Release the shutter

What I have heard from others that take pictures and from various reddit threads is “marry lenses and date cameras”. After last night I may be engaged. I usually don’t pay much attention to brand names of stuff just do research on what is quality and make my decision after looking at image galleries. This new to me Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f1.0 lens is what some refer to as “superfast”. Some reading this may have heard this or know what it means but basically the lens is designed to let more light in than say a Voigtlander 50mm f1.5 or 2.0. I have found myself in the past few months wanting so bad to take a picture of something but the light just wasn’t there to allow it. There is always the option of using a flash but I prefer to be discrete and I can carry my camera in my hand and hide it quick enough if in an “interesting” area. One might say that no light at night is natural but I like to use lights that are provided by the surroundings. That may be a passing car or it could even be a stop light that’s nearby.

This is the fastest lens I have ever owned. The comparable version in Leica would be upwards of $10,000 plus. I am not in my photography journey far enough to warrant that. Maybe I will get there one day. After reading a few reviews some professionals put this specific lens on top of the comparable Leica. I didn’t explore it’s full potential last night with the evening shots but it is said to have a really cool bokeh or blurred background when taking shots wide open or on f1.0. I couldn’t be happier with how it feels in the hand while walking. I have some other lenses that do a great job but they are very little. I feel like the added weight helps me to stabilize my shots and seeing how 99% of my shots are freehand without a tripod that makes a difference. I posted some of my favorite shots from last night so I will include some here that I didn’t post. I released the shutter hoping for magic. Sometimes it comes together through the sensor and sometimes it doesn’t.

I did post this one it was one of my favorites of the night. The only reason I am reposting is just to show you what brought me to this spot. I saw this old broken down gas station I would assume and the old motel was across the street from it. I was making a trip for work to check on some things and happened upon it. I knew there wouldn’t be any artificial light to use so I had to get out there in the evening to use what was left of the sun. Part of what struck me in this picture was the dilapidated gas station but just to the left was the nice sunset. Its as if its saying no matter how bad it is in life there is always some color to be found. One can only imagine the stories that were told sitting on that porch there through the years. It’s sad to see on some occasions but I am glad the foundation is still holding strong.

The liquor store I posted had this up in front of the store. The clerk of the store had his ford explorer parked directly beneath this sign so I couldn’t capture both the sign and the store in the picture. Maybe I’ll make a trip back one night to see if the vehicle isn’t there. I didn’t let that stop me from just shooting the store though. Neon is so much fun to photograph in the right setting. It seems to be a dying art with most signs getting replaced by LED’s. I used to live in this small town back when I first moved out to Colorado. It hasn’t changed much since I moved out of there about 8 years ago. I’m glad it didn’t.

This was another one I didn’t post that I didn’t hate. I couldn’t seem to get it to frame for my liking. I have another front shot I’ll include below. These old brick buildings are so cool to see these days. Still standing fighting for their generation.

This was the front of that same shop. I didn’t hate the shot but it seemed too one dimensional to me I guess. The part on the right bothered me that I didn’t have any more to walk back and include it fully and the light pole. I may could have moved to the right a bit but there was a policia trolling around and I didn’t want to get asked why I was nerding out over an old auto shop. The various signs on the front of the building tell it’s story and past. I believe I could make out glass shop / they may sell hay or stray / also do some welding?

Sometimes the shots just don’t please the eye. I didn’t hate this one but I thought it took away from the setting sun shot and didn’t tell the story as good as it could be told. I still like this shot but I liked the front one with the graffiti and tires better. I imagine this building may have been here before the interstate was put in.

This was a cool shot showing the bushes that were growing all around the Prairie Lodge. I didn’t hate this one but it was very busy to me and I was afraid people wouldn’t know what the subject was the bush or the sign. I kindof wanted both so I just released the shutter anyway. This lens I can’t say enough about. There is no autofocus or electronic aperture setting. It is all by hand and with the camera in manual mode it’s as close as I can get at the current moment to honing any photography skills I have. I also snapped some pictures of that old broken down gas station with the Ricoh 500 G film camera I take with me. I’ll try to get those posted when I finish the roll.

This was my first rangefinder I have ever owned. I just got it a few months back. The unforgiving nature of shooting with film is both terrifying and exciting at the same time. I carry this one with me to get a couple shots a night. I have no idea how they will turn out.

This was a shot I didn’t share anywhere. I was torn on whether to put the tree in it or not. I didn’t feel like it fit but the elevator was just out there surrounded by sky. There were some glowing green lights shooting down the cables for the surrounding structures. I wasn’t sure what they were I would imagine it would have something to do with grounding and static but I’m not one hundred percent sure. This wasn’t a bad picture but It didn’t tickle my fancy. I still released the shutter but that’s okay. Every picture isn’t going to be great. Most of them aren’t to be honest. Its just a process of sharing the things I see with friends / family / the world. I hope some of the pictures I share carry through to the viewer on why I shot what I shot. My next outing will most likely be next week due to work responsibilities. I am going to attempt to shoot some live action stuff in denver with people buzzing around. I have yet to be confronted by anyone asking what I am doing but I’m sure they will just be curious. Wish me luck.

Until next time, Release the shutter

Kyle