Re: I respectfully disagree with Ted ;-)

[Thomas Kachadurian <kach@freeway.net>]

Jorg:

You are quite right, Ted is modest. That photograph is nothing if not an
example of great god-given talent mixed with great personally developed
skill. BUT, part of his talent was knowing the moment. Which is being there
to make the luck work.

<I refuse to accept that luck is involved>

Who is credited with writing "Chance favors the prepared mind"? I think it
was Linus Pauling. Great discoveries, like great photographs reveal
themselves to anyone there for the looking, but you prepare yourself to be
ready to see them when they arrive. Ted, Tina, Mike Hintlian are just
extrodinarily well prepared.

Tom

At 09:10 PM 11/2/97 -0500, you wrote:
>Sorry this got so long.  I am speaking from my heart:
>
>My goal is to shoot more consistent pictures.  Occasionally I got some
>really nice one that brings joy.  Therefore I am looking for those=
 'recipes'
>or set of rules that makes it more likely to get a good picture. It's like
>learning to play a musical instrument: you hit the right note at the right
>time and we all recognize the melody.  That doesn't mean that you play like
>Vladimir Horowitz, but it means that friends and family are delighted to
>hear you playing your instrument.  Sometimes the music flows and sometimes
>it's not as fluid, but we still recognize the melody.  I hope I made my
>point.  I would like to learn to push the shutter release at the right
>location at the right time.
>
>In Kennebunkport Ted Grant made the comment that he got lucky when he took=
 a
>picture during the birth of one of his grandchildren because the child
>turned the face into the light, the father looked at his wife, and the=
 clock
>in the background.  You can see the picture at
>http://www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant/homepage.html/plate2.html.  What a heart
>warming picture!
>
>On our way home Katariina and I had a loooooooooooooooooong discussion=
 about
>being lucky and photography, because I disagree with Ted (hear, hear me
>lord! This lad is getting feisty!)  It speaks for Ted's humility to be so
>grateful to call the constellation of all the minute details 'lucky', but
>how many photographers would have taken advantage of the right time?  A
>fraction of second earlier or later and you miss it.  Being prepared (right
>equipment and location) and anticipating what could/will happen next is THE
>key.  I am convinced that one can learn that =85 to a degree.  Otherwise we
>all would become Ted Grants or many other great photographers (go to
>Harrison McClary's http://people.delphi.com/hmphoto/editorial.html and see
>what I mean, or Tina Manley's http://www.photogs.com/manley/reza.html the
>right moment when the boy looked at his bandage,  etc., etc. =85)
>
>I refuse to accept that luck is involved, because that doesn't help me.
>Luck is not the 'recipe' I am looking for.  It's an excuse for those of us
>that are constantly 'unlucky'.  I am yearning to be more consistent and I
>believe that the recipe is: learn the basic rules of composition and
>practice, practice, practice.  What else is there?
>
>The crossover from a good to an excellent photographer is paved by=
 'Talent'.
>That comes from the grace of God.  I am not asking for that, I just want to
>be a good photographer.
>
>OK, Ted, deal with it:  I disagree with you.
>
>J=F6rg
>Snellville, Ga., where everybody is somebody!
>
>
>
>