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Family Photojournalis(M), Anyone?


Photojournoguy

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1 hour ago, charlesphoto99 said:

I've been photographing my kids with digital M cameras since the first was born in 2009. My series is called "Child's Play.' The M has been great in that it allows me to remain loose (as children are) and have it with me all the time, and now my kids think nothing of it when I'm photographing them (though sometimes their friends pose when I don't want them to, and now if I need my kids to actually pose that can be a challenge). 

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Be-a-u-tiful!! Love your style it definitely speaks to me. Amazing you’ve been doing this and with an M no less for so many years. I don’t want to speed up time by any means but I look forward to seeing how this evolves as my kids get older like yours. And given you’ve been capturing this for so long, I can only imagine the catalog of priceless artful moments you have in your portfolio.

Do you post any shots on social or website? The site link in your profile didn’t seem to work but would love to explore your work further.

May I ask if there are any times you DON’T like to have the camera on you? Like when you yourself are eating, etc, or do you really have it accessible at all times?

My Sony A7III isn’t so big for full frame, AF tech but it’s been months since I’ve carried it around the house randomly since it’s still cumbersome when playing with kids and can interrupt the flow. So far with the M it’s been a lot more comfortable to carry around the neck and also more innocuous and less distracting and intrusive from a child’s perspective. Also I wouldn’t bring my mirrorless to a kids get together as it feels a little attention grabbing for the other parents but would totally feel comfortable bringing the M as it just looks more casual.

Since I just bought my M, I’m not yet at the point where I’d set it on the table next to where my infant throws food, so for times like that if I sit next to her or feed her, I keep it in the case. But for around the house, I’ve decided I want to keep it on me more regularly for those random fleeting moments.

Curious as to your thoughts on keeping it on you around the house, what you’ve found difficult or workarounds, etc, anything you’d like to share?

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1 hour ago, eab said:

Beautiful, I think you could probably take lovely pictures with just about anything, but these are just fabulous!!  I wish for you and your family a Happy and Healthy New Year!!

Thank you thank you!! Happy and healthy New Year to you and yours!! Here’s to a great 2022!

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@Photojournoguy Thanks, and excellent photos yourself. They do get more interesting though sometimes harder to photograph as they get older. Everyone's experiences are different. I've dated down from tens of thousands of images to a set of 50-60 that can somewhat speak to the wider world at large (I also have the 'nice' pics). Child photography is a landmine of cliches and getting stuck on things when others could care less. Just keep at it and keep stepping back on occasion.

 

I pretty much have the camera around for everything unless they ask me to stop. But yeah routine comes in, so one looks for those interesting moments of light and time. But one has to always be ready to capture those, thankfully digital can keep one limber while keeping the cost down. I would also say a good 50-70% of what I take of the kids I'm not looking though the viewfinder. Like I said, keeping it loose. but in control. And edit edit edit edit! I don't even think about the cosmetics on my M cameras so it's out on the table 24/7, ready to use, unless we need the space then it goes in a side drawer or a bag. 

Mix of M9 and M10. Most full frame or only slightly trimmed. 28 Summicron. 

 

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1 hour ago, charlesphoto99 said:

@Photojournoguy Thanks, and excellent photos yourself. They do get more interesting though sometimes harder to photograph as they get older. Everyone's experiences are different. I've dated down from tens of thousands of images to a set of 50-60 that can somewhat speak to the wider world at large (I also have the 'nice' pics). Child photography is a landmine of cliches and getting stuck on things when others could care less. Just keep at it and keep stepping back on occasion.

 

I pretty much have the camera around for everything unless they ask me to stop. But yeah routine comes in, so one looks for those interesting moments of light and time. But one has to always be ready to capture those, thankfully digital can keep one limber while keeping the cost down. I would also say a good 50-70% of what I take of the kids I'm not looking though the viewfinder. Like I said, keeping it loose. but in control. And edit edit edit edit! I don't even think about the cosmetics on my M cameras so it's out on the table 24/7, ready to use, unless we need the space then it goes in a side drawer or a bag. 

Mix of M9 and M10. Most full frame or only slightly trimmed. 28 Summicron. 

 

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What great moments, and I can tell they certainly echo the sentiment that they wouldn’t have been captured had you thought “oh here’s a moment let me go get my camera in the other room.”

Thanks for sharing your approach and philosophy, I have a similar approach in wanting to be involved with my kids with the camera at hand rather than dad the photographer of the family who observed more than rolled around.

I’m sure I’ll baby it less once the credit card payment is no longer fresh in my mind. ;)

The M form factor is a game changer in terms of motivating me to keep it accessible much more often, and have done a mix of OVF and hip shooting at the playgrounds, in the name of that casual approach. A good example was playing a balloon game on the bed, I simply zone focused and snapped from the hip (well, end of my neck strap) when something struck me while being fully immersed in play. Or when I experimented with F2 while pushing the swing and only pressing when I thought my daughter was at the exact distance (again from shutter at end of my hanging strap).

I agree with you on editing - I (we) have so many opportunities to take shots that’s that I’m not precious about keeping shots that have no potential. I estimate keeping only a few percent of everything I shoot and only keep a few frames of a moment if I simply can’t decide between them, letting the passing of time do its job if I revisit later on.

Happy new year to you and your family!

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the discussions in this subforum motivate a lot - see below a newest photo from tonight, fresh from the oven, taken with an M10-D, 50/1.4/asph, DNG cropped a bit, converted to b&w with gimp/gegl/c2g/4096/32/16 without any further manual input, JPEG quality at 85% (to get below 2.44MB).

to add on here, this older one is one of my favorites pictures - so sweet and nonsensical :

  https://pistikem.org/pistikem/html/20200523-115622-001.html

 

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1 hour ago, fenykepesz said:

the discussions in this subforum motivate a lot - see below a newest photo from tonight, fresh from the oven, taken with an M10-D, 50/1.4/asph, DNG cropped a bit, converted to b&w with gimp/gegl/c2g/4096/32/16 without any further manual input, JPEG quality at 85% (to get below 2.44MB).

to add on here, this older one is one of my favorites pictures - so sweet and nonsensical :

  https://pistikem.org/pistikem/html/20200523-115622-001.html

 

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Very nice!! Both are lovely, but that one with the chair is amazing (beyond whatever context you know of from being there) given the visually graphic composition and repeating angles between limbs and chair legs.

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you know, Adam, as we are all well aware, the moment of 'composition' is a difficult question, very generally, and the more with children.  i frequently become aware of something framed and 'composed' just later, in the digital dark room - while during the shooting it's something else that guides me, something under the skin, a subconscious process, perhaps operating much faster than a conscious planing of the photographic end result, evidently a brain process in both cases, but nevertheless a somewhat unaware one in the former.  supposedly with years of photographic experience a type of automatism comes to play during such moments, a professionalism which pulls and orchestrates all possible registers (mental faculties) that analyze a certain scenario, so that a given scenery is assessed and captured 'automagically' in the richest possible way in terms of its graphics, composition, framing, content, meaning, and then that ton of additional cognitive values that ultimately render a photographic picture timeless.

i (and others obviously in this club) feel that this complex cognitive process of picture taking in a fraction of a second is best supported and streamlined with an M type of camera, freed from all the disturbing gimmicks other common camera types have to offer.

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  • 2 months later...

For some reason, I lost your post 🤷‍♂️ But I'm glad I found it now!
Excellent stuff, Adam! I like your POV, framing, highlight exposures, and sense of composition! The BW definitely makes them more exciting, and it suits you perfectly. Please, keep up the good work and share more with time. All of this is just M10M + 35 APO? If so, it looks like you found your perfect match!

 

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11 hours ago, Dennis said:

For some reason, I lost your post 🤷‍♂️ But I'm glad I found it now!
Excellent stuff, Adam! I like your POV, framing, highlight exposures, and sense of composition! The BW definitely makes them more exciting, and it suits you perfectly. Please, keep up the good work and share more with time. All of this is just M10M + 35 APO? If so, it looks like you found your perfect match!

 

Dennis, thank you so very kindly! That really means the world coming from you! Not ALL of these on the page are from this kit but a strong amount and all my now favorites are from it. The pop when editing these files in LR is no joke and the tonal depth/range of the grays is evident to me in comparison to pre-Leica work. Here’s a LR gallery if curious of my faves so far with this kit, including new shots not on the webpage yet:

https://adobe.ly/3q97gMU


It’s been exactly four months since first getting a Leica and haven’t touched my Sony mirrorless since, and don’t think I will. My hands, eyes and heart and glued to this Mono and one lens.

In the coming weeks, I’m going to capture a friend’s young family life at home for a morning just for experience and to see what it’s like for the first time documenting a family not my own. 

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On 3/17/2022 at 12:51 AM, Photojournoguy said:

Dennis, thank you so very kindly! That really means the world coming from you! Not ALL of these on the page are from this kit but a strong amount and all my now favorites are from it. The pop when editing these files in LR is no joke and the tonal depth/range of the grays is evident to me in comparison to pre-Leica work. Here’s a LR gallery if curious of my faves so far with this kit, including new shots not on the webpage yet:

https://adobe.ly/3q97gMU


It’s been exactly four months since first getting a Leica and haven’t touched my Sony mirrorless since, and don’t think I will. My hands, eyes and heart and glued to this Mono and one lens.

In the coming weeks, I’m going to capture a friend’s young family life at home for a morning just for experience and to see what it’s like for the first time documenting a family not my own. 

M for family photos .... 🤔

The minimalism, approach, and mood of shooting w/ a Leica M are incredible. Its essence is what makes it unique. BUT... It's not always possible to make it happen (my vision) shooting w/ an M. Yes, it's possible, but it could be complicated or almost impossible. Sorry for the game of words. Let me explain it.
Most of the time is liberating. The gear is lighter, discreet, and a fantastic tool. What about the IQ? Pfff... But the MFD of 70cm and the parallax compensation in framing could be a significant limitation. For example, sometimes I enjoy complex compositions when I'm trying layering or framing stuff in specific spaces, using a very close foreground. And with an M is not always possible. Can you picture the scenario in your mind? One can use the LV, of course. But it's not the same. See this sample:

This is M10 + 28 Elmarit Asph with LV

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Try to frame with the OVF the lady's face on the top left side of the frame... Good luck! There is very few cm of tolerance. If she 'touches' the plants (merging), the picture doesn't work anymore as expected.


That's one (biggest) of my concerns and the reason why I didn't switch entirely to Leica M (yet) for everything, even for documentary family photos (which is the point why I'm writing here). I'm still working on it and trying to understand the whole scenario of possibilities. When I have some crazy/weird/complex composition ideas in mind, the options are to guesstimate, use LV, or abort the mission. I would love to use the OVF exclusively. It's what the M stands for, what I enjoy more: to see the world through a glass window, not an EVF. Maybe, I should accept that some techniques are not possible w/ an M camera (I mean, OVF only) and avoid them. And focus on what is possible. But TBH, sometimes I suffer cause I can't make happen what I see in my mind. Do you know what I mean?

It will be an incredible opportunity and experience for you to capture your friend's family. I'm sure you will understand a lot about using your favorite gear for family stuff other than your family. It would be great if you could share your experience w/ us in this thread.

 

 

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3 hours ago, Dennis said:

M for family photos .... 🤔

The minimalism, approach, and mood of shooting w/ a Leica M are incredible. Its essence is what makes it unique. BUT... It's not always possible to make it happen (my vision) shooting w/ an M. Yes, it's possible, but it could be complicated or almost impossible. Sorry for the game of words. Let me explain it.
Most of the time is liberating. The gear is lighter, discreet, and a fantastic tool. What about the IQ? Pfff... But the MFD of 70cm and the parallax compensation in framing could be a significant limitation. For example, sometimes I enjoy complex compositions when I'm trying layering or framing stuff in specific spaces, using a very close foreground. And with an M is not always possible. Can you picture the scenario in your mind? One can use the LV, of course. But it's not the same. See this sample:

This is M10 + 28 Elmarit Asph with LV

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Try to frame with the OVF the lady's face on the top left side of the frame... Good luck! There is very few cm of tolerance. If she 'touches' the plants (merging), the picture doesn't work anymore as expected.


That's one (biggest) of my concerns and the reason why I didn't switch entirely to Leica M (yet) for everything, even for documentary family photos (which is the point why I'm writing here). I'm still working on it and trying to understand the whole scenario of possibilities. When I have some crazy/weird/complex composition ideas in mind, the options are to guesstimate, use LV, or abort the mission. I would love to use the OVF exclusively. It's what the M stands for, what I enjoy more: to see the world through a glass window, not an EVF. Maybe, I should accept that some techniques are not possible w/ an M camera (I mean, OVF only) and avoid them. And focus on what is possible. But TBH, sometimes I suffer cause I can't make happen what I see in my mind. Do you know what I mean?

It will be an incredible opportunity and experience for you to capture your friend's family. I'm sure you will understand a lot about using your favorite gear for family stuff other than your family. It would be great if you could share your experience w/ us in this thread.

GOSH I love your work and style! Curious of others' thoughts of course but here are mine on your very interesting and thought-provoking post.

1) That is an absolutely stunning image. I can only imagine how happy your clients (and this couple specifically) are when they receive files such as this.

2) 35 APO has 30cm MFD. Not THE reason but A reason why this one lens solution works as a single lens kit. While it is uncomfortably expensive even as someone who justified it, this just helps solidify why it's a lens that can do it all (macro details, keeping very close foreground in focus, etc.) and don't need to purchase $5K for another lens for just that capability, as example (assuming it even existed).

3) I realize that with the M I go through a (getting to be faster and faster) mental process that's interesting when capturing a photograph, which is "Can I take this on the OVF"? If so, happy days and I'm fully satisfied. For your photo I definitely would NOT rely on the OVF (besides it being gross soil I'd be laying on, I wouldn't trust it for the top left face to your point). I'd stick with EVF all the way and given I'd be kneeling on the soil or whatever you're in, wouldn't be as stable as having the OVF up to my eye. So I'd sway ever so slightly and take a number of single shot frames as insurance in case of the top left face moving, plants moving or camera moving. Would relying on the EVF take away from the photo process or end result? Nope, not to me.

If I can use the OVF as much as possible and then supplement with EVF to get the shot, I'm happy to do so. If I were EVF-centric and touched the OVF minimally, then I would reassess the M and the ergonomics of using it (in that case I'd be missing my flip-up screen for down low shots, etc). THAT sounds frustrating. So to use your language, I wouldn't abort any mission or simply abandon a shot ever if I believe in the picture enough. I'd ideally use OVF or quickly make it with EVF and then turn it off and hope I can keep it off.

Sometimes I frame the shot/exposure with EVF and then shut it off while snapping away without either looking at the OVF to avoid the EVF lag and such.

4) Below is a picture example where I tried taking it with OVF and you know what happened as an inexperienced/new M user? My OVF sight line showed no railing obstructing the shot but when I chimped, I realized how the perspective from the lens is different and cursed the charming nature of the M when I saw the railing obstructing from the len's angle. Since I fortunately chimped, I quickly realized my issue and got my focus lined up/waited for the moment to happen again, waiting. Then I held the camera in front of my chest so no OVF of course and no EVF either. I just looked down at the lens from above, making sure the lens was between the bars, and then fired away. My success rate was 100% after that, although not all worked given the background, etc. This is the only one I kept. So in that case, no OVF or EVF, just being sensitive to where the lens was looking towards after setting the exposure and focal range.

Thoughts on any of that drivel? ;)

I will absolutely share my experience after my trial shooting, hopefully in the next handful of weeks.

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31 minutes ago, Photojournoguy said:

Would relying on the EVF take away from the photo process or end result? Nope, not to me.

32 minutes ago, Photojournoguy said:

I wouldn't abort any mission or simply abandon a shot ever if I believe in the picture enough. I'd ideally use OVF or quickly make it with EVF and then turn it off and hope I can keep it off.

Thank you for your words, Adam 🙏 Your "drivel" (as you call it) makes total sense, and I think it is the right way to do things. So please, keep up the good work!
And your points are exactly what it's happening in my mind, but I'm weird. 🙂 I don't like (enjoy) using the LV of an M camera, and so far, I don't have/want an external EVF. For the same reason, when I was ready to embrace the mirrorless and quit the DSLR at the end of 2021. I finally ended up buying a Nikon D780 🤷‍♂️ And I'm happy so far! I know my position is a bit extreme. But I adore using my M10 for almost everything, despite the limitation. Let's say that I prefer to use the OVF as much as possible, possibly 100%, even if this means renouncing the complex compositions. But on the other side, I can be faster w/ an M camera in certain situations. It is difficult to explain it, especially in English.


In resume, for my work, I still use DSLR because I can achieve everything I want (my vision), although I don't particularly enjoy the tool. When I use M10, it is entirely another story. I'm happier 🙂 I love the tool and essence of shooting, but I can't achieve everything I want. Almost. Unless I switch on the TV (EVF or LV) in complex situation. And I do it from time to time. 

I'm a Leica newbie. I bought my M10 in 2018, and I'm learning more every day, step by step. But one thing is sure: when I use my M10, I slightly change my process and MO cause of the mentioned limitations. Time will tell. I have no hurry, and I'm enjoying my present... 

 

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1 hour ago, Dennis said:

Thank you for your words, Adam 🙏 Your "drivel" (as you call it) makes total sense, and I think it is the right way to do things. So please, keep up the good work!
And your points are exactly what it's happening in my mind, but I'm weird. 🙂 I don't like (enjoy) using the LV of an M camera, and so far, I don't have/want an external EVF. For the same reason, when I was ready to embrace the mirrorless and quit the DSLR at the end of 2021. I finally ended up buying a Nikon D780 🤷‍♂️ And I'm happy so far! I know my position is a bit extreme. But I adore using my M10 for almost everything, despite the limitation. Let's say that I prefer to use the OVF as much as possible, possibly 100%, even if this means renouncing the complex compositions. But on the other side, I can be faster w/ an M camera in certain situations. It is difficult to explain it, especially in English.


In resume, for my work, I still use DSLR because I can achieve everything I want (my vision), although I don't particularly enjoy the tool. When I use M10, it is entirely another story. I'm happier 🙂 I love the tool and essence of shooting, but I can't achieve everything I want. Almost. Unless I switch on the TV (EVF or LV) in complex situation. And I do it from time to time. 

I'm a Leica newbie. I bought my M10 in 2018, and I'm learning more every day, step by step. But one thing is sure: when I use my M10, I slightly change my process and MO cause of the mentioned limitations. Time will tell. I have no hurry, and I'm enjoying my present... 

 

That’s beautiful and the fact you found what works for you is all that matters. I’m an extreme newbie as you know with Leica so things may change later, but right now I’d rather use EVF (ideally sparingly) and stick with M than use an entire other platform for an entire session or day for those harder shots. It’s not like the M EVF can’t handle it, that would otherwise be another story. I don’t find the EVF UNenjoyable when used here and there, as it’s great with highlight indication and exposure confirmation and tells me what I need when the OVF can’t.

And of course, I speak from the perspective of a hobbyist or someone who one day might make this a ‘hobby hustle’ on the weekends sparingly. I can appreciate the pressure and need to deliver the shots you WANT to capture and deliver for paying clients when this is your career. I can understand if that might be a factor as well. At the end of the day I have less of a hit if an image doesn’t come out as I hoped, no expectations or poor reviews from my kids about my picture making results. Ha!

I do not plan on ever buying a Visoflex for the same reason as you. That is a bridge too far for me both functionally in use and people’s perception of me when trying to stay ninja-like and inconspicuous as you like to put it. That veers too far from the M specialty niche for me.

Edited by Photojournoguy
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2 hours ago, Photojournoguy said:

I don’t find the EVF UNenjoyable when used here and there, as it’s great with highlight indication and exposure confirmation and tells me what I need when the OVF can’t.

It's not the OVF can't, it's just not its task. And this is a beauty of it.

2 hours ago, Photojournoguy said:

no expectations or poor reviews from my kids about my picture making results. Ha!

They don't know yet. They don't care (yet). But I assure you that later they will treasure these moments more than a cryptocurrency, haha.

2 hours ago, Photojournoguy said:

I’m an extreme newbie as you know with Leica

And yet you are making very good stuff. The best is yet to come

 

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11 minutes ago, Dennis said:

It's not the OVF can't, it's just not its task. And this is a beauty of it.

 

Couldn’t agree more with you there!

Totally understand if your family work is for your family’s eyes only, but I and imagine many others would love to see how you capture them in the style of your public work, if anything ends up in public view.

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17 minutes ago, Photojournoguy said:

Couldn’t agree more with you there!

Totally understand if your family work is for your family’s eyes only, but I and imagine many others would love to see how you capture them in the style of your public work, if anything ends up in public view.

I'm always taking photos. Work, street photography, travel, photos in my backyard, etc. It's my super passion (and profession). But I only share a part of it. Some pictures are just for me, some are just for others. And it works perfectly like this! For me!

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Am 29.12.2021 um 20:01 schrieb Photojournoguy:

Anyone into documenting their family, relatives or kids through a photojournalism, documentary lens? I’ve only just entered the Leica/M world this month but already some of my favorite photos were taken with it. I seem to be attracted to the fine art niche within this shooting style.

Know it’s harder to capture little kids with M now than my Sony A7III system that is collecting dust right, but damn is it a blast not to be in perpetual state of autopilot!!

This is only a hobby for me but I decided to create an online portfolio just for fun, in case you’re the least bit curious. If you shoot in this style yourself, would love to hear about your experiences!

Here’s my site:

https://www.photojournoguy.com

Beautiful pictures. Goosebumps everywhere. Just beautiful. 
 

so motivating to look at your pictures. I want something like that :) 

what is your setup? I read that you almost take all pictures in bw? So no monochrome M yet? And which lenses are you using. It looks like you are right in the moment. Amazing 

 

edit: just saw. M10M with the 35mm apo. The Lightroom link to the Leica only pictures however is not working :(

Edited by Memorexx
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