Life’s Little Moments

Boy (now vs. then).

2013, 2021, Beyond 200 feet of My House™, Favourite, Film, Inspiration, Kodak Portra 400, Leica 50mm Summilux ASPH f/1.4, Leica M3, Leica M9(P)/M-E (CCD Lives!), Life's Little Moments, Portrait, Scanner - Plustek 8200i, Voigtländer 50mm f/1.5 Nokton Aspherical II MC

Included in the last set of photos I posted, is this shot of our son:

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…which reminded me of a similar one taken eight years ago:

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In this older photo,

… it’s a few seconds before the sunset vs. a few minutes

… the camera differs (M9 vs. M3)

… the lens differs (Leica 50/1.4 vs. Voigtländer 50/1.5)

–

And the 4000 km distance separating the moments seems tiny in comparison to the chasm of time.

—Peter.

The Lost Roll.

2018, 2021, Favourite, Film, Inspiration, Kodak Portra 800, Leica 50mm Summilux ASPH f/1.4, Leica M2, Leica M2-R, Life's Little Moments, Portrait, Print, Scanner - Plustek 8200i, Within 200 feet of My House™

I had read about this sort of thing happening to photographers.

A forgotten roll of film, re-discovered years later.

I didn’t think it would happen to me, because I’m usually quick to develop anything I shoot.  Yet there it was, a roll of Kodak Portra 800 mysteriously sitting at the bottom of a drawer I had just finished clearing out.

How did that happen?, I wondered.

I’ve now realized it was one of my (in)famous test rolls.  Used up when I had gotten hold of another M2-R to check out. Most of my shots were severely underexposed because the shutter speeds were off.  I didn’t end up keeping that camera after getting back the first roll.  But there was a second roll, which became this “lost roll”.  It sat untouched, because I wasn’t home-developing colour film at the time, and it was too expensive to pay a lab to develop/scan another roll that was essentially filled with underexposed test shots.

The expiry date on the box says 2018, so I would have used it sometime between 2016-2018.

Yesterday, I developed it.  At home.

There’s a photo of my wife in it.  Two of our dog.  Some scenes from around the house.  A self-portrait.

It’s winter.  Maybe December?

The images are like ghosts from the past.  Frozen in time.  And they are staring back from just before the pandemic, the multiple illnesses in our household, and my job disruption.

Hello strangers. 

Nice to meet you again.

—Peter.

↑Leica M2-R, Leica 50mm Summilux ASPH @ f/1.4, Kodak Portra 800, and Plustek 8200i.

Jay (1943 – 2019).

2019, Favourite, Inspiration, Leica 50mm Summilux ASPH f/1.4, Leica M10, Life's Little Moments, Portrait

The world lost a good guy today.

When we were walking outside in July, to find a spot for me to take this portrait, Jay saw some flowers by the sidewalk and remarked:

“I don’t know whether I will be above or below the flowers in August…”.

Well, you made it until today, Jay.

But that’s not nearly long enough for the rest of us.

Rest In Peace.

—Peter.

↑ Leica M10 + Leica 50mm Summilux ASPH f/1.4.