Steve, thank you for creating and maintaining this site. You make photography approachable through your effort, words, forthrightness, and attitude and I’m grateful. My interest in photography has waxed and waned over the years for various reasons, and each time I take a camera in hand after a hiatus, I wonder why I stopped…
Camera back in hand, I recently joined the Leica ranks, and I am getting why these cameras are loved. It’s been a challenge and has taken a bit of time to begin getting right, and believe me, I have a lot to learn (which is part of the fun of it). Here are a few of my latest from the Blues Week Festival in St. Louis. What a great event, terrific music, beautiful weather, cold beer, and a audience that can’t be beat. This event goes through this week, and it’s free, I highly recommend it!
These were all shot with a Leica M9, and either a 50mm or 35mm Sumicron lens, most were at ISO 1000. The experience of shooting this event was really fun. I have never had people interact with me as this crowd did in such a fun and friendly way. The performers were fun to speak with and to a person, grateful for the audience, truly passionate for their art. Feed back always appreciated, good or not.
You can see more at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kurtbangert/sets/72157627407137673/
Kurt Bangert
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Hello Kurt,
Just getting to my computer, entered my name and see all of the beautiful work from the ‘Blues Fest’ Thank you for all you do.
Always
Miz Renee Smith
I think the way the see the world is wonderful .
You have a brilliance for capturing the human spirit .
Can’t wait to see what unfolds next with your camera:)
Great, great stuff!!!! Image two is absolutely wonderful!
Really like the last image Kurt, it has an iconic look to it.
Wonderful images , just takes you right there.
Well done and look forward to seeing more.
Ross
Thanks Ross, follow the link for more. I’ll be shooting this weekend’s event as well as the Big Muddy Blues Festival and will post on flickr.
wow awesome shots, all pics are great!!!
Thanks man, appreciate it
Great images, Kurt! Love the fact you made them all black&white!! Also glad you are out shooting again….
Thanks Rich, thank you for the compliment. I am a big fan of B&W, partly because I am generously blessed with a good dose of “color deficiency” so it’s real tough for me to get the colors right especially when I don’t have the white balance set right in the camera. I just don’t see the color nuances that most people do. I do see color, it’s just that the red-green-brown shades and purple-blue gets to be a challenge!
Feels good to be shooting – thanks.
They are all great but number two is my favorite, so much going on and expression! It tells the whole story.
Clyde, thanks for the compliment and I agree with you it is one of my favorites and does embody the spirit of the event. BTW, the top photo is of Miz Renee Smith, she really poured it out, and the bottom is Stacy Mitchhart – all the performers were really top notch.
With you there to see them perform it must have been awesome. You have put a very special series together and gave me another kick in the pants toward selling the farm and getting an M9!
Beautiful work. Imagine the number of nice pictures you did not make when you were in your downtime.
No kidding. I mean I did have to stop and enjoy the awesome music and dance a bit!