POV: Leica M9 Monochromes "Outta De Box"

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy/Leica M9+Voigtlander 40mm

Let me say it up front so there's no misunderstanding: I'm not a "fanboy" of any camera beyond considering them as utilitarian tools I use to make photographs. Some are better suited for particular photographic work, others are better ergonomically suited to my hands and way of thinking, etc. I have the exact same attitude to cameras as carpenters have to their hammers or pliers.

That out of the way, I have an admiration for the Leica M9's monochrome image quality. I frequently use a setting that allows it to shoot a monochrome jpg and a color DNG at the same time, and I am quite amazed at the quality of the monochrome jpgs right 'out of the box'. The  above photograph is an example...nothing but in-camera conversion.

Yes, the majority of the monochromatic jpgs out of the Leica M9 are -at least to my eyes- just right. Unless I specifically want to enhance these jpgs by adding some vignetting or burnt edges, there's no need for spending any time on Silver Efex, Photoshop, Lightroom presets...nothing. Boom!

Does it mean that the Leica M9 (and a quality prime lens) is my primary camera? No, it isn't, but when I need (and feel like it) to shoot monochromes, I choose it over my other cameras. When I was in Sa Pa a few weeks ago, I deliberately chose it with a Voigtlander 40mm for a bout of monochrome photography in its streets and market. I did the same in Ha Noi.

There are many aspects of the M9 that are, in comparison to the X-T1 and the X-Pro, outdated...even primitive. It's widely recognized that its ISO is almost unusable above 800, that its LCD sucks and its battery life is a little better than abysmal. However, its CCD sensor (when coupled with quality glass) churns out admirable jpg monochromes.

I gripe about the M9...but despite its annoying limitations, it has become analogous to the well-balanced well-worn hammer that fits in the hand of the carpenter as if it always belonged there.

Ah! If only it had auto-focus! But using -when possible- the zone focus system resolves this to a certain extent, provided the ambient light allows the use of f8 or f16.

I'm not as sanguine about the M9's color images though. I realize I'm amongst a tiny minority perhaps, but I'm not as enamored with the color images I've seen out of the Leica M9. The images produced by the Fujifilm X-T1 are -to my taste- superior in color rendition than what I'm able to get with my M9.

Seeing where I am photographically at this time, I would buy the Leica M Monochrom if I could, and use it whenever I needed to produce monochrome images, and then rely on the Fuji X-Pro1, and X-T1 for color...or on the Canon system that's been gathering some dust in my closet.

Hà Nội Noir | Audio Slideshow

Street photography has almost become an obsession. Arriving Hà Nội with my body clock completely out of whack didn't stop me from taking a quick walk about the streets of its Old Quarter.

As the oldest continuously developed area of Vietnam, Hà Nội's Old Quarter has a history that spans 2,000 years and represents the eternal soul of the city, and walking along some of its more than 36 streets, I remembered their names: Hang Gai, Hang Quat, Hang Bac and Hang Ma.

A majority of the street names in the Old Quarter start with the word hang, which means merchandise or shop. Hang Gai, where my hotel The Golden Silk Boutique is, offers silk clothing ready-made and tailored, embroidery, and silver products.

One of the assignments given to the group participants was Hà Nội Noir; a series of monochrome street photographs depicting the teeming life found in the small streets of this capital city. Over the course of the few days I spent in Hà Nội, I walked its 36 streets (well, almost all of them) and shot mostly from the hip as is my custom to capture impromptu scenes and candid expressions.

Most of the photographs were made with my new favorite combo: Fuji X-T1/Zeiss 12mm f2.8. Others were made with a Leica M9 and the Voigtlander 40mm f1.4.

 

Tewfic El-Sawy | Interview | Langly

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy - All Rights Reserved

"I’ve visited India over twenty times over the past 16 years, and every time I visit I discover a new layer. Discovering India is like peeling an onion, one layer at a time reveals another layer, and there are probably millions of layers." 

I was recently interviewed by a staff member of Langly; a manufacturer of camera bags started by Evan Lane, a working photographer and director based out of Los Angeles. The camera bags are said to have been inspired by the life of the freelance photographer, nomadic professionals looking for something to protect their gear and look good doing it.

You can read the full text of the interview here.

I gather the Langly people saw my Exposure website, and liked what they saw...especially the photo essay on the Northwest India, and suggested an India-centric interview.

Langly camera bags was funded through a Kickstarter campaign, and successfully raised $88,000 from the public in summer of 2012. Although Langly bags appear to be fine products, I was not asked to endorse them nor was it suggested that I get remunerated in any way for this interview to appear on its website.

The photograph on this post of this unblinking girl is probably one of my many favorites of India. These three girls were part of a nomadic family in the Rann of Kutch, and sold tribal jewelry. 

Prantik Mazumder | Guatemala

Photo © Prantik Mazumder -All Rights Reserved

The play of light and shadows!

A few months ago, I was in Antigua (Guatemala) at the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop, and realized how visually interesting the contrasty play of shadows and light was in this part of the world, especially when the sun is at the top of the sky, and creates strong and compelling shadows.

And here comes a gallery of monochromes featuring just that...black and white photographs made in various towns of Guatemala; from Sacatepequez to Chichicastenango. Essentially street photographs made by a photographer that I regard as extremely adept at capturing the contrast of shadow and light, and its nuances.

Prantik Mazumder is a self-taught photographer, originally from Calcutta, India, and moved to North America for his graduate studies. Currently settled in Ithaca, New York, he's pursuing a career in scientific research.

This is not the first time I feature Prantik's work on this blog, but it's the first time that I choose his monochrome work.  He shows us work from Guatemala, Peru, Mexico, New Orleans and of his native Calcutta.

Backpacker 2009 Gear Guide Online!

It's like Christmas came in April! The 2009 Backpacker Magazine Gear Guide is now available online. As usual, the guide has some great reviews and insights into the best gear available for outdoor pursuits.

The best of the best is compiled into the Backpacker Editor's Choice Awards, which in addition to their category winners, include two special awards as well, the "Editor's Choice Green Award", which went to the Big Agnes Salt Creek recycled tent. The other separate award is the "Editor's Choice Gold Award", which was given to the MSR MugMate Coffee Maker and the North Face Base Camp duffel bag.

Other great gear that won Editor's Choice honors include the Garmin Oregon 400t gps unit, the New Balance 1500 Rainier Boot, and the Osprey Sprint Series of packs.

And if that wasn't already enough gear to get you salivating, and your wallet crying, checkout the Backpacker Gear Guides for Backpacks, Tents, Boots, Sleeping Bags, and other Essentials. Be warned though, reading through this may cause an unexplained urge to head out to your nearest gear shop.

Nyepi | The Atlantic's In Focus

Photo © Agung Parameswara/Getty Images-All Rights Reserved

The Atlantic's In Focus (which, in my long held view, is the best photography blog of all the major news media) has recently published a gallery featuring 27 photographs of Nyepi.

Every year, the Indonesian island of Bali celebrates Nyepi, the Balinese New Year's Day. Nyepi is a day of silence, and is dedicated to self-reflection. It's the day when people (Balinese Hindus and tourists) stay home and are not allowed to use lights, start fires, work, travel or enjoy entertainment. There is little or no noise from TVs and radios, and few signs of activity are seen even inside homes.

However, the days surrounding Nyepi are anything but silent - several rituals of offering and cleansing take place before and after New Year's Day, to rid worshipers of past evils and bestow good fortune in the year ahead.

I haven't been to Bali during Nyepi, but I attended a number of Melasti rituals which start off Nyepi, but are also frequently held all though the year.  A Melasti ritual is performed near the sea, and is intended to purify various sacred icons belonging to several temples. During the festival, sacred purifying water is obtained from the sea.

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

In the above photograph, I photographed a Melasti in Bali during which a number of women (and men) lost conciousness and went into short trances. The one above was particularly interesting because it coincided when the sacred water from the sea was brought onshore in a large bottle (seen on the left under the white umbrella). 

Mosa’ab El Shamy | Egypt's Mawlid |TIME LightBox

Photo © Mosa’ab El Shamy- Courtesy Time LightBox

"Mawlid" is the Arabic word for birthday, and in the context of this feature, is a religious birthday. The most celebrated in the Muslim world is the birthday of Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam. However, there are many others religious birthdays that are observed in some countries, such as Egypt.

Although the majority of Muslim scholars favor the observance of Muhammad's birthday, the more orthodox do not. In some countries, such as Egypt and Sudan, Mawlid is used as a generic term for the celebration of birthdays of local Sufi saints as well. Around 3,000 Mawlid celebrations are held each year and attended by tens of thousands of people.

The largest Mawlid in Egypt attracts up to three million people, and honors Ahmad al-Badawi, a local 13th-century Sufi saint. It is easy to forget that Egypt was once the seat of the Fatimid Caliphate, a Shia Islamic caliphate, which left exquisite examples of Islamic architecture such as the Al Azhar University, the Al Hakim mosque and the El Hussein mosque (Masjid El Imam Hussein).

The largest Mawlid is that of Ahmad Al-Badawi, the founder of the Badawiyyah Sufi order, a Moroccan Sufi who fought the Crusaders in the 13th century.

Exploring The Mawlids of Egypt is the work of Egyptian photographer Mosa’ab El Shamy, a Cairo-based independent photographer who covers daily news stories, as well as in-depth cultural and social documentary projects. In 2013, TIME picked one of Mosa'ab's photographs among its best 10 photos of the year. He won an Award of Excellence from Pictures of the Year International competition and then selected by PDN among its 30 Emerging Photographers in 2014, as well as one of the Guardian’s Top 10 Youth in Digital Media.  

He also won the Egypt International Photography Contest and Arab Union of Photographers competition and was shortlisted for numerous awards including the Terry O’Neil award, Hasselblad and Professional Photographer of The Year.

Everest 2009: An Interview with IMG's Eric Simonson

Alan Arnette stays on a roll, kicking off the week with a good interview on his Everest 2009 page with Eric Simonson, the man behind International Mountain Guides, one of the top guide services on the South Side of Everest.

In the interview, Eric talks about the challenges of running a mountaineering company like IMG, where he has to balance guiding with customer service, and more. He also shares his thoughts on "green" climbing on Everest, saying that it's difficult to call anything about climbing the mountain "green", but steps are being taken to improve that where ever it can be done. He even touches very briefly on what he expects out of the Discovery Channel crew that will be joining the team to film the next edition of Everest: Beyond The Limit.

All told, another good interview with one of the key players on climbing on the South Side, if not the entire mountain itself. As Alan notes, IMG has an impeccable safety record, not only on Everest, but plenty of other mountains as well, including all of the Seven Summits. Good luck to the IMG team once again this year, and I can't wait to see you on Discovery in the Fall.

On a different note, in yesterday's post to his Everest page, Alan wrote that many of the climbers will be setting off on March 25th for Kathmandu, which is just a bit over two weeks off. It's hard to imagine that another year has nearly come and gone, and we're ready for a new Everest season to begin. To all those climbers who will be finishing up their packing and final preparations over the next few weeks, don't forget to pack your toothbrush!

Trip to Florence

Phew... It took us no time to reach Florence (Firenze Santa Maria Novella) from Naples.There was a sea change in the two cities. Not only the sea, but everything else was also, quite different. A far smaller city than Naples, it's more European (than Italian) too. One could easily touch the prosperity here. Unlike its southern cousin Naples, there is a herculean meticulousness that is associated with Florence. Not only does Michelangelo live here through his eternal creations, but also its heritage, physical infrastructure of Firenze, the cleanliness, upkeep of the monuments etc. can hold your senses. Florence is the cradle for modern day Opera, a breeding ground for a unique architecture style of its own, and definitively the renaissance. By all means Florence is a different city at day, and yes an altogether a different city at night.

Historical Center, Florence

Hotel Embassy where we stayed was near to the station, and should say, it was fantastic. The room was comfortable, staff helpful, and the breakfast was good with a lot of variety.

The beautiful squares or piazzas that compellingly invites the white pigeons to throng for feed, compliment the artistic architecture that can take your breath away. On our way, we found many academicians on their study tours with local guides. Step after step, the beauty of the city sinks in deep, with the heritage the city carries with itself. At times, the entire city looks like an art gallery minus the formal settings plus the shining overhead sun. All the tourist places can easily be covering by walking around (Yes, walking is highly recommended).

Light Drizzle add to the Florence magic

Within few feet, we could reach the restaurant that was a few blocks away to gulp our favorite Cappuccino. Within our sight, we had the famed church of Santa Maria Novella. Its grandeur spoke loud about its emphatic class. We began our trip by taking small walk to reach the historical center through Piazza Del Signora, Piazza Del Giovanni among others. We finally reached Duomo. The grand Duomo and its surroundings can hold forever by their charm and magnificence, and as stars lit the sky, the city of Florence adores a totally different look altogether. It drizzled in the evening and by eight at night, everything was 'morning dew' fresh.

Arno at Night

The lights across the tourist places in the city were optimal and sufficient.The beautiful ponte or bridges that dot river Arno makes the picturesque landscape even more special. There were a lot of bicycle riders in the city.

We left our Hotel to catch a regional train to Pisa so that we were in time to reach back to Florence, the very same evening.

Florence is indeed a feast of culture and can come in courses that would,for sure, stay with you forever.

Shop What

• Avoid shopping in Florence, if travelling on a Budget trip. You'll find some good bargains in Pisa.

Bottom Line

• Yes, Many people speak English and the happy trend continues as we go further north in Italy.
• Food is expensive and make your choice judiciously about the restaurant. Historical center is a better place for meals.
• Walk your way through.
• You could save on your lodging if you choose a Hotel bit far, because being a smaller city, that 'bit' will never be too far.

Travel Facts

• Stayed : 2 days.
• Stayed at : Hotel Embassy - Definite Yes, Recommended.
• Traveled with my better half and the journey could be easily divided in two parts Florence at Day and at Night. 
• Traveled in TrenItalia from Naples in January 2013.

The Birth of Color | When Krishna Met Radhe

I'm pleased to feature my photo essay titled The Birth of Color-When Krishna Met Radhe with more than 20 "full-bleed" color photographs of the festival of Holi in Vrindavan and Mathura. I chose to publish this 'sampling' of photographs on Exposure, one of the photo-narrative portals that is designed to give photographers space to publish photo essays. Some of these images and others will also be published on my website.

These photographs were made during my recent The Sacred Cities Photo Expedition-Workshop to Varanasi and Vrindavan. We spent around a week photographing the festivities of Holi in Mathura and Vrindavan and in retrospect, it was one of the most difficult photo expeditions-workshops to operate due to the chaotic nature of the festival, and other factors which I address in more details here.

Part of the title to this photo essay is obviously inspired by the movie When Harry Met Sally...an iconic movie if there was ever one. There's no direct link with the movie's story, but I thought it was a catchy title. In fact, the festival of Holi is based on a number of legends; only one of which is based on the love story between Krishna and Radhe.

Producing an audio-slideshow of Holi is quite difficult because of the disparate events that took place whilst we were there. Particularly difficult is the editing that will have to go into producing a coherent audio track.

Photo © Charlotte Rush-Bailey-All Rights Reserved

Seeing the imagery I returned with, I now think whatever happened to me: getting whacked on the elbow by stick-wielding out-women during one of Holi's 'rituals', getting smothered with color powder or doused with colored water, was really worth the trouble.

Dan Eckstein | Horn Please

Photo © Dan Eckstein-All Rights Reserved

The first time I traveled in India I had the rather unnerving experience of riding in a bus from Jaipur to Jodhpur in pitch darkness. I shall never forget my growing terror in watching an incoming truck blinking its signal light which I thought meant it intended to turn right into the path of my bus.

It was an enormous relief to realize the truckers were doing so to indicate their presence (and the limits of their carriages) to other incoming vehicles.

The Indian truckers usually belong to a certain caste, and are generally treated with contempt by their employers. Their trucks are often decorated with beautiful artwork, colorful gewgaws, religious icons and slogans, making a convoy of such vehicles look like a circus is moving to town. These long-distance lorry drivers transport cargos of freight across the whole of India; tea from Assam, computer parts from Bangalore and exotic flowers and vegetables from the southern states of the country.

Dan Eckstein's project Horn Please documents the trucks, drivers and roadside culture of India.  Having driven 10,000 kilometers over two years to document these truckers, Dan produced "Horn Please: The Decorated Trucks of India"; a book that is to be published by powerHouse Books on December 2nd, 2014.

Dan is is a photographer based in Los Angeles and Brooklyn, who spent four years studying photography at Skidmore College. He assisted Magnum photographer Bruno Barbey in Paris. His work has been widely published and exhibited and he was included in The Collector's Guide to Emerging Art Photography. He was awarded Best Photo Essay in PDN's World In Focus photo contest and included in American Photography 30.

Selvaprakash L. | Vanishing Tribes

Photo © Selva Prakash-All Rights Reserved

On every single trip to India, I am amazed at the Indians' ingenuity in creating and crafting employment and occupational opportunities for themselves...whether it's the punkawallahs waving their flag at Sufi shrines for a few paisas to the young boys who peer in the waters of Haridwar in search of coins donated by the visiting pilgrims.

Most of these "jobs"are slowly disappearing, largely because of India's rapid modernization and socio-economic progress, its modern generation prefers not to follow ancestral trade practices, and the desire to escape caste restrictions. Many ancient practices are fading or have already faded out, while others are currently on their way to become a quaint relic of the past.

What prevents the punkawallah at the Nizzam Uddin shrine being replaced by electric fans? Tradition perhaps...but that too might well change.

Vanishing Tribes by photographer Selva Prakash is a collection of 8 color environmental portraits depicting such transitory trades, ranging from the milkman who delivers milk to homes to the roving knife grinder.

As for the man holding a sort of doll at the end of a pole in the above photograph...I really have no idea what he sells. He seems to have been photographed against the backdrop of a Ferris wheel...so perhaps he's involved in a carnival.

Note: Through the photographers Selvaprakash and Subrata Bose, I learned that this man is a 'Jow Mittai" or candy seller. The red, white, green and yellow strips seen on the pole are gelatinous candy strips popular among rural and semi urban children of India.

I recall the occasional cry of "robabekyah" in the streets of the Cairo suburb of my youth. Most probably extinct now, it announced the man who bought one's old clothes and miscellaneous junk such as empty glass bottles, cans, old shoes, etc. Probably the cry was derived from the Spanish (or Ladino) ropa vieja. Ladino of course, was originally spoken in the former territories of the Ottoman Empire, as Egypt was.

But I digressed.

Selvaprakash L. started his career in photography as a staff photographer for a leading Tamil newspaper. He was Chief Photographer with Dinakaran and DNA, and is now Chief photographer with TIMEOUT, Bangalore. He participated in a number of international photo workshops such as ingapore International Photo Festival 2008 (SIPF), Angkor Photo festival( Projection) 2010 and Photovisa International Photo festival, Russia 2010, Noorderlicht International Photo festival 2011, Delhi Photo Festival 2011 and Lagos Photo Festival 2011 and won numerous international awards.

His photographs have been published in Asian Geo, New Internationalist, and several leading newspapers and magazines in India.

Mountain Hardwear Launches Outdoor Social Networking Site

Gear manufacturer Mountain Hardwear has launched a new site called The Expedition Republic which looks to be a social networking site for climbers, mountaineers, and outdoor enthusiasts in general.

The splash page for this new endeavor allows you to look around a mountain setting, in pseudo 3D, and click on a few items to get some cool video and more information on some specific topics. There are also links to some of the Mountain Hardwear gear shown in the videos as well, as of course part of the focus it to sell more stuff too.

Clicking the option to sign up for the Republic takes you to a different page which looks more like a traditional social networking site. Here you'll see who the active members are, find all kinds of useful links related to Mountain Hardwear, and a collection of cool mountaineering and climbing videos. Becoming a member allows you to customize your own page, enter the forums (of which here is only one at the moment), read the Republic Blog, and have access to groups, which presumably will help you connect with other users who share your interests. I say presumably, because as of this writing, there aren't any groups yet either.

Clearly the Republic is in it's early stages of development, and MH is trying to build something cool here for the community. if you join now you'll also be eligible to win some great gear, which is never a bad thing. So, if you're not already all social networked out with Facebook, Twitter, and the rest, head on over, sign up and join the fun.

Ten Great American Bike Trails

Forbes Traveler is back with another top ten list, this time offering up their picks for ten great America bike trails.

The trails that make the list come in a wide variety of lengths and styles. There are short trails, requiring only hours to complete, while others will stretch in length for days. Some of these are designed for road bikes for those looking to cruise, while others are technical and demanding, just the thing for the mountain bike crowd. The trails stretch across the country, and offer a variety of scenery as well.

Some of the routes that make the list include the popular Slickrock Trail in Moab, which is just 12 miles in length, but can require as much as 8 hours to complete depending on your skill level. For intermediate riders, they offer up the Katy Trail, found in Missouri, that stretches 225 miles along the Missouri River, in the path of an abandoned railroad line. And for the truly adventurous there is the Trans-America trail, which runs coast to coast from Yorktown, Virginia to Astoria, Oregon, a distance of more than 4247 miles.

With spring officially here, it's time to dust off the bike and head out on your favorite trail of choice. Perhaps one of the trails on the list runs near your place or better yet, maybe the story will inspire you to ride one of the longer ones yourself. Put some air in the tires, and get out on the road.

POV: Style Evolution

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Having just returned from Guatemala, I thought of revisiting the photographs I had made during an earlier trip to La Antigua (and some other towns and villages) during the 2002 Semana Santa, and comparing these to my most recent photo gallery Between The Three Volcanoes.

I rarely -if ever- photographed in monochrome at that time, relying on color (whether digital or film), using a 70-200 zoom lens for most of my shots, and essentially shooting for stock and magazines...as the top photograph (with space for text on either side of the subject) clearly is for. Storytelling or street photography wasn't part of my DNA at that time, and although I was mindful of Costa Mano's advice to shoot more complex images, I was still enamored with simple travel portraits.

Over the years, I witnessed the slow and progressive shift in my aesthetic vision (vision as in seeing rather than its more abstract meaning), and a desire of telling more in one image. Whether I succeed in "complicating" every photograph I make or not is open for debate, but I do try my best in achieving this goal...as in the lower photograph from my latest effort in La Antigua during a festive day.

It is only natural that one's craft should evolve over time, and hopefully improve with practice. But these two are different sides of the same coin. My style could've remain static, and I could've kept shooting for stock and simple travel portraits for all these years, and with time, I might have become really good at it.

Alternatively, I am much happier that my style has evolved to being a hybrid of travel-documentary photography, or as someone told me a style where "travel photography meets photojournalism". I still shoot travel portraiture on occasion, as I would shoot street portraiture, but my heart and visual acuity is now much more attuned to the 'complexity' of the lower photograph.

I may not be able to tell a story with every photograph or set of photographs, but the intent is there...bubbling under the surface, and sometimes the photographs fit together like a jigsaw puzzle...and a story is told.

Zeiss Touit 12mm | Fuiji X-Pro 1

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Well, I succumbed.

I've been think about another prime lens for my Fuji X-Pro1 for quite some time, and having the XF 18mm f2.0 "pancake", I just couldn't make up my mind between the XF 35mm f1.4, the XF 23mm f1.4
or the XF 27mm f2.8.

I tossed around the pros and cons of various Fujifilm X Mount Lenses, and finally decided on the Zeiss 12mm f2.8 Touit.  It’s a solid, all glass lens that feels well made, and while it's manufactured in Japan (as if that is a downside), it feels 'German Zeiss'. It's essentially an 18mm f2.8 equivalent on the Fuji X-Pro1 1.5x crop sensor. And it's hand-built.

The decision was made based on my heavy reliance on my Canon 17-40mm f 4.0 lens during the past 2-3 years. I went back to my images from the Oracles of Kerala Photo Expedition, the Vietnam: North of the 16th Parallel Photo-Expedition/Workshop, The Sufi Saints of Rajasthan & Kashmir Photo Expedition-Workshop, The Sacred Cities: Varanasi & Vrindavan Photo Expedition-Workshop and remembered my lens usage statistics, which confirmed my preference of using my wide angle zoom and get really close to the subjects I'm photographing.

To underscore the point; most of my photographs on The Birth of Color photo essay were made with the Canon 17-40mm, at its wider setting....as the following photograph demonstrates.

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
Canon 17-40mm f4.0

While the Zeiss Touit's 12mm wide angle is perfectly suited for landscape and architectural photography, I'm certain it'll suit my style of photography whether for environmental portraiture, or street photography.

It'd be superfluous for me to to review this lens in any depth as there are many more qualified photographers who have already done so. For an eminently readable and succinct review of the lens, take a look at The Phoblographer. 

As for street photography, I've snapped a couple of 'from-the-hip' photographs yesterday, and although it's a little too early, I was pleased with the results. One of these photographs (below) was made in front of the Papaya King on Sixth Avenue, and there are a few more on The Leica File.

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
Fuji X Pro-1/Zeiss Touit 12mm.

The Zeiss Tuit has smooth rubber for the focusing and aperture ring, and while this doesn't bother me, I did find the aperture ring moves easily, and I had to make certain that the aperture was set on my chosen f-stop. The lack of a depth of field and distance scales are also disconcerting, but I managed to get by. It'll take some practice to get used to it, as most of my street photography is by shooting from the hip.

As I said, it's a little too early, but my gut feel is that this lens -while having marvelous optics- is better suited for environmental and documentary photography. I'll keep using it on my wanderings in New York City for some time, and see if I will change my mind.

Carlos Esteves | Bhaktapur

Photographs © Carlos Esteves (CE-TOP Photography)- All Rights Reserved

I start the new year with photographic work from Carlos Esteves, a Portuguese photographer who, in some of his galleries, merges travel photography with an aesthetic akin to fashion photography.

I particularly liked Carlos' work from Bhaktapur in Nepal, where he not only photographed in the streets of this ancient city, not far from Kathmandu, but also photographed what I presume are dancers in traditional Nepali court costumes. At first glance, and seeing some of these dancers looking out of ornate windows, I thought that they might have been Kumari Devi (the "living goddess" who are pre-pubescent girls considered to be the earthly incarnations of the goddess known as Taleju in Nepal), but they were dressed as such.

Bhaktapur is known as the 'City of Devotees' and is considered as Nepal's cultural gem. It is one of the three royal cities in the Kathmandu Valley. The others are Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, and Patan.

Carlos Esteves has a degree in Computer Science and a Master in Business Administration, and is  mainly a self-taught photographer. His portfolio is certified by the Associação Portuguesa dos Profissionais da Imagem. He's passionate about traveling, and travel photography is a large component of his portfolio, and photographic interests.

Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike Race Begins Tomorrow!

The Absa Cape Epic mountain bike race gets underway tomorrow in South Africa, with top riders from around the globe preparing to face off against one another in an eight day event that crosses more than 685km (426 miles) of African backcountry along the Western Cape. Racers will compete as teams of two, entering in the mens, womens, mixed (coed), and masters categories.

The race officially begins with a time trial prologue tomorrow that will have the riders battling it out to the top of Table Mountain, the iconic and dramatic, backdrop to Cape Town that is more than 3560 feet in height. Teams will be staggered in 30 second intervals as they head out on to the course hoping to reach the top in the fastest time.

On Saturday the race will have its first full stage, with six more to follow, that will put the riders out on true mountain bike trails. Over the course of the week they'll climb over 14,660 meters (48,097 feet) as they cover stages that range in length from 60km (37 miles) to 114km (70 miles). Judging from stage profiles on the course page, I'd say that the shorter stages make up for the difference in length with more challenging climbs.

All told there are over 600 teams signed up for this great event. It's going to be quite an endurance challenge for everyone involved, and they'll be racing through some of the best scenery anywhere in Africa as well. What a great place to ride, and South Africa has really become one of the top spots in the world for adventure sports events.

Thanks to Lisa over at AR.co.za for sending this my way. Both Lisa and I would like to let everyone know that we're looking for a sugar daddy and a sugar momma respectively to fund our entries into all these great events. ;)

And as a side note, this post marks my 3000th entry into the Adventure Blog. I think I need to get a life. :)

Shane McConkey Killed in BASE Jumping Accident

There is breaking news tonight, as it is being reported that skier Shane McConkey, age 39, was killed today in a ski-BASE accident in Italy. Ski-Basing is an offshoot of BASE Jumping that has the skier jumping off high cliffs, opening his or her parachute and gliding down to snow below. McConkey was very experienced at the sport, and had been doing it for a number of years.

Shane was in Italy filming an upcoming ski movie, along with his friend J.T. Holmes and a film crew. The plan was to hit a jump, go over a cliff, release both of his skis, and glide to the ground below in a wing suit. Unfortunately, that's not what happened, and he ended up spiraling out of control to the ground below.

You can read a lot more of the details on Shane and what exactly happened, in this article over at The Adventure Life. It's a sad story and my thoughts are with his friends and family. Shane is survived by a wife and three-year old daughter.

Charles Bridge, Prague - In the Night

The famed Prague Castle is adorned in lights in the backdrop of the Bridge. The hurriedness and the bustle of  the daytime on the bridge fades away rather rapidly. The night's calm complements the tranquility of the flowing Vltava beneath. In all the senses, Charles bridge at night gives you more than one reason to be yourself.

Charles Bridge and the Prague Castle
Photo Courtesy : here 

In many ways, Charles Bridge reinvents itself under the dark skies. The waves beneath the bridge adorn the sights of the pearls of lights on the famed Castle ahead.

The Lamp-posts of the bridge accentuate the magic of the Bridge as so does their glistened reflections flowing in the water beneath.

If you visit this post dusk but before it's too late, you could come across some shops around the bridge still open. The 'clearing sale' would aptly apply here. 

Charles Bridge : Splendor at Night
Photo Courtesy: here

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I remember meeting an artist on the night that summed the moment perfectly:

 "Charles Bridge is a canvas as well as a painting in process. The Canvas is too large and the painting, perpetually incomplete. You add colors and strokes. for others to do on their own."

PS: The morning dawn would be the best time to visit the bridge.