Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/11/08
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Ok Ted, I'll play. <big grin> Brethren and Sisters; Educated at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, studied photography with Bill Burke at the Museum school and later with Ben Fernandez. I am still close to these two teachers to this day...they sti= ll are my teachers and still give me the gifts of that relationship. Also, MBA, Cornell University (partly from fear and partly I thought I was missing something) now I'm possibly the only working documentary photographer with an Ivy MBA in finance. Through my career I've drifted from photography to put in time as a professional manager as well as a sa= lt water fly fishing guide (I hold a U.S. Coast Guard offshore license) neither direction lasted. Although, when I have time, I love to take big= striped bass from the surf on the fly or cast to big trout anywhere in Montana...its magic. = Where my heart is: working entirely in the humanistic tradition, I prefe= r to work on the longer projects where my thinking and seeing can change an= d thus the image making becomes a challenge. I am actively at work on a bo= ok on Armenia and Nagorno-Karabagh and a new documentary on the construction= of the Central Artery Tunnel here in Boston -- the largest civil construction project in the World. It was my pleasure and honor to show some of this work at the Leica Historical Society meetings last month. M= y work has hung at the Whitney Museum in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts,= Boston, and a lot of other places...working on getting a show in Paris fr= om the Armenian project. I have won awards and grants, etc. I am constantl= y shooting and constantly examining what is next. I shoot B&W almost exclusively and use Leica and have since my first summ= er job working in a camera store in art school. Coincidentally, the store I= worked for is the host of the Kennebunkport Seminar, Park Square Camera. = That is a whole other story but it was the place that really got me into the Leica, my own curiosity did the rest. Kodak Tri-X is my film, D-76 i= s the developer. = Ben Fernandez always told me when I asked him about this lens or that len= s that if you are going to be in this business you should have ALL the lenses. I think he is right. Currently I own: = 4 - M6's 2 - M4-P's 21mm f3.4 21mm f2.8 28mm f2.8 35mm f2.0 35mm f1.4 ASPH 50mm f2.0 50mm f1.4 90mm f2.0 135mm f2.8 2 - R6.2's 1 - R6 19mm f2.8 28mm f2.8 28mm f2.8 PC 50mm f2.0 60mm f2.8 90mm f2.0 70-210 f4.0 While this is a lot of stuff (actually, for me, it is too much), my daily= bag is usually: M6 with 35mm f2.0 (seems that lens has never come off th= at body), R6.2 with 28mm f2.8 (new style), and either another M6 with 50mm f2.0/f1.4 or an R6 with 60mm f2.8. The 21mm f2.8 and 70-210 f4.0 are als= o in there most days...looking for a 2X extender which would ensure the zoo= m becomes a permanent part of the daily lineup. While I love the Vivitar 2= 83 and carried it and the off camera cord all the time, since discovering an= d mastering T-Max P3200, the strobe stays at home. My meter is the Minolta= IVF...it is constantly out and used when I shoot color...otherwise, for black & white I trust the Leica in-camera meters. My very simple and small darkroom has V-35, Focomat 1c, and Durst L1200 enlargers. I am married to a woman from south of the Mason-Dixon line who I am tryin= g to teach to talk like a real Bostonian -- its been tough. Our son is 7 a= nd can handle a Leica just fine. Other gear used on occasion: Rollei 3.5E, Mamiya 7 with 65mm lens. = This has felt quite indulgent...but good at the same time...thanks to all= of you for this space. Michael p.s.: With special thanks to Paramahansa Yogananda.