John Thawley's Photography Blog

Leica M9 Monochrome

John Thawley — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:13:32 +0000

Recently, Leica announced the new Leica M9 Monochrome rangefinder. A digital full frame sensor camera that shoots exclusively in monochrome.... black and white.

Of course, such a radical move has brought on the usual Leica "hater" negative chatter. I'll dispense with addressing the "overpriced - doctor/lawyer - leave it on the shelf" type attacks. But I do want to address those that are of the mind that this is a dumb idea.

First, let's get one thing straight, this is a niche camera. Of course it's a niche camera. In fact, when you consider the market numbers of Nikon, Canon, Lumix etc. etc. etc, all Leica cameras are niche cameras. So perhaps the M9-M is a niche within a niche. Regardless, I think it's an important niche.

Working With Available Light - Leica Akademie

John Thawley — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 13:40:01 +0000

FULL GALLERY

Just a quick entry to comment on a recent 1-day workshop I attended hosted by Leica Akademie. The topic was "Working with available light." The instructor was Tom Smith (real name), manager of Leica Akademie Events and Education. The workshop was held in South Beach, Miami, so it was a quick drive for me to get over there and check it out.

In a word, the workshop was fantastic. Tom was knowledgable, informative and very engaging. There were participatns of all skill levels and he managed to find ways and levels of discussion to involve everyone.

The main focus of the day was learning how to better manage the light you're working with while really zeroing in on making the most of your camera's metering to enhance your exposure... not just getting a good exposure but truly getting it "right." While there was plenty of discussion about quality of light, the real emphasis was using the light you have to better compose your picture and to tell your story... all the while using the proper exposuring techniques to make sure your blacks are black and your whites are white. Not as easy as it sounds.

See The Light

John Thawley — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:58:37 +0000

No, this isn't some spiritual guru blog entry, but it is meant to enlighten you and change the way you think and see things as you shoot.

We're all aware that photography is the science of light. Great. But what does that really mean? Often, most photographers get extremely hung up on exposure, taking light readings, estimating ev over and under, all in the name of a correct exposure. That's fine. It's good to get a correct exposure…. though, "correct" can lie in the eye of the beholder. I want to talk about "correct" exposure… but I first want to talk about seeing the light in creative terms.

So here we are in front of that shot we've wanted to take for a long time. Maybe it's your wife or girlfriend at a scenic location, maybe scenes on your vacation or even a landmark you've long wanted to visit. You carefully consider your composition… you find an accurate exposure, you focus… click, you preserve the memory for all eternity. Nirvana. Or is it?

Chasing Light In The Off Season

John Thawley — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 18:33:12 +0000

With the racing season complete, I now get to turn my attention toward my personal work. It's not really work… but then again, it's part of what I do and the personal stuff is how I hope to continue to learn and grow.

I'll probably limit my equipment to my rangefinder and full frame DSLR. Those cameras require a more deliberate style of shooting and I feel that's where I need to be at this point in my career.

Specifically, I want to focus my attention on the subtleties of exposure settings and how it can effect my creative choices. Not just getting an accurate exposure but more about manipulating the nuances of the different shutter/aperture combinations and how they effect the creative aspect of the image… not just "shutter X aperture = exposure" … but how to use those options to get more from the image and tell a better story.

A Great Cause

John Thawley — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:45:59 +0000

Just an update on when, where and how you can bid on this exclusive 20”x30” Gallery Wrap Canvas print featuring the spectacular Ferrari 458GT cars of Extreme Speed Motorsports and Tequila Patron.

The auction will benefit the Austin Hatcher Foundation. It will be held next weekend, September 16-18, during the American Le Mans Series Presented by Tequila Patron race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. It will be on display at the Austin Hatcher Foundation Information booth and at the Extreme Speed Motorsports transporter during and after the autograph session.

This exclusive 20”x30” canvas wrap will be presented for silent auction at next weeks American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron event at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. All proceeds go to benefit the Austin Hatcher Foundation. The silent auction will run through the weekend… more details to follow. This is the first offering of this image. It was shot during a private test at Sebring Int’l Raceway. One interesting note; the 01 one car is being driven by Guy Cosmo and the 02 car is being driven by Scott Sharp.

This image is exclusive and has never been made available to the public. It was shot during a private test at Sebring International Raceway. Please be sure to stop by and place your bid.

The Austin Hatcher Foundation is truly a worthy cause. As we approach the anniversary date of Austin’s sudden passing, I can’t help but recall being at Mazda Raceway when I heard the news. I’ll never forget the sadness… thinking of my friends, Amy Jo and Jim Osborn… trying to imagine how anyone could cope with such a loss. The Austin Hatcher Foundation is how they cope… this is how they responded. They are true heroes in my book and I hope you’ll help their cause.

Who Are You Shooting For?

John Thawley — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 12:32:51 +0000

One of the unique things about photography is the many different categories of photography and types of shooting you can do. Regardless if your a pro or a serious hobbyist, or even a soccer mom taking family snaps, photos tend to fall into a category or niche`. There's portrait work, sports, landscape, nature, glamor, macro, wedding and event, and so on. Some people specialize, some folks try to do it all.

I make my living shooting motorsports… I shoot a lot of motorsports. But as I stated before, I'm not what you'd call a race "fan." I enjoy the racing and the cars, to be sure. But I'm not in it as a fan or to be around the cars… my true passion is the photography.

Finding the range of a rangefinder

John Thawley — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 14:10:44 +0000

So after thoroughly enjoying my shooting experience with the Leica M5 I decided film was not conducive to my post shoot workflow. While many hold film near and dear to their hearts, for me it detracted from the enjoyment of shooting with the M5.

The rangefinder style of shooting is almost zen-like. For me, film spoiled the fun. Enter the Leica M8.2 digital rangefinder. In a word... WOW. This little beauty is a ball. Unlike Leica's current flagship rangefinder, the full frame sensor M9, the M8.2 delivers 10mp files with a 1:3 crop factor. So, with a 35mm lens your field of view is just shy of 50mm. It's nice. More importantly, the M8.2 is the upgraded version of the M8 and features a silent shutter and scratch-proof sapphire rear display. The black version (shown in the previous entry) comes with a black vulcanite grip, black paint finish (as opposed to black chrome) and the infamous Leica "red dot" has been replaced with a stealthy black dot.

More to come....

John Thawley — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 13:52:38 +0000

Stealth Black Leica M8.2So after thoroughly enjoying my shooting experience with the Leica M5 I decided film was not conducive to my post shoot workflow. While many hold film near and dear to their hearts, for me it detracted from the enjoyment of shooting with the M5.

The rangefinder style of shooting is almost zen-like. For me, film spoiled the fun. Enter the Leica M8.2 digital rangefinder. In a word... WOW. This little beauty is a ball. Unlike Leica's current flagship rangefinder, the full frame sensor M9, the M8.2 delivers 10mp files with a 1:3 crop factor. So, with a 35mm lens your field of view is just shy of 50mm. It's nice. More importantly, the M8.2 is the upgraded version of the M8 and features a silent shutter and scratch-proof sapphire rear display. The black version (shown here) comes with a black vulcanite grip, black paint finish (as opposed to black chrome) and the infamous Leica "red dot" has been replaced with a stealthy black dot.

Cutting Out The Middle Man

John Thawley — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 17:54:07 +0000

Shot with Leica M5 and Leica Summicron 50mm on FujiFilm ISO 200This is just a short entry updating my photographic exploits over the holidays and the direction I've taken regarding my adventure into Leica M rangefinder cameras. Specifically the M5, shooting film and how it all shakes out as it applies to my personal work flow.

I'll start by simply saying the M5 is no longer in my stable. And I'll also state emphatically, I miss it. So why is it gone?

In a word… FILM. Now I'm not here to argue whether film or digital is better than the other. It doesn't really matter. I know there are shooters out there that are dedicated to pursuing film and the preservation of film, but I'm not that guy. While I enjoyed "success" at shooting film, I did not enjoy the process.

Simply put, film did not fit into my workflow. Perhaps due to the volume of processing I do, I found that trying to fit film into my "system" was cumbersome, unpredictable and frankly, VERY disappointing.

Happy Holidays

John Thawley — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 15:16:25 +0000

Click to viewAnother year in the books. I'm not sure why we only set aside these few short weeks of December to reflect on our good fortune, our families and our friends, it seems so inadequate when you consider all we have to thankful for.

So with a another year of collecting friends and memories, I humbly offer this glimpse into a year of my life and my friendships made among the growing family of the American Le Mans Series.

To those I missed, I truly apologize. Please know I'll try harder next year.

To everyone, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to document this part of our collective adventures and travels with the ALMS Nation. It is a privledge I do not take lightly.

Thank you, and Happy Holidays.