9/11/14 The Morning Coffee: Only Leicas

There is no such thing as too much orange.

A Good Morning to you—

So far it's been only Leicas on the Orange Couch. Juan Buhler shoots with an M9 (traded for prints) and an M8; and yesterday my buddy Jack MacDonough (you probably remember his print sale back in June) came by loaded for orange! Orange shirt, orange camera bag for the Leica S2, and orange snap-on case for the Leica T.

The orange bag is actually his real bag for the S2. Why? "So when someone tries to take it, I can see where they are going. So I don't have a bag that looks like a camera bag filled with gear. So I don't take myself seriously."

Jack's picture of me taking the picture of him.

I really like the Leica T. It's a beautiful little piece of metal sculpture, with an outstanding feel in the hand and a shutter sound that might well be the best of any camera ever. It's surprisingly similar to the Sony NEX / A6000 cameras in shape and general layout, but it feels much better simply because it's such a little work of art.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I generally really like the Kaufmann Leicas. I'd never diss an M camera or anyone who uses one, of course, but it's a legacy design and has never quite felt entirely native to digital to me. Jay Leno, in talking about car design, distinguishes between cars that are the product of one person's vision and those that are made by committees. Andreas Kaufmann's Leicas (I'm primarily talking about the S and the T I guess) seem to have that single-visionary quality to me. He deserves more credit, if you ask me. He's the Steve Jobs of Leica. His cameras are particular, striking successes.

All that said, I'll still take my NEX-6, because of the built-in EVF and the flip-up viewing screen, both features that I like. The NEX-6 is quite a bit cheaper, but I can't say the Leica T isn't worth its price. I think it is.

Obligatory Butters shot

We got the kitchen moved today, and the only part of the task I liked was this:

Pictures on the fridge is definitely one of those details that make a house a home. (Scott Hill gets the palm as best family-card photographer on our fridge. You out there, Scott?)

Later on I cooked for myself for the first time in the new house. I semi-successfully fixed boiled green beans and baked quartered red potatoes. It took every ounce of intelligence I possess and every scrap of attentiveness. Do you think it would be piggish of me to write a “Morning Coffee” about how grateful I can be when someone cooks for me? I know it’s a stereotype, but I really like being cooked for. It doesn't happen very often and I'm genuinely appreciative whenever it does. I have just the smallest shred of aptitude myself. If you're lucky enough to get cooked for today, remember to let the cook know you care.

Hope you have a good one.

Mike

"Morning Coffee" is auto-published weekdays at 3:30 a.m. Central Time today to be in time for morning coffee breaks in the UK and Europe.

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Original contents copyright 2014 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Steve Jacob: "I do the cooking around here. My lovely partner may be able to do magic in InDesign and Photoshop, paint masterly portraits and do my bookkeeping, but she runs out of puff when required to do much more than heat up a ready made flan. Not that I mind. I have a degree in Chemistry and there is not all that much difference when you come down to it. It's also fun to experiment, even if the odd weirdness results. I do however get plenty of appreciation. That's actually part of the reward, along with eating nice food of course. And she does the washing up."

Scott Hill: "So this is what 'Internet famous' feels like! Very proud that our kids occupy such prime real estate—thanks, Mike!"

Mike replies: Hi Scott. Now you're under pressure for this year, y'know.  :-)

UPDATE from Jack about the bag: "Regarding the questions about the Orange Bag. It is a Tumi Alpha Bravo Knox Backpack . You can get it from Amazon and TOP will make money. It is not waterproof and has no padding, but it works for me. I can carry any S equipment and accessories. I like that it has a nice carrying handle, but also shoulder straps if I'm going a distance. Normally I just have the camera in my hand, which is why I have a wrist step. Perhaps I should update the wrist strap with orange rather than red? Here is the Leica S2 in the bag. By the way that was not a 70mm on the body at Mike's, it was the 30mm–90mm S zoom [about a 24–75mm-e  —Ed.]."

[A different] Scott Hill: "I guess I'm not the Scott Hill. (OK, just not the one referred to here  ;-)  It's oddly startling to see your name in the middle of something like that."

Comments

[Richard Parkin]

With all the changes going on here can we assume that the site will be relaunched as The Orange Photographer?

[Mike Plews]

The orange bag is a nice touch. A local shooter who travels a lot once told me he likes to put his camera bags into a nicely scruffed up Huggie's diaper bag. Who's going to steal that?
Brilliant

[Thingo]

Mmm. Orange. Good choice. My camera gear has orange cases, that tone with two orange suitcases for travel. I'm pleased someone else thought about keeping an eye on where the camera (or other) gear is going.

I like the walk-around S2 & 70mm lens.

[Dave in NM]

I noticed your 'Chuck Close' portrait of LuLu on the fridge, but you haven't mentioned her in a while—the new fella seems to be taking center stage. How's she taking to the new digs?

And btw, if you can load a film reel and mix developer, you can learn to cook. It doesn't need to be difficult.

[People are never going to stop saying that, I realize, but I can't cook. Take my word. I also can't keep plants alive. There are some things we have a feel for, and some things we don't, and that's life. --Mike]

[John Holmes]

What is that bag? I might be interested in getting it.

[Bruce Mayer]

That's a really orange bag; what's the brand name? It looks very capable.

[John Krumm]

I learned to cook while living with my single dad who not only couldn't cook, he fell into the category of "shouldn't cook," as it was always a grueling punishment to experience the results. I usually enjoy it, and I definitely find pleasure in following a good recipe. Good cook books followed closely, that's what works for me.

However, I understand distaste for a chore. I'm that way with home improvement projects. I get zero pleasure doing them, and I love hiring a pro when I can.

[Kalli]

New Rule: Anytime TOP publishes a portrait of a photographer sitting on the Orange Is the New Couch*, with his or her camera bag in the frame, TOP needs to mention the model of the camera bag. Feel free to add links to Amazon and/or BH.

* Sorry about that horrible, horrible pun. I'll go stand in the corner now.

[Jim Meeks]

I'm interested in the bag too!

[Ben Rosengart]

I know you're not a big traveller, Mike, but if you ever get to San Francisco, Suzanne and I would love to cook for you.

[BWJones]

Dat couch!

[Jack]

Regarding the questions about the Orange Bag.
It is a Tumi Alpha Bravo Knox Backpack
http://www.tumi.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4209926&prodFindSrc=paramNav

You can get it through Amazon and TOP will make money.
It is not waterproof and has no padding, but it works for me.
I can carry any S equipment and accessories. I like that it has a nice carrying handle, but also shoulder straps if I'm going a distance. Normally I just have the camera in my hand, which is why I have a wrist step. Perhaps I should update the wrist strap with orange rather than red?

Here is the Leica S2 in the bag.
http://www.reddotforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2577&d=1400017955

BTW that was not a 70mm on the body at Mike's, it is the 30mm-90mm S zoom.

[MikeR]

Can't cook?!? Can do good stuff in the darkroom, and can't cook? B'gawd, yer using the same sorts of stuff, materials, chemistry, processes, timing, and at the end, making magic happen. I cannot believe there's not a "won't" hiding inside that "can't."

My late daughter-in-law, a chef, once gave me a copy of "Think Like a Chef" for Christmas. Reading it liberated me from the tyranny of the recipe, and helped me to understand what I was trying to do.

Here's my prescription: Maybe buy a copy of Cooks Illustrated magazine, and read it, not to really cook anything, but for the narrative describing what's going on as they work out a recipe. Try Michael Pollan's "Cooked" for a fascinating history of food transformation. And here's one on my Amazon wishlist, which I intend to get once I whittle down my current reading backlog: "Cooking for Geeks: Real Science, Great Hacks, and Good Food"

bon appetit!

[Jim Simmons]

Designer of Apple goodness is Jony Ives, not Mr Jobs. Apple first got started with world class design with the German company Frog Design, but brought in Englishman Ives in the early '90s.

[Dave in NM]

"There are some things we have a feel for, and some things we don't, and that's life."

The point I was making is that you can pull it off by following instructions. Most photographers don't wing it when they're mixing chemicals—they follow a recipe—no "feel" necessary. Later on, if/when the spirit moves, there's always room for experimentation. Then, you gotta have That Feel.

[Kenneth Tanaka]

So I guess orange really is the new black?

I've long lamented that most camera-type bags continue to be lined with gray or black fabrics. Trying to find a black-colored thing (camera, accessory) in a black bag at night, or even in low light, is absurdly hard. Only one bag I've owned has featured a bright (yellow) lining.

I love that diaper bag idea, Mike P.! That would mate perfectly with the "dirty diaper"-style hold that Kirk Tuck once observed when shooting with an lcd-only camera.

[darr]

I use to think orange was best left for Popsicles and pumpkins until I saw your couch; now I want one too.

[jim]

You'd better start turning all those lights off or you will wilt at the sight of your electric bill! Plus I'd start cutting firewood, my brother in law in Duluth says they may get snow this weekend and it looks like another doozie of a winter! Still 97 here in Texas:)( You oughta see that spin the meter around!)Lastly those pics on the fridge are great but they are just a little too neat!

[Dan Khong]

I like toting a Leica too, an M6 to be specific. Hooked by the Leica mystique.

Recently had a terrific time shooting with the 50/1.4 Summilux. Souped the two rolls of Tri-X and got them scanned by the pro-lab. I enjoy looking at the jpeg images as much as printing the keepers in my darkroom within the next fortnight.

No immediacy is sometimes good. One learns to maximize your limit of 36 images per roll, like honing a "One shot one kill" discipline.

It would be nice if they made Deuter bags in orange colour too. They double up nicely as camera bags.

[Jack]

I assume you have an orange couch for the same reason I have an Orange Bag. It's easier to see it if somebody is walking away with it?

[Gary Morris]

Jack… that bag should have a seat reserved for it around the Biltmore fire pit this winter! Far more chic than most of the outfits I see when I'm there!

[Auntipode]

Too bad I live half a world away, or I'd be happy to pop by and cook a yummy meal for you!

[Kurt Holter]

So nice to see a kitchen with white appliances instead of stainless steel. My wife brute forced us into the stainless stuff, and I swear it'll show a smudge or fingerprint if you get your hand within six inches of it.

[robert quiet photographer]

Good tip about having an orange bag in order to locate it if someone tries to steel it!
robert