Avotius
Some guy
The title sums it up, I needed an excuse to stick some photos up for people to see, so I am blaming it on my M6. I am just getting used to this camera, and have missed a few shots because of its lack of aperture priority shooting mode, and though I really with my M6 had it I am getting used to it. An M7 would have been a lot easier though.
How many times have you done this? Seen a photo, then set the speed only to realize you are under the 1/50th second safe speed. Woops.
Deceptively simple, these street side barbers tend to the poorer sides of town. Most likely behind the picture of the girl is his bedroom.
Voigtlander 35mm f2.5 PII
Then you are going around and this little girl comes running by you and you forget to set a speed and just snap the picture.
While some people gawk and complain about the Beijing Olympics others are excited and wait with great anticipation. Everything has the Olympic icons on them, like this girls kite with the (very poorly designed) Chinese Olympic mascots. Despite the fact that Olympic tickets in China are priced so only the rich and famous can attend, its even an event for the little children playing in the back streets of a slum, it gives them something to look forward to, even if it flies away as whimsically as her kite. Voigtlander 35mm f2.5 PII
And though its difficult to shoot like this for me, I am slowly getting the hang of it. I have not taken my Bessa out since getting the M6. Its not a camera for all men, or all situations, but it works well at what it is intended to do, in fact it works damn well.
All through Chongqing these back alley ways snake around buildings and sometimes in the most unassuming of places. This for instance, is a 3 minute walk from the center of the city where such things as the Maserati show room, replica Empire State Building, Rolex/Tudor watch shops, and the most ubiquitous icon of the modern world, half a dozen Starbucks.
I would rather be in one of these back alley ways taking pictures then seeing those snooty jobs who snort their noses and spit all over while trying to act high class standing next to a BMW which they think makes them cool.
The man with the stick, probably a farmer from the country side that came to the city with the hope of finding more money, now carries stuff from one place to another trying to make a living. A very contrasting world here. Voigtlander 35mm f2.5 PII
The M6 is a great tool. If the mind behind the camera is able to exploit the attributes of the camera, great things can happen. Though I would never rely on a camera or lens to "take a good picture" its comforting to the mind while out that any problem you encounter is your own fault so you sure as better get it right.
Chongqing is a city build on hills around two major rivers, and since it has to many hills there are stairs everywhere. This particular stair case is probably the most menacing here, it just goes on and on and on and on all the while serving as peoples common areas. Wrapping around rotting buildings and then splitting off in all different directions, Chongqing is a place that maps serve you little good. Voigtlander 35mm f2.5 PII
The M6 has also served me well in situations that are not street related. The odd shot of my friend and I working on a 2 meter tall frogman (scuba diver) sculpture. Most of these photos were taken during the beer breaks or when we were taking time to reflect on the work, analyzing details, angles, or wondering why Chinese beer is so weak and hard to find cold.
Ola Enstad pondering what the hell to do about this damn sculpture we are working on. Zeiss 50mm f2 Planar ZM
I know many of you out there consider taking a picture of the back of someone as a no no, I say...throw out your rule book. Work with no limits.
Part of making sculpture is just looking at it and noticing this and that from different angles. Sometimes though you just sit there (in this case with a few in you) and let you mind drift. Somethings things come to you just like that.... Leitz Elmar 5cm f3,5 Red Scale
Doing physical labor, working with your hands, using a hammer, cutting stuff off with a big knife, and all the other tools. Sometimes the modern day artist is disconnected from such things. Last time I went back to the states the thing I looked forward to most was chopping wood out in the woods where I have 5 some acres of land many many miles from the nearest town.
Day after day we shaped this clay to make the frogman. Day after day we kept jamming our selfs with rocks and plaster and whatever garbage was in the clay. Then after some days we stopped with the clay and just looked at it. A little bit here, cut off something there... Zeiss 50mm f2 Planar ZM
Then when we are completely disgusted of looking at the sculpture we wander off to the local bar which does not have any cold beer. I dont like going to this place, dont know why Ola wants to come here at all. The people inside are all so rude and wont plug in their refrigerator to chill beer. Who wants to drink warm beer on 27 degree days?
Yawn, another day of work done...
To hell with working anymore today, we go sit in the bar (terrible bar by the way) and "get out of this ****ing place". So we do, sit in the bar and yawn. Leitz Elmar 5cm f3,5 Red Scale
What I love most about the rangefinder besides the small size, excellent optics that are not larger then artillery shells, and robust feeling is the ability to see what is not going to be in my picture, what a novel idea. Just as you know what you want you can see what you can add or leave out.
The M6 is an acquired taste, and I can see why some people never get used to them, my TTL version came to my hand and mind almost at once, and now we work together, I feed it film, it becomes an extension of my vision.
Now then, someone always asks so I will put it here. I dont remember exactly which lens was used where but I think how I labeled them is right. Film used was Ilford XP2. Scanner was Fujifilm SP 2000. Here are some pictures of the tool:
and
Not all the film was shot in the same way, I was experimenting with different things. Also I found the M6's light meter underexposes a tad bit compared to my Bessa's meter which always seemed to over expose.
But all things aside, the M6 will serve me well over many rolls of film.
🙂
How many times have you done this? Seen a photo, then set the speed only to realize you are under the 1/50th second safe speed. Woops.
Deceptively simple, these street side barbers tend to the poorer sides of town. Most likely behind the picture of the girl is his bedroom.
Voigtlander 35mm f2.5 PII
Then you are going around and this little girl comes running by you and you forget to set a speed and just snap the picture.
While some people gawk and complain about the Beijing Olympics others are excited and wait with great anticipation. Everything has the Olympic icons on them, like this girls kite with the (very poorly designed) Chinese Olympic mascots. Despite the fact that Olympic tickets in China are priced so only the rich and famous can attend, its even an event for the little children playing in the back streets of a slum, it gives them something to look forward to, even if it flies away as whimsically as her kite. Voigtlander 35mm f2.5 PII
And though its difficult to shoot like this for me, I am slowly getting the hang of it. I have not taken my Bessa out since getting the M6. Its not a camera for all men, or all situations, but it works well at what it is intended to do, in fact it works damn well.
All through Chongqing these back alley ways snake around buildings and sometimes in the most unassuming of places. This for instance, is a 3 minute walk from the center of the city where such things as the Maserati show room, replica Empire State Building, Rolex/Tudor watch shops, and the most ubiquitous icon of the modern world, half a dozen Starbucks.
I would rather be in one of these back alley ways taking pictures then seeing those snooty jobs who snort their noses and spit all over while trying to act high class standing next to a BMW which they think makes them cool.
The man with the stick, probably a farmer from the country side that came to the city with the hope of finding more money, now carries stuff from one place to another trying to make a living. A very contrasting world here. Voigtlander 35mm f2.5 PII
The M6 is a great tool. If the mind behind the camera is able to exploit the attributes of the camera, great things can happen. Though I would never rely on a camera or lens to "take a good picture" its comforting to the mind while out that any problem you encounter is your own fault so you sure as better get it right.
Chongqing is a city build on hills around two major rivers, and since it has to many hills there are stairs everywhere. This particular stair case is probably the most menacing here, it just goes on and on and on and on all the while serving as peoples common areas. Wrapping around rotting buildings and then splitting off in all different directions, Chongqing is a place that maps serve you little good. Voigtlander 35mm f2.5 PII
The M6 has also served me well in situations that are not street related. The odd shot of my friend and I working on a 2 meter tall frogman (scuba diver) sculpture. Most of these photos were taken during the beer breaks or when we were taking time to reflect on the work, analyzing details, angles, or wondering why Chinese beer is so weak and hard to find cold.
Ola Enstad pondering what the hell to do about this damn sculpture we are working on. Zeiss 50mm f2 Planar ZM
I know many of you out there consider taking a picture of the back of someone as a no no, I say...throw out your rule book. Work with no limits.
Part of making sculpture is just looking at it and noticing this and that from different angles. Sometimes though you just sit there (in this case with a few in you) and let you mind drift. Somethings things come to you just like that.... Leitz Elmar 5cm f3,5 Red Scale
Doing physical labor, working with your hands, using a hammer, cutting stuff off with a big knife, and all the other tools. Sometimes the modern day artist is disconnected from such things. Last time I went back to the states the thing I looked forward to most was chopping wood out in the woods where I have 5 some acres of land many many miles from the nearest town.
Day after day we shaped this clay to make the frogman. Day after day we kept jamming our selfs with rocks and plaster and whatever garbage was in the clay. Then after some days we stopped with the clay and just looked at it. A little bit here, cut off something there... Zeiss 50mm f2 Planar ZM
Then when we are completely disgusted of looking at the sculpture we wander off to the local bar which does not have any cold beer. I dont like going to this place, dont know why Ola wants to come here at all. The people inside are all so rude and wont plug in their refrigerator to chill beer. Who wants to drink warm beer on 27 degree days?
Yawn, another day of work done...
To hell with working anymore today, we go sit in the bar (terrible bar by the way) and "get out of this ****ing place". So we do, sit in the bar and yawn. Leitz Elmar 5cm f3,5 Red Scale
What I love most about the rangefinder besides the small size, excellent optics that are not larger then artillery shells, and robust feeling is the ability to see what is not going to be in my picture, what a novel idea. Just as you know what you want you can see what you can add or leave out.
The M6 is an acquired taste, and I can see why some people never get used to them, my TTL version came to my hand and mind almost at once, and now we work together, I feed it film, it becomes an extension of my vision.
Now then, someone always asks so I will put it here. I dont remember exactly which lens was used where but I think how I labeled them is right. Film used was Ilford XP2. Scanner was Fujifilm SP 2000. Here are some pictures of the tool:
and
Not all the film was shot in the same way, I was experimenting with different things. Also I found the M6's light meter underexposes a tad bit compared to my Bessa's meter which always seemed to over expose.
But all things aside, the M6 will serve me well over many rolls of film.
🙂
