Voigtländer 40mm f/1.4 Nokton

Over-processed, not.

Leica M2, Teaching point, Voigtländer 40mm f/1.4 Nokton

I always have to remind myself not to over-process my images.

It used to be the domain of poor HDR photography practitioners, but now I see “over-cooked” images everywhere.  What’s worse is that few people are objecting to it.

Don’t get me wrong, I shoot in raw format and process ALL of my images, sometimes using various software plug-ins – which I suspect are the most popular tools employed by the offending photo-chefs.

And, especially in my novice days, I have been guilty of over-processing too.  Moreover, I’m sure in a few years I’ll look back at my current digital output and label it as garish.

However, I’ve been shooting a lot with film lately.  I’m doing this mostly because my mood and creative juices are calling for it…. something to do with the darker, cooler season of autumn.

In doing so, I’m always reminded of how a photograph should look.

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↑Leica M2 and Voigtländer Nokton 40mm @ f/1.4.

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Nothing flashy.  Nothing exciting.  But real.

I know digital and film, in their native state, look different so I’m not trying to emulate one with the other.

I still go ahead and process the film images I’ve scanned into my computer, though – fortunately – it’s harder to screw around with them… but not impossible.   This limitation helps me understand what I should be striving for when processing digital images.

Keeping it real, so to speak.

—Peter.

When your mother died.

Film, Inspiration, Leica M2, Portrait, Voigtländer 40mm f/1.4 Nokton

When your mother died… it was four years ago today.

When your mother died… you were only two years old.

Do you remember her?

I have a photo of you hugging her – the one in the kitchen – during that final summer together.  In it, you are overcome with joy, and she – she is forever embracing you.

(please click on the image below to view)

↑Leica M2 and Voigtländer Nokton 40mm @ f/1.4.

Dear S,

Rest in peace, my sweet love.

One rung at a time.

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

I captured a few frames during this sequential climb, but this one – with the searching foot – ultimately prevailed.

(please click on the image to view)

↑Leica M9 and Voigtländer Nokton 40mm @ f/1.4.

After studying this for a while, I realized why I preferred this image to the others.

The floating foot, adds a dynamic quality to the image.  We know he’s climbing, but with the foot between rungs, his movement is emphasized and there is a (tiny) sense of drama: will he find his footing?

More than this, the same lower foot, though not connected to the rung, completes a rung-to-limb schematic echoed in the two rungs above, that ultimately converges and directs our attention to his face (see red arrows below):

(please click on the image to view)

It’s interesting to tease these little visual cues out, though I’d much rather enjoy the images for what they are: precious, personal moments… frozen in time.

Torn film.

Film, Inspiration, Leica M2, Portrait, Voigtländer 40mm f/1.4 Nokton

This was an accident.  It happened when I was developing the film and now it’s flawed, wouldn’t you say?

This was literally the 37th frame of a “36” roll that I messed up as I was loading the film strip into the developing spool.  It was consequently unevenly exposed to the solutions; the film tore as I was removing it from the tank.

But the scene, the mood – the intent – of this image is still conveyed… at least for me.  I look at it and I’m taken there, to that quiet afternoon, even if I can’t remember all the details.

The image, like my memory, is incomplete.

(please click on the image to view)

↑Leica M2 and Voigtländer Nokton 40mm @ f/1.4.

Late summer, Part I.

Film, Inspiration, Leica M2, Voigtländer 40mm f/1.4 Nokton

I mentioned on a previous post how the change of light of the waning summer pulls me back to film, and here are two resultant images.

The thermometer reads the same temperatures (more or less), and the midday light seems as bright, but the shorter days and the chill in the evening air signals an impending change.

(please click on both images to view)

Leica M2 and Voigtländer Nokton 40mm @ f/1.4 [top] and @ f/4 [bottom].