Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/04/05

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Subject: Re: [Leica] British <-> American translations
From: Eric Welch <ewelch@ponyexpress.net>
Date: Sun, 05 Apr 1998 18:04:10 -0500

At 05:21 PM 4/5/98 -0400, you wrote:
>shutter".   Now we're getting closer.  How about "firing the shutter"?
>We're back to shooting.

Some people say "I make pictures, not take pictures." While the point is
well taken, I think it's not necessarily more true. We take light from a
subject, and make it our own. Kind of legal stealing (unless the subject is
copyrighted). 

Susan Sontag in her despicable book, "On Photography" criticized
photographers who use the word shoot and talk about how us macho males are
out of touch. I think she makes too much fuss out of an insignificant
point. But what else should I expect from her?

Maybe I'm wrong on this, but we photojournalists often talk about being
shooters, or calling each other shooters. It's slang, and that's all it is.
On the other hand, as a journalist, I should respect the usage of language,
and not contribute to it getting any more sloppy and nebulous in meaning
that it already is. Dang.
==========

Eric Welch
St. Joseph, MO
http://www.ponyexpress.net/~ewelch

I exist as I am - that is enough.

- - Walt Whitman