Skewed dog

Let me throw in another dog, somewhat similar to this one.

Siesta #3

One of the first photos in this blog showed a sleeping dog. Here's another canine siesta.

(Hey, and I just realized this was picture #100 with the good old M4-P.)

Knees

I don't remember exactly, but I think I took this one while waiting in a store (in Rome in November 1997) where my then-girlfriend wanted to buy clothes. It's another example of a photo I had forgotten for a long time. And in this case it's probably because the picture works best if seen as a large enough print. It certainly didn't reveal itself on the contact sheet and even the image dimensions of this blog don't really do justice to it.

M4-P, Tri-X.

Desert

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert on the way from Vegas to San Diego, November 1997.

M4-P, Tri-X.

Snack bar

At Venice Beach in November 1997.

Shot with the M4-P on Tri-X.

Two nuns

In Rome, November 1997. Not much else to say except that Rome is certainly an apt place to photograph two nuns in what seemed to be their spare time.

Taken with the M4-P on Tri-X.

Blurred Vespa

When I came back from Rome in November 1997, this was the first frame of all the Tri-X rolls I had filled with the Leica that I printed. I still like it. It somehow hits the right note with me, maybe because it captures how I perceived the Vespa-dominated traffic.

Marcus

And while we're at the subjects of celebrities and musicians, here's a portrait of Marcus Miller. I've been doing his website since the beginning of 1997 (the whole story can be found here) and when I was in L.A. in November during a business trip, Marcus and I met for lunch. I took this picture after he had driven me back to my hotel and before we said goodbye.

A bit later, some bootleggers in Japan actually used the photo - without my permission, of course - for the label of their "Slap Shot" CD.

That was the M4-P on Tri-X again.

Welcome to L.A.

Out of a window again, but this time it's the windshield of a car while entering L.A. after a long ride from Las Vegas via San Diego. Alas, I didn't take many photos at that time which I regret now. So far, it has been my only time at the West Coast.

To make matters worse, a day or two later Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen entered the hotel elevator I was in and of course I didn't have a camera with me! On the other hand, I was so stunned that I couldn't say a word and the whole thing was over after a few floors. I guess I would have been too paralyzed to use a camera anyway...

The good old Leica on Tri-X, November 1997.

Two ladies

A delivery truck blocked a part of the sidewalk and I witnessed what was almost a collision between three pedestrians which ended in lots of laughter. I stayed there hoping to catch a similar scene which I did. Shortly thereafter, though, these two ladies made my day by passing by.

Rome in November 1997, the M4-P and Tri-X.

A frame within a frame

Like many other photographers I'm constantly looking for interesting geometrical figures when shooting. A frame, for me, is especially tempting because it kind of comments on a meta level on the photo it becomes a part of, i.e. on the way you frame the picture. In this case, I followed the two guys carrying the frame and first took a photo with both of them on it, but this one - due to its apparent "incompleteness" and because of the door frame in the background - is better in my opinion.

November 1997 in Rome, Leica and Tri-X as most of the time. By the way, as this is one of several photos that don't mention the focal length I should say that, beginning February 1996 when I bought it, I almost always used the 35mm Summicron on the M4-P, so it's very likely that this one as well as many others were taken with this focal length. However, I don't have any notes so there's always a tiny chance I used the 50mm lens instead. Definitely, all M4-P photos were taken with one of these two lenses, though, so they're always tagged with "Summicron".

Addendum: This photo was featured on LeicaShots on December 7.

Abandoned swings

I'm not sure if I consider this a successful photo or rather what Mike Johnston calls a significant failure. What I do know is that I like to look at it, so here you are.

This was at Venice Beach, Los Angeles in November 1997 shortly before sunset, so obviously it was pretty dark outside already. That explains the silhouette-like look of the picture and that's what I like about it. And the geometrical pattern created by the palms and the swings. And the different shades of gray at the horizon.

Taken with (yawn) M4-P on Tri-X.

Addendum: This photo was shown in the Bronx Banter in April 2011.

Apparel

Another one from Italy, this time from Rome, taken in November 1997. I was attracted by this small apparel store which was in stark contrast to the many posh fashion boutiques you can find in Italy's capital. Not sure if it was only closed temporarily (it was a normal workday and other shops were open), but it looks kind of abandoned, doesn't it? Well, except for the stockings...

Leica M4-P with Tri-X again.