or doing other strange things causing the viewfinder to look yellowed. Fortunately, Don had nice SL body with a perfect viewfinder. But the SL incorporates a non-split image focusing screen. No problem … we could remove the split image focusing screen from a Leica SL2 body and transplant it to the new host. Of course the SL needed a complete cleaning, lubrication and alignment (CLA) too. Then Don would remove the lens flange from the SL body; file it down where necessary so that the ROM lens could be mounted. Nice!

I sent off my 35mm lens to Don and the operation began. But nothing is as easy as it sounds. While adding the silver self timer switch and shutter speed dial from an older Leicaflex body and filing the lens flange was an easy task, getting the 35mm lens to fit into the body cavity without hitting any of the innards proved to be a nightmare!!! There were several internal parts that needed to be dramatically filed down just so, and the camera ended up traveling back and forth from Pennsylvania to Wisconsin several times.

But finally … the FrankenLeica came to life … it lived!!!!

But alas, there were evil consequences to my actions.

Soon decided I wanted a second body for use with slower film for some long-term projects I am starting … so guess what … I decided to get a modified SL2 (also considered by some to be the greatest single lens reflex ever made)!!! At a minimum it could serve as an emergency back up should something really strange happen like slipping on a wet rock, and watching the camera fall into the drink! Don’t laugh; I witnessed this happen last year when I was photographing with a fried in Vermont!

Of course Don had a body and it only needed the lens flange modified, as well as the requisite CLA. Again, the deed was done.

The only minor downside of the modifications to both cameras is that their internal meters are now decoupled from my ROM lenses – although they would be coupled with standard 2 Cam and 3 Cam Leica R lenses. However, this is of no matter to me, as I use a hand held meter anyway.

Frank and Elsa (if you don’t get it see the movie!) are now happily in my possession! Together, they will last longer then I will.

Was this all insanity? I don’t think so. Excessive? Perhaps to some. Am I happy? Yes!!!

Will I now be making better pictures? My brain says no … but my heart says yes.

Being at the vanguard of an important social and political movement has its reward. Now Popular Photography takes up the mantle! 

I haven’t picked up a copy of Pop Photo, or for that matter, any of the other photography magazines in years. This week I was handed a copy of the current issue. I began to leaf through the pages, not expecting to find very much of interest to me. And what do you know — an article about the value and enjoyment of purchasing and using classic vintage film cameras, including an interview with Bellamy Hunt who runs Japan Camera Hunter out of Tokyo. I have never met Bellamy, but had a very nice communication with him via email when I was considering purchasing a Konica Hexar RF for a back up. He steered me away from that one due to availability of electronic parts and viewfinder issues – very honest and ethical by today’s standards!

The title of the article is “Elegant Machines, An expert’s guide to shopping for vintage and collectable photo gear” – and there are descriptions and pictures of a number of the usual suspects – Leica M6, Nikon F3, Olympus OM-1, Mamiya 6 and 7, and Honeywell Pentax Spotmatic (my first new camera!!!) to name a few.

The article discusses collecting, but the main focus concerns the joy of using these mechanical wonders with film, the beauty of a slower more thoughtful pace and the value of being “unplugged”. I couldn’t agree more!

Bellamy states that he has noticed a resurgence of interest in using rangefinder and SLR cameras, fueled in part by the younger generation. It’s understandable for the same reasons that they are buying vinyl LPs. Both film and vinyl provide a much different, and to many, a more pleasurable experience vs. that of digital. It’s not about convenience but about the entire user experience and the end result.

So it was a pleasant surprise to stumble across this entertaining little piece. If you are thinking about giving film a try and are still on the fence, spend a few bucks and pick up one the low cost gems featured in this article. I think you will be glad you did!

A lot of stuff seems to be happening for me all of a sudden. Not sure what to attribute it to … maybe good clean living. Not sure. So here’s the lowdown.

Last Sunday we had the biggest Photo Chat Get-Together yet! I know … I have tried to keep these no harm-no foul luaus to no more than about 3 people or so but we had 7!!! People were emailing and calling me who had heard about it from others I hadn’t even met. It’s possible we might be creating a movement here!!! These meetups are a lot of fun so stand by. The next one will be in October. Sure beats mowing the lawn on a Sunday morning!

I also hung an exhibit at a local bank. If you happen to be in or around central Bucks County during September stop by the Hatboro Federal Savings, located at 609 York Road Warminster, PA 18974. They offer lollypops at the counter!

A couple of weeks ago I found out about a new artist coop that just opened in Doylestown. I directed them to this website and was asked to join the fun. So now I have a nice spot for some of my photographs, and I just completed my first two gallery sittings! The gallery is called Gathering, and is located at 65A West State Street, Doylestown, PA 18901. If you happen to be visiting our fair little town I hope you will stop by for a visit – and drop me a note before you come – maybe we can meet!!

Finally, earlier this summer I was put in touch with Division III football powerhouse Delaware Valley University, located right here in Doylestown. They have a wonderful Center for Living in Retirement (CLR) that draws almost 600 students per semester. They foolishly asked me if I would like to teach a photography class. I thought I would be lucky if a couple of unsuspecting victims signed up. So this week I went to the instructor orientation and found out that 15 people foolishly decided to take it! The class is based on an early entry I posted here called Living a Photographic Life. I’ll be writing more about this in a future entry.

Well that’s a lot to happen all in one week … at least for me!  I am very excited … and humbled.