Inspiration

It’s raining again | The Nikkor-NOCT 58/1.2.

Inspiration, Nikon 58mm f/1.2 NOCT, Print, Teaching point

The rain has returned after a long absence, so I thought I’d post a second image today, more Ă  propos of the mood.

(please click on the image to view)

This shot was taken last year with the Nikkor-NOCT 58/1.2 (on a Nikon D40 body).

The Nikkor-NOCT 58/1.2 is a remarkable lens that, unfortunately, is no longer made.  I really should write a piece about it, but there is plenty of technical information available on the web about this lens.  Have a look here and here.

Over the next little while, I’ll be posting some of my favourite shots I’ve taken with this lens.  The images do a better job of telling the story of the NOCT anyway, as compared to technical discussions.

The Voigtländer Nokton 40mm f/1.4 [shortest review ever].

Inspiration, Teaching point, Voigtländer 40mm f/1.4 Nokton

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(photo courtesy of Voigtländer.com)

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This is my favourite lens for photographing life’s little moments.

The Voigtlander Nokton 40/1.4 was my first M-mount lens, purchased back in 2008 along with a Leica M8.

Through the years, I’ve been hot-and-cold on it, for all of the well-documented reasons people either like or dislike it.  And though I’ve experimented with some of Leica’s finest, I always seem to find a path back to this modest lens.  If I had to explain why that is, I would say it’s because it’s small, light, fast (f/1.4), and has a focal length that sits between my most used focal lengths (35mm and 50mm).  It also has virtually zero distortion, and is sharp enough.  The bokeh can be harsh, but the optics that conspire to cause this can also impart a most desirable character to images.

Here are some examples:

—Peter.

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Sample images taken with the Voigtländer 40mm f/1.4 Nokton:

A bee, wildflowers, and fluffy things.

Inspiration, Konica Hexanon 60mm f/1.2, Leica 75mm Summilux (Canada 🇨🇦) f/1.4

Along the path upon which I walked,

I saw a bee…

(please click on any of the images below to view)

…and wildflowers…

…and fluffy things upon which to make wishes…

If anybody knows what the proper name of these fluffy things are, please let me know.  I tried looking them up online and I know they’re not from cottonwood trees, or from dandelions. I don’t think that they’re milkweed pods either.    I’m actually stumped!

Images 1 and 3 were created with the Leica M9 and Leica 75mm Summilux @ f1/.4.  Image 2 was created with the Leica M9 and Konica Hexanon 60mm @ f/1.2.

Simplicity.

Inspiration, Leica 50mm Summilux ASPH f/1.4, Teaching point

Achieving simplicity in photography is a very difficult, but worthwhile goal.

Simple compositions are generally more pleasing to the eye, and more directly communicate visual impressions than cluttered ones.

In the first image below, the triad of leaves, lit up by an errant shaft of sunlight, first caught my attention as I was walking by so I appropriately exposed for them.  Exposing for their brilliant glow meant losing details in the shadows, but this is what I wanted, as the end-effect is a seemingly floating cluster of foliage with only the mere suggestion of the supporting framework of trees.

Simplicity.

(please click on the image below)

↑Leica M9 and Leica 50mm Summicron @ f/2.

Most novice photographers make the error of being over-inclusive in their images and forget to ask themselves, what is it about this scene that first caught my attention?

Often we can easily achieve simplicity by shooting with a telephoto lens or by moving closer and isolating the subject of interest.  But this is not the only way.

More tricky – and more satisfying – is to capture a wider scene that has been stripped down to just a few elements.  Sometimes that’s impossible, especially in a world all too cluttered with distractions.  But it’s worth trying for.

In the second image below, the original scene was full of foreground objects, but I moved myself to higher ground and angled my field of view so that only two things (besides the sky) are visible in the final image.

(please click on the image below)

↑Leica M8 and Leica 50mm Summilux ASPH @ f/1.4.

In photography then, truly, less is more.

Boy and breakfast.

Inspiration, Leica 50mm Summicron f/2, LFI Master Shot, Photo Shoot, Portrait, Print

There was something about the way the natural light filtered through the window and shone upon the figure of this boy, who was quietly busy buttering his toast.  The crispness of the white table cloths juxtaposed with the dark and textured bricks also caught my eye.  And the orange juice looks as vitally orange as it did the morning this photo was taken.  Normally, the mixture of natural and incandescent light sources creates a white balance nightmare, but thankfully not this time.

This image was chosen as a Leica Fotografie International (LFI) Master Shot.

(please click on the image below)

Leica M9 and Leica 50mm Summicron @ f/2.