experiments in leica

I am sucker for sharp monochromatic photos and brassy colour shots with a vintage feel. I learned earlier this spring that Leica had a new mobile app which mimics the different Leica lenses and because I secretly worship all things Leica, but will never (never) be able to afford a Leica, I had to check this out. The app is available in the Apple App store and it has a free version and a pro version. I decided to do a trial of the pro version, strictly for my own photographic curiosity. I was delighted that the interface not only provides the lens filters but also a degree of manual control. As a photographer who firmly believes mobile photography is serious in its own right, I decided to do a few months experiment and only shoot in the app to see what kind of results I could achieve. Here is a sampling of my experiments in Leica.

The Edmonton skyline reflects on the glass of the LRT window when crossing the Tawatina Bridge.

Student art in Rutherford Library on the University of Alberta campus.

A stack of pancakes, that I promise I didn’t eat all on my own.

Cooking adventure, with a really clean shallow depth of field effect.

I have a fascination for capturing scenes in windows.

An attempt at using lack of symmetry to focus on light and shadow

Hot tea and sunshine

Oxalis open in the window

Getting flowers and fine details to work at the shallow depth of field setting is still challenging at times, but with patience and adjustment it works well.

Domestic scenes with nice sharpness vs. faded background

junelle, in two takes - part I

Just finally getting to posting this, as this shoot is nearly a year old. It was taken last June when the lilac and flowering trees were at the height of their blooming. This is the first part of a two-part shoot, in this case dramatic and trying to capture the fresh colours of Spring. Junelle is a dear friend and colleague whose persona has many overlaying contradictions, much like my own. She is intelligent, creative and kind beyond measure; her life has been rich with experiences that make her compassionate and marvelously sassy. While these style shots may seem out of her usual character, she pulls them off with ease. Stay tuned for part II, which is still in editing. — H.