One Wedding and A Leica, Part III

As far as I know, this is the third (and the last for this year) wedding among our classmates this year.  What a year it's been with many great moments as well as sad ones where many of our friend's parents had passed away in the past 11 months.  


I bring the M9 along with the Noctilux and the 35 Summilux only to find a banquet room so densely arranged it's difficult to walk, let along taking pictures!  Other challenges for this shoot are the mixed indoor lighting, tall stage and high contrast stage lighting.  As a friend of the groom, and a lazy family man (after a long day), I only shoot as much as I could given the limitations.  The Noctilux works superbly at f2 and the Summilux is always handy for a wider angle, low-light shoot.  In a few shots below, you can see the "Leica glow" in the low light shots. This is what I love about M-lens!


The mighty D-Lux 4 also comes into its own on this trip especially when shot in RAW format.  Its f2 aperture and 24mm lens work like a charm!  Noise starts to get in the way at ISO400, but Noise Ninja does a fair job at smoothing them out.  I can't wait to get my hands on the D-Lux 5! 


Here are some of my favorites.

The Happiest Couple - Leica D-Lux 4

Classmates - Leica M9 + Noctilux

The Interviews - Leica M9 + Noctilux

Beer Boys - Leica M9 + Noctilux

The Groom's Gang - Leica D-Lux 4

Up - Leica M9 + 35 Summilux

Glow - Leica M9 + 35 Summilux

"Da Man" - Leica M9 + 35 Summilux

Night Tour - Leica D-Lux 4

(Raw @ ISO 400, Aperture + Noise Ninja)

Colors of the Night in Pattaya - Leica D-Lux 4

Wishing you all a good week ahead,

Wisrute

One Wedding and A Leica, Part III

This must be a great year.  I don't remember having so many close friends getting married in the same year like this.  It's also great because I can now bring a real camera (other than a compact) to the wedding and stand a  chance of getting a few good shots.  This wedding is slightly different than the one earlier few months ago.  There are three separate events from the traditional Thai engagement, the church ceremony, and the evening reception.  The major different, though, is the size of this wedding which includes all the big names in business.  This alone entails a rather large group of hired photographers and videographers throughout the three events.  Which means getting a few good shots can be a little tricky, to say the least.  

Going to the wedding, I want to keep the M9 light so I can also keep my kids in check and mingle with friends without having to worry about my equipment.  So after some thinking, I decide on the following: 

Engagement ceremony - (held in confined space without too many guests - and, boy, was I wrong about that one) M9 + Zeiss ZM 50/2.0

Church ceremony - M9 + Noctilux for that low-light, magical background rendering, making the most of the church environment

Evening reception - Lots of people, low-light, M9 + 35 Summilux to handle low light and group photos

The biggest challenge, for me, shooting this wedding was the videographer who frequently swoops around the couple with his Canon DSLR, trying to shoot video footage.  This is an additional video to the main video camera.  I'm sure the photographers (from a different studio) were equally frustrated with him. Sometimes I wonder if the wedding photos / videos are actually more important than the wedding itself.  

Well, the final results are posted below.  Another confirmation that the M9 is truly a superb equipment that doesn't get in the way like big DSLR would. I hope you like them as much as I do.  

One of the better formality shots. My friend, the groom, seems tensed most of the time.

Just as the ceremony finishes, the couple is much more at ease.

The church exit fills with swooping videographer and other photographers.

I struggle with the Noctilux focusing here but the images are not too bad.

I like this candid shot of the groom.

The next couple to be married in November!

I pre-focus the 'Lux to shoot from my waist level. A fun shot of a friend of mine!

An evening formality on stage.  I love the contrast and how the backdrop is rendered.

A very happy couple cutting their wedding cake!

A small surprise from the groom who requested his cousin (a singer) to sing a special song for his wife.

Have a nice weekend,

Wisrute

Paradise on Earth

When someone asks me about my favorite beach destination, the first name that comes to my mind, time and again, is Maldives.  This paradise on earth stays in my memory, more than 10 years after our first visit, for its crystal clear water and white sandy beaches.  I no longer remember where those old photos are today, but memory of Maldives remains well within me.

In May, my wife and I return to Maldives again to take a short break.  This time the M9 travels with me along with the 24 Elmarit, the 35 'Lux, and my handy D-Lux 4.  We choose to stay at the very southern area of the atoll where it had just been opened by the Maldivian government to build resorts.  This means that the archipelago and nearby marine lives are largely unspoiled.  I believe you'll agree based on these pictures!

"Maldivian Sunset" - M9 + 35 'Lux

Mrs. loves everything about Maldives! - M9 + 35 'Lux

The Chef who made us a spicy curry. - M9 + 35 'Lux

Our short trip to a nearby uninhibited island. - M9 + 24 Elmarit

Crystal clear water and soft sandy beach on this uninhibited island. - M9 + 24 Elmarit

Here's why I love 24mm lens so much.  It enables one to compose a dynamic scene like this!

Nature, as is.  - M9 + 24 Elmarit

This is one of my favorites!  - M9 + 24 Elmarit

The D-Lux 4 also sports a 24mm lens and does a great job.  (Shot as JPG.)

More fun composing with 24mm. - M9 + 24 Elmarit

Putting the Elmarit through some low light challenges. - M9 + 24 Elmarit @ ISO 1250

No tripod, but I set the camera on the gaurd rail for this full moon shot. - M9 + 24 Elmarit

I never thought the 24mm would make a good portrait lens but it does. - M9 + 24 Elmarit

Not a proper Leica but the Panasonic Lumix FT-2 uses a Leica optic.

This fun little camera can go 10m underwater and is shock-proof!

Pristine marine lives right in front of our villa.  - D-Lux 4 JPG

Snorkeling with the FT-2.  This is where the reef drops off into the deep end.

This fella is quite cute. - Panasonic FT-2

Plenty of fish around, but my underwater photography skills is virtually non-existence! 

I had never seen water so clear like this before.  - Panasonic FT-2

Chillin' out on the beach and catching some waves.  - Panasonic FT-2

So long, Maldives.  We shall return! - Panasonic FT-2

I hope you like the photos.  If you haven't been to Maldives, I highly recommend you go there!

Have a good weekend,

Wisrute

One Wedding and a Leica, Part II

Last week, I attended the wedding reception of the wedding in the series below.   I brought along my M9 with the 35 Summilux to keep it as light as possible while allowing for some low light shoot.  This time I shot the whole series in RAW without parallel JPGs.  They were later converted to black & white to match the rest of the pictures.  

Having seen and processed the pictures, I'm very satisfied with what the M9 has enabled me to shoot.  Its compactness and superiority for low light scenes are miles ahead of DSLR.  Sure there are a few blurred shots, but they still look great! IMHO.  The mood, the faces, and their expressions are unlike any other pictures I'd made with other cameras.  Maybe this is another Leica magic?

There are two more friend's weddings (at least) this year, and I'm already planning to bring the M9 along again.  Enjoy the photos, I shall let my pictures do the talking.  

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Memorable moments.

Guys gang after the reception.

Happiest mothers of the night!

My friend and his daughter having a good time.

And the happiest couple...

Wisrute