Leica Pics

[cmiller@berkshire.net (Curt Miller)]

Hi Group -

Just visited Ben's site in its entirety.  Very nice work - and some very
helpful info.  It inspired me to jot a few notes of an image I made on
Memorial Day and just printed the (exhibition grade) print yesterday.

My wife and I live in the Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts.  I
needed to pick her up from a trip - to New Hampshire with some friends - in
Bennington, Vermont, 35 miles north of us.  As I was driving along the
highway in Williamstown, Mass., I saw the most gorgeous landscape unfolding
before my eyes - hills, barns, cows, woods and fields - miles of it.  And
there were lots of white fluffy clouds everywhere.  The sun was blocked by a
number of clouds, creating a patchwork of light and shadow on the landscape.

My M4-P was loaded with Agfa APX25 and had the 50 Summicron-M (latest) with
Yellow-Green B&W filter (coated).  I used the sunny 16 rule (approx) and
shot at 1/15 sec. @ f/11 1/2.  Processed the film in XTOL 1:1, 6 min @68.
The results are absolutely stunning!  My gallery owner saw the work print
and was bowled over by the quality (he has an M camera as well).  The light
and dark on the hills and fields is spectacular enough but the sun caught
the white sides of a few of the buildings in the shadows (sort of like in
Ansel's "Moonrise, Hernandez, NM").  The final image is 9X14 - may well do
it 13X20.

What is so amazing to me is the quality possible with Leica equipment.  I
usually use Hasselblad for this type of work but don't always have it with
me.  The Leica is always by my side, no matter what.  A tripod is always at
hand in my trunk.  The combination of the Leica/Summicron/Tripod/APX25 gives
me a real edge so I don't have to miss ANY fine art landscape sort of image
even without having a larger format with me.

After making this image, I picked up my wife and we drove a few miles into
the Green Mountains of Vermont.  At elevations of around 2000 ft. the buds
on the trees hadn't even swollen!  The hills were still a drab grey and was
it ever cold!

Regards,

Curt

Elizabeth Mei Wong
Henry Curtis Miller, M.P.A.

Pittsfield, Massachusetts
In the Berkshires, next door to Tanglewood