Gears, Guitars, and Goo-goggery™

A small handful of random Vineyard and Boston photos; not earth-shattering, but fun, and once again proving that the world looks much more interesting in BW.



























NB: I have no idea where the word goo-goggery came from, perhaps from the primal depths, extracting the word I used as a very small child for bath goggles - goo-goo goggles - and applying it to the things I see on the street (while trying to come up with a g-word). I Googled it (ha ha) and found nothing, so I guess it's mine :-) (filed under dubious achievements).

Old World Gentlemen

On my way out the door to do afternoon errands, I came upon, within thirty seconds of each other, two of my neighbors, Leon and Dennis, and was thrilled when each of them graciously allowed me to grab a quick portrait in the gorgeous light of the vestibule of our building, and even happier with the results.




Leon




Dennis



1284 from the rear.

Boston Faces

I love faces and I love street photography, all of the above having been greatly enhanced via my return to using an older - and for years all-but-forgotten - 50mm/1.4 lens, the speed of which, when combined with the amazing 5D, is everything I ever dreamed of back in my SpotmaticF/Tri-x/darkroom days (days of antiquity). Back then, all I wanted was longer lenses and all the latest technology, and now that I've got all that I am realizing that I actually had everything I needed, lo those forty years ago. I'm also now blatantly and unabashedly shooting almost all of my personal stuff in BW, BW being pure drop, as far as I'm concerned.

Not only am I enjoying the shooting in the near-dark capabilities of this combo, but I love the smaller size of the 50, which is minimally off-putting and easier to keep always-ready on my shoulder, but the short focal length forces me up a little closer to my subject - an edgier way of shooting, to be sure - and the wide open apertures make for wicked awesome out-of-focus backgrounds. I feel as though I'm home again, following a long and circuitous (and very educational) journey.

These are from a recent foray into downtown Boston; from Quincy Market and Haymarket, all ultimately on my way to play a little Irish music with my friends at the Littlest Bar.