Freezing My Fingers for the Sake of Art

It was cold. What felt like stupid cold. (in reality it was like -5 or so) So, naturally, I decided to go out and embrace it, because what better way to fight the cold than to just… be in it more? Seemed logical to me.

A wooden staircase with icicles hanging from the railing, leading to a blue door on a teal wall with a hand-painted sign reading "2246 Hastings Street - Lords Of Gastown." — A wooden staircase with a weathered railing leads up to a blue door, icicles hang from the railing and nearby surfaces.
**Camera**: Leica M-D (typ 262)
**Lens**: Light Lens Lab 50mm f/1.2 ASPH “1966”

Me and Doogie (aka my trusty Leica M-D typ 262) headed out to explore the Alley off Hastings Street out near the PNE It felt like a good place to wander, so that’s where we went.

A graffiti-covered teal wall with a painted tree stump and a pair of red boots, alongside a barred window and utility pipes. — A teal wall featuring a painted tree stump with a pair of red boots sits beneath a barred window. The mural is surrounded by various graffiti tags, and utility pipes run along the lower portion. Ice formations and debris are visible near the ground.
**Camera**: Leica M-D (typ 262)
**Lens**: Light Lens Lab 50mm f/1.2 ASPH “1966”

I paired Doogie with the Light Lens Lab 50mm f/1.2 ASPH “1966” lens, which, if I am being honest, is a lens that I am somewhat undecided about. One moment, I am getting photos that look like they are straight out of 1966, (this is a good thing), and the next, I am getting photos that look like they were taken on a cell phone from 2008. More Research Required.

A barred window on a teal wall covered in graffiti, with pipes, cables, and a black panel partially obscuring the lower portion. — A teal wall with green-painted tree elements features a barred window. Below it, pipes, cables, and a black panel are partially covering the lower portion. Graffiti and tags are spread across the wall, including a prominent white tag near the bottom.
**Camera**: Leica M-D (typ 262)
**Lens**: Light Lens Lab 50mm f/1.2 ASPH “1966”

I was prepared. I had my gloves AND I had learned my lesson the other day when I was freezing my fingers while shooting on Denman Street so today I added some big-ass mittens as well. However, It turns out that layering up like an Arctic explorer has some downsides, Who knew :)

A graffiti-covered metal gate with a sign reading "Receiving 2250 E. Hastings," framed by a teal and green wall with barred windows. — A metal gate with graffiti sits beneath a “Receiving 2250 E. Hastings” sign. The surrounding wall is painted teal with green elements resembling trees, featuring a barred window to the left. Various graffiti tags cover the scene.
**Camera**: Leica M-D (typ 262)
**Lens**: Light Lens Lab 50mm f/1.2 ASPH “1966”

Seriously though, manually focusing this relatively small lens with the big mittens was… well fun already, but to make it more ‘fun’ my big-ass gloves kept blocking the focus half of the range finder, making what was already an entertaining focusing situation even more entertaining… It was a little like trying to photo wander while wearing oven mitts. But, my fingers were warm, and with a small miracle, none of my photos ended up with a rogue mitten peeking in from the sides.

Here’s a selection of the day’s captures. No mittens included.