So I am here in South Beach Miami for the Leica Akademie with Craig Semetko for a street photography workshop. Well, you cannot leave South Beach without the iconic shot of the lifeguard towers. So my good friend Roger said that you have to get them at sunrise, so I get up at o dark thirty and drag my sorry butt to the beach. I get there and there are people sitting on the towers, well not just sitting, lots of PDA going on I guess a continuation from the night before. The sun pops out I get a couple of frames, not to my liking with the people on board but you get what you get.I start shooting some other stuff, surf, birds, you name it when this frauline from Frankfurt approaches me. She asks if I could take a couple of photos of her in the water with her camera. Being the ever so helpful gentleman that I am I oblige and in conversation with her find out that she is a plus size model working on a shoot here. So seizing the opportunity, I ask if I may take some photos of her. She says yes and an impromptu session evolves. At least my morning was not wasted.
Al, you are such a gentleman.
Great story Al… and I applaud your improvisation. It was a pleasure meeting you the other day at Dale with Roger, David and Josh. I got distracted taking the Leica rep for a ride in my new car and never did get a chance to say goodbye. And yes… Roger will get you up at ungodly hours of the morning.
You really should try to get that early morning light on the pastels of the lifeguard station before you leave SoBe. It’s magical light and absolutely perfect for Leica lenses to capture. I’ll try to dig a few up and post them…
Meanwhile, enjoy the workshop and your stay in Florida.
Al, it appears you are having a good time in South Florida. In my opinion, it is a sad commentary on our current culture to lable that very attractive lady as a plus-sized model. She doesn’t appear to be skinny, but she certainly doesn’t seem to be what I think of as plus-sized. Of course I am basing my comments on your photos and perhaps your photographic skills make her look less plus-sized than in real life.
I second David’s and Roger’s recommendations for the early morning light on the life guard towers.
David K, did you trade in the Mini and if so what is the new toy?
Mark Gowin;1487 wrote: Al, it appears you are having a good time in South Florida. In my opinion, it is a sad commentary on our current culture to lable that very attractive lady as a plus-sized model. She doesn’t appear to be skinny, but she certainly doesn’t seem to be what I think of as plus-sized. Of course I am basing my comments on your photos and perhaps your photographic skills make her look less plus-sized than in real life.
Mark,
Thanks for the compliments on the posing technique. I would say that she was a size 10 or 12 which once was considered normal but not in todays’ size 0 world.Yes, there are little tricks that you can use to keep harmony in the family when taking shots of your wife. Here is a shot of her that is not complimentary, it shows her waist and thighs in an unflattering position. By having her point her toes, it lengthens the leg and makes the calf muscle defined. Then have her point the leg toward the camera, minimizing the side view of the thigh and butt. Have her position the right hand so that it covers the butt, twist the upper body so that the abdominal muscles get defined by the light and the shoulders twist to contrast with the waist making it appear smaller.
David,
A pleasure meeting you as well, fun ride you have there! Will try again to capture the towers in the morning. Who knows what I get to shoot tomorrow!-Al
Kurt Kamka;1485 wrote: Al, you are such a gentleman.
Kurt,
I try my best! And my wife liked the shots as well so all is good!Mark Gowin;1487 wrote:
David K, did you trade in the Mini and if so what is the new toy?
I did Mark. David and Josh told me that the Mini might be appropriate for transporting my M9 kit but not for the S2. When I asked them what I needed to get they both pointed at their respective BMW’s and said… “Duh…”
So I succumbed to peer pressure and got myself the new 335d. If you haven’t driven in one of these all I can say is… “This ain’t your Daddy’s Oldsmobile…” It’s a beast…but apparently it’s still not as fast as Josh’s 🙁
sorry–couldn’t check EXIF … which lens did you use? Thanks.
I used the 70 Summarit on this series.
Nice shots Al. You just can t miss at South Beach 😎 But you never know what you will find.
So let me understand ..you over slept, missed the life guard station at dawn but covered with a few shots of a pretty girl . LOL
Actually Roger, I got up on time and the subject came to me instead of me seeking out a subject . . . what a wonderful place! So here are shots of the lifeguard towers from today.
Sorry but the picture from Atanabe inspired me much to make a dummy advertising title page with one of the picture… i hope its ok 🙂 Otherwise i remove it…
Allyouneed,
Great cover layout!Thanks,
AlAtanabe;1508 wrote: Allyouneed,
Great cover layout!Thanks,
AlOK Al own up you have two forum ID s ! LOL ….Seriously it neat to see your image as a cover ..I hope you send this to LFI.
The life guard stations are a must have image of south beach ..everybody takes the shot but each time its a gem.
Roger
No bikinis and not South Beach but what I feel is a colorful part of Miami, Little Havana. Trying the S2 out as a street camera was like driving a Ferrari through small town America, you get noticed a lot more. I shot in the domino park where they are used to getting their photos taken by tourists so it was pretty easy to move around and shoot.
The expressions and interactions of the players amongst their friends are priceless.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.