Take a walk and enjoy spring

Each time it rains, it's getting warmer and I feel spring is coming closer. As the word says, spring makes me excited and want to go out without reasons. I can head to anywhere, but this time I drove to the sea so I can feel the sea breeze. I put my jacket (for a relief from cold weather), my wallet, and my Leica on the passenger's seat. The compact Leica is perfect for this casual feeling.

( Photography/Text: Z II )

The ocean is coming into sight. I like this air dramatized by the dull sky. This port town isn't the tourist spot, so all the passing people must be local. When I want to take photography, I like to come to a place like this.

The bench on the seaside is so simple and plain, but I do like it. It has been exposed to sea breeze for a long time and it looks it's settled this way. On the seaside, there're many withered subjects that makes me forget the lapse of time. Wouldn't it be sweet if you just relax on a bench like this?

I took this shot in a mazy alley at the port town. I can tell from her eyes that looked a little suspicious. Leica bodies and lenses are small, so they don't intimidate subjects. The shooter doesn't appear highly motivated, so the subjects can stay relaxed. Because she responded to my bye-bye gesture, I think I wasn't suspicious to her in the end.

The kids are drawing on the shochu bottle. See? They never care even though I aimed my camera at them.

Let's go out with a camera.

With a car, I don't have to worry about the weather, I can load many cameras and lenses, and I can go further. In this sense, cars are convenient. Meanwhile, I have to search for a parking lot, and I may get caught in a traffic jam. So, when shooting, it's best to walk. Or, if you want to go a little further, bicycle is a good choice. I bought the pedelec for my wife last year, so I bought a new one for myself this time. It's blue on one side, but white on the other side. How stylish! Incidentally, I'm thinking about getting a blue strap for my Leica.

Everything is ready now. In this great season, I'll be going out to take many photos.
And, I still want to get a new lens next time... let's see what happens.

( 2014.03.26 )