The Dream Catcher Project continues with a new episode in California. This one is quite different from any of the previous episodes due to the combination of professional studio lighting, professional modeling and the rangefinder camera shooting. When I saw Nika's profile in a local meetup group page for the first time, she immediately reminded me of the gorgeous blond figure of Holly Madison in Las Vegas. Her "Peep Show" poster outside the Planet Hollywood Resort was so impressive that I couldn't help thinking about recreating its sexy and delicate feels. Unfortunately, I have no professional DSLRs at hand this time, only a Leica M9 plus Summarit-M 35 and 90 lenses. For studio portraits like this, Summarit-M 90 f/2.5 lens became my best bet to achieve the most flattering effects. And this combo really worked. The manual focus was not as hard as someone might think in the rangefinder considering the small aperture (like around f/10~f/11) used throughout the whole session. Yet the fastest flash sync speed can only achieve 1/180s that really placed some limitation in creating the motion and it caused an accidental motion-blur effect. Besides the gears, working with a professional and stunning model like Nika is such an enjoyable experience, not only could she read your mind and intention in a split of second, but also her patience and experience made your image creation like a breeze. Well, many people might be more focused on how many good images finally obtained, but in my opinion it is more like a great learning, practice and communication opportunity with another professional. Each image undoubtedly reflected the confluence of our minds and skills, making it unique and unforgettable.
All of the images below were captured by Leica M9 + Summarit-M 90 f/2.5. Enjoy ~~~
