Portrait

Alex’s wedding, revisited (Cinematic).

2012, Favourite, Inspiration, Portrait, Voigtländer 35mm f/1.2 Nokton

I was recently reviewing the images from Alex’s wedding, and I realized just how much I like this one.  It’s composed in a special way, and it seems to capture the genuine joy she felt and radiated out to her guests.

As often happens when an image speaks to me, I started viewing it as a frame from the continuous film of life, so I decided to re-crop it and give it the cinematic treatment.

One special frame from a special day in your life, Alex.

(please click on the image to view)

↑Leica M9 and Voigtländer Nokton 35mm @ f/1.2.

Quietly content.

Inspiration, Leica 75mm Summilux (Canada 🇨🇦) f/1.4, Portrait, Teaching point

Notice the beautiful window light, and the mirroring of his profile by the globe.

When you click to view the larger image, please also note how sharp his eye (the point of focus) appears, even wide open @ f/1.4.  Everything else fades softly out of focus.

Those two qualities — biting sharpness and delicate out-of-focus rendering — are both courtesy of the Leica 75mm Summilux lens.

(please click on the image to view)

↑Leica M9 and Leica 75mm Summilux @ f/1.4.

My “Workers” photos featured on SteveHuffPhoto.com!

2012, Favourite, Inspiration, Konica Hexanon 60mm f/1.2, Leica 50mm Summicron f/2, Leica 50mm Summilux ASPH f/1.4, Leica 75mm Summarit f/2.5, LFI Master Shot, Portrait, Uniform

Ten of my “workers” images have been featured on the popular photography site SteveHuffPhoto.com!

The direct link to Steve’s site is here.

I’m honoured and would like to thank Mr. Huff for his ongoing support of my work!

—Peter.

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Donald – A portrait (the worker series).

2012, Inspiration, Leica 50mm Summilux ASPH f/1.4, Portrait

Taken yesterday.

You know, people like Donald who keep Toronto going are some of the most generous folk I know when it comes to posing for photos.  They never think of themselves as natural models, but their unpretentious and light-hearted spirit always comes through in the images and makes for great portraiture.

Thanks Donald!

I’ve taken a few other “worker” series portraits:  The now famous Mike, and the recent Raymond.

Also, later this morning, I will be posting a link to a  “workers” series of 10 images I put together for Steve Huff, the editor of the popular photography site SteveHuffPhoto.com.  Stay tuned!

(please click on the image below to view)

↑Leica M9 and Leica 50mm Summilux ASPH @ f/1.4.

Forever young.

2012, Inspiration, Leica 35mm Summilux ASPH FLE f/1.4, Portrait, Teaching point

A capricious breeze passes, ruffling his hair as the image is taken.

This shot works on a personal level, but also because of the mirroring going on:  the sprawling “limbs” of the metal bars echo the branching tree limbs on the opposite side of the frame.

(please click on the image to view)

↑Leica M9 and Leica 35mm Summilux FLE @ f/1.4.

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Notice also that all of the “limbs” (metal bars, human arm, tree branches) connect and span the frame:

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Of course, I wasn’t thinking about all of this when I saw and captured this moment.

In reality, I crouched down and peered through the viewfinder, taking advantage of the wide-ish perspective offered by my 35mm lens and dynamically composed my shot until things looked just right.

—Peter.

Dancing (about our memories).

2012, Favourite, Inspiration, Konica Hexanon 60mm f/1.2, Portrait, Teaching point

In this frame, they exist perpetually in motion, but frozen in time.

We often review the images of our memories this way… in stop-start sequences.  Some frames are conjured from the darkest recesses of our minds — simultaneously blurry-and-sharp, complete-and-incomplete, and often… out of sequence.

(please click on the image to view)

↑Leica M9 and Konica Hexanon 60mm @ f/1.2.