m10 – Fotomonkey Photography

Feb 09

by FotoMonkey in Uncategorized 0 comments tags: car show, m10, small town, xt30ii

It’s a Classic

I was scrolling through Facebook last night when an ad popped up for the 8th Annual Hastings Blvd Car Show and I felt like it’d be a cool thing to check out. I’m always looking for something to do on the weekend that allows me to take some nice pictures. So what the heck is a Hastings? Hastings is a small town in North Florida. It’s got a population of less than a thousand and it’s another one of those towns I’ve driven through countless times but never took the time to stop. The day started off pretty bad. I had this great vision to capture a nice timelapse with my GoPro only to realize that I’d forgotten the screw to secure it to the mount. I managed to find a hollow wall anchor in the car that actually held it in place, though. Win! Well, not for long. I was using the media mount and there seems to be some sort of issue with it. Every time I’d turn it on, it would just keep cutting and powering back on. As soon as I took it out of the media mount, it’d work great. Ok, no problem. Ditch the […]

Mar 17

by FotoMonkey in photowalk 0 comments tags: 28mm, leica, m10, urban

A Little CoRK

This is actually part two of yesterday’s post. I decided to break it up since it’s a little different but related. So, WTH is CoRK? It’s a cool little name for the arts “district” located at the Co-rner of Rosselle and King streets. Rather than trying to explain it, I’ll just link to their site. Unfortunately, it’s not really open to get public (unless they’re doing a special event, I suppose) so you’ll just get to see the outside of the building. Still some cool art, though. It looks like there are some nice artists affiliated with the venue. I’m going to have to keep any eye out for upcoming events.

Mar 16

by FotoMonkey in photowalk 0 comments tags: leica, m10

It’s a Mural-cal

Despite having work to do around the house today, I decided to not be a responsible adult and I took the M10 out to shoot another area of town I’ve been through hundreds of times but never really explored. When I was still working downtown, this area was the home to several lunch spots. Today I stopped driving and started walking. These photowalks are really opening my eyes to the community I’ve lived in for over 30 years. The area is known as Murray Hill. This is definitely an older part of town but it’s seeing some revitalization as evidenced in the first image. There are several modern structures in the area now but it’s still full of its “old town” charm. The streets are lined with plenty of options for craft beer, food, and more. Boutique shops provide a number of specialty services. But I was here for the murals. There are around 20 murals scattered around the area and some of the work is insanely detailed. They certainly lend a charm to the area. Even as I was walking around, there was an arts market going on next to the historic Murray Hill Theatre. If you decide to […]

Mar 13

by FotoMonkey in photowalk 0 comments tags: leica, m10

Exploration Day

I learned about a new park today and decided to check it out after work. I have to say that I really like having daylight remaining when I log off for the day. I almost didn’t go but I’m glad I did. Not only was it good to get out, but the light was actually pretty good through the trees. It’s a small park but has a nice boardwalk through some surprising wetlands. Not what I expected to find in the middle of a metropolitan city. There is also a nice playground for the kids and a skate park as well. I decided to try a couple of black & white conversions for this trip but this last shot deserved to stay color. Even at 1600 ISO I kept the shutter speed low to get some blur. I think it worked out and it’s even a layered shot with some action in the background. Unfortunately, I left too soon. As I was driving home I realized the amazing sunset I was missing. I said the last one was my last one, but I guess I changed my mind. I wasn’t going to post this but what the heck. I can […]

Mar 10

by FotoMonkey in photowalk 0 comments tags: leica, m10

A Little Trip to the Beach

The weather was absolutely gorgeous today, and I had an itch to scratch. And what better way to kick off the start of Daylight Savings Time than a trip to a beach you’ve driven by hundreds of times over the years (possibly even thousands) yet never stopped? Never explored. Never researched. That’s exactly what I did today. I pointed the car south, hit the interstate, and drove about an hour away to Flagler Beach. Flagler Beach is a small community near Palm Coast and Daytona Beach. It’s named for Henry Flagler who, after experiencing Florida for the first time, made it his home and invested heavily in its tourism industry and ultimately, the Florida East Coast Railway. Flagler’s Ponce de Leon Hotel is now the site of Flagler College in St. Augustine. The beach has a nice boardwalk with both uncovered benches and covered tables. These are perfect for those not wanting to venture down from street level while still offering views of the beach and ocean. Unfortunately, the pier was damaged in 2022 by Hurricane Ian and is closed for repairs. Today also happened to coincide with the end of Bike Week so the main drag was an active […]

Mar 07

by FotoMonkey in general 0 comments tags: leica, m10

The Holy Grail

Wow. Where has the time gone? Have I really not posted in over a month? I was doing so well. And even with new gear! For shame, for shame. At the end of the month, I did something I never thought I’d do. Sure, I’d drooled over videos on YouTube. I’d read reviews. I’d searched pictures on Instagram. But I’d also discounted the idea as folly. I knew I could never pull the trigger. Until I did. Behold, my Leica M10, paired with a Voigtlander 35/1.4. I really never expected to invest this much into a single body. However, the more I thought about it, I realized that I have cameras going back to my very first. Many of them I still use actively depending on the situation. Amortized over the years, the cost diminishes. Beyond that, though, was one overarching feeling. Mental health. Mental health isn’t something I talk about much or really give much thought to in general. Lately, though, my job has been (perhaps literally) killing me. I’ve never felt the stress I feel in this job in my 30 years of post-military life. Hell, back it up. I never felt this much stress boarding foreign vessels […]