A friend of mine once said it's hard to take a bad photo in Jackson Hole. That may be true, but with all of the great photographers who live there, or who have passed through, it's hard to take a photo that hasn't been taken better by someone before you. This gallery comprises photos taken over the past decade, in different seasons, with different cameras (mostly Leica M8s and M9s, but also in the earlier shots, Leica M7s shooting Fuji Velvia. And now, some shots have been taken with the Leica Monochrom, and with the new M (typ. 240.)
Sequentially, the first photos have tended to be the more recent, but when adding some photos from the summer of 2013, I decided to work a little harder at bunching different cohorts without regard to the year they were taken. So you will see some images taken at the Jackson Hole Rodeo, or the Teton County Fair, placed next to each other.
That's one thing that has changed in my photography over time. While I will always love taking pictures of the Tetons, or at Oxbow Bend at sunset, I've long since come to believe that the town of Jackson Hole, and the people, are as interesting as the natural environment.
So think of this as a decade-long love letter to my favorite place: Jackson Hole and the greater Yellowstone. If you've ever spent time scrambling up the Teton canyons, or wanted to, think of this as a time-elapsed view of the prettiest valley and ecosystem in America. View this gallery as a slide show if you want to get a sense of what a great corner of the world Northwest Wyoming is. JB, Summer 2013
This may be of interest only to a select few, but what follows are photos taken in the same place, over the course of three years, with, first, a Leica M8 and a Noctilux f/1.0, next, a Leica M9 and a CV Nokton f/1.1, and then finally, a Leica M9 and a Noctilux f/0.95.
This is not an apples to apples comparison. One batch was taken with an M8 (which was not a full-frame camera) and an old Noctilux, two batches were taken with an M9 (full-frame), but with a Nokton and then with a Noctilux f/0.95. Most, not all, of the pictures were taken at the National Cathedral in Washington, but the first two sessions were taken on a cloudy day, and the new Noctilux pictures were taken on a bright and sunny day, and with an ND filter. Still, you can get a sense of the magic of all three lenses. I love them all, but the new Nocti can't be beat.
The story is I had a Noctilux, traded it in. Then I bought a Nokton. But I traded it, and a batch of other lenses, in order to get the Noctilux f/0.95.
Pictures 1-7 were taken with the M8 and the original Noctilux (or I should say, my first Noctilux.) Pictures 8-28 were taken with the M9 and the Nokton. (Note: obviously some of the pictures were not taken at the National Cathedral... such as the images of a bar in Adams Morgan ;-) Pictures 29-33 were taken with the M9 and Noctilux f/0.95 at the National Cathedral. Finally, pictures 34 through 41 were taken with the Noctilux f0.95, but not at the Cathedral; I threw them in because I love the way this lens draws.
Not a perfect comparison, but should give a sense of the character of each. JB
Bhutan is a small Buddhist kingdom surrounded on three sides by India and one side by Tibet. It is a land of roaring rivers and foothills higher than the Rocky Mountains, occasionally punctuated by Himalayan peaks that are like bugle blasts. Valleys unfold in waves from West to East, and one corkscrews up and down winding one-lane roads to travel from valley to valley. Here are some photos taken in March 2007 in the Paro, Thimpu, Phobjika, and Punakha valleys. The photos include visits to the famous Taktsang Monestary, poised on the edge of a 3000-foot cliff, and two Tsechu festivals, in Talo and Paro. Throughout our stay, which included a trek to remote villages, the people of Bhutan were wonderful to photograph - confident and friendly. It is a really magical place and I hope these photos give you a glimpse of it. All photos taken with a Leica M8.