I thought it might be fun to give a little bit of background on some of my favorite snaps. And by ‘my’, I mean I pressed the button.

Perry’s.

Date: December 31, 1999.
Place: Union Street, San Francisco.
Modus operandi: Just mooching about the streets.
Weather: Beyond spectacular. San Francisco at its very best.
Time: Probably 3pm – when the light gets interesting.
Gear: Leica M2, 90mm Asph Summicron (a certifiably OhMyGodHowDidTheyDoThat? optic)
Medium: Kodak’s wonderful Gold 100 color negative film
Me: Looking forward with eager anticipation to the New Millenium, full of hope and optimism.
My age: 48

The Story: I just knew this fabulous, millenium-ending moment was going to happen. Edward Hopper best understood the loneliness of the Big City and he was dancing in my head when I pressed the button. Your best snaps are always like that. They are not great surprises – you just knew they would be there. So you were there, too.

A New Millenium just hours away and she is lonely, her date made off with a younger woman. She drags on her ciggie. What’s a girl to do? Here she is, stood up, at the ultimate west coast pick-up joint.

There would be no second chance at this one. As a kid I blew many similar opportunities because my hands would shake at the sheer excitement of the moment.

But in ’99 I was 48, no less excited but a tad more in control of my emotions. I have only a vague idea of the exposure – things sort of worked like that with the Leica.

By now I had been using Street Leicas (meaning M rangefinders) for over 25 years, so it’s not like I needed to check the controls. Or so I told myself.

I had unconsciously moved the focus ring to infinity not a second earlier (I was across the street) and have very little recall of taking the picture. But I knew Rita was in the bag.

I do remember spinning the aperture ring all the way to f/2 – heck, Gold 100 was only 100 ASA – and probably twiddled that silly, ill-designed shutter speed dial to 1/500th – and then …. click.

Lovely Rita, meter maid. What would I do without you?

“Honey, what is it? You seem very chipper”.

“I got it, darling! I got it!”

Me, the urban hunter.

“There, there, dear. Now let me show you this hat I just purchased.”

But I did have it. Rita would be in my heart forever. And she gave me only one chance before she got up and left, distraught. My last Snap of the previous millenium.