Photo by Robert Abzug
Kirk’s Grocery-Billings, Montana
I have been documenting sites in Billings, Montana that mark earlier moments in the city’s history and their evolution through to the contemporary moment. Kirk’s Grocery a block or two form the railroad tracks and on the “wrong” side, has evolved into a music venue for rock and jazz. At the same time it sits right next to a facility that serves the poor and homeless. I was photographing the building from the middle of the street and had made all the settings when this older gentleman walked across the scene. I quickly snapped the picture as his presence personified the my sense of the place and, indeed, moved me. After taking the photo, I walked over to where he was and asked him if he minded my taking his picture. He said it was fine and we engaged in a five minute conversation about Billings and the neighborhood.
I used a Leica Q2Mono at F13, 1/250, and ISO 200.
Post processing notes:
The only post-processing I do is with ON1 and in July 2025 with the latest version then available. In this case, I did noting more to the image that use the shadow, white, and black settings to balance out the main view and its detail. The most "exotic" modification I made was in the sky. It was a gray day that in some ways reflected the proper mood. However, I added a touch from the "sky swap" and easily added to the richness and drama of the scene. I then removed any color from the sky so that it comported with the black and white of the overall image. That and a bare bit of cropping created its final version. No other application, no AI.Exif information:
| Copyright: | Robert Abzug |
| Camera: | LEICA Q2 MONO |
| Aperture: | f/13 |
| Focal Length: | 28mm |
| ISO: | 200 |
| Shutter Speed: | 1/250 sec. |
| Created: | July 25, 2025 10:52:09 |