WELCOME TO THE WEEKLY BLOG
A widely recognized, award-winning travel and automotive photographer, Randy Wells offers his best images, films, and essays at his main website here:
HAVE A SAFE 4TH OF JULY
This candid photograph of an American veteran (and a cat hiding under the truck) was made along Route 66 in Seligman, Arizona with a digital Leica M and a 50mm lens. Thanks to all our military personnel, past and present, for their sacrifice in the name of independence.
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RETRO VINTAGE STILL LIFE
Now’s a great time to photograph still lifes indoors.
For this photo I chose a camera I purchased in 1979. It’s a 1958 Leica M3 and my first rangefinder. Before that I bought my first SLR, a Canon AE-1. Those cameras started me down the photographic path.
Yes, they were the days, not for workflow, but for the tactile experience of a manual camera and the smell of film.
SELFIES
The subject was sure to come up sooner or later.
I avoid well-known scenic overlooks, unless I need to photograph them on assignment. Fortunately, I spent my early travel photography career hanging out at the best spots before they became widely discovered. More
LEICA M CAMERA WITH 47 MP COMING
The Leica M10-P digital rangefinder was a big step up from the M 240 model, but it is still a 24 MP camera. A rumored M10-R is expected to be released in 2020 with a 47 MP file size full-frame sensor. This could be the ultimate fine-art compact camera. Plus, with the extra large file, there will be no need to bring along a long telephoto M lens. Just take a 50mm and/or 90mm and crop as needed!
HAPPY NEW YEAR & 10th ANNIVERSARY!
Today, this blog celebrates its tenth year on the endless wire – pre-Instagram. Thanks to all for visiting this site and letting me share my life with you.
With an average of one new blog post every 5 days and an Instagram site now flourishing (@cars.randywells), it’s been an extremely satisfying last couple of years. It certainly helps me to keep writing!
Now, I just gotta keep up those New Year’s resolutions… Personally, I can’t wait for the 2020s.
(Photo: Motor Press Guild Best Film Award – March, 2019)
More
LEICA SL2
This camera I find very interesting. I’ve been shooting with a Leica since 1979, but switched my SLRs to Canon in the ’90s when Leica discontinued their R line. I have continued to use the Leica M and Q models for my personal work. More
ALEX WEBB
When I mention the name of this pre-eminant street photographer today, I am often met with blank stares. In our disparate world, that reaction really shouldn’t surprise me. Yet, a part of me says, “How can that be?” More
PODCAST – RAIN CITY SUPERCARS
Thanks to Dan Putnam and Nick Bergeron of Rain City Supercars for inviting me to join them on their podcast this week. And thank you to everyone at Drivers Club in Redmond, WA for hosting the event. It’s an amazing car storage facility!
(Photo: Karl Noakes)
ROBERT FRANK R.I.P.
Robert Frank, one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century has died at the age of 94.
His photographic book The Americans is considered a landmark document of the USA in the 20th century. Originally printed in Paris in 1958, it is now revered for its expressively ambiguous photographs, which still provoke differing interpretations. More
THANK YOU – LEICA STORE OF BELLEVUE
It’s always nice when someone decides to place a print of yours in a commercial space. When that space is the Leica Store, in the prestigious Bellevue Square of Washington state, it’s doubly nice. Thank you Brandon, Nathan, Ilya, Steven, Ebi, Ray, Yvette and everyone at Leica for your support. More
LUFT 6 GOES HOLLYWOOD
Thanks to Patrick Long, Howie Idelson, and Jeff Zwart for accommodating me in covering the 2019 Porsche event of the year – Luftgekühlt at the back lot of Universal Studios. Look for my air-cooled extravaganza article and photos this week in the last issue of:
Adios amigos, we had a good ride.
(Photo by Randy made on a Leica Q)
AUTOMOTIVE PHOTOGRAPHY WITH THE LEICA S SYSTEM
The Leica S3 is the latest development of the famous company’s medium format camera system. It’s the result of 10 years of close collaboration with professional photographers to produce exceptional picture quality and outstanding flexibility. More
HERE’S THE CAMERA I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR
Leica just announced their new Q2. Seems like a simple enough upgrade.
A better Q but no bigger, just like the one I currently own. Better connectivity, higher shutter speeds, a larger and higher resolution preview monitor.
Then you get to the kicker: It’s weatherproof. No more taping over the mic for fear of rain or dust.
THEN, instead of 24 MP you get 47 MP files at 28mm. Over 30 MP at 35mm. A usable 50mm file. Plus 4K video and 1920 HD up to 120 fps. More
VINYL, LEICA, AND THE EARLY 911 – MY STORY
You’ve probably read enough analogies of sports cars, fine cameras, and luxury audio equipment in high-end lifestyle magazines to get the idea that journalists are passionate about these things in a big way. I’m not immune, and vinyl records, Leica rangefinders, and Porsche 911s have been a fascination of mine since 1964.
Thanks to fellow Porsche and Leica fan Randy Leffingwell for publishing this in RS Magazine:
Early 911, Film, and Vinyl Article
See also in
Photography Blog, Porsche Blog, Racing / Auto Blog, RF / Leica Blog, Tunes / Vinyl Blog