September 2011 – Urban Aces magazine does a feature on Sid Vintage. Emily Therese and I were brought in to do the photos. I decided shooting in the store would be a great way to capture the venue along with showcasing how much GREAT STUFF they have for sale there.

Thanks go to LeicaRumors.com for posting coverage of our Leica Ring and grooms cake. Also, thanks go to PetaPixel for their coverage. They gave the story some interesting color.

The twittersphere has been a buzz with LeicaGuy wedding postings. I appreciate the commentary – though, a bunch of you had mistaken facts… but such is life on the internet. At least you spelled my name right.

Additionally – thanks to Gaelan for letting me use his photos and of course making such an awesome ring.

Lastly… Thank you to Emily Therese – aka The Leica Lady – for being my amazing bride… and the ring.

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The Leica Guy (Matthew B. Harrison) and The Leica Lady (Emily Therese) were married in a small ceremony in central Massachusetts on July 31st, 2011. The wedding consisted of a brief ceremony performed by the couple’s close friend and was followed by a lovely Sunday brunch attended by close friends and family. The couple could not have asked for better weather or a better turnout. It truly was a beautiful celebration of their love.

The night before, at the rehearsal dinner, The Leica Guy was presented with his groom’s cake: a replica of a black paint Leica M9 mounted with a f/.95 Noctilux. This amazing cake was baked by Dianne Rockwell, The Cake Lady, for just this special occasion. It was such an amazing cake, that it was truly a shame to have to cut it up and serve it. Though, it was the best tasting Leica, either the bride or groom had ever had.

As is tradition, the bride and groom exchanged gifts prior to the wedding. While Matthew purchased Emily the watch that she had always wanted. Emily commissioned a custom ring for Matthew’s shooting hand (as opposed to for his wedding band). This one of a kind band has the depth of field scale from his favorite lens, the .95 Noctilux. On the sides, the ring features both Matthew’s name and The Leica Guy moniker on one side, and the Lens information including name, filter size, and serial number on the other. It truly is a unique piece of art and jewelry – perfect for the occasion.

After the wedding, the two left for their honeymoon to Praiano, Italy. Each equipped with a Leica M9-P and a variety of lenses – the honeymoon was captured exclusively with Leica brand equipment. While most of the photos are still being edited, a few samples are available in the gallery below. Emily’s M9-P was mostly equipped with an F/1 Noctilux, while Matthew’s was equipped with his .95 Noctilux.

Be sure to check back for more photos and updates from their adventures.

I recently purchased a Leica IIIf Red Dial Self Timer camera kit on ebay and it is jaw-droppingly gorgeous. Included in the kit was the Leica IIIf Red Dial Self Timer body (serial #770089, ca. 1955) w/grey vulcanite, standard baseplate, takeup spool; Ernst Leitz Wetzlar 50mm f/2 Summicron (serial #921075, approx. 1951) w/front Leica cap; Ernst Leitz Wetzlar IROOA lens hood for Summicron lens; Ernst Leitz Wetzlar ‘Leicavit’ rapid winder w/original box; Ernst Leitz Wetzlar SBLOO 35mm brightline finder; Leica ever-ready case and strap for Leica camera w/Leicavit (bottom screw included but separate from case); Leica IIIf instruction manual; Leica box for LUOOX IIIF (Leica IIIf w/50mm f/2 Summicron) — not original to this camera; Chrome metal chain strap (not sure if Leica or not).

These images were taken with a vintage Leica iiif loaded with 400cn black and white film. The location is an abandoned industrial complex in Easthampton, Massachusetts. I am not sure what it was used for – but it certainly isn’t clear now considering how far abandoned and demolished it is. Makes for a great location for photos though.

I shot with GONE BY DAYLIGHT on Friday night. They needed promo photos and I shot them in an empty studio space in the building that houses my law office. I had four Profoto D1 500′s… one profoto Acute 2400 generator with a D4 head. Sid Vintage did the styling. Karrie Welch from Fortunate Face Minerals did the makeup.

GONE BY DAYLIGHT led up to their reputation. Fun, Good Times, and Great Shots filled our evening into the wee morning. I shot them using my Leica S2-P. Most of the shots featured the 70mm lens – as wide open as possible (2.5-5.6) using filters. I also used the 35mm for a few group shots as it was impossible to get them within the frame at such a narrow depth of field.

I love the Leica glass…. it’s sharp wide open. It’s calibrated to be so. No other glass I know is meant for that. So while shooting at 2.5 is crisp – it may not be enough depth to get everyone in focus. It was a problem that I solved by going wider.

Thanks go to Tricia Slate and Emily Therese for their amazing assisting of me during the shoot – including the pizza / drinks run. Thanks ladies!

Saturday, Karrie Welch came back and Emily Therese put her model hat on. Or off – in this case – as Karrie also did hair.

I used both the 70mm lens and the 180mm lens for full body and facial portraits respectively. I usually use the 70mm for everything – as I like that working distance between the model and my subject (especially if we are on location and others are around and I wanna keep my actions to a minimum.) However, in a studio setting when room is not an option – the 180 is an amazingly flattering lens. The compression on a subject’s face is probably the most flattering I have seen in a long time.

I added a second head to the 2400 generator and an Acute 1200 generator with a ringflash.

While I started shooting with my “patented” 7 light fashion setup… I didn’t do it exclusively for both looks. The second look only used 2 or 3 lights (depending upon the particular shot) and frankly, I liked that one a lot better. Sample photos will be up soon – as soon as I finish editing more than just a handful.

I guess I need to go back to school for studio lighting. Not literally… but I guess it’s time to invest in some books, some more modifiers, and some time. But it’s certainly nice to be re-inspired.

Makeup by Karrie Welch.