Leica M9 does car museum...

Just outside Franschhoek is a wine farm with a difference. Apart from all the wines on sale and for tasting they have no less than four halls filled with a car collection that will makes your eyes water. All images made with the M9 & 35 mm Summilux asph at F1.4.

                                   The first hall contained some rare beauties from the Golden Age.

Another hall had only Mercedes Benz cars.

Then one only contained classic race cars.

The last hall was filled with Ferraris. From old to new.

Leica M9 does Hout Bay Harbour...

This place is also one of the highlights of anyone visiting the Cape. With one of the best places to eat fresh fish made on the docks.

                              M9,35mm 'LUX, ISO 160, F5.5, five images stitched together.
Hout Bay, or like the people from there like to call it, - the Republic of Hout Bay, are nestled in a fold of Table Mountain.

                                                         M9,35mm,'Lux,ISO 160, F1.4
We found this absolute delightfully young chap on the harbor feeding a giant seal some fish. When I told him to be careful when he feeds "Groot Piet", (Big Piet), he said that the seal would never bite him, as he does not fish have fish fingers!

                                                             M9,35 mm Lux, ISO 160, F1.4
Of cause this show is well rehearsed and Piet gets food and the boy gets a couple of cents from the tourists!

                                                             M9, 35mm 'Lux, ISO 160, F5.6
On the one end of the docks is this graveyard for the ships no longer in use.

Fishing boats always makes for colorful images. Four images stitched together. M9 35mm 'Lux, ISO 160, F5.6

                                                       M9,35mm Lux, ISO 160, F5.6

                                                            M9,35mm Lux, ISO 160, F5.6
                                             After the rains the seagulls was glad to have a bath.

Leica M9 does the Two Oceans Marathon... part 2...

The Two Oceans Marathon is a 56 km ultra-marathon witch has been held in Cape Town since 1970.
This year more than 10 000 runners braved very wet and windy conditions. I took the M9 to make some images. I wanted to shoot a marathon for a while now, but didn't want to take my new 35 mm 'Lux into this stormy and wet conditions. In the end I took the 50mm Summarit and made all images wide open at F2.5, ISO 600. I was not disappointed!

                                                                  The front runners.

                                            In this images only three feet are touching the ground.

                               Is this one really stretching, or contemplating going in to ask for help?

                                                         Like I said, it was really wet.

Yeah sure the camera and lens got wet, - and for a camera that is not weather sealed at all, it held-up without any problems.

Leica M9 does the Two Oceans Marathon... part 1...

Carrying on where I left of, - here are more images I made at the Two Oceans Marathon(56 km). A wet one this year. What will a marathon be without some jokers participating, - they bring a smile, even on such a wet day...

                                            Only 17 km to go? This is a walk in the park man!

                                                   Who said you can't run with a blue wig?

                           Flashing!? No, they are just showing me from witch running club they are.

                                                 A blind person running with his guide. Salute!

                                                                                    PAIN!

                                                                            MORE PAIN!

                                                                 Chapman's Peak.

                                                      Look at the rain coming down!

                                                                      Autumn colors.

                                                                    Reflections on the road.
All images was made with the M9 & 50 mm Summarit combo at F2.5 and ISO 600. 

Leica M9 does a street Jazz band...

At the V & A Waterfront in Cape Town we came onto a scene as if from a movie. A Jazz band was sitting under a tree playing the best jazz I have heard in a long time. People were walking by, some stop to listen, dropping a coin into the hat, and some bought a cd from the group. To the one side was a lady dancing on her own to the sound of the music.

With boats in the background, the lady dancing, and the beautiful music in the air I made a few images.

                                                Now these guys know how to jazz...

With the hard light from the back and the deep shadow under the tree, combined by me wanting to shoot at F1.4, the background was blown out!

         This guy's eyes was closed during every song, he was in his own world while playing, - magical!

Sometimes I look at this image and wished I made it at F5.6, all in focus. Other time I love the look I got from the middleman, F1.4 isolating that look.

We spoke to this lady and she had no connection to the band except for the absolute enjoyment of the magic it brought her.
All images made with the M9, 35mm, Summilux  asph, F1.4, ISO 160.

M9 does the beautiful Bo Kaap... part 3...

The last in this series. Four images made in the beautifully colorful area, Bo-Kaap, Cape Town.

I can rant on about the absolute excellent color rendering of the M9, but I think the images speak for themselves. All images made with the dream combination of the M9 and the 35 mm Summilux F1.4.

M9 does the colorful area of the Bo-Kaap... part 2...

Continuing where I left of in this beautiful area...
While the majority of Bo-Kaap's residents are still of Cape Malay origin, the housing boom in the past years has seen foreigners buying some of these beautiful colored, historical houses.

An attractive and most colorful place to stroll around in with a few coffee shops and restaurants to sit and taste local cuisine.

                                Three images stitched together. Table Mountain as a backdrop.

                             There is still a Bo-Kaap carnival on the 2 January every year in this area.

           One of the coffee shops in the Bo-Kaap. All images made with the M9,35 mm 'Lux.

M9 does the colorful Bo-Kaap, Cape Town... part 1...

Just a stone trow away from the city center, you can find the most beautiful area caled the Bo-Kaap. (Top-Cape). An area with steep hills due to the location against the hill called Signal Hill, this area is a feast for a photographer wanting to explore the color settings of his tools...

Just look at these colors! This street, including the mosque seems to like pastel colors. See the man peeping at me through the window? This area was originally settled by freed slaves brought over by the Dutch in the 17th Century. This Cape Malay community is proudly Islamic.

                           Even the washing, hanging on the street seems to "fit" in this area!

                             Here you can see the colorful houses against the backdrop of Signal Hill.

                     What vivid colors! All images made with the M9,35 mm ,F160, F5.6