Re: [Leica] HCB's exposure ability

[jeremy.kime@bbc.co.uk]

Donal, Eric,
I've just returned from a day trip to London admiring 2 of the several HCB 
exhibitions which are showing this year. It's amazing to look at the output 
and quality of the work, both artistically and more relevantly here, 
technically.
There were v. few incidents of poor exposure, one or two that seemed 
noticeable in a collected output of say, 400 pictures? Most noticeable on 
the frame borders which tend to end up rather grey instead of black.
The famous shot of the man jumping over the puddle doesn't show those (black 
frame borders) because that's one picture which doesn't use the whole frame, 
I noticed that for the first time when I saw an original print at Leica's 
reception area in Solms.
There was also a bizarre wishy washy sun in the sky on a picture with a 
Venetian(?) canal boat about to go under a bridge, in the distance is a 
tower and if the sun really was in the sky in that position it 'beggars 
belief' as to how the shadows are back to front on the tower! I wondered 
whether the 'sun' was printed in (dodged out) to hide another fault on the 
neg.?
My vote goes to HCB's ability to expose remarkably well by himself, albiet 
that all I saw were b/w prints.
Jem
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>>>>>>>>>>>>.
Donal,

You forget my story by Guido Mattoni (editor of Epoca) who hired HC-B to
shoot a color essay on Portugal? HC-B took two rolls of Ektachrome and shot
70 out of 72 exposures that were "good enough for the magazine," according
to Guido. Now you may think the "Life Magazine of Italy" might not have too
high a set of standards, but that's not the impression I got from Guido.

Not that your point is not well taken (sorry for the double negative). I
know when I switch back to chrome for negative (for fun mostly these days)
that I have to slow down and work my exposures. Bracketing is something I
do when I don't have time to be careful. But bracketing is not possible
when looking or "decisive moments."

Eric Welch
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