Weekly Portrait Post: Leica SL2 Black and White Images on a Rooftop:
As some of you know, I normally do these portrait posts once a week but because of the corona virus pandemic, I’m not shooting with anyone, so as I mentioned in my last portrait post, these will come more sporadically until I can meet up with people to shoot with again. Anyway, today I have for you some pictures that I took with my Leica SL2 of Lilia (Instagram) on my rooftop. I shot these a long time ago, and have recently edited them, so I thought I’d add them here.
At first, I honestly had no direction as to what I was going to do with these photos. When that happens, I usually let the photos sit there for a while, and go back to them at a much later time. That’s just the way that I do things. These have been sitting quite a while though haha.
Anyway, I was up late last night editing these, and these are what I came up with. I wanted to convert them into black and white but I really wanted contrasty images with deep blacks. I wanted the highlights to pop, and I wanted a bit of a shine. I wanted to match the dramatic lighting that I had during the shoot. We had some really cool natural lighting which was a combination of harsh, and a bit of soft (a lot of cloud movement); I wanted to capitalize on that, and really bring that lighting out. The rooftop here was at my studio, and there’s usually a bunch of smoke coming out near the back when it gets a bit colder from one of the neighbor’s (he runs a restaurant). That’s what’s in the background of these shots. In addition to making a cool effect, it actually smells pretty good too :). Conversations quickly switch to topics about food with every model I bring up there ;).
This time around, I did not use my Summilux-SL 50mm. Instead, these were taken with the APO-Summicron-SL 90mm f2 ASPH. Man, I forgot how much detail this lens can pull out :). I believe this was the first time I tried the Cron on my Leica SL2. Everything here was taken at f2. Editing was all done in Camera Raw in Photoshop CC.
I know it’s a short set but I hope you enjoy them. There’s also more content on my Instagram page, if you want to check it out. Stay tuned for more to come, and as always, thanks for stopping by! Stay safe, everyone!
Hi Patrick,
I love the captures! When you say, “I forgot how much detail this lens can pull out,” is that a good or bad thing when it comes to portraits? I know some lenses are considered “too sharp,” requiring editing to soften the model’s features. As you know, I love my 90mm Apo Summicron-M ASPH and am still debating making the jump to the SL version. I’ll never use my current one on my M10 (I don’t have the Visoflex), but I do love the renders on my SL.
Stay safe and healthy!
Tom
Thanks Tom!
I greatly appreciate you taking a look at them! It will retrieve every single bit of detail you can imagine but it’s a good thing!
At least for me, I find it easier to work with something that is generally sharper than not. If you love your M version, I suggest you jump for the SL version. It’s worth every penny, and the beauty is you have autofocus, so for the most part, you’re going to nail those shots quickly even at f2.
I know a boudoir photographer who uses the SL system, and he was contemplating the 90mm APO SL as well. He has decades of experience, uses large format, medium format, Leica, etc. The guy is really cool, and he’s super talented. He owned a 90mm APO M, and was tempted by the SL version. We talked for weeks about it, and when he upgraded to the SL2, he also decided to go with the 90mm APO SL. It’s his favorite lens right now.
If you ever have any questions, feel free to ask. I’ll try my best to answer them but overall, it’s a true beauty. Stay safe out there, and keep in touch!
Best,
Patrick