Night Shooting in Queens:
I hang out with my best friend on Wednesdays, and we usually drive around the whole city stopping by various places to eat, hang out or explore places that we haven’t even seen yet. Last night, we decided to stop by one of our favorite food vendors in Queens that we’ve actually been going to since college. This guy has been around since before food vendors were hip ;). All this guy serves is shish kabobs but they are so good!
After stuffing our faces, we decided to explore Astoria a bit, which for those who don’t know, is a part of Queens. Every time I go fishing, I drive over the Triboro Bridge, and the view of the city is amazing. I would love to take a shot like that but I can’t seem to find a good place in Queens to do it from. Well, last night I was hoping to find something like that. Unfortunately, the weather was horrible at times, so we couldn’t explore as much as we wanted to. The rain would come very unexpectedly, and when it did, there was a lot of it! Plus, there were huge gusts of wind. But here are some images I was able to capture during the times when the weather calmed a bit.
Gear wise, I had my Leica M 240 with me but I only brought my 18mm Super Elmar. The more I use this lens, the more I absolutely love it. There were times when I wished I brought my 75 Summilux because the buildings looked so cool with the fog and mist surround them, and I really wanted a closer look of them but by the time I got home, I was soaking wet, so in a way, I was glad I decided to pack light. There is always next time :).
There are many great bags out there these days but I have to say, weather like this makes me love Billingham bags even more. My little Billingham M Combination bag, has seen so much rain over the years, yet it is still going strong. There was so much rain falling on it last night but all my gear was completely protected. I don’t even weather treat it or anything.
I hope you enjoy the pics, and thanks for stopping by!
Awesome shots Patrick! I’m really liking the 18mm. I think I need to stop using 35mm on the XPro-1 and do some wide shots hehe. Btw, I’m on the fence between the X100T and the new Leica X typ 113. I really enjoyed the original X100 even with the quirks but I’m drawn to Leica with a fixed lens. I know the lack of EVF will drive me nuts but I think I can get over that with a protruding EVF. What are your thoughts on the new X?
Dane
Hi Dane!
Sorry for the late reply. It’s great to hear from you again and thanks! I’ve been shooting with a wide an ultra wide a lot these days. It started with my purchase of the 12mm Zeiss Touit for the Fuji, and now I’m using the 18mm Super Elmar for the Leica. Honestly, I find the perspective of an ultra wide so cool to use. It’s fun too!
I haven’t used either cameras that you’ve mentioned yet but I’ve owned the X100, used the X100S, and used the X1 quite a bit. Personally, if I was going to buy one right now, I would go for the Leica X typ 113. In fact, I’ve actually been thinking about it as well :).
I look at it this way: you already own the X-Pro1, so you have a camera that operates similar to the X100. Also, I believe the new X has the build quality similar to the X Vario, which means it’s built quite well. Plus, while the X1 is three generations old, I found I preferred the image quality from it over my X100. At the time, I bought my X100 because the XP1 didn’t exist yet. But if I had to do it all over again, I probably would’ve gone the X1 route instead because I remember being quite impressed with the overall image quality (my brother in law took some amazing photos in Africa with it), and I’m not just talking about 100% crops; I found the overall images to be more pleasing to my eyes. I’m betting that the X Typ 113 is killer in the IQ department.
The X is not perfect (neither was the X1); like you said, if you want an EVF, you will need to get an external one (although, since it’s a fixed focal length lens, you might want to consider an external OVF for it). But I think it’s different enough from your X-Pro1 that it may be more worth the purchase.
Let me know what you think. Great to see you around here again,
Take care,
Patrick
Great pictures!
The Pepsi Photo is epic!
Hi Fabian,
Thank you so much! Thanks for taking the time to check out my site!
Best regards,
Patrick
Hi Patrick,
happy to see some new stuff so fast 🙂 crazy good Images. Yes, the pepsi shot is marvelous but so are others you showed here. Thanks. Seems like you got the same bag i got. I love that it is so small and convenient to carry and everything has its customized place. When i saw Image no.3 i instantaniously thought this would have been nice with a light tele lens. The Skyline in the Background feels to small.
I know how hard at times it can be to find the right spot for the right shot, even when you call the town you are shooting in home. But isnt that awesome ? Still lots of Images to make 🙂
Thanks, Elderin!
It’s great to hear from you again as well! I totally agree with you; I wish I brought my tele with me. I was hanging out with my friend mostly, so unfortunately, I only brought my 18mm at the time because I was just scouting for a new location to take pics. But next time, I will definitely bring my 75mm with me :)!
I love the M Combo bag. Out of all my bags, I think it’s my favorite! It’s definitely my most used bag. It’s compact yet it can also fit a lot. Plus, it’s very convenient to use all day.
Thanks for stopping again, Elderin!
Take care,
Patrick
Hey Patrick!
Cityscapes look great in the rain – thanks for the pics!
There’s still nothing better than a Billingham-made bag for storms, is there? Their material really keeps the water out and provides true rain protection. I already own multiple Billinghams, but not the M Combination bag. I’m experiencing serious GAS attacks due to your frequent writing about how great the M bag, haha!
I concur both with you and Elderin about carrying a moderate telephoto. Anything in the 75mm to 105mm range, depending on what’s available for the camera system one uses.
I believe I’m similar in focal length preferences to yourself: a wide angle is what I gravitate to for city streets, and sometimes a standard (50mm-e) to complement the wide. But occasionally, I do find a moderate tele handy. For an architecture detail in the sky or across a river (!). Basically, there are some subjects that you simply can’t get closer to!
I think it’s fair to say that HCB is a minimalist when it comes to gear. But even he packed additional lenses to his beloved 50mm. He complemented the standard lens with a 35mm wide and 90mm tele. By the ’70’s, he switched from the 50mm to the 40mm Summicron on a CL body for his standard configuration. Even with three lenses, still a light setup!
It’s always great to hear from you Marco and thanks!
Yes, these Billingham bags are awesome in storms. The M Combo is my most used bag, and for good reason: it protects from the elements, it’s small yet it can still pack quite a lot, and I find it a lot easier to pull gear out of compared to say a Hadley Small. I’ve had the bag for years, and I can tell you that I easily got my money’s worth.
As for the longer focal length, I was mostly hanging out with my friend, so I wasn’t really expecting to shoot with my camera much, which is why I only brought my 18mm. But we ended up scouting for new locations to shoot (some places I never even thought existed lol), and I will definitely have to stop by those places again. There were some shots I really wanted to take but the rain was so bad at the time that it was nearly impossible. I don’t use my 75mm much in the city but the next time I go, I definitely plan on bringing it with me :).
Take care,
Patrick
Hello Patrick,
It has been awhile. How are you doing,Very vibrant photo you got here 🙂
hope you are doing well
MEng
Hi Meng,
It’s great to hear from you and thanks! I’m doing well. I trust you are as well. I’ve checked out your site recently, and your photoshoots look great! I love the locations you choose!
Take care,
Patrick
Thanks Patrick! You tipped the scale hehe. Im going for the silver X but i can’t find it anywhere. 3 days ago it was available from amazon, now its says 1-3 months! I don’t want the black because of my XPro-1 looking very similar. Any idea where I might be able to get one very soon?
Dane
Hi Dane,
Wow, I’m definitely jealous :). The silver one looks great too!
I buy my Leica gear from Bob Gramegna at Bergen County Camera. I mentioned them from time to time…great store, friendly, great to their customers. If you have any problems with your gear, they always take care of you. My family and I have been buying their for over 30 years lol. You can find his contact info here:
http://bergencountycamera.com/staff.html
I think they are still open now, so you can either email him or call him. They are closed on Sundays because it’s law in that area of NJ. BCC is a Leica Boutique store too. If he doesn’t have it in stock, I’m not sure if he can tell you a definite time that they will have it but I’ve never had to wait too long to get Leica gear from him :). I’ve always gotten my lenses, cameras, etc. in a very timely manner.
Let me know what you think,
Patrick
Hi Patrick,
It’s always nice to have a favorite brick and mortar store that you can visit. I missed that atmosphere now that boutique shops are no longer around my area. I got a response from Ken Hansen right after I posted here so I ended up ordering from Ken. He is highly recommended by online buyers and Steve Huff. I’m really excited, first time red dot user here hehe! I’ll post some on Flickr and set a link.
Thanks again, your input made a lot of sense to me. I’m keeping my XPro-1 for close portraiture and other things.
Dane
Good to hear, Dane. I hope you enjoy it!
Patrick
I just started reading this blog when my wife said to get the barbecue ready to cook some beef kabobs, so that mouth watering photo of yours was perfectly timed! You must have been doing some moving around in the foul weather to get those disparate views of the city. I really like what you are doing with the ultra wide & suspect part of your success is a fearless attitude – they really scare me to death. That & your eye really produced some great photos, particularly the Pepsi one. And like very much what you have doing to your web site. Keep it up & stay dry.
Jed
Hi Jed,
Lol what a coincidence! Sorry for the late reply, and thank you for your very kind words! I’m just glad you always find the time to stop by here because it’s always great to hear from you. The weather was horrible that night, and even though we drove to all the destinations, we still ended up getting very wet. But it was definitely fun to do some exploring :). Once again, I appreciate you stopping by, and I hope to hear from you soon!
All the best,
Patrick
Hi Patrick!
Superior night photos! I think that combination of rainwater in the streets and all those lights is really very impressive! Great reflections! And what a mood!
Thank you for mediating visit of Queens (by your pictures) for all of us outside USA! 🙂
Regards!
Hi Jiri,
It’s great to hear from you, and thank you so much for the kind words! Yes, it was definitely fun to take some pics with the rain but we did get very wet lol! I hope things are well with you; have you been taking any photos lately?
Best regards,
Patrick
Yes, Patrick! Here we have nice autumn in the Czech Republic. At least for a few last days… But today weather is getting worse. Winter is comming to my city! What a cold outside! Only a few degrees of Celsius above zero…brrr!
I’ll send you an e-mail with some photos from my country when having more free time. Maybe tomorow, I hope! Now, my little son is trying to fall asleep…me and my wife we have to stand guard to protect him againt bogey and bad guys… 🙂 All the best!
Wow, it got cold over there very fast! I’ll be on the lookout for your email! I hope your son has a good night’s sleep,
Stay warm,
Patrick