Leica M – Page 9 – Carlo Centeno

Time and space—time to be alone, space to move about—these may well become the great scarcities of tomorrow.

Edwin Way Teale, Pulizter prize-winning American writer, photographer and environmentalist

Beyond Words

A touch soft, but acceptable for a 90mm lens shot wide-open at 1/8 second…

Zombie Street

Perhaps this might be considered a new organic form of “economic indicator” for our time. Brexit was more significant than it seems.

The grand tradition of street photography goes back quite a ways. I suspect most of you reading and looking at this probably weren’t born yet. Indeed, perhaps your parents weren’t even born yet. Much of that photography was done in B&W and much of what does happen with street photography today is still black&white.

I though back to the time I saw this homeless person and asked myself, “What caught my attention?” This is what stood out in my recollection.

Spring on a Corner

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Spoons

I took a major sortie into the Berkshires this morning. I needed to get additional photos of the area for one of the company’s websites. You can say that I’m responsible for providing content—among other things, related to marketing, PR, design, graphic production, video, media buying & scheduling, writing and so forth. You can’t make this up. So, I’m it, the Jack-of-all-trades [and definitely a master of none!] that is the marketing department. My days have been jammed with concurrent projects and deadlines, so I was overdue to break out and live in the moment.

At about a half-past-my-stomach growling, I really needed to fuel up. Breakfast was hours ago. While scouting for potential photos, I noticed this little restaurant. What caught my eye were the words, “breakfast and lunch.”

Adding to the attraction was the name of the place: Spoon. That made me think of my daughter’s business, Splendid Spoon. I think she’d get a kick out of the theme of this place. And the food’s quite good at this little restaurant-cafe, this being a key detail since she is a gourmet chef/entrepreneur.

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So, on the walls, carefully spaced, are framed 4×6-inch photos of patrons with spoons clinging off their noses! Clever theme and an even more clever branding idea. This is an interactive wall that anyone can genuinely “like,” no electric switch or finger swipe required.

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This bench was fashioned from old, wooden milk crates, the kind that carried glass containers. You can see some of the wiring that created the spaces for the bottles to sit in. Now, patrons sit on it. I love little details like this. Behind the bench appears to be old barn wood and just above that is a wall of marble, or perhaps soap stone, I’m not sure.

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My omelet made with artichokes, jalapeno peppers and salmon. I might’ve forgotten an ingredient or two, but what mattered most was that it tasted fantastic. Sorry, I had to take a bite; I should’ve taken the photo first.The potatoes were also quite good! And of course, I wanted to make an entry into my journal. Bon appetit!

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Heaven Does Wait

In the 1978 movie, Heaven Can Wait, there’s a whimsical scene showing souls boarding a plane destined for heaven. They’re all adults, quietly and in orderly fashion waiting their turn to be checked on a list before taking the stairs. If I was to peer through a special window, one that would allow a real-time glimpse of say, a staging area, these 2 images represent what I’d see.

Why so barren? Nirvana has no time: no early or late or anything resembling the way we measure time passing. How can you measure a concept or notion that has neither a start nor an end? What I’m really saying here is that while heaven or Nirvana has no clock, we do, and the barren quality of these images can mean several things, each a statement to our genuine condition as human beings. To wit:

Few reach Nirvana
Nirvana waits for the few
Souls are crowding another place, one quite incorrigibly different and likely perilous to reach

Frankly, if I chose another moment to peer through that existential, real-time window, I’d probably see children. They’re the ones who have the least amount of pretense. They are the real innocents of our civilization.

A Soiree of Symphonic Relevance

Nancy Hoffman samples one of the many gourmet offerings. — Nancy Hoffman samples one of the many gourmet offerings created by Emily’s Catering.

For approximately 2.5 hours on a beautiful summer night, Nancy and Jerry Hoffman graciously hosted an early evening function, one which acknowledged the generosity of patrons supporting the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.

Back in May during the annual gala for the HSO, one of the auction items was an evening spent at the Hoffman’s West Hartford penthouse. The lucky bidders/supporters were treated to jazz music and popular standards while hot and cold hors d’oeuvres were served and select wines and spirits were poured.

Enjoy the photo-essay [click on an indvidual photo for closer viewing].