My first Leica negatives.
So I finally had my first few rolls of Leica negatives developed, and yes I believe the hype, the Leica look does exist. I initially wanted my maiden Leica roll to be a Tri-X, but mindful of the time, cost and effort it takes high street labs to process them, I opted for C41s to start instead. Also was a quick way for me to test that my camera was functioning well.
And so I was off to Calumet to get a 5-pack of Portra 400NC – which is fast becoming my film of choice at the moment. It’s suppose to deliver subtle tones, lower contrast and more natural colours, which I think is better suited for shooting people and for prowling the streets. First of all, My M6 is just a joy to use. The jiggle of the focus tab on my 35 cron, the instant snap on focus of the rangefinder mask, the sound of the tripped shutter – like the sweet whispers of a beautiful woman. And then there is the silky smooth operation of the advance lever, there are no gears, just magic which eggs me on to frame my next subject and which compels me to keep on shooting. What a beautifully machined instrument. I compare it to a Jedi’s lightsaber – Wonk, wonk – this is an elegant tool from a more romantic age.
Naturally, I took my Leica to the place where it shines – the Streets. I carried it everywhere with me, on my regular commute, when the weather turned sour, to mass rallies, to T-K Maxx and into restaurants. It was not long before it simply became an extension of my arm and my eye. I began to see more, little movements, the symmetry between objects, the dancing lights, expressive eyes, mouths… They say that Leica negatives have a distinctive quality and glow which no other glass can produce, and when all the conditions are right and the moment you trip the shutter is decisive, then you will be rewarded with a classic that will never, ever cease to amaze those who choose to witness it again and again.
For three film rolls, every exposure, every non-exposure, every miss and every near-hit was a joy and there was never a dull moment when in the process of making photographs, it was like falling in love all over again, and again, and again…
Presenting my very first Leica photographs, made with Kodak Portra 400NC film, 35 summicron lens, 40mm Nokton lens and lots of passion, enjoy.
I am indebted to Garson Byer for showing me the leica light and I urge you to take a look at his excellent work at inalonelyplace.org , some of the best street photography I have seen, and especially special are his vintage prints which he made in the 80′s with his minox and his leicas. You can see more photographs from my first Leica rolls at my flickr account here.
Tags: 35mm summicron, cv 40mm nokton, kodak portra 400NC, leica m6
This entry was posted on Sunday, January 24th, 2010 at 5:30 pm and is filed under Blog, right. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.