Personal challenge--first day of school

[David_Manning]

I've had my M6 for about three weeks now, and since this morning was the first day of school for my 3rd and 5th grade daughters, instead of bringing a digital point-n-shoot, I decided to challenge myself and shoot my M6 and BW400CN (so I can get scans and post pix for family members rapidly).

What I found challenging to me:

1. Low light (fluorescent)...most shot at 1/60 and f2-2.8
2. Fast movers (kids--enough said)
3. 24-exposure rolls of film instead of 36 necessitating changing film more often
4. Focus...no hyper-focal technique
5. Still trying to be a good Dad and talk and hug and reassure

I have a lot of respect for photojournalists who shot dailies with Leicas. I didn't even change a lens and felt pretty busy. I'll post a few shots later this afternoon when I get the film back.

My wife was questioning why I didn't use the D700...you know, low-light king, fast as a machine-gun in focus and advance, instant images. Basically idiot-proof.

Then it dawned upon me that I enjoyed the challenge from days past. It's exhilarating keeping up and doing a good job. I admit, the pressure of documenting a wedding or a war zone wasn't on me, but it was a rather important day for the family.

Anybody else feeling lucky?

 

[bean_counter]

Anybody else feeling lucky?

Definitely!

We have a tradition of taking photos of my daughter every year the first day of school, before she leaves.

This year and next year will be the last on Kodachrome 🙁

 

[Al Kaplan]

Ilford XP2 C-41 process B&W is available in 36 exposure rolls. Find a store that carries it or get it mail order.

Worry less about what's sharp and what's not. Even a 35mm lens at f/2 gives you about a foot of sharp area front to back at 5 feet, and that's usually figured for an 8x10 print. It seems to be more on a 4x6. If it's an interesting subject nobody will care anyway. Do you think that those Life Magazine photographers calculated depth of field for every shot? Or worried about a bit of motion blur?

Some of that stuff was shot with a Rolleiflex and 12 exposure rolls using a hand held exposure meter when they had time to meter.

http://thepriceofsilver.blogspot.com.

 

[David_Manning]

Al, so true about all the technical stuff.

The Kodak stuff probably comes in 36-exp rolls...but since I usually shoot Tri-X for B&W I had to run to get C-41 stuff for fast turnaround and Walgreens was the only game in town (I guess they're convinced people like 24-exp rolls).

Good to know others are getting good use out of their RF's.

 

[mcgrattan]

Al is right. I recently shot a martial arts competition I was judging/competing at using a Rolleiflex. I took the Rollei because it was just bagged up with a couple of rolls of 400ASA film and handy to grab on the way. I didn't expect much because of the problems focusing in what turned out to be very poor light, motion blur, etc.

As it happened I didn't get a single duff shot. Any motion blur added to the atmosphere, and everything was properly exposed and adequately in focus. Zone focusing and using the sports finder worked perfectly.

Using an M6 should be plenty adequate. I hope the pictures turn out great!

 

[David_Manning]

Thanks. I'll be picking up scans today and I'll post ASAP.

 

[David_Manning]

Well, here are the shots, warts and all. Most worked, a few didn't. The worst part was the dust on some of the negatives. That's Walgreens for you. Great practice shooting for other things, though...

http://gallery.me.com/david.manning#100100

 

[remegius]

Well, here are the shots, warts and all. Most worked, a few didn't. The worst part was the dust on some of the negatives. That's Walgreens for you. Great practice shooting for other things, though...

I don't care who disagrees, that BW40CN is great stuff. Good job.

Cheers...

Rem

 

[remegius]

I don't care who disagrees, that BW40CN is great stuff. Good job.

And you thought that Kodak didn't make slow speed black and white C41 film.

Cheers...

Rem

 

[robinsonphotography]

I'm still a student...but was just thinking about ditching my D700 in favor of my M2 for the first day of school. I'm thinking the small setup might be a nice change from the big camera full of dSLR gear I usually take on the first day, and almost every other day for that matter, to school....

 

[BillBingham2]

David,

They are great. There are two that I can hear your daughter saying "Mom!" in.

Thanks for sharing.

B2

 

[BillBingham2]

Robinson,

I spent most of High School with a camera with me most of the time. Looking at the bag I carried and all I wish I had an RF just from a size point of view. My camera bag would have been much smaller. I don't want to buy a D700 just for that reason, give me a D60 and I think I would be OK though. Forget the zoom on the D700, pick up a 28/2.8 AIS Nikkor and an old 85/1.8 and you are set. Lots of great prime options much smaller than the big glass. Still can not beat an M2 with a fast 35mm lens.

B2 (;->

 

[robinsonphotography]

Bill--

Last school year I had an SB800, maybe two, a pocketwizard on the 800 and another in the hotshoe of my camera, a 105 f/2, 50 f/1.4, and 17-50 f/2.8 on the camera (didn't have the D700 last year, it was a d2x instead). This year is all primes though, with a 35 f/2 replacing the 17-50 f/2.8. I wish I could go for old manual glass, but I've gotta have AF. I also have some lightstands and brollies, plus maybe an extra SB26 or two, stashed in my locker. Hell of a setup to carry all day every day!

I wish I could just carry my M2 and 35/2.5 with a few extra rolls of tri-x with me from now on, ditch all that other stuff, but unfortunately I carry that dSLR set up not just for personal shooting but because I shoot for a number of schoolwide publications (yearbook, newspaper, the normal high school stuff), which means digital files on a quick turnarond.

If only the M9 was a bit cheaper, I'd go for one of those and be an RF digital man! But alas, the D700 is too hard to beat for my needs (aka ISO 4000 in a pitch black gym for sports shooting, high flash sync speed for editorial portraits, etc.), as fun as the M2 is to shoot 🙂

This year though I've decided it'll just be the M2 on the first day of school, in honor of this thread--I'll make sure to post the results, which I'm sure will be different from all the rest since I doubt there are many other high school students on this forum who can post images from that perspective on a first day 😉

 

[David_Manning]

This year though I've decided it'll just be the M2 on the first day of school, in honor of this thread

Wow, cool.

In the last month, I've been devouring large picture books from the local "big-city" public library. Books on Harry Benson, Philip Jones Griffiths, William Klein, Annie Liebowitz, and even classics like Atget, Stieglitz, and Cartier-Bresson. I've come to realize that, for me, things like this "first day of school" event are documentary in nature and look better stripped of all visual noise (color). So, instead of beating myself up trying to decide which camera to use, which film to use, which lens to use, etc. I've just gone back to the VERY basics (for me anyway)...mood. Documentary, or fantasy?

Somebody was wondering in another thread what kinds of film to bring on an exotic vacation (Greece/E Europe). My first inclination (and suggestion) was b&w. Well, for me I can buy books on the places we're going on vacation that will feature colorful photography shot in ideal lighting and times of day. I guess I'd want to show the MOOD of the vacation (reflected in our daily events AND our faces). This comes from seeing so many fantastic b&w pictures in these books made on beaches, in exotic locales, and showing moody intimacy that is lost in color.

Enough blah blah blah. Thanks for looking at the shots. I'm glad I did it in b&w and very simplistically. Small camera, one small lens, and acknowledging before-the-fact that some may just be crap...it all made for fun photography, NOT button-pushing.

 

[freeranger]

Really great set of pictures. Your b&w shots have captured the excitement of getting back to school. Mine son goes back this week and you've inspired me to follow your approach.

 

[Steve_F]

David,
I love these pics. Good job!
Like you I too have a Nikon DSLR (D3 - superb low-light capability) but love to use my FM3A with b&w neg film to capture my 24 month old son (far too many colour prints now).
I'm also pretty close to having enough saved for my first 'M'; an M6 like yourself is what I'm after. Can't afford the MP yet!

The TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson from BBC's 'Top Gear' summed it up perfectly when he was comparing some cars ( I forget which) and he said one was "like a digital camera - it did the job but lacked soul'.

Steve.

 

[los]

great work, david. loved the series.

 

[David_Manning]

Thanks again everyone. I'm in the midst of a great discussion with Alan Chin, from the New York Times, about Leica and film use in this age of digital imagery. Yes, he still uses both and gets lots of ribbing from the rest of the staff.

Steve, I wonder if Jeremy was talking about that new Nissan sports car...as many knobs and displays as my 737. My Mustang has fat tires, a clutch, and a shift lever. Probably not as fast but MUCH more fun to drive.