2011 PAW (Picture a Week)

My 2008 PAW is here

My 2009 PAW is here

My 2010 PAW is here

And here on this page is my fourth year of this project...

Week 1 (12/27/10 - 1/2/11)

Every year on New Year's eve Warrenton holds a "first night" celebration. The main street is blocked off and turned into a pedestrian thoroughfare, there are horse-drawn wagon rides for the kids, and different kinds of musical acts are hosted at various places across old town. I wandered down with my Leica. Even with a fast lens, shooting was very difficult given the very low light levels. But it was still a lot of fun and I got a few nice images. (Leica M9, Summilux 35/1.4 ASPH (ver 1), iso 2500, 1/25 at f1.4)

Week 2 (1/3/11 - 1/9/11)

I wandered down to Dupont Circle during lunch one day this week. As is usual when I don't have a defined shoot in mind, I tend to experiment with imagery. Conceptualizing how light and form might look in a final image. So it was here. This was found in a storefront. I shot a couple of frames, one in focus; one - this one - deliberately not. I like them both, but think this softened version better represents the opaqueness I had in mind. (Leica M9, Summilux 35/1.4 ASPH (ver 1), iso 160, 1/1000 at f1.4)

Week 3 (1/10/11 - 1/16/11)

This shot was taken at the annual DC Motorcycle Show, held every January. I've been going to these shows for years and have usually used either a 35/1.4 or 50/1.4 as my primary (and usually only) lens. This year, for the first time, I elected to use the fastest lens I own - my Noctilux - for all the show pics. Not for the speed - f2 is a perfectly good working aperture at a venue like that - but rather for the unique signature it provides. (I did switch to a 35 once I left the show and was walking around Chinatown). More images from the show can be seen here. (Leica M9, Noctilux, iso 640, 1/180 at f1)

Week 4 (1/17/11 - 1/23/11)

I had such a good time with my Noctilux at last weekend's bike show that I put it back on my camera when I left DC and left it on all week. The first time I've ever used it as my primary lens for more than a few hours. This shot was just one of those happenstance images that shows up every now and again. I liked the reflected light off my son Jason's face and I knew that the natural vignetting and narrow depth of field of the Noct would mostly blow out the busy foreground and areas to the side. My dog Jasiri walking into the frame and Jason glancing up at him was the serendipitous part. (Leica M9, Noctilux, iso 640, 1/60 at f1)

Week 5 (1/24/11 - 1/30/11)

Triggered by the snow storm on Wednesday, my taking a vacation day on Thursday, and my continued delight with my Noctilux (look for a blog entry regarding that shortly) - this week saw more shooting than usual. I had several images I liked. In the end, this one of the Marine Corps Iwo Jima Memorial got the nod. (Leica M9, Noctilux, 6-stop ND filter, iso 160, 1/60 at f1)

Week 6 (1/31/11 - 2/6/11)

I like rain and clouds and fog when photographing, as they often add an element of drama. So it was, seeing those conditions, that I drove down Saturday morning to The Mall in DC. This was my favorite image from the hour or so I spent down there. (Leica M9, Noctilux, iso 160, 1/4000 at f1)

Week 7 (2/7/11 - 2/13/11)

An image captured while strolling around Old Town Alexandria. There were too many reflections - oftentimes the case when walking the street and peering through shop windows - but I thought the girl was enchanting. (Leica M9, Noctilux, 6-stop ND filter, iso 640, 1/60 at f1)

Week 8 (2/14/11 - 2/20/11)

I got this image during a lunchtime stroll down to Dupont Circle. We had an unusually warm Friday and that brought lots of people out on the street. Including me. (Leica M9, Noctilux, 6-stop ND filter, iso 160, 1/125 at f1)

Week 9 (2/21/11 - 2/27/11)

My local Harley Davidson dealer had, of all things, an art show. Called "Live Fast," it was put on by Art Whino (www.artwhino.com) and consisted of a variety of different kinds of art - everything from gas tank art to more traditional paintings. I especially liked this one, called "The Foundry," by Richard Allen Haugh, of Mississippi. It's vibrancy and color were very appealing. And despite the extraordinarily busy background in a motorcycle dealership, shooting it at f1 gave it an almost translucent quality. (Leica M9, Noctilux, iso 320, 1/500 at f1)

Week 10 (2/28/11 - 3/6/11)

This is one of my favorite signs, in one of my favorite places. I captured it during an afternoon stroll through The Plains on Saturday. I've shot this sign a number of times, but this was the first time I've shot it from above, from off the porch looking towards the street. An alternative view (from the web gallery The Plains at Night) can be seen in the image here, from several weeks ago (Leica M9, Noctilux, 6-stop ND filter, iso 320, 1/125 at f1)

Week 11 (3/7/11 - 3/13/11)

It won't come as a surprise to anyone who has followed my PAW's over the years - but I like Arlington Cemetery. I wander down there periodically and I always find something new. I think it was sometime last year that I discovered Medgar Evers' grave - not an especially easy thing since it's not marked any different from any of the tens of thousands of other graves there. I've stopped and gotten a few images of it since, but none that I really liked until this week. (Leica M9, Noctilux, 6-stop ND filter, iso 160, 1/180 at f1)

Week 12 (3/14/11 - 3/20/11)

Saw this sad little fellow on one of my nighttime strolls through old town Warrenton. (Leica M9, Noctilux, iso 1600, 1/45 at f1)

Week 13 (3/21/11 - 3/27/11)

Singers and muscians are natural subjects when doing street photography. They're easier to photograph than, for instance, an average person just sitting there - simply because the very act of doing what they are doing in public sets them apart from the crowd. The fact that they are doing something out of the ordinary already sets an expectation that other people will find them interesting and may snap a picture of them. Contrast that with the bulk of street photography - where the majority of subjects are everyday people doing everyday things and there is a natural disinclination to expect someone will want to photograph you - leading to surprise, wonder, and in some cases paranoia when they do. This was in Old Town Alexandria. (Leica M9, Noctilux, 6-stop ND filter, iso 160, 1/90 at f1)

Week 14 (3/28/11 - 4/3/11)

On my annual excursion down to the Tidal Basin to catch a few images of the cherry blossoms (I posted a couple images in my blog) I walked by the Vietnam Memorial. These women had just found the name they were searching for. (Leica M9, Noctilux, 6-stop ND filter, iso 160, 1/125 at f1)

Week 15 (4/4/11 - 4/10/11)

At night most illumination is from point light sources. It's very limited, simply splashes of light interspersed amongst large splotches of darkness. Walking around old town Warrenton Saturday night, I liked the confluence of these two very different bits of light. (Leica M9, Noctilux, iso 2000, 1/25 at f1)

Week 16 (4/11/11 - 4/17/11)

This large, angular stone is a fomer slave auction block. After the Civil War it was used as a foundation stone in one of the local buildings. In the latter decades of the twentieth century it was recognized for the important historical artifact it was, and was placed in the small grassy area next to the Warrenton courthouse. (Leica M9, Noctilux, iso 160, 1/250 at f1)

Week 17 (4/18/11 - 4/24/11)

I like this image because of the backlighting, the way the wash of bright sun directly behind it wraps it in an etheral glow. (Leica M9, Noctilux, 6-stop ND filter, iso 160, 1/500 at f1)

Week 18 (4/25/11 - 5/1/11)

Some of us aren't much for following the rules. (Leica M9, Noctilux, 6-stop ND filter, iso 160, 1/350 at f1)

Week 19 (5/2/11 - 5/8/11)

I love this sign, and this view. I've shot it a half-dozen times before, during the day and at night; and with my 35 Summilux, my 50 Summilux, and now my Noctilux. Always wide-open, as the background is too cluttered to work well if you've got any depth of field present. I like all those slightly different variations. But this one, this week, with the Noct, is my favorite. (Leica M9, Noctilux, iso 160, 1/250 at f1)

Week 20 (5/9/11 - 5/15/11)

This is Sarah, my wife's aunt, on the occasion of her 90th birthday. She is a remarkable woman in so many ways. (Leica M9, Noctilux, iso 320, 1/125 at f1)

Week 21 (5/16/11 - 5/22/11)

I'm a day late posting this because I was off on a 5-day motorcycle adventure. This shot was taken at dinner one night, after riding all day. I like the darkness and the way what little light there is gently frames the pretty young girl. (Leica M9, Noctilux, iso 2500, 1/500 at f1)

Week 22 (5/23/11 - 5/29/11)

This is a shot of my long-time motorcycle riding buddy, John, on our spring trip this year into West Virginia. (Leica M9, Noctilux, iso 640, 1/750 at f1)

Week 23 (5/30/11 - 6/5/11)

I was traveling alone on the ride home from our motorcycle trip into West Virginia this week and stopped along one of my favorite trout streams. Pulled out my Gitzo tripod and took a handful of shots - of which this was my favorite. (Other images from that trip can be seen here). (Leica M9, Noctilux, 6-stop ND filter, iso 160, 1/45 at f1)

Week 24 (6/6/11 - 6/12/11)

I spent the better part of Saturday up at my local BMW dealer (Bob's BMW, in Maryland). While waiting for my bike to be serviced I wandered around and took a few pictures. Here's one of a quite old Boxer Twin. I like both the image and the bike! (Leica M9, Summilux 35/1.4 ASPH (ver 1), iso 320, 1/90 at f1.4)

Week 25 (6/13/11 - 6/19/11)

I captured this image captured at the annual Big Damn Bike Show at Waugh Harley-Davidson. Pretty girls do indeed go with bikes! (Leica M9, Summicron 75/2 ASPH, iso 160, 1/3000 at f2.8)

Week 26 (6/20/11 - 6/26/11)

I like street photography... walking an urban area with no preconceptions of what one might find. Simply looking for snippets of time, images that represent an interesting vignette of someone's life. Usually we think of those little slices as being about life. Alas, sometimes they're not. (Leica M9, Summilux 35/1.4 ASPH (ver 1), iso 160, 1/2000 at f2)

Week 27 (6/27/11 - 7/3/11)

My oldest son is getting married next weekend. And so it was that when I saw this storefront image on my nighttime stroll through old town Warrenton, it seemed apropos. (Leica M9, Noctilux, iso 400, 1/125 at f1)

Week 28 (7/4/11 - 7/10/11)

The couple - my son Josh and his fiancee Jenni -were getting married the next day. That's her uncle capturing a lovely late evening image (Leica M9, Noctilux, iso 1600, 1/60 at f1)

Week 29 (7/11/11 - 7/17/11)

Had to work late one evening. So I walked down to Dupont Circle to grab a burger. As usual, I had my ever-present Leica with me. When I saw this rider at the stop light, I quickly crossed the street, turned, and pre-focused on a spot a few feet in front of me. I'm sure she was wondering why I was taking her picture - a question written in her countenance. (Leica M9, Summilux 35/1.4 ASPH (ver 1), iso 160, 1/3000 at f2)

Week 30 (7/18/11 - 7/24/11)

I captured this image during a nighttime stroll through old town Warrenton. I liked the confluence of light, shadow, and form. (Leica M9, Noctilux, iso 1600, 1/750 at f1)

The general rule with my picture of the week is that whatever image I post must have been taken during that calendar week - from Monday morning when the week starts to Sunday night when it ends. A couple years ago I added an exception for film - since it is often days, weeks, or even months after shooting a roll of film before I might get around to developing and reviewing it, I adjusted my rule to allow consideration of those film images during whatever week that development and review takes place.

I'm now going to add two more tweaks to my rule. The first is that any images I shoot after posting my picture of the week are allowed in the following week's selection. That's to avoid "losing" any images I might take if I post early - as every now and again I'll post my PAW before the week is over.

The second change is that I'm now going to allow two wild cards. Twice during the year I'm going to allow the posting of an image that wasn't taken during that week. The only caveat is that it must have been taken sometime during the calendar year. That's simply to acknowledge those weeks where I might have more than one image I like - and the corresponding weeks that I don't have any. And so it is that this week will be wildcard number one...

Week 31 (7/25/11 - 7/31/11)

This image was actually taken during March. I've always liked it. (Leica M9, Noctilux, 6-stop ND filter, iso 160, 1/180 at f1)

Week 32 (8/1/11 - 8/7/11)

I've always liked this image of the Iron Bridge restaurant in Warrenton. I like the architecture of the building and the way the nighttime light of old town shades the windows and the roof and you get just a glimpse of life - of people in the restaurant and people walking by. I've shot it a bunch of times. This week I shot it again on Saturday night, following a couple hours of rain in the late evening. Very humid and with just a hint of sprinkle still in the air. (Leica M9, Noctilux, iso 1600, 1/60 at f1)

Week 33 (8/8/11 - 8/14/11)

As Sunday came rolling around I didn't have any images for the week. Rain was forecast, so it wasn't a great day to go on a motorcycle ride. So I jumped in the truck and headed down to one of my old favorites - the Iwo Jima Memorial. While walking along the base of the memorial, studying the shapes and the light, I saw this image. (Leica M9, Noctilux, 6-stop ND filter, iso 160, 1/180 at f1)

Week 34 (8/15/11 - 8/21/11)

I know, I'm very late posting this. That's because I was away on a motorcycle road trip (http://jeffreyhughes.net/wordpress/2011/08/24/a-tale-from-the-thai-thai). Anyway, here's my selection from last week. Taken last Saturday night at the Brazenhead Inn in Mingo, West Virginia (Leica M9, Noctilux, iso 2500, 1/60 at f1)

Week 35 (8/22/11 - 8/28/11)

On the last night of my week-long solo motorcycle trip I stayed at Tuggles Gap. Early in the morning I rode down to the Meadows of Dan for breakfast. As I rode by Mabry Mill I glanced back over my shoulder and saw this classic scene (which I've photographed numerous times). I quickly decided to stop and add this one to my collection. (Leica M9, Summilux 35/1.4 ASPH (ver 1), iso 400, 1/250 at f2)

Week 36 (8/29/11 - 9/4/11)

This is Tabitha, a delightful young woman whom Neil chatted up during our recent Chicken Run. (Leica M9, Noctilux, iso 400, 1/350 at f1)

Week 37 (9/5/11 - 9/11/11)

Taken on the Monday of my return from the Labor Day Chicken Run (other images from which can be seen here), I must admit to an enormous bias. This is one of my favorite motorcycle roads, running along one of my favorite trout streams. And so it's not surprising that I always feel a wonderful vibe here! (Leica M9, Noctilux, iso 160, 1/750 at f1)

Week 38 (9/12/11 - 9/18/11)

Okay, this week I'm using my second, and last, wildcard of the year. This shot was actually taken a few weeks ago. I'm not going to apologize for my repeated wanderings down to Iwo Jima and Arlington Cemetery. I feel like the images I post from those places are sufficiently different from one another to dispel the argument that they're all the same. This shot, for instance, is of an angle not seen very often. More importantly, I think those two locales are both spiritually and photographically rewarding... and warrant continued attention. (Leica M9, Noctilux, iso 160, 6-stop ND filter, 1/250 at f1)

Week 39 (9/19/11 - 9/25/11)

On a whim, I drove over to the Renaissance Festival near Annapolis. That fair has been in existence for many years now and I've long wanted to go see it. I don't know why it took me so long or why, on a cloudy, drizzly Saturday I finally decided to head over there. But I'm glad I did. I greatly enjoyed my hour or so wandering the grounds there. Everyone - including many of the visitors - very much got into the period dress. I don't know that I've ever seen so much cleavage in one place! I captured this image just as I was leaving. (Leica M9, Summicron 50/2.0, iso 160, 1/3000 at f2)

Week 40 (9/26/11 - 10/2/11)

Okay, this is a bit of a reprise of week 19, albeit that one was in color. The thing I most like about this image is the way the light seems to emanate from the planter, illuminating both the sign and the "garden" in the background. (Leica M9, Summicron 50/2.0, iso 160, 1/350 at f2)

Week 41 (10/3/11 - 10/9/11)

This was from one of the small galleries in Old Town Alexandria. Walking past the doorway, I saw the fellow step towards and begin peering intently at the painting in front of him. I like the subtleties of this image - the overall spartan aesthetic of the gallery with the single visitor, captured by what he is seeing. (Leica M9, Summicron 50/2.0, iso 160, 1/90 at f2)

Week 42 (10/10/11 - 10/16/11)

I was walking around Middleburg and had sat down for a few minutes when this gentleman and a couple of family members walked by. He stopped right in front of me to get a picture of the others - using the now ubiquitous hold-the-camera-out-in-front-of-you style. I raised my Leica and quickly captured the moment. (Leica M9, Summicron 50/2.0, iso 160, 1/1000 at f2.8)

Week 43 (10/17/11 - 10/23/11)

I captured the image of this lovely young lady while walking up the street at Harpers Ferry. Just a tiny bit of serendipity. (Leica M9, Summilux 35/1.4 ASPH (ver 1), iso 160, 1/1000 at f2)

Week 44 (10/24/11 - 10/30/11)

There's a fairly good-sized artificial pool set in front of one of the municipal buildings a few blocks up King Street in Old Town Alexandria. A day after a freakish October snow storm blew through, I drove down there. I took a handful of frames as I slowly walked around the pool. This was my favorite. (Leica M9, Summicron 50/2.0, iso 160, 1/3000 at f2.8)

Week 45 (10/31/11 - 11/6/11)

I captured this image at the 'Occupy DC' protest in Washington D.C. I don't think I can add anything more to what the picture itself already says. A few more images from my street shooting session down there can be seen here. (Leica M9, Summilux 35/1.4 ASPH (ver 1), iso 160, 1/750 at f2)

Week 46 (11/7/11 - 11/13/11)

This was DC Foto Week. Alas, despite the headquarters gallery being only a few blocks from where I work, I only made it down there a couple times - a few quick minutes while at lunch. This was one of the images from those two quick visits. (Leica M9, Summilux 50/1.4 ASPH, iso 800, 1/750 at f2)

Week 47 (11/14/11 - 11/20/11)

This woman was reporting on the 'Occupy DC' protest in McPherson Square. "Are you shooting film?" she asked me after I squeezed off this frame. (Leica M9, Noctilux, iso 2500, 1/60 at f1)

Week 48 (11/21/11 - 11/27/11)

Young teenage girls have become so attached to their cell phones that it has become almost iconic. This shot here was taken in very dim lighting. I was attracted by the reflection of the light from the phone screens in the girls' faces. (Leica M9, Noctilux, iso 2500, 1/15 at f1)

Week 49 (11/28/11 - 12/4/11)

Another late night stroll in old town Warrenton. Now, alas, on the cusp of cold weather. (Leica M9, Noctilux, iso 1600, 1/90 at f1)

Week 50 (12/5/11 - 12/11/11)

On Saturday night I was driving my truck down an unaccustomed route when I passed a church with some interesting lighting. So I pulled into the empty parking lot, swapped my 50 Summilux (an f1.4 lens) for my Noctilux (an f1 lens), and walked around for a bit. I liked the stark, angular lighting in this image. (Leica M9, Noctilux, iso 1000, 1/250 at f1)

Week 51 (12/12/11 - 12/18/11)

Friday nights in old town Warrenton are usually pretty quiet. This particular evening was busier than usual because of the holidays - businesses were open later than normal and a lot of young people were there to see the Christmas celebration on the edge of town. (Leica M9, Noctilux, iso 2000, 1/125 at f1)

Week 52 (12/19/11 - 12/25/11)

In the spirit of the season. An image from a storefront window on a cold, dark night. (Leica M9, Noctilux, iso 800, 1/180 at f1)