Leica Street Stories : First Run
Where to begin. On Tuesday I left work, grabbed the camera, and headed downtown. It was very much overcast and threatening rain, but I couldn’t let that stop me. I was a man with a mission and a new camera. 
i entered downtown where I always do, Waterfront Park. When I got outside I had all types of fears. Had I loaded the camera correctly? Would I know how to use it right? Had I taken the lens cap off? I would look pretty stupid shooting with the lens cap still on, which is perfectly feasible with a rangefinder. Also, which of those frame lines do I use? Inner set? Outer set? Hmmm, I think that it’s the outer because I’m using a 50 mm lens. Let’s roll with it!
OK, off to take some pictures. As it was overcast, I took a reading at what I would consider a medium type scene, set my aperture to f/5.6, exposure to 1/250, and away I went. No need to change.
The first thing that I saw were some cheerleaders practicing. I took a few shots of them, then of some kids playing near the fountain, then of someone lying in the grass, cheerleaders in the back ground. Go, Team! Go!
The first cool thing that I noticed is that people have a look at you, see the camera, then dismiss you almost instantly. It’s a small camera. No threat. Obviously not some crazed-lunatic-psycho-pedophile-terrorist-minded photographer out to exploit us. Keep moving. How cute! He took a picture of us. Now, where was that ice cream stand. I felt nearly invisible! Perhaps it has a cloaking device built in that I didn’t notice. I must have activated it by mistake, but it sure is handy!
The second cool thing is that not only are you cloaked against sight, you are cloaked against sound. I stood almost right behind someone sitting on a bench, framed them up, shot, and they never even turned around or flinched. Had that been my D300, the mirror-slapping-sonic-boom would have had them diving for cover. Well, maybe not, but it would have been very obvious that I had just taken a picture. The slight “snick” sound of the Leica’s shutter is not enough to attract attention more than a few inches away. I would imagine that you could hear it in a very quiet environment, but on the street, no way.
So, I walked around taking this picture and that. Man! 36 exposures is a lot! I only did the whole roll because Anita told me to! I felt compelled to do it. Of course, as is normal for me and my street shooting, I spend much more time talking than I do shooting. It’s a wonder that I was able to squeeze of 36 shots in the 2 hours that I spent down there. I had two pretty long conversations: One with Justin, whose story I’ll tell tomorrow. We talked for at least an hour. The other with Dave, whose story I’ll share on Thursday. We talked for about 30 – 45 minutes.
After talking with Justin and Dave, I had burned all of shooting time and it was heading towards sunset so I went back to Waterfront Park, sat near the fountain, took a few more shots, then waited for the light to fade. When I got home I was very hungry but eager to develop the film. I ate something quickly, loaded the film, developed it, and held my breath, hoping that I had some pictures. What do you know, 35 perfectly exposed shots! I know, it’s a 36 roll, but I screwed up on the loading and took up too much film on the front end and only got 35 shots. I remember that I used to be able to get about 38 on a 36 roll. I just have to get better at loading the film! They were all very well exposed, but I blew the focus on a couple of them. Oh well, I’ll get better!
It was fun. I hope to do some more tomorrow, though not an entire roll, Anita!!! I’ve still got lots to share from this roll. 36 shots is a lot, especially when you have the gift of gab, and I’m very gifted in that way.
Great tones, and nice rendering!
Okay, so my early rangefinder experiences arevery similar. People dismiss you because they think the camera is a toy (well, maybe not a toy, but not serious). Second the noise is very minimal. And, if you’ve zonefocussed and just go with the prevailing exposure, it’s easy to quickly capture images.
The tones in the images are lovely. What film and developer? Looks like FP4 or HP5 to me. I wish I could see the whole roll.
Congrats!
Good stuff!
Camera is working well. I would have run a roll through it right away like you did to make sure I was loading it correctly, getting the exposure(s) right, etc.
@Chris: Good eye. It is FP4 developed in Rodinal 1:50 for 13 minutes. The roll is extremely consistent throughout. Regarding zone focusing, I’ll have to try it, though I really like to point my camera, focus precisely, then take the photo. I know that gets rid of some of the spontaneity, but I like to talk to people first, get engaged in a conversation, then pop the question.
If they say no, and they rarely say no, at least I had a great conversation.
As for seeing the contact sheet, here you go.
Well done. This is exciting for me to live thru you now with a new exposure to a Leica.
Years from now when you (if you) decide to migrate only to digital you will have the M lenses that simply migrate with you assuming you wish to stay with the rangefinder.
I am so glad you are enjoying this.
P.S.
I’ve made more mistakes that I care to confess while loading film in the M6. One time it never took on the reel and when I opened the back there it was, still on the beginning of the roll. Part of the learning curve I guess.
How are you exposing? Shadows?
And when the M9 is announced and you buy one (grin), your lenses will be great for that camera as well.
@Tom: I just watched a documentary on Annie Leibowitz (sp?), and there was a quick shot of her loading an M7, and she did it in a flash, like she’d done it 10,000 times. It took literally seconds. What struck me about that little snippet was that as funky as the Leica loading scheme might seem to me, there is just no way in heck I could load 35mm film in my FTb as fast as she loaded her Leica, no way, no how. That told me all I needed to know about why they did it that way; once you master it, loading becomes lightning fast.
@Tom: The lens is incredible! I’m really enjoying the camera and am looking forward to putting it though its paces. Regarding exposure: As yesterday was totally overcast, I simply metered the sidewalk, used those settings, and away I went. Overall, the negatives came out well, slightly underexposed, though.
I guess that the sidewalk was a bit lighter than medium gray. At any rate, all that I needed to do after scanning was tweak the exposure slider in Lightroom just a little bit and that was it. I’ve heard people talk of using gray cards and such, but I’ve never done it. I can usually find something medium to meter off of, like grass. I shot, what shooting that I did, for 2 hours on the same setting.
I’m looking forward to getting some sunlight so that I can do some more experimenting, not so much with the camera, but with the film/developer combination that I might want to use. I really like the tonality of FP4 and it does well in contrasty situations … if exposed right and developed properly. The experiments continue.
@Chris: I don’t see another Leica in my immediate future. I have to get used to this one!
Regarding digital, I like you, am quite satisfied with living in both worlds. I just feel, at this moment, that I wouldn’t get the same feel from a digital rangefinder. I just love the simplicity of film cameras and the feel of the negative in my hand.
They say to expose for the shadows and develop for the highlights. I never followed that too much. I always used the back of my hand.
What fun to see the contact sheet. What? You trying to spoil us?
Goodness, now you will be blaming me for causing you to use so much film. What’s next?
If only I had known I had such powers! Hmmm. I should think on this a bit.
This is fun, Paul, to follow your journey. The thoroughness with which you detail the exploration draws in even a digital devotee such as myself. While I won’t be following you by purchasing a film camera (much less a Leica), I certainly am enjoying the vicarious excitement.
@Tom: I use that “meter for the shadows, develop for the highlights” technique with a compensating developer, FG7, only. That’s how I was taught.
When I use my hand, I add one stop ’cause the back of my particular pasty hand is lighter than medium gray.
@Anita: Come along … walk into the light … you know that you want to!
You know that off-handed comment about shooting a rangefinder with the lens cap still on? Well, I’m the number one candidate for that sort of blunder. What’s more, I would repeat it multiple times!
You just want to lead a parade, Paul Lester!
Sorry, I am much to content with digital. Maybe if film magically developed itself. Developing my photos while sitting at the computer breathing clean fresh air and sneaking peaks at the view outside is just too satisfactory. I plan to follow every word as you chronicle this adventure, and I will learn, you can bet. But, I will remain stuck on digital.
@Anita: You know, that marching to your own drummer thing is overrated. March to the beat of MY drummer! LOL!
I don’t have any words to add to the comments. You post and image just bring me a smile.
Hey, that’s great! Finally a post where the comments are not closed
Paul, I don’t know why you close comments on older posts, but at least for me it’s a problem. I was quite busy some weeks, I was in Poland last week, and now that I sit here and want to catch up with all those Paul Laster posts, I find that I can’t comment on so many. What’s the reason that you close them at all? I mean, this is the Internet, this is the age of Google. People will find posts that are years old, and on some they will want to comment. At least it happens on my blog.
Anyway. Congratulations to your Leica. I really, really look forward to your posts about how this camera works for you.
@Andreas: I did have the settings to where the posts would close after 180 days, or about 6 months; however, during my upgrade of WP, the default was set to 14 days and I never noticed it. I have changed it back to 180 days. I close comments because those little spambots love to place comments on older posts as well as spam ping backs. For the most part, Spam Karma catches them, but still some slip through.
I hope that you’ll come back and make some comments on what was previously closed!
He he, effortless upgrades, oh yes
Thanks for the change!