Halloween

Pre-Halloween Eve photos taken with the Leica D-Lux 4 during my daily excursions into the haunting season. A floating ghost and his shadow flying low in anticipation of all those little ghosts and goblins inhabiting the neighborhood. Photo processed in Adobe Lightroom 3 and Silver Efex Pro.

 A interesting pumpkin sitting on the fence showing the ravishes of time. Lots of mold gives the pumpkin some natural hair contrasted by some scribbled eyes, nose and mouth. The glow was added with the use of Nix Software Color Efex Pro and then was further enhanced with the use of Topaz Labs Detail plug-in.

 Have you seen the black and white version of Nosteratu ? A great move from 1922 well here I may have spotted him lurking in the shadows of the valley. Actually the picture is of my shadow and was refined with the use of Nik Color Efex Pro Glamor Glow filter and then processed into black and white using Silver Efex Pro.
Happy Halloween and have fun getting those scary party and trick or treat pics.

Gazo Creek Cutoff

More beach pictures this week in color plus some interesting apps for your I-Pad. LFI the international Leica photography magazine has just updated its free I-Pad, I-Phone app to include not only a great photo database but also now you can read the current issue of the magazine for free on either device. The other interesting app is Air Display which will allow you to use your I-Pad as a 2nd monitor. I have been using this app to watch video blogs etc. while I work on my photos. It works great but is expensive for a I-Pad app at $10.00.
Now back to Gazo Creek Cutoff which is located on the San Mateo County coast in California. The day was comfortable for a Northern California Beach, meaning the temperature was in the middle 60's. There was sun, fog and very little wind. The sun, water and fog all tend to intensive the light and not always in a good way which calls for shooting at higher speeds and f stops than normal (f-11 to f 16. The camera was the Leica M-9 fitted with Summarit 35 mm lens, post processed in Adobe Lightroom 3 and Nik Software plug-ins.

Looking north towards the Pigeon Point Lighthouse.

 Fog rolling in towards shore.

 Fog bank in the distance contrasted by the blue sky.

Light peeks through the overcast and highlights the white water.

Manresa Beach

Manresa Beach is located south of Santa Cruz, California and photographed on a foggy morning in October 2010. Today I'm sharing all black and white images that seem to work well in depicting the mood of the beach on that day. Next week I will share some color photos taken up the coast at Gazo Creek Cutoff in San Mateo County which were taken on the same day.
All photos were taken with the Leica M-9 fitted with the Leica Summarit 35mm lens processed in Adobe Lightroom 3.0 and Silver Efex Pro for conversion to black and white.

The view as you walk down to the beach.

Surf Fishermen

 A look down the empty beach

Light attempting to break through the fog.

A friendly Dachshund comes to see what we were doing.

Solitary Log

Black & White

I had the occasion to go to the local pumpkin patch & haunted house along with my Leica D-Lux 4. There were plenty of interesting subjects to photograph and I processed all of these pictures to black and white using Adobe Lightroom 3.0. Halloween as a theme seems to just scream for the use of black and white, you get that old feel to the pictures and the ability to add some eerie effects to complement them.
The first picture of the pirate skeleton was taken inside the haunted house and was converted to black and white using the new 64 bit version of Silver Efex Pro. I then used Color Efex Pro to add some glow to the image.

This kind fellow was similarly processed and looks more malevolent in black and white.

Apparitions are always a good subject for Halloween pictures.

What fun would the visit be without some photos of children enjoying the experience.

Making new friends is part of the fun this picture was enhanced with Color Efex Pro using the tonal filter.

As the light fades it is time to leave for home.

1.4 Magnifier

I just received my new Leica Viewfinder Magnifier M 1.4 and thought I would share a few thoughts on the performance and value of this accessory. I'm using it with my Leica Elmarit 90mm 2.8 on a Leica M-9 body. My first impression was this costs a lot I hope it makes focusing easier with a telephoto lens.
When I received it I was impressed that the quality of this accessory is in keeping with other high end Leica products, first class.
The viewfinder comes with a leather case that attaches to the camera strap with a leash that attaches to the magnifier. The magnifier screws into the M-9s eyepiece and it does a great job of magnifying the focusing circle. The framing lines are also magnified and appear brighter.
How does it perform in use ? For me just great, I have only shot with it for two days but my picture hit rate for sharp focus is improved. How much improved ? I would say about twenty to thirty percent which makes this purchase worth the investment for me. Others have had different results and results may vary with different lens combination. Here are a few photo examples:

 Old farm equipment taken through a barb wire fence sharp focus on the disks.

 Fall colors highlight this leaf, note the sharpness on the stem of the leaf.

Old oak tree converted to black and white with Silver Efex Pro.

Elmarit Examples

I'm sharing a few pictures taken with the Leica M-9 fitted with the Leica Elmarit 90mm 2.8 lens. 
Plenty of people will tell you that long lenses are very hard to focus and to get sharp images. This maybe true depending on your eyesight and your expectations.
I will be the first to admit that it is much easier to get very sharp images with my Nikon D300 and I will and do use that camera when my intent is to focus on sharpness and speed. The advantage of the Leica and 90mm lens is the feel of the photograph. It maybe in the rendering of the color or the smoothness of the bokeh. Sometimes I have a hard time explaining to others what it is that gives these images the qualities I appreciate. I just think of it as a artistic rendition this lens and camera produces. Here are some examples.

This first image was converted from color by using Silver Efex Pro and highlights what I think of as a artistic rendition. Setting where F 2.8, ISO 160 at 1/180 sec.

This image was taken at the opposite extreme of photo number 1. The photo was taken indoors with challenging lighting conditions and was taken at ISO 1250 at 1/45 sec. The color tone highlights the old age of this statue.

Sharpness I'm including this shot to show that you can shoot wide open at F 2.8 1/1500, ISO 160 and still get a very sharp image while rendering the background in a smooth bokeh.

Close up of this fuchsia was taken at a minimal distance from subject at F 5.7, ISO 400 and speed of 1/60. Which highlights the bokeh with a little of graininess.

Stain-glass close-up taken at F 2.8 ISO 160 at 1/350 sec. Again the sharpness of this image is more than adequate for this type of photograph.
If you are looking for a 90 mm lens for your Leica don't be put off by perceived difficulty in focusing this lens. The Elmarit 2.8 90mm in my opinion is a excellent choice.

Some Examples

A few new examples taken with the Leica M-9

 A close-up of a old fire hydrant rendered in black and white using Silver Efex Pro.

A small cat peeking over the fence at my dogs, processed in Adobe Lightroom 3.2.
Now some pictures taken with the Leica D-Lux 4.

A close-up of that demonstrates the clarity you can obtain with this little camera.

A old abandoned shed that has seen better days, processed in Silver Efex Pro and then Color Efex Pro to add a custom vignetting.

I saw this maple tree which is changing color to red while losing its leaves. The contrast with the green in the rest of the garden is highlighted using Color Efex Pros brilliance and glamor glow filters.