Re: [Leica] Y2 Filter humbug!

[Guy Bennett <gbennett@lainet.com>]

Dante wrote:

>[snip] It also goes to your color perception.  To me, blue skies are not
>light blue
>(or light gray), especially when I am taking pictures in Italy or Spain.  To
>me, blue is darker than limestone, whitewash, and in fact, most elements that
>appear in landscapes.  Blues            are darker.


Skies here in Los Angeles tend to be big, bright, blue and cloudless (and
thus a bit boring). I find it difficult to shoot outdoors in daylight and
*not* include a bit of sky. Occasionally, the photo may feature a broad
expanse of sky and, frankly, the 060 filter does a beautiful job. At least
that has been my experience. The more intense the blue becomes as it rises
from the horizon, the darker the gray of the sky on the film. In fact, my
last set of proofs show some 060 skies that seem almost *too* dark to me,
approaching the look of an orange filter. I first thought the shots were
underexposed, but that is not the case.

I should add that I do not process my own film, and thus N+/- development
is not available to me. This may be better than the filter for blue skies,
but I'm not in a position to experiment with it, so I'll stick to the
filter.

One final note. I do use an old slip on yellow filter with my IIIF and LTM
lenses. The gray of the sky is considerably different, as are the shadows.
Some prints make one think of vintage shots made by the old Leica greats
(not for their photographic quality [alas] as much as for their tonal
rendition).

Guy