Leica M6, Voigtlander 28mm, Tri-X@800
bad light & bad luck... call it Murphy's law.
one morning I stuff my breakfast bagel from the deli in my bag and wrap the strap of the trusted
M6 around my wrist, two turns as usual. Shit, it's 9:25 already, my boss is going havoc on me, if
I'm not on time... 9:30 on the dot that is. As usual, I do a quick exposure guess - the camera's meter
quotes a 250th at f8, as expected - and I'm ready to take the shot of the century.
Sure enough, I spot a character, aim the camera, hit the shutter button and zipp-whirr ---
nothing happens, the damn thing doesn't work... quickly, I turn the rewind button, cock again
and zipp-whirr - this piece of fine machinery doesn't do a damn thing. Leica broken.
Interestingly I get more comments with substancially *less* page views on flickr than over here. come on people, feel free...
Comments (14)
I didn't realize you were on flickr. Third shot of cellphone people in a row. Looks like you've got a series going :-)
Good luck with the Leica!
Posted by samgrover | June 2, 2006 3:06 AM
Posted on June 2, 2006 03:06
Markus,
I am very sorry to hear about that Leica. As for this photo, it is superb, all around. The contrast and grain are just a couple of the beautiful features, but the quick action of your mind and shutter finger, really capture a great moment here!
Posted by Chris | June 2, 2006 6:31 AM
Posted on June 2, 2006 06:31
Markus,
I told you that I had a M6 fall apart from aggressive use. We must learn to be gentler and treat them with love...
(or buy a Nikon F3 Titanium)
Posted by Matt | June 2, 2006 8:37 AM
Posted on June 2, 2006 08:37
Want a comment? Old fart says, "Get to work on time!" :-) It's no fun being poor. (Although how anyone can survive in NYC, is beyond me.)
Camera problems are a bummer; sorry to hear it.
...edN
Posted by ed nixon | June 2, 2006 8:57 AM
Posted on June 2, 2006 08:57
As for me, I visit every day and I find your work truely inspiring but I don't like to simply write "wow" or "great" and I'm really nobody to say "you should have"... If I hadn't said it before, thanks for sharing what you've learned. I don't know any other site/photographer that does that. Viel Glück mit der Reparatur de M6! Hoffentlich nichts schlimmes. Greetings from Mexico City.
Posted by franx | June 2, 2006 10:23 AM
Posted on June 2, 2006 10:23
I subscribed to your pics a little while ago. They're great. I think I find your pics quietning. Like you stolen a piece of life out of time and so the hustle and bustle stops as well and I feel the need to say nothing at all.
I smiled at the hello moto one, with the lady on the phone and the motorola poster - great take!
Posted by kristarella | June 2, 2006 10:29 AM
Posted on June 2, 2006 10:29
Ran across your site a couple of weeks back. I think the first day I found it I went through every single one of your photographs and your tutorials. I was at work at the time too. :P Oops! Your photography is quite amazing and very inspiring.
You've inspired be to go back to shooting film. I got a digital SLR a couple of years back and I love it. But there's something so satisfing about the snap of the shutter on a manual film SLR. I've already put a couple of rolls of Illford HP5+ through my dad's Nikon FE in the past week, and I just bulk purchased a lot of film yesterday. Hopefully will have some worth while pics to show for it.
Posted by Andrew | June 2, 2006 12:02 PM
Posted on June 2, 2006 12:02
Hi Markus another wonderfully observed moment, the female to the right takes the picture from being good to excellent, you have a wonderful and thoughtful eye my friend. The ability to see a scene and anticipate the conclusion is not shared by many folk...
Bad news on the leica front, I would love one but funds do not stretch that far, that said my Canon fd lenses were made for HP5 et al....
Posted by shooter | June 2, 2006 12:44 PM
Posted on June 2, 2006 12:44
.. or just any F3. Built to last markus ! lol
Posted by Jack | June 2, 2006 8:25 PM
Posted on June 2, 2006 20:25
thanks to all of you - it's rewarding that my audience cares :D
@samgrover - cellphones are all over the place... flickr is
something, but I consider it to be a huge photo dump
yes, I'm on there...
@Chris - yepp, being there and taking the pic is the thing
@Matt - that's why they have 'em sitting in display cases and
stroke the damn things. use 'em. I'm not complaining...
otoh - I was never a Nikon guy
@Ed - in this regard NYC sucks, really pricey ... For real, I see
the Leica repair as a maintenance fee. it didn't give me any grief
for 3 years or so.
@franx - no worries, the "great shot" sh*t doesn't help any
I welcome constructive critique though....
Dein Deutsch ist echt gut!
@kristarella - I like the quietning part, NYC is not like that at all
@Andrew - glad your boss didn't notice :D
@shooter - well observed, I took another shot (closer) without
the woman... didn't work
@Jack - what's built to last, really
Posted by Markus Hartel | June 2, 2006 11:01 PM
Posted on June 2, 2006 23:01
Markus Hartel said: "@Jack - what's built to last, really."
Mrs. Hartel says: "Your wife!" :P
Posted by The Wife | June 3, 2006 2:13 AM
Posted on June 3, 2006 02:13
Never heard of a Leica breaking down.
About 20+ years ago after I bought my M4-P I was getting fuzzy shots. Had tghe camera a while. Didn't matter what lens was used. Had to be out in NJ for a client so I brought it to their service facility. A man in a lab coat who looked like Otto Preminger who was wearing a monicle in one eye told me to wait. He came back in 10 meniutes and told me: "Nothing wrong mit the camera, get your eyes checked." He was right, I needed my glasses changed.
Posted by Craig Nisnewitz | June 3, 2006 4:33 PM
Posted on June 3, 2006 16:33
:) good to know some things are dependable.
Posted by Jack | June 4, 2006 2:38 PM
Posted on June 4, 2006 14:38
whoa, sorry to hear.. i do not hear often of the fine german machinery breaking down ! :(
ace shot!
Posted by tad | July 18, 2006 4:13 AM
Posted on July 18, 2006 04:13