[Leica] Wedding pics are back!!

["Richard W. Hemingway" <rheming@ibm.net>]

Luggers:

Some time ago I asked for advice as my granddaughter asked me to do some
photographing for her wedding.  Since they had hired a professional
photographer (which I would never do again - did it once for my daughter,
ugh! - years ago), I decided to only do rather casual shots prior to the
wedding and at the reception.  (The pastor asked that we not take pictures
during the ceremony - the pro did a few).

I tried out Fuji 800G at the reception room earlier with the M6 (no flash)
and didn't like the color cast.  After a lot of help from you, I decided to
take B&W. I took both TMax 1600, shot at 800 and TMax 3200 shot at 1600
(some of the other film recommendations I was unable to get prior to the
wedding).

I used two M6 bodies, one with the 50/1.0 Noct. and the other with the
35/1.4 ASPH.  (I interchanged the lenses at times).  I started shooting
with the 800 at the pre-wedding events and on into the reception and later
used the 1600.  I shot the 50/Noct virtually all the time at 1.0 and the 35
at 1.4 at the reception - at the pre-wedding somewhat smaller f stop.  I
also used Fuji 800G with my wife's Leica Mini with the flash.  

I got the color prints back first and was somewhat astounded  with the
prints - they were quite good and the flash reached out at least 40 feet at
times!!  Since it was the first time I had used B&W for years and barely
had used the Noct., I was happy that the color prints were satisfactory and
my granddaugher liked them.  

The people at San Miguel Photo Lab in Las Vegas NM got the flu and my
prints got mixed in with the Easter traffic and I was wondering if They
would ever come back.  They called me and let me know they would be late
and I had a nice note from them when they came today.

Well!!  Were any of them in focus???  Was the exposure halfway good??  If
so were the pcitrues any good???  Today they came back.  The lab did a
great job.  I got the 4x6 proof prints and conrtact sheets.  Even though
the 4x6s were proof prints, they were hand printed and I can see that they
were somewhat minipulated as several are quite a bit better than on the
contact sheet.

Ted Grant and Tina are right - the Noct. is one heck of a lens.  It was
very dark for the most part and out of 72 prints maybe 6-8 of them are
badly out of focus.  I like the TMax 1600 at 800 a lot better than the 3200
at 1600.  They are more detailed and contrasty and have a better tonal
range.  If I did it again - not likely, I would have shot only the 1600 at
800.

When the exposure etc was right - the prints have real luminosity to them.
I love these lenses.  I like the fact that at f/1.0 the background is out
of focus making the subjects really stand out.

I like the B&W - will my granddaughter???  She will see them tonight.

Thanks to everyone in the LUG family who gave me help on this - I
appreciate it, my granddaughter apprecaites it, my wife, well I don't know
about my wife - she keeps saying that would be a good shot in only it was
in color!!

BTW I checked both films carefully and find no scratches on either.
#1705514 and #2289699 M6 bodies were used.

Thanks again,

Dick Hemingway
Plano, TX