Buenos Aires through my Leica M3

[cloudcuckoo]

I just came back from a lovely 3-week trip through Argentina.

I brought my Leica M3, a 50mm Summicron lens and some rolls of Ilford XP2 400 films with me.
Here are the first results which I like to share with you. What are your thoughts?

See My Leica M3 photo set for even more M3 shots.

 

[Pete B]

I'd like to go to Argentina but my wife's vegetarian and hates cheese. Do you think she'd find it difficult when it comes to eating?
Pete

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Nice spots! Where were you in B.Aires? Did you go to the area near the Casa Rosada, the Plaza de Mayo? I'll check your other photographs.

Pete... Argentina can be friendly to vegetarians... but it takes a bit to get used to it. We went to Mendoza last year in December, and meat is an important component of the national diet. However, there are things like pasta which your wife can eat without cheese. How one can live without "bife de chorizo" is beyond my understanding, but I accept that there are all types of preferences out there.

Thanks for posting, Cloudcuckoo!

 

[SolaresLarrave]

I looked at your photographs in Flickr... got answers to my questions. I never would have thought the stairs were in San Telmo. I hope you managed to see a tango street show there and enjoy enough Quilmes beer! 🙂

 

[CK Dexter Haven]

I found Buenos Aires to be difficult to photograph. There aren't even any interesting postcards to purchase. It's not one of those cities with overwhelming beauty or any really compelling architecture. It's 'nice' in some areas - recoletta, for example. But, not Paris/Rome/Florence nice.

I did enjoy my tour of La Boca area, from which the Boca Juniors football team comes. Lots of color there....

 

[David_Manning]

Cloudcuckoo...nice pictures. Looks like a great trip. I enjoy San Telmo and Puerto Madero. I didn't have the guts to try the metro there...I don't know why. Did you do the developing yourself?

Dexter, like anything, it's perspective, right? BA has unique architecture (the Paris of South America) and a unique look. Here are a few of my BA shots (X100):

 

[pobe]

I love Buenos Aires! I've got relatives there and wish I could visit more often...

 

[umcelinho]

I wouldn't go as far as calling Buenos Aires the Paris of South America, but it REALLY reminded me of Madrid!

 

[Wouter]

I've been there several times and love it. Great city for street photography. Beautiful tango in local milongas. Good food, check out salads in the Tea Connection restaurants, a chain throughout BA. And, above all, nice and educated people. Did you know BA has over 300 bookshops ?

 

[Sureño]

beautiful shots! I'm from Buenos Aires, if I knew you were coming down here I would have show you the place around.
If any of you guys needs a local friend here in B.A. let me know it.

ps: yes, if you are vegetarian you can eat a lot of things here, meat is only a part of our diet, we have a strong italian culinary culture. we have a lot of fish too.

ps2: Dexter, I'm sorry to hear that your photography skills didn't let you find any good spot in a city like Buenos Aires. Comparing Buenos Aires with Rome, Paris and Firenze is a big mistake, Buenos Aires is only 200 years old, how old is Rome?? Buenos Aires is ultramodern (Puerto Madero waterfront) its clasical euro-french styled (Recoleta), its italian (San Telmo), its spanish colonial with many churches, convents and other buildings from 1600s, it has a lot of green parks in Palermo area with japanese gardens, zoo and botanic gardens, Delta Tigre is at 30 minutes by train and countryside with cows and gauchos at one our distance in San Antonio de Areco.
Next time you come, let me know it, I will show you around.

 

[Florian1234]

I especially like number 3 and 4 of the first posting. 🙂

 

[Sureño]

Did you know BA has over 300 bookshops ?

..and some of them are really amazing!

El Ateneo Bookshop.

 

[whitecat]

Yes the shots are amazing.....

 

[Damaso]

Thanks for sharing!

 

[whitecat]

Shopping Center.............

 

[Sureño]

cloudcuckoo, did you have the chance to visit Cafe Tortoni? its the oldest coffee place in Buenos Aires. Any Leica would love the atmosphere there.
Nice shots whitecat! did you enjoy your trip?

 

[sevres_babylone]

I rented an apartment in San Telmo for two weeks two years ago. I found Buenos Aires a good city to photograph in. I tried to travel to a different part of the city each day, and just wander around. I'm on the David Manning side of the fence in this debate.

 

[pobe]

Perhaps this might seem a bit backwards, but when I visited Paris it actually reminded me of Buenos Aires...

 

[rgpadron]

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

Barrio de San Telmo

 

[Sureño]

I didn't have the guts to try the metro there...I don't know why.

awww pitty! you have missed the old "Subte A" (Metro, Line 'A') which is from 1913!

Photo by Thomas Locke Hobbs.