POV: Street Photography, An Addiction?

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Yes, it is.

It's been a little more than 5 months since I've acquired the Leica M9 with a couple of lenses; an Elmarit 28mm (which is my mostly-used lens), and a Voigtlander Nokton 40mm. During the first two months, I used it gingerly, almost self-consciously...waiting for it to "grow" on me, and for my instinct to take over. I took it wherever I went, virtually daily...and it slowly became part of me.

I normally walk around with it either dangling from my neck, or from my shoulder...or more recently, in a Domke waist pouch which seems to have been manufactured for it, when I don't need or want to use it. It has come to the point that if I don't have it with me, something is missing...sort of like forgetting my cellphone or my keys.

I've learned to look (as distinct from seeing) for "characters"...I've learned how to look for interesting faces some 30-50 yards from where I stand or walk to anticipate the framing and composition of the images I eventually make of them...I try to pre-visualize scenes (but haven't fully succeeded yet) such as anticipating the faces of construction workers when they see a pretty woman in a short dress walk by...or that of a child seeing his mother when coming out of school..and snapping that moment. I've learned how to pretend to be checking my cellphone whilst clicking the shutter at the same time....and I've learned to frame the image without looking at my subjects.

I am lucky to live in Manhattan...the most street photography "friendly" (or should I say 'interesting'?) city. I have favorite streets. Broadway and Canal Street...14th Street always has interesting characters, and Chinatown is a haven for street photography just because it's heavily touristic, and its residents are used to photographers.

The Leica File is a gallery of my NYC street photographs, 

"I allow myself to be seduced... I grow. I evolve. And I like that...a lot."

But the best is this. I don't look at the images that I shoot from the hip (or from the waist, in my case) until I return home and download them. Heck, that almost brings me back to the exciting good old days of film!

As for my gear, I have to say the M9 is almost the perfect tool for street photography. Nothing new here. I qualify that perfection because while it's inconspicuous, virtually infallible and it's almost silent...the lack of auto-focus is still a pain in the ass. Leica will not like me for saying this...but it is. I've learned to pre-focus or just move my feet until my image is sharp...I've also learned the zone focusing technique (still not very well, it seems)...and manage to muddle through the focus issue. But I still salivate at the improbable idea of a Leica with auto focus capabilities.

Finally, as a side benefit of all this addictive street photography, I am partly ensconced in a black & white phase...I allow myself to be seduced by toning, by special effects, by Instagram-like colorization, and by a multitude of other "sins" that I normally don't indulge in.

I grow. I evolve. And I like that...a lot.

Milongas: The Seduction of Tango

I'm pleased to feature an audio slideshow titled "Milongas! The Seduction of Tango" of my still black & white photographs made in various tango halls and milongas of Buenos Aires during the week I spent there  teaching with the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop.

Note: You have two viewing options: either to view it as a Vimeo movie (above) or as a SoundSlides, which has better resolution images.

I am equally pleased in having broken many of my self-imposed rules which I religiously followed when producing such multimedia pieces. For this piece, I applied panning (Ken Burns effect) on a few occasions to give the semblance of motion, and to bring the eyes of the viewers to a specific part of the still. Rules are made to be broken, and I hope the photographers who attended my class do not take me too much to task for that.

"the silent and imperceptible gesture by men inviting women to dance..."

I chose to photograph the milongas and the tango at these venues for many reasons. Perhaps it was mainly because of my appreciation for international music, but as I observed the people who were at the milongas...I call them 'actors' because they were, wittingly or unwittingly, acting a part in a pre-ordained old fashioned ritual of almost courtship...the silent and imperceptible gesture by men inviting women to dance...I was reminded that their actions mirrored what occurs between men and women in their quotidian life.

I've also used only two audio tracks...one is by the legendary Carlos Gardel singing the beautiful A Media Luz, and a short poetic narration by Paula Acunzo, a Buenos Aires based photographer who attended my class, and is also a terrific tango dancer. She deserves much credit, not only for writing this evocative poem, but also for suffering some of us at the tango halls and milongas.

But back to A Media Luz....which means 'half-light'. I decided I'd use it as main soundtrack for the slideshow because I was humming it in Buenos Aires almost all the time...and because I photographed these images in the penumbra of the tango halls, and accentuated their darkness even further by vignetting some....so it seemed eminently appropriate.

So turn your speakers on...full volume...and enjoy the seduction of tango.

Gardelito, The Tango Performer Of San Telmo

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved (Click To Enlarge)

After the phenomenally successful Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in Buenos Aires ended, and the raucous party(ies) waned in the wee hours of the night (or more accurately with the first rays of the sun), some sleep-deprived souls joined the Sunday throngs in San Telmo.

San Telmo is the oldest neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is a well-preserved area and is characterized by its cafes, tango parlors, antique shops on cobblestone streets, which are often filled with artists and dancers.

Mervyn Leong, Syed Azahedi, Mariana Castro and myself met in the San Telmo main square where we ambled for a few hours, photographing the stalls, the vendors, the customers and the flaneurs. To the side of the square, we stumbled on a solo tango performer who called himself Gardelito, presumably after Carlos Gardel who was a singer, songwriter and actor, and is the most prominent figure in the history of tango. For one of his songs, click here.

Gardelito is an old hand working the crowds, sings and plays the guitar quite well and knows how to market himself. He displayed his washed out photographs on a wall behind him, and claimed he was interviewed by all the world's major newspapers.

As a footnote, there's little doubt in my mind that the Buenos Aires Foundry Photojournalism Workshop was the best one organized so far since it was started by Eric Beecroft in 2008. I will post more on this in a few days.

The Leica File: The Tourist & Magnolia Bakery

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy- All Rights Reserved (Click To Enlarge)

The West Village in NYC is not totally taken over by Wall Streeters, fashionistas, movie stars, pooping dogs and cranky old people....it also has its share of 'cupcake tourists'.

The Magnolia Bakery opened in 1996 at Bleecker Street (one of the most sought after retail streets in the city), and is said to have started a cupcake mania. I walk Bleecker Street often, and there are usually long lines of customers waiting to binge on cupcakes.  Most of the customers are either very large tourists from out of town (ie Texas) or real tourists from Europe and Asia. Those who emerge from the bakery with their (I'm told, overly sweet) cupcakes, brandish them triumphantly like trophies for their friends to snap their pictures.

But how can a tourist, if alone and with a cupcake, record such a historical life-altering event for posterity? Well, she could do what this young woman is doing. She has it in a paper plate...aligns it carefully with the bakery's store name, and clicks her point & shoot. There...her folks, friends back home will know for sure she's been at the "famous" bakery and had one of its confections.

I suppose I could stand there with my camera and offer my services, but I might get paid in cupcakes.

For more on my street photography efforts, go to The Leica File.

The Leica File: I Did The Right Thing After All

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved (Click to Enlarge)

As those who follow The Travel Photographer blog may know, I bought the Leica M9 and a couple of lenses (Elmarit 28mm and the Voigtlander 40mm) earlier this year, and I've been using it since for street photography in New York City...which was the main reason I decided to become a "Leica aficionado".

At the time, the decision to spend such a large amount of money on Leica gear seemed frivolous and unnecessary. Believe me, I went through periods of angst and head-scratching as to why I did buy it. At first, I tried to convince myself that I needed it...that it would speed up my photographic evolution...and then that I would enjoy it more than all the other cameras I use.

When I'm asked why I bought, or use, a Leica, I sometimes use this analogy: if I were to drive on the mountain roads in Europe; say between France and Switzerland, would I rent a super modern BMW X5, or would I choose (assuming it was available) a Series 1 Jaguar E Type with manual transmission? I would certainly choose the latter, to maneuver the curves the way they should be, and heel and toe downshift to my heart's content. The analogy is imperfect of course, but I would certainly enjoy the driving experience much more with the Jag...as I found I enjoyed photography with the M9 more than with the Canons.

"All I know is that I enjoy photographing with the Leica whether it's stuck to my face, or dangling on my waist/hip."

In an earlier post, I question if shooting from the hip (by the way, it's one of the most viewed/read post on this blog) was really photography. Many have said yes...I really haven't decided yet, although I confess that I don't care any more. All I know is that I enjoy photographing with the Leica whether it's stuck to my face, or dangling on my waist/hip.


To me, that's the bottom-line answer to my angst-ridden self question as to whether getting a Leica was a good idea. It was all about enjoying it....having fun with it. That's it. I am not a tech-head so whether the Leica is technically a better camera than the Canon 5D Mark II or the Fuji X100 is incidental. I just appreciate it for what it is... a solid, well-built, quirky, irritating, rewarding, reliable and a pain in the ass photographic tool. But to go gaga and weak-kneed over it like some do, is not one of my talents. And speaking of talents, I don't over-intellectualize photographs...whether mine or someone's else.


I like street photography in New York City (who doesn't?) and, emulating seasoned street photographers, I take my camera whenever and wherever I can. Sure, I make lots of mistakes when I use the shooting from the hip technique, which I probably wouldn't do if I had a Canon and an auto-focus lens. For instance, the photograph of these two women "Get Sweet On Salt" would have been better composed (no ice cream cone growing out of a head, for one thing) had I viewed it through a viewfinder, either with the M9 or a Canon. But their expressions (notice the pout by the woman on the left) would have been different....they would have noticed me for sure, and could have either smiled or scowled.

For further street photography in New York City, I have a separate gallery on The Leica File.

Oskar Barnack Award 2011: The Winners

Leica announced the 2011 winners of the Leica Oskar Barnack Award, and produced an 18 minute movie of their work. The movie was presented at the Arles Photo festival of 2011.

Jan Grarup received the Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2011 for his “Haiti Aftermath” series and Jing Huang won the Newcomer Award 2011 for his photo set titled “Pure of Sight.”

"Regular readers of The Travel Photographer's blog won't be surprised. I am not moved by most of the photo essays that won the Oskar Barnack Award 2011."

I've watched this movie three times, and readily confess that the majority of the photo essays left me indifferent, and even puzzled. I found that the exceptions were the two projects by Jan Garup; the Haiti Aftermath and Darfur (at the end of the clip) and a poignant photo essay by Carsten Stormer titled The Acid Survivors. I just wasn't moved by the remainder of the photo essays....largely because I just didn't understand what the photographs meant to convey.

That being said,  I generally liked the multimedia production of this movie. I found the varying sound tracks (although none were ambient) to be appropriate, slow and deliberate, and in keeping the theme of the photo essays. I also like the sobriety of the typography and the titles of each photo essay....with the technique of underlining the names of the photographers to accentuate their importance to the viewers.

The transitions were mostly simple, and the dissolves were kept to a minimum. The other effects kept to a minimum were the Ken Burns effect and the panning, but only for the first half of the movie. Subsequently, there was more reliance on the zoom in-zoom out effect, and it was unnecessarily  heavy handed. I also noted that the producer(s) used alternating of verticals on a single frame.

The Leica File: Serendipity Or Decisive Moment?

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved (click it to enlarge)

Many interesting photographs are the result of serendipitous events that occur when the photographer is right there, while others are the result of the photographer anticipating the event, the gesture or the decisive moment.

In the case of the three women in the F train (which I titled "The Sleepy, The Anxious And The Bored"), it was certainly a matter of having these three distinctly different women sitting across from me, who being self absorbed in their own world, were oblivious of the M9 propped on my knee. Although I was conversing with Mervyn Leong on our way back from Coney Island, my peripheral vision allowed me to click the shutter when I "sensed" the scene you see in the photograph. I didn't see it...I just clicked...perhaps anticipating it because of their movements? I just don't know. I had taken a couple of frames earlier...and had no clue that I had really captured this scene until I exited the subway.

"I 'sensed' the scene you see in the photograph. I didn't see it...I just clicked.."

Human nature is so interesting. The Sleepy was very energetic when she boarded the train, but eventually slumped in her seat. The Anxious was serene for most of the ride...but suddenly became frazzled as you see her. The Bored looked bored all through the ride...and held that pose for most of the time.

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved (click it to enlarge)

Now this one, which I titled "The Gawker" is different. It's a "shot from the hip" photograph at Union Square, and it is more of an anticipatory shot. The attractive Asian tourist was pacing up and down, waiting for someone, and I noticed the man approaching her, then setting down his delivery cart. I knew he would be looking at her (as I had been doing), and it's at that moment that I clicked the shutter. He had a bottle in his hands, and I just can't decide if he was gawking at her because she was beautiful, or whether he saw her drinking and decided he'd drink too...or both.

Fourth Of July....

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

In observance of the Fourth of July, I thought I'd feature a photograph of the barker at the Coney Island Circus Sideshow. After all, the fellow stands under the American flag and has the gift of the gab; a valued talent in the land of the free.

He's probably even busier today...the 2011 International Hot Dog Eating Contest is scheduled in Coney Island, Brooklyn, for the 4th of July. And its thousands of spectators will surely gravitate towards the Sideshow sooner or later.

Happy Fourth of July!!!

The Leica File: The Show Stopper(s)

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Walking on lower Fifth Avenue a few days ago with traveler, gastronome extraordinaire and photographer Mervyn Leong, I came across The Show Stoppers performing at the First Presbyterian Church. Naturally, we sped towards them, and started photographing like a pair of demented paparazzi.

The Show Stoppers is a group of senior citizens who perform in more than 35 shows at more than a dozen locations around New York City each year. The all-volunteer group/band, which ranges in age from 60-95, rehearses at least once a week, and aims at lifting the spirits of older people. Their performing helps not just the audience, but the participants’ health as well. These are wonderful people who are an inspiration to others half their age.

Their repertoire consists of golden oldies (as they're sometimes called)...a combination of Gershwin and Cole Porter tunes, among others. I had seen them performing in the West Village, and if I recall correctly, the same woman in the photograph has sung Dame Vera Lynn's famous World War Two song "We'll Meet Again". This song is a superb classic, and is guaranteed to send shivers down the spines of any Brit.

Only in New York!

(For larger versions, go to The Leica File blog)

POV: Upgrade To The New Leica M9-P For Just $0.25

The blogosphere lit up following the unveiling in Paris yesterday of the new Leica M9-P, which was described by various sources as having a "new look", as simple and clean, with no red dot nor any lettering on its front. The top plate of the M9-P now carries a Leica log0 in cursive script. The internals of the M9 and the M9-P are identical, though.

How much for this baby, you ask? Just $8000 or $1000 more than the "old" M9. A "bagatelle' as the French audience must have said. In the UK, it will cost you £5395 (the equivalent of $8700 at today's exchange rate, but that presumably includes VAT).

How many were sold in less than 24 hours? 1500. So $8000 x 1500 is $12,000,000. Not bad, heh?

Well, if you own a Leica M9 already, and you 'need' the M9-P but your bank account is sadly anorexic? Simple. You do what I do. You cover up the red dot and the M9 lettering with electrical tape (put a piece of paper underneath it to protect the lettering), and use a piece of protective film for a scratch-resistant back LCD.

Enjoy your new M9-P!

Leica M9-P (& Alex Majoli Tries It In Venice)

This is (to use cable news terminology) Breaking News out of Paris for Leica.

The Leica M9 now shares the limelight with its twin (well almost twin) the new Leica M9-P. Both share the exact same technical features, but differ is some details.

In terms of cosmetics, the new M9-P doesn't have the red Leica red dot on its front, but has an engraved logo on its top plate. This is something photographers who prefer the Leicas to remain unobtrusive will like. Not a big deal for me since I cover the red dot and Leica name with black tape on my M9.

The Leica M9-P also features an extremely scratch-resistant, almost unbreakable, sapphire crystal cover for its LCD monitor display. Leica claims it has antireflective coating on both sides which improves image reviewing.

The new model is available in the classical Leica silver chrome camera finish or in black paint, and vulcanite leathering cover.

Photo © ALex Majoli- Courtesy Leica

Leica has chosen Alex Majoli to shoot a feature in Venice with the new M9-P, of which the above picture is from.

William Palank: Ethiopia

Photo © William Palank-All Rights Reserved

Just yesterday, I had an email conversation with Eric Beecroft on the merits of the Leica M9, and whether I viewed it as a reliable tool, despite its idiosyncrasies, for my travel photojournalism work, and if it could ever replace my Canon system. My view was that it would not replace the Canons, but it would supplement them. I used a tool analogy, and compared the Canon and Leica to pliers and pincers.

This conversation fit perfectly with the work of William Palank, and with his interesting interview on the Leica blog. As a bit of background, William Palank decided to change from a career of dentistry to that of a photographer, and started to document traditional cultures such as those of Ethiopia India and Burma.

"When using prime lenses on a digital rangefinder camera, you can’t cheat by shooting from across the street and zooming in."

Palank is complimentary of the Leica M-sytem because it allows him to get nearer to his subjects, and permits him to blend better in exotic locations. His Ethiopia images were made with a Leica M9 and a Summilux 50mm lens. More of his Ethiopia images are here.

I recommend reading the interview pretty attentively.  Palank's post-production appears to be fairly minimal. He tells us that he prefers to get the the exposure and lighting right before he clicks his shutter. In our age of Photoshop and Lightroom, this is unusual.

I have yet to test the M9 in my travels, but I am certain it will allow me to get even nearer to my subjects...and record more intimate portraits. I'm not too bashful in approaching my subjects, but the M9 will help in keeping a lower profile. Once again, the M9 will not supplant the Canon 5D2 and the Canon 7D, but will supplement them. I will share my experience and results.

POV: More On Shooting From The Hip

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

My recent Is Shooting From The Hip...Photography? post seems to have struck a chord with many of my regular readers, as well as with new ones. The post received one of the highest numbers of hits since The Travel Photographer blog came into existence in 2007.

In it, I was wondering if shooting from the hip was really photography. I included a photograph of a woman eating McDonald french fries in Times Square, and bemoaned the fact that I didn't use my eye to compose it, nor did I frame it in the viewfinder....it was a sort of "eyeless" photography.

I received a large number of emails, as well as some Twitter reactions, to my question. There seemed (unscientifically-speaking) to be an even split between those who enjoyed 'shooting from the hip' and those who didn't...but occasionally resorted to it in situations where bringing a camera to one's eye would be too intrusive.

One of the reactions to my airing of thoughts was from Scott Strazzante, the Chicago Tribune photojournalist whose excellent street photographs are on his Shooting From The Hip blog, who believes that "eyeless" photography is photography. I encourage you to read the post and follow Scott's blog...it's replete with lovely street candid photographs.

"Sort of like setting up a remote camera. You control the mechanics of the photography but don't really know what you are going to get." Scott Strazzante

I concede that successful 'shooting from the hip' or the "eyeless" photography as I called it, requires a bunch of fundamental ingredients. The first is that it requires the photographer who is using the technique to be singularly adept in framing the scene/action without a viewfinder...and the second is to enjoy the surprise, the experience and the low viewpoint....and the third is that doing otherwise would either spoil the "candor" of the moment or the scene.

The latter ingredient was certainly the primary motivator in the above photograph. The couple was clearly enjoying what was a private moment in the center of Times Square...he was perhaps proposing or perhaps they were professing undying love to each other...and raising my M9 to my eye would have spoiled the moment for them and for me.

This photograph was not cropped...but was straightened a little bit, as the horizontals were not...well, perfectly horizontal.

It's the National Puerto Rican Day Parade in NYC today...and weather permitting, I'll walk to Fifth Avenue and see if shooting from the hip will be helpful.

POV: Is Shooting From The Hip...Photography?

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

This is not really a POV...but more like vocalizing a bunch of thoughts.

Since I bought the M9 and a couple of lenses, I've been gradually learning the ropes, and getting more comfortable with the art of street photography by walking in some of my favorite areas of New York. Naturally, the technique of street photography differs from that of travel documentary photography that I'm used to...add to this that I am new to the Leica tools, and I have significant frustrating moments.

I've tried the zone focusing method as advocated by my friend Asim Rafiqui, and although it's far from perfect, it has freed me from having to focus manually,  waste time doing so and losing the shot. Don't think for a moment I'm not getting my share of blurry frames, I do...but not as many as before.

I am also experimenting with the shooting from the hip technique. Holding my M9 at waist level, I press the shutter without looking at the viewfinder. There are obvious advantages in doing so...candid scenes and a lower (a different) perspective, especially since I'm over 6' tall.

"...just visualizing in my mind's eye what it would look like...and it's also cropped. Yes, I never crop any of my travel documentary photographs...ever."

The above photograph (click it to enlarge) is one of the many results of shooting from the hip (or from the waist). To me, this photograph is a blasphemous event...for one thing, it is made without me looking through the viewfinder; just visualizing in my mind's eye what it would look like...and the second is that it's cropped. Yes, you can think of me what you will, but I never crop any of my travel documentary photographs....that would be sacrilegious.

For this image, I estimated the distance and positioned myself in the spot where I thought I'd get the composition I wanted...and just pressed the shutter at the proper time. Since I was using the Elmarit 28mm, I had extra space around the three main characters, so I, somewhat ashamedly, cropped it! Not by much...but it's still cropped.

The real nature of this post is to wonder out loud as to whether shooting from the hip is really photography. I didn't use my eye to compose the photograph, nor did I frame it in the viewfinder....it was a sort of "eyeless" photography. Others call it the easy way to candid street photography, and others describe it as "un-courageous". Is it photography? It must be...perhaps more like a hail Mary shot where the photographer hold the camera from above in crowded situations.

However the question I ask of myself is more personal. The question for me is whether I enjoyed making this photograph, irrespective of the result. And the answer is no....it felt as if I was shooting on full auto...having no control on the outcome.

Finally, if you like street photography, drop by Scott Strazzante's blog, Shooting From The Hip. He's really good.

PS. I should caption this photograph as "Yes, I've Eaten All Them Fries".

The Leica File: The Xiàngqí Players

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

This Saturday, I walked over to Chinatown's Columbus Park, where literally hundreds of Chinese were spending their week end under the New York City bright sun. As is customary, the xiàngqí players were out in force...more so than usual, while traditional Chinese music and songs by two groups of performers wafted through the air.

I am not going to repeat most of what I wrote in earlier posts on Columbus Park, but the above photograph (click on it for a larger version) is one that I made from the hip. I was using the M9 with the Elmarit 28mm and standing within inches from the man on the right. He never heard the shutter, and yet the camera was almost level to his ear. I have others which are even closer than that, but this one has motion from the fellows on the left, who were getting animated during a particular move.

Shooting from the hip is a technique frequently used by street photographers, and wasn't really needed in this instance, except that I wanted to try it out in this particular setting. Had I stood there with my camera to my eye, would the players been as "natural" as they seem to be in this frame? At first, they probably wouldn't, but if I kept at it, they would've forgotten about me and gone about their game.

So is shooting from the hip photography as we know it?

The Leica File: The Chinese Flutist

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Despite the imminent threat of the Rapture yesterday, I trotted along to one of my favorite New York City haunts, and happily found it teeming with Chinatown residents who were enjoying the sunshine and warm weather. This time I took my Elmarit 28mm and the Voigtlander Nokton 40mm for the M9, as well as my digital recorder....and I was rewarded.

There were three competing Chinese traditional sing-along bands, and I spent time with two of them. Despite their rather severe expressions, the elderly Chinese who populate Columbus park to listen to the music during the week-ends are extremely cordial, and laugh easily when a "gweilo" such as I takes interest in their culture. I had a number of conversations with Chinese men who, despite a halting English, were happy to see me taking photographs. As always, the card-playing, mah jongg and chess brigades were in force...some tables reserved for women players, who seemed to take the games more seriously than the men.

You may notice that the above photograph (click to enlarge) of the Chinese flutist is at an angle...this is because it's originally a vertical. I seldom shoot verticals, but I wanted to get that particular angle. And, yes, I toned a little bit.

Another thing...well, actually two things. The first is that I tried out the E-Clypse MAG 1.25x 34 from match Technical Services. It magnifies the Leica viewfinder image by 25%, and has a silicon rubber eyecup. The manufacturer claims that it increases the focusing accuracy by 25%, by magnifying the focusing patch. Let me say first that it's extremely well made, and fits the M9's viewfinder thread perfectly. It does magnify the focusing patch (I can't tell if it's 25% or not) but it's not the holy grail either...so while it makes focusing a tad easier, it'll still have to be gotten used to.

As for the second thing: Asim Rafiqui, a friend and damn good photojournalist (and Leica user) reminded me of the principle of zone focusing to resolve my difficulties. It had been stored in a dusty cobwebbed part of my brain, as I had never used it (the principle, not my brain). So I tested it once or twice while walking on Broadway...it works, but still needs refining.

I am on the right path. And since the Rapture has not happened, I have the time to practice. Phew.

The Leica File: The TV Watcher

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Walking on 14th Street in Manhattan, I noticed this man watching the news on a television in a store window. He was transfixed by whatever he was watching, oblivious of the morning's light drizzle. He had placed his shopping bag (with the umbrella) on the ground and was motionless for a little while. Click on it for a larger image.

This particular street is interesting for street photographers because one witnesses different cross sections of the city's inhabitants as one walks from one avenue to the next. The most interesting are the spots next to the subway entrances, and around the Salvation Army's headquarters.

I'm still struggling with the manual focusing on the M9. I'ts getting much better, or I should say, I'm getting better at it...and that's the only thing that needs to be worked on and improve.

To that end, I decided to try the E-Clypse MAG 1.25x from matchTechnical Services, which claims that it magnifies the viewfinder image by 25%, and increases the focusing accuracy of your Leica 25%, by magnifying the focusing patch. This is the same outfit that manufactures the Thumbs Up EP-1 that I bought recently, and which I really like a lot.

I shall report as soon as I receive it and test it. I hope it does help my focusing.

The Leica File: The Jinghu Players Of Chinatown

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

I"m happy to report that the kerfuffle pitting the NYPD against the senior citizens of Columbus Park in Chinatown seems to have been resolved. As you may have read in an earlier post, the NYPD disbanded the amateur Chinese opera bands that played at the park for years, and were filmed apparently using unnecessary force to do so.

But never underestimate the resilience of the Chinese...the cacophonous opera singers and their loyal musicians were back in force and in full form yesterday ...however minus their portable amplifiers. Amps and microphones violated the New York City Noise Control Code, and the NYPD swung into action. However, not only were the musicians back, but I've never seen so many chess, mah jong and card players despite the faint drizzle.

The musicians use a panoply of Chinese traditional musical instruments, such as the yangqin, a sort of dulcimer with a near-squared soundboard, and played with two bamboo sticks, as well as the jinghu, a small two string fiddle, a circular bodied plucked lute called the yueqin and the recognizable gu and ban, a drum and clapper.

As you can tell, I used a 1.4 aperture in those two photographs. I'm currently enamored with extreme shallow depth of field!

The Leica File: The Guitar Man

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Saturday's ideal weather in New York City saw throngs of people in Washington Square Park, and the regular solo and group musical buskers were there as well. However, I noticed an acoustic guitar player I hadn't seen before, and moved in closer to photograph him.

Peter Grudzieh is from Astoria, Queens, and occasionally comes to the park to play his guitar and sing. I didn't recognize the songs he performed; perhaps some vintage Bob Dylan? I introduced myself and promised I'd send him some of the photographs. Although I cover up the Leica logo with black tape, he recognized it, and also knew it was German-made.

One of a kind.

And I'm sure I'll see him in the park again.

(M9/Voigtlander Nokton 1.4 40mm 1/360 iso 160)

The Leica File: The Flag Vendor

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

"Don't Let Me Holler
Buy A Flag For 2 Dollar"

And so many people did. The vendor of United States flags did a brisk trade on May 5 on Church Street in Lower Manhattan...and why shouldn't he? The crowds had come to the area near Ground Zero because President Obama was nearby laying a wreath of flowers to honor the people killed in the September 2001 terrorist attacks, and marking the death of Osama Ben Laden.

Where I was, there were no displays of jingoism or bravado...only a sense of contentment. There were lots of locals and tourists milling about, pointing their cameras at all the flags, as well as television crews filming the crowds.  When the cavalcade of black SUVs with President Obama quickly whizzed through, the cheers were deafening....and when it quietened down, the vendors continued their spiel...Don't Let Me Holler, Buy A Flag For 2 Dollar.

(M9. 1/360 f1.4 Nokton 40mm iso 160)