Print: Hard Times

Last weekend some friends and I went to Belmont Ave, a fairly hip part of downtown Chicago. Between checking out cool shops such as People Play Games, and Chicago Comics, I found an abandoned storefront with this mannequin inside. She's sitting, facing away from the window; I think she's depressed. I used my Leica M4 with my 50mm Summicron, and Ilford HP5+ film. The physical print is 10 x 7 inches.

Roll: Yard-Sailing in Niles

The "Perverted Old Man"

Last week my friend David and I went to a bunch of yard and house sales around the Niles area. One of the online ads for yard sales listed a "perverted old man" as being for sale. We couldn't resist; we found the sale, and the perverted old man (pictured above). The nice older gentleman didn't seem too perverted, and talked to us about how he grew up in Missouri by Six Flags Great America. He even let me take his picture, as long as I sent him "a check in the mail."

Ad for the Perverted Old Man

Barry with his Van

That same day, we ran into one of my friends and former boss, Barry, at an estate sale. He was buying a creepy Betty Boop mask. I used to photo assist (and still do, occasionally) for him on architectural shoots.

Here are some other shots I took that day, as well as the rest of the roll I finished later last week. I used my Leica M3 with a 50mm Summicron and Ilford FP4+ 125 Film.

Spotlight: Olympus OM-1n

While scouring various estate sales last week for cool finds, I came across a black Olympus OM-1n. It was marked $125 with a busted lens and no hot-shoe. I managed to talk the owner down to $50 for just the body. What a sweet deal! Luckily the hot-shoe from my OM-2n fit just fine.

The OM-1n came out in 1979, and is a slightly updated version of the OM-1, which launched in 1972. The OM-1 revolutionized the camera market when it originally came out, due to its incredibly small size for an SLR.

The OM-1n is small (even smaller than a Leica M!), but the build quality is fantastic. It feels extremely solid in my hands. All the controls are at just the right place. I love how both the shutter speed and aperture dials are located around the lens. This means I can adjust both settings without having to move my right index finder off of the shutter. Other features that I like are the mirror lock-up setting (not really necessary for 35mm, but a nice option), removable hot-shoe, and film rewind switch (just like a Leica). The only thing I don't like about the OM-1n is the fact that it takes crappy PX 625 batteries, and not the more reliable 357 batteries.

Here are some photos I took a few days ago on the OM-1n. I used Ilford FP4+ 125 film.

Thanks for looking!

Spotlight/Roll: Railside Ruins on the Leica M3

So around October of last year, I bought a Leica M3 Double Stroke with a collapsible 50mm Summicron from a vendor at a local camera show. For about $750, I thought I was getting a fantastic steal of a deal. The camera looked to be in great condition. I was wrong. Upon developing my first roll, I found that the camera was front-focusing. I thought the problem might have been the lens, but two new lenses later, and it still wasn't working right. I finally sold off the body on Craigslist (and got most of my $750 back), and recently bought a new M3 from a reputable Chicago Leica dealer, Tamarkin Camera. I got a Leica M3 Single Stroke with a 50mm f2 rigid Summicron, lens hood, yellow filter, and caps for just under $1500 (a very fair deal). It comes with a 6 month warranty.

The long, painful lesson I learned from this whole experience was to never, never buy anything expensive from a camera show (or anywhere), without a money-back guarantee.

Thankfully, this "new" M3 works just fine. More than fine. My M3 combined with my 50mm Summicron has produced some of the moodiest, most brilliant images I've ever taken (on 35mm film). The best part about Leica lenses like the 50mm Summicron, is that even wide open at f2, images are quite sharp. Much, much sharper than my Pentax 50mm wide open. The out of focus "bokeh" is also very pleasing to the eye, it's right up there with the Zeiss Biotar 58mm on my Exakta.

As stated in my previous two posts, I took a long hike all the way along the abandoned train tracks, spanning from Winnetka to Highland Park. These are the photos I took along the way that did not get turned into prints. I've also included some other shots I took on the end of one of the rolls, for good measure. These shots were taken on Fuji Neopan 400 and Kodak Ektar 100.

I've enjoyed working with my M3. The build quality and picture-making potential is phenomenal.  For me, it is absolutely worth the lofty price tag, and I look forward to using it for years to come.

Thanks for looking!

Print: Evidence

While walking along the abandoned railroad tracks last weekend, I spotted something large and blue out of the corner of my eye, in the line of trees that ran alongside the tracks. I stumbled down a small hill and through a bunch of fallen branches and found this; a disgusting seat, ripped right out of a vehicle, surrounded by beer cans. Evidence of a killer party. 

I used my Leica M3 with a 50mm Summicron, and Fuji Neopan 400 film. The physical print is 7x10 inches.

Print: Open Seating

Last weekend, the weather actually decided to be nice for once, so I took a long walk. I journeyed along an abandoned stretch of railroad track extending from Highland Park to Northbrook, Illinois.  I had no idea the tracks existed. I just hopped out of my van to check out an old parking lot I saw, and woah! The tracks were right there.

I found this chair a few miles down the tracks. Looks like someone had just been hangin' out on the rails. To capture the chair, I used my Leica M3 with a 50mm Summicron f2, with Fuji Neopan 400 film. The physical print is about 6x9 inches.

I will post the rest of the roll (and perhaps another print!) from my outing sometime soon. Thanks for looking!

Print: Paradise

While in South Carolina, Katie and I stayed with my parents and brother in a condo complex called "The Lagoon Villas". It's located on the Isle of Palms, which is about 30 minutes east of Charleston. This print depicts two poolside chairs at the Lagoon Villa. Pure paradise.

I made this photo with my Pentax LX, a 35mm f2 lens, and Kodak Tri-X 400 film. I used a waist-level finder to help acquire the low angle.  The physical print is roughly 11x14 inches.