Bluesman
Ojo de Dios
The Wig Shop
Buddha In The House
The first post for 2014 and its the first color post. I primarily shoot black and white. Winter in Chicago is dark and overcast so I like to shoot color to warm things up. The first photo Bluesman was shot using a Leica R5 with a Leica summicron 50 mm f2 using FujiFilm Provia 35mm Color Slide Film 100asa.
I noticed the Bluesman when I was on the corner of Milwaukee and Damen. I saw him one night on the corner of Chicago Avenue and Damen with a broken guitar. I missed that shot as he got on the bus. This time I was standing by the intersection waiting for people to get on and off the bus. I find the bus stop is a good location to photograph people. Usually they are unaware of you since they are coming or going. The Bluesman walked towards me and I was pretending to shoot in the other direction. This a tactic I use to try and get the most natural shot. I turned and noticed him looking for money for the bus. I set up and caught a very natural shot of him as he looked up and walked towards me with a brand new guitar. Blue in fact. This was a photo which our eyes met through the lens the type of shot you feel right away.
The second shot Ojo de Dios was shot with a leica R5 with a 135 f2.8 lens using FujiFilm Provia 35mm Color Slide Film 100asa. I was born in the Southwest and grew up around American Indian culture. A Ojo is an object made out of yarn in the shape of a diamond. The multiple shapes remind me of this. In spanish Ojo de Dios translates to God’s eye. We used to have Ojo in our home and in my parents restaurant La Casita De Sante Fe.
Ojo de Dios is an in camera double exposure. I was testing a Leica 135 mm lens and I wanted to see the Bokeh the lens can produce. Bokeh refers to how a lens renders out of focus light. Boke is Japanese means blur or haze. The first shot is of Bokeh from the lights outside The Palmer House in Chicago. I then went around the corner an noticed a sculpture in the lobby of Inland Steel by Richard Lippold from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I usually shoot a whole roll of images and then in a darkroom rewind the film and shot over the film. This shot was achieved by first taking the shot. Then pushing the small rewind button on the bottom of the camera. I then advance the film with the film advance lever. But since I pressed the rewind button on the bottom of the camera the film did not advance it only re set the shutter so I could take another picture over the picture I just shot.
The final two images The Wig Shop and Buddha In The House are also shot with a Leica 135 f2.8 lens using FujiFilm Provia 35mm Color Slide Film 100asa. The Buddha I got in Thailand and it was shot at my house. This is example of shallow depth of field and Bokeh. The Buddha was back lit with natural light coming in from the windows. A string of christmas lights was also used as well as skylight from above. Overcast, natural light, wide open and a few second exposure.
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