All rights to this photograph is reserved the photographer
A quick business trip to Bangkok led to spending the weekend there and I had the opportunity to venture in Chatuchak Market with my Leica M8. This is a capture of a portraiture going on in the art gallery section of the market. What I love is how casual the setting was, with the subject completely at ease and enjoying a chat with the artist and his friend. The depth of field separation between the 3 guys and the rest of the street suggests at how involved they were in their own conversation, unaware of the on-going environment around them. It was interesting to note that the artist’s gallery had works of the exact same guy, albeit in different styles!
I’m mainly a DSLR guy, but there is no substitute to using a Leica rangefinder for street photography. This shot was taken using the Leica M8, with the often understated Voigtländer 35/f1,4 Nokton. It was shot at an aperture of f2, shutter speed of 250th of a second and processed in Lightroom 2
Why I use a Leica:
I’m a product of the digital age and the Leica M8 digital rangefinder simply fits in perfectly with who I am. The unobtrusiveness of a rangefinder is 2nd to none for ‘documenting the human condition’. These days using a DSLR is so automatic that it very much feels like a point-and-shoot. It lacks the interactive process a rangefinder can provide and that process often leads to a greater sense of satisfaction in photography. I love at how convenient it is to have my Leica M8 with me, not losing the opportunity for great pictures.
Choice selections of Gary Ong’s work can be found at garygraphy.com and you can find almost everything he shoots on his Flickr photostream.
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I absolutely love the colors and sharpness and DoF in this photograph. Did you do much PP in Lightroom? Good to see that you don’t need thousands of dollars worth of Leica glass to make great captures with the digital Leica.