My good friend and fellow photo chief from our South group Mark G. is moving on to another position. It's a good job and with his young family he needed to make the move. Mark and I rode the Pan Mass together and have collaborated on projects and sports shoots over the years so I am sad to see him leave the company. We would always meet up at the NENPA awards ceremony in Feb. as the work of our photo teams were always competing against each other. It was always a fun night. So last night one of my photographers and I went down to an English beer pub on the South Shore to be there when they gave him a grand send off. We had a good time talking with other photogs and Gatehouse folks attending the leaving do. I brought along my M9 and 35mm Summicron to make some photos not sure how they would look because it was so dark. I was surprised at what I got. Here are just a few with Mark, his wife Deirdre, and their son Quinton. I was a little nervous shooting these at ISO 2000 with the M9 but I was really surprised. In raw the results were really amazing and the grain was not all that bad compared to what I'm used to seeing. All of the exposures were made at 1/45s @ f2.0. The B&W's were processed in Silver Efex Pro.

Here is a color one just to show what they looked like in color.

Today as I drove home from work the light was starting to fade and as I got closer to Cape Ann I saw that the fog that was present this morning was still around and with the fading light was creating some magical moments that I really needed to capture. The fog was moving in and out along the shore and I initially pulled out the Sony Nex-7 with the Leica 90mm Tele-Elmarit which at 135mm was a little short but gave me a larger view that included the sky above the fog which was very interesting. I envisioned a B&W shot that included the clouds above the scene with the dory on it's mooring. I converted it in Silver Efex Pro and got the result I was looking for. The print will have to be large to get the feeling I want. 

The light started to get lower as the sun went down, and the sky started to turn orange above the river and fog. The fog started to get a little heavier and started to enshroud the coastline so I switched over to my Canon 5D Mk3 and the 70-200 L to get in tighter to the dory. In Lightroom I adjusted things slightly but overall this is the scene I envisioned as I was standing there.

I love both these images and they are so different. With just a little time in between them and a longer lens created something totally different but magical each in their own way. I look at these images as some of my most important to date. Seeing the same scene in two totally different ways is a departure for me and I hope that my vision will keep improving. I also took some wider shots with the Leica M9 and Leica 35mm Summicron which I worked on this morning. As promised, here are two wide angle shots.

Here is the color version which I don't like as much but your opinion may be different.

These images may work for you or may not please let me know what you think.

I've been meaning to write this post for a while and since I have not posted in a while I thought it was about time. This is my take on what I have observed during my over 30 year career as a working photojournalist and it's what I try to give to new folks coming into the business. I work with two outstanding PJ's that exemplify the statements I am about to make. One of them came from working at multiple papers as an intern and then as a working photojournalist and so had plenty of training with several mentors. She has been the NENPA "Photographer of the Year" twice. The other one came in without any real training in photojournalism but has worked into a classic self trained excellent photojournalist through every day experience and a lot of hard work. He has been nominated for the same award.

The following are my opinions and not that of anyone else and are © 2014 Kirk R. Williamson

Mary Ann Hoomis talks with a reporter before her giant pumpkin is weighed at the Topsfield Fair giant pumpkin weigh-off Friday night Sept. 28. Wicked Local Photo by Kirk R. Williamson

Thsese Images are from the story "The Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off"

Photojournalists seem to have a knack for being in the right place at the right time. They seem to know when something will happen that will produce a quality image. I like to think of this ability as the combination of four things which I call COPE for short. They being Curiosity, Observation, Patience (Persistence), and Experience.

Curiosity - The first of these is something that all successful photojournalists have. Always being curious as to what is going on around them and wanting to know what the story is. Where is there a good image - always looking and digging both visually and mentally for the story. Asking the right questions can open up areas of a story that may produce good images. If you are always curious you will never be wanting for good imagery. 

Observation - This is my personal favorite. I like to think that photojournalists are trained observers. The other day my wife and I were having lunch across the street from a house on the main drag of a small tourist town in Maine. Just for fun I said to my wife, what's the story behind that house? She looked at me with a puzzled look and said what do you mean. So I started telling her what I had observed in the last few minutes. The windows were covered by something other than curtains but kind of looked like a window covering of some kind. The house looked a little run down and there were some posts outside that were meant to hang something on. This was a regular old New England style house but something was going on. So I challenged her and after thinking and observing for a bit said, "It used to be an office or professional building and they are rehabbing it". Bingo, she guessed what I had surmised after looking at the house for five minutes. Just after she said that a contractors truck (which was out back and out of sight) pulled out of the driveway confirming most of what we had thought. This is just a minor example of what I am talking about. If you are constantly aware of what is going on around you the pictures will happen because you will know the inside story.

Patience or as some say Persistence - This is one of the most over looked aspects of being a good photojournalist. The pressure of making photos on deadline and lots of them can sometimes be overwhelming. I tell young PJ's to slow down and observe. Wait for the moments to happen. If you are running around to much you are going to start to miss things. Being patient and waiting for the moments to happen will produce better images. In some cases it's just plain persistence that pays off in the end, waiting is the name of the game in a lot of cases. Ye who sticks around usually ends up with the shot.

Mary Ann Hoomis of Ipswich thinks positive thoughts before Ron Wallace's world record pumpkin is weighed at the Topsfield Fair giant pumpkin weigh-off Friday night Sept. 28. Wicked Local Photo by Kirk R. Williamson

Experience - There is no other thing that helps a photojournalist more than experience. Over time you see the same situations over and over again and eventually you are running on instinct. Younger people coming into the business don't know some of the things it takes to make good images because they have not been there and done that yet. Only the experience of doing and making mistakes will make you better. When I came into the business back in 1978 I was as green as they come. I had a mentor that helped me through some of the tough times of dealing with difficult people and situations but it was experience that eventually gave me confidence. Instinct tells you where to stand to make the best images - or is that experience.

Armand Michaud of Ipswich, left, George Hoomis and Mary Ann Hoomis also of Ipswich cheer as a pumpkin is weighed at the Topsfield Fair giant pumpkin weigh-off Friday night Sept. 28. Wicked Local Photo by Kirk R. Williamson

I hope this helps. The acronym COPE is in itself a word that has meaning to photojournalists. Coping with things that happen while on assignment are part of the job and can sometimes be very trying, this is where patience comes into play. 

The images above were made as part of a story I did on a group of giant pumpkin growers in our area. I got to know them while doing a multimedia piece a few years ago. I knew this woman was excited and kept my eye on her the whole time. I was rewarded with some great images. For more images form the story go to "The Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off".

This is my opinion and not the opinion of anyone else. So therefore it is © 2014 Kirk R. Williamson

What a great morning! I woke up to see my driveway enshrouded in fog and couldn't wait to get out there with the camera. I went down to one of my usual haunts and the images just kept coming - oh the fog. My best shot at a great image walked away as I approached. A young woman was doing the same as I, making photos of interesting things in the fog. She was standing atop a granite post making a shot of the Motif #1 with all the fog around. I just missed her as she climbed down as I approached. It would have been cool to get her up there making a photo with all the fog around, a B&W image if ever there was one. So I moved on making photos of other interesting objects changing my aperture from wide open to f8 depending on what I wanted in focus. A great exercise!

All the moorings are out and Billy Lee's Ocean Reporter sits waiting for more work.

A lobsterman backs off the dock to head back to his mooring.

An interesting composition of lobster buoy's wait to be deployed.

The fog enshrouded inner harbor in Rockport.

Today I met some cool folks living the dream in a Tiny House traveling across the United States and Canada writing, photographing and blogging along the way. Guillaume Dutilh and Jenna Spesard have built a tiny house on a trailer and are telling the world about the experience with workshops, their website, and blog. I thought what a great time to use the new Leica 21mm Super Elmar. On a tiny house. So as I rolled up to where they were staying there was Jenna coming back from a run with her dog. She greeted us with a hearty handshake and introduction to herself and her dog who was just as cheerful. My reporter and I climbed up inside their home on wheels and were immediately amazed at what they have done with such a small space. The camera and lens fit the assignment perfectly. Here are a few shots from the assignment.

Guillaume and Jenna have done a great job with the house as I think you can see from the photos. I struck up a conversation with Guillaume about his photography and he mentioned that he was using an A7 and an A7s with some Leica and Voigtlander glass. Check out his great images here. Guillaume told me the reason he switched from his full Nikon Pro system was because of the size. The A series and rangefinder glass fit in a smaller camera bag for storage - for the tiny house, cool. Here is the link to their sites tinyhousegiantjourney.com they have plenty of really good stories and images of their journey.

I just received the Leica 21mm Super Elmar from Leica Store Miami last week and I have been out shooting. First let me say that I also have a Leica 21mm Super Angulon from the late 60's which on my M3 and M5 (without meter) work just fine, but on my M9 not so much. It has to many issues that make using it kind of a pain and not worth the trouble. Early in my career I enjoyed shooting with this lens and when I switched over to Canon a 24mm was my go to lens and never really left one of my camera. So I was really looking forward to having my wide back as this is how I like to shoot - wide or tight. I decided to go out early in the morning for a photo shoot down by the water and it was really enjoyable. I am using my 21mm viewfinder from the 60's which being older I thought would have some issues but I was amazed at how accurate it is. I have to remember to give it a little room around the outside as it can be real tight but for the most part it's really good. Here are some of the images from the shoot.

Then I went out again this morning to shoot some more early morning light over in Annisquam and this little lens did not disappoint.

My main reason for purchasing this lens was because it is small! Really small for a 21mm lens. The other lenses may be faster but this little lens packs a punch. The 21 Elmarit is a beautiful lens and used is much less expensive than a new Super Elmar but it's a much bigger lens. This lens is the same size as my 50mm Summilux a perfect size on the M camera. I can't imagine why someone would want to spend $7600 on a 21mm Summilux that is clearly enormous for an Leica M camera.

Right from the start I was impressed with the wonderful amount of contrast this lens has. The color is just gorgeous and it is tack sharp even wide open. No wonder it's very rarely seen on the used lens market. I waited for close to eight months for one to show up and none did. If you can find one used that has not been beat up grab it. I will continue to post more photos soon. Tomorrows post you will see images from an assignment I did today. Very cool stuff.

I have often thought that my trademark or style has included images with impact. It seems that I lean towards the dramatic quite a bit. I guess it's the news photographer in me. Early in my career I learned that shooting into or "against the light" gave me something different. My images had a certain look that others did not have and it defined my style. I found I looked for images that had a dark background and some contrast and this meant shooting into the sun. Back in the film days this was tricky and required good exposure control, development and good printing technique. It took practice but after a while it became the norm for me when out looking for features to lead the paper the next day. Just the other day I came across some feathery plants outside of a local high school that were shimmering in the afternoon light. Just the type of subject I gravitate to.

Leica M9 w/35mm Summicron ASPH

I made this shot with the Leica and the 35 and was kind of cool looking but I wanted a tighter composition. I like the narrow depth of field as I shot this at f4. So I switched over to the Sony with the Leica 90 Tele-Elmarit. I kept the narrow depth of field by shooting at f2.8 but the 90 turns into a 135mm with the 1.5 crop factor. I think the image is much more striking than the wider view.

Sony Nex-7 w/90mm Tele-Elmarit

If I was printing these in the darkroom it would have been a simple task to either use a grade 4 paper or pump up the contrast using a multi contrast paper and adjusting it in the enlarger. But since this is digital it was a little easier. I just desaturated the image and added some contrast to give me what I wanted. I did not use any other software besides Photoshop. These images did not need any special attention which would require software like  Silver Efex Pro. Simple and effective impact by shooting against the light.

Sony Nex-7 w/90mm Tele-Elmarit

Since I started my career in photography 37 years ago I have looked for light that strikes me immediately. I often find myself shooting against it as I love the way it looks. The rim lighting and shadows that it creates enthrall me, it's always the first image I look for. Last night I was at a TV studio to shoot a debate and I made the usual images with my Canon gear but I made it a point to bring along the M9 with the 35 f2. The first thing I saw struck me as a moment in time that people don't see. As folks were sitting down in the audience they were silhouetted against the lights in the studio. The M9 is great for this as you get to see everything around you and can see more than you can with the DSLR. I made this shot quickly and it was the only time I was able to get such an interesting image from the event. I made a manual WB exposure before hand and the ISO is at 1600.

Leica M9 w/35 Summicron ASPH

Exposure ISO 1600  1/160s @ f2