I used to own a Leica M6 with a 35mm 1.4 Voigtlander lens. And when I owned this setup, I only shot Tri-X through it. I got it as I wanted something that would force me to shoot horizontally, only in BW, and 35mm. But there was something about that whole setup that just did not work for me. Loading a Leica (for someone who's never done it before) has got to be one of the most convoluted experiences as a photographer. The 1.4 35mm lens was ok, but the bokeh was not really smooth or attractive. And for some reason, I only shot Tri-X at 400, which is OK, but I love that film at say 3200 or 6400. Long story short, I grew tired of it, it was not me, in anyway, and I got rid of it.
Don't remember that time in my work? Yeah, you probably won't as it only lasted a couple months. But you can see it HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.
Around Christmas I picked up a Bessa R4M which is like the Leica but loads like a normal 35mm camera and has an extra stop of 1/2000th unlike the Leica (only goes to 1/1000th). I also picked up a Nokton 35mm 1.2 lens which has amazingly beautiful bokeh and razor thin depth of field when shot wide open. And this time around I've burned through over 40 rolls of Acros 100. Long story short, it just works now and I'm in love.
These images will now become our family heirlooms. And will be printed on walls and in books for our family to cherish. And as crazy as it sounds, no other camera setup I own could produce these images. It just has it's own look and feel all it's own.
I shoot a ton of my family, my life in Hauula, and of the community I live in. Why? Because it defines me as a persona and I do it constantly to practice my skill. Don't know what I'm talkin about? Take 5 minutes from your day and watch this :
9 comments:
THANK YOU! I needed this. I have found myself many times feeling silly or foolish for wanting to practice. Just like he said, I'm afraid of what people will think of me, or that I will be bothering them. and that fear has kept me from progressing as a photographer. thank you thank you a million times over for all your amazing advice and your willingness to share your knowledge and love for photography. it truly is inspiring and I admire you so much! loved ALL of those images as well...and wish I had that many good shots of my family. time to start documenting more! xoxo have a blessed day!
I'm pretty much speechless! What an amazing body of work and even more importantly the memories you captured! BEAUTIFUL!
Honestly, these are my favorite photos of yours. Really authentic (and that word gets tossed around too much but these images just nail it).
Have you tried the Leica Summarit 35mm? It's not as fast, but much smaller. A bit more expensive too. It has a classic rendering to it with pleasing bokeh that you may appreciate.
Lovely images, btw!
I've been following your work for about 7 years now. And these images brought tears to my eyes. Incredible. Thank you for sharing.
Hey Jonathan! Is your 1.2 fast enough that you were able to shoot Acros 100 across all of these lighting conditions at box speed? You didn't have to push any rolls?
hey rob, i don't push acros, EVER. so yeah, 100 iso is PLENTY for my 1.2 and combine that with the fact i'm shooting a rangefinder which means i can handhold 1/8th, 1/4th if i'm lucky and i can basically shoot in the darkest of darkest caves at 1.2 and get great results. after i burn through all of my acros, i'm moving to ilford panf50. that film looks freakin incredible. and ilford, unlike fuji, believes in film. so they get my support. i love trix, but i only love it at high speeds pushed...which does not work for what i'm doing...
That's awesome!
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