Too loud

I came across this gentleman at a festival in Overtown Miami this weekend; he was comfortably listening to Nicole Henry's singing with fingers in his ears. Don't get the message wrong: she's a great singer; its is just the amplification was indeed at the highest possible setting.

Ten rules for him who wishes to be a painter a photographer

I an reading Salvador Dali's hilarious book (50 Secrets Of Magic Craftsmanship, 1947) and couldn't help but edit his "10 rules of painter" to apply them to photography. Enjoy:)

Miami Sun

At Miami Beach this weekend with Bessa R3M and Olympus P&S.

"Big Night" in Lemon City

Three frames from the event in Little Haiti. Taken with Nikon F5 camera on Kodak P3200TMZ film shot at E.I.12500.

Walking Downtown

It is a rare occasion when I develop a film the same day it had been exposed, like today. I saw this "mummy" holding the door on SE 3rd Avenue, close to Biscayne; shot few frames with Olympus P&S I always have with me; this is the better one out of 3 or 4. It hold no meaning or morale; has no story to tell; everything it has is purely visual -- just what I'm looking for:)

Smoke

Taken recently with Olympus Stylus Epic in Downtown Miami

Soccer fan

At South Beach last Friday, Tmax P3200 film exposed at E.I.6400 / developed to ISO 12500; Nikon F5 camera with DW-30 waist level finder installed.

Winwood in June

Winwood is a neighborhood just North of Overtown; colorful, strange and beautiful. It has Art and Fashion sub-districts. Out of two, I like the Fashion; primarily because of the people. It is full of small humble shops swarming with customers during the day, at the same time, it is still Winwood -- with all the colors (which I proudly ignore with my B&W setups) and all the murals/graffities...plus, of course, the famous signature of the place: the emptiness. I've been there last May with the folks from Miami Street Photography Club, had a chance to use my Bessa L and my Nikon F5; all in all the time well spent

Nikon Nights: myths debunked

It had been my believe for ages that a rangefinder is the best camera for available light/night time candid street photography, and it still is...with one bold exception: Nikon F5 SLR. Heavy big camera just won't shake at all. It is stable in hands as it is attached to the tripod -- well, almost. Plus, it has interchangeable viewfinders I love; use them to compose from the low view point; like the bright high magnification finder DW-31 or the convenient waist level finder DW-30. Add to the recipe Ilford Delta 3200 or Kodak Tmax P3200 film pushed to 12500 ASA and you have the best film-based night-time street setup ever! Of course it is BIG, BOLD and HEAVY camera and I have been noticed and frowned at much more often when with F5 than with my leicas but the results are stunning and I don't care. Let it fly!

Summer is here!

This blog had been static for some time; I was too preoccupied with my office job. But, I never stop shooting. So I have some pictures to post. This one (above) is of particular value to me because it had been pre-meditated. I envisioned it first and then waited for the missing human element. It finally came out of nowhere and cornered the building; I pushed the button and my Nikon F5/Ilford HP5+/some Diafine did the rest:) Now let's add few more from the same period in May, taken in downtown Miami. Enjoy:

The Heat Wave

The heat is coming in waves, interrupted by short evening rains and warm humid nights. It is hard to stay in the streets more than an hour. To lure myself out, I bought a new old camera -- beautiful and heavy Nikon F5 -- and now trying it for street photography:) Most of the pictures in this post were still taken with Olympus Stylus Epic P&S; the last two are Nikon F5 with 50mm lens; Ilford HP5+ film exposed at E.I.800 and developed in Diafine.

The last few days of decent weather...

The hot and humid South Florida summer is around the corner; it is becoming increasingly hard to stay in the streets for a long time. Shot on Tri-X 400 with Bessa L/25mm. The last two are night shots on Ilford Delta 3200 film exposed at E.I.8000 in Leica M2 camera with 21mm Voigtlander lens and developed to E.I.12500 in Tmax Developer (13 min at 74F/25C)

Memento Mori

Caught this strange image near Government Center, at the bus stop. Ilford HP5 film in Olympus P&S camera; exposed at E.I.800 and developed in Diafine.

April's rain, April's shine

Here are images from the few rolls I shot last week. Most of them shot on Tri-X 400 with Bessa L/25mm, some on Ilford HP5+ with Olympus P&S, including the one on top. Enjoy:

Full moon fever at Ocean drive

Moon shining and night frenzy is in full swing at Ocean Drive and in the alleys of South Beach. A spectrum of gestures and emotions all registered on Tri-X with my trusted Leica M2 circa 1962. Enjoy:

April in Miami

first batch of April's catch...these are taken on Bessa L/25mm and Olympus Stylus Epic. The film is Tri-X as usual, but I started getting tired of Tri-X's grain and now shooting Ilford HP5+, the film I love dearly for its lower contrast and beautiful grain.

Drim Kam Tru: using Zigview S2 for street photography

Once upon a time, many years ago, I made an invention. That was kind of invention one makes when at very young age: more like a dream then the real project. Anyway, along with flying submarine and device to extract energy from the Great Arctic Ocean I invented the electronic viewfinder. Like this:The Electronic Viewfinder. It was a video camera (and at the time video cameras were huge and ugly beasts!) connected to a tiny TV (and these were big, too). The TV in my dream was placed close to the eye and the camera was looking into the photographer's camera viewfinder. Using this imaginary device imaginary photographer could take pictures without pressing camera to s/his nose.
I recalled it years after, when I started shooting in the streets, but never actually believed it is doable. Even when TVs and video cameras became tiny things I still rendered it too expensive and unrealistic...until few weeks ago, when I won two ridiculously low priced *bay auctions for Zigview viewfinders.

"Streets of Downtown", pictures

The yesterday's event turned out great; the weather was nice, not too hot and it was windy which I like very much; I enjoyed shooting with you guys for good 3 hours. I brought my Pentax K200D with 20-30mm Tokina zoom, very unusual to me: I now shoot only B/W film and forgot when I used digital in the streets. That was a challenge! Colors jumped out of shadows, distracting my visual thinking -- I used not to think color and suddenly I should! Anyway, somehow I survived this and at the end switched to my trusted B/W setups with sigh of relief. Here is few more street pictures and then few more of you all, shooting and talking...enjoy:

Streets of Downtown: Miami Street Photography club's meetup is tomorrow!

I am leading the tomorrow's meetup in Downtown Miami.
If you are one of the participants of tomorrow's event, here is some info for you:

Long White Socks

The last March's Saturday at Miami Beach...that's what usually happens when one try to stroll Washington Ave wearing Great Whites; if you don't like it, avoid them at all cost :D...Olympus Stylus Epic camera, Tri-X film pushed to E.I.1600 in Diafine

2PM

Downtown, late March. Bessa L/25mm/Tri-X at ISO 1600

Miami Avenue's Sun

This had been taken last week with my usual short-lens street setup: Bessa L/25mm/Tri-X

Calle Ocho at Night

It was Friday/Friday it was...two weeks ago. Leica M2/35mm/Tri-X at ISO3200.

Ocean Drive Nights, continued...

As promised, more night shots. Most of these were taken with Leica M2/35mm lens on Tri-X rated at E.I.3200/developed in 2xDiafine. The other camera was Bessa R3M also with 35mm lens:

Like a Bird in a Cage...

Caught this scene getting off the bus on the way from Little Havana the other day. Bessa L/25mm/Tri-X at ISO1600

The Hand in Domino Park

Domino Park in Little Havana, last week

In the store

Took it last week on Miami Avenue. Olympus Stylus Epic/Tri-X

Ocean Drive Nights

Shot few rolls of Tri-X at South Beach this weekend: it was St Patrick day and the crowds were dense and wild...more pictures to follow

At the guitar concert in Little Havana

Leica M/Tri-X at E.I.3200 in 2xDiafine

Any day but Monday!

She was big, beautiful, sad, "la grande dame brunet"...I could not help but point my Olympus in her direction and snap the picture.

In A Bistro

The dashing aside shadow is me:) Olympus Stylus Epic "hip style".
Tri-X/ISO1600

Paco De Lucia

This is from March's hunting with Olympus Stylus; I liked it because of the visual rhyme

The art of selling

Taken on Lincoln Road with Olympus P&S camera on Tri-X film

Presidential election in Russia -- video feed

http://webvybory2012.ru
Video feeds from all polling places of Presidential elections in Russia.
Checked my former school in mother land, in small town named Yelabuga -- it is working! Checked small villages around the town -- working, too! Amazing.
You can use your twitter/google etc registration to connect to the system.

A120 Brownie film from 20s developed

I received this from Eagle River, WI: (2) two glass tubes with Kodak developer and (1)roll of antique Kodak A120-6 Brownie film on (equally antique) wooden spool.
Now, for the record: this is not the best way to store film!
"A" in the film's name has a meaning: it is an "Autographic" type of film. This type of roll film had additional copy paper layer providing photographer an opportunity to write notes on the film using small metal stylus at the time of the exposure.
This additional paper layer is good for the preservation; films of this type are usually survive longer than the rest of the pack, this one is no exclusion from the rule: been cellulose nitrate-based film, it is not supposed to be in a good shape at all, but it is.
I checked the copy paper layer after I rolled the film into the developing spiral -- no, no luck, no notes.
I developed the film in cold (42F) concentrated (10%) Kodak HC-110 developer for 5min 30sec, as development tests suggested. Three (out of six) frames survived:

Little Havana Forever

Taken on Calle Ocho with Bessa L/25mm Scopar lens on Tri-X film

Ticket to Heaven

Last Saturday at Lincoln road...Leica M2 with 35mm Scopar lend on Tri-X film

Another night at Little Havana

Last Friday of every month there is an event at Calle Ocho in Little Havana named Viernes Culturales ("Cultural Fridays"). The site is down at the moment but the event is going on; it is relatively easy to find street parking and a lot of small venues to enjoy, a lot of subjects to photograph. Here is few more frames from the roll I shoot last Friday:

PHOTO+PAPER: issue #2 slideshow

Ocean Drive

Must be Russians:) -- I've heard my mother's tongue all the time while shooting at Ocean this weekend.
Olympus Stylus Epic/Tri-X

Master of the Shade

Little Havana area, where dogs are free and shadows are scarce :) Taken with Olympus Stylus Epic camera.

Drops

Again, Bessa L/25mm/Tri-X at 1600 in Diafine

Dry Season's Rain

Last week, Bessa L/25mm om Tri-X rated at ISO1600

Issue #2 of PHOTO+PAPER street photography magazine is out of print!

July-December 2011

By DarkSlide Press in PHOTO+PAPER

74 pages, published 15 FEB 2012

Second issue presents works of 19 photographers from Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Russia, Poland, Hungary, USA and Japan

The Box Of Darkness

This is brownie-style Agfa camera (B2-Cadet).
I found exposed roll of Kodak Verichrome Pan film inside and developed it.
There were 4 frames on the film:

Miami nights

I slowly came to like the night street photography for few reasons, one been Miami's unbearable heat+humidity duo. My problem is that I'm _not_ a nocturnal creature; I usually get up before sunrise and in a bed at 10PM. So I have to force myself to drive to Miami Beach or to Calle Ocho etc after the sunset; but I like what I'm getting so much...
My usual night setup is a rangefinder camera with 35mm or 50mm lens and Tri-X film pushed to 1600 or 3200 ASA. Check this flickr gallery to see more of my Miami night photography

A moment to remember...

Recent antique store find. It was in a bin with bunch of others; I had little cash with me so I took just this one. It was color one day in... 40s? 50s?

One day in February...

The last batch of street B/W shots right out of my darkroom. These are Olympus Stylus Epic P&S camera and some from Bessa L/25mm. All shot in February/late January on Tri-X and developed in Diafine, my favorite soup. Enjoy:)

Miami Camera Show 2012

I have been there again. Since I am in love with old cameras, I liked it. The parking was no problem, and the floor was not very crowded. It is once a year show, it is not widely advertised, so if you'd like to go next year, follow this blog, I'll try to keep you informed. See more photos from the event in this flickr gallery.

Legs and Tree

...taken in Little Havana with Olympus Stylus Epic 35mm camera