Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/04/17
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]OK Alf, I'll take only one lens. But I'll borrow the rest from you when I get to Germany... OK? I didn't think I would be taken quite so seriously. My daughter and I were thinking about bodies and lenses for the trip and the thought went through my mind about having only one lens. Then I thought about what a photographer does. And what an artist does. You know... stuff winds its way around in your mind and conclusions seem to fall out. My conclusion was that one lens is a lame idea. Sorry, that is my opinion. I like Teds idea of spending a day with one lens. But then go back to the very same area the next day with the rest of your tools. Then compare the visions. But to join a photographic monastery seems somewhat extreme. And for what? As photographers, these tools are what make us. No matter where I am, my vision encompass more than one focal length. So if I think a year with one body and one lens is lame, and Mike thinks a year with one body and one lens is a revelation, and you think I am discrediting my professional authority by voicing my opinion, well Alf, that is your prerogative. I stand discredited. When discussing it with some of my professional photographer friends they asked "Why would you want to deprive yourself for such a long period of time? Is it a gimmick? I couldn't answer because I have certain visions that I want to express, and it will take all of my tools to cover the scope. I apologize for being so broad minded. Or narrow minded, depending upon how you look at it. I should not have made that original remark. I should have kept it to myself. Actually... you folks out there who think that throwing everything out but one body and one lens, should do just that. Since this list seems to mainly talk about multiple bodies and multiple lenses, it seems to me that everyone is of the opinion that it's part of the photographic experience to use different pieces of equipment for different photographic visions. You all may be patting someone on the back for going off and doing something radical, without knowing why. There's absolutely nothing wrong with someone (Mike) using one body and one lens for a year. I wish them (him) much luck and good photographing. I just think it's a lame idea and I would like to know what the underlying "real" reason is for doing this. My mind set places it in the same arena with the city council art purchases. You know... the large rusty metal fragments that resemble sandwich scraps, stacked on city hall's front lawn. Perhaps only understood by the perpetrator, but no one else. It has to be very personal and therefore unexplainable. But go for it. Raise your hand, how many are going to follow Mike into the photographic monastery? Hummm not many hands up out there. But I won't fault anybody for doing it. Or not doing it. Again, I apologize for droning on and on, but I'm excited about the photographic experience. I really like taking photographs, traveling to different places, taking it all in. I don't want to have blinders on, like on those horses that pull carts. I want to see everything and visualize everything. Teaching my daughter photography is a true exhilarating experience. It's impossible to verbalize the feeling. So from now on, I'll keep my big mouth shut about what other people are doing. They are indeed free to do whatever they want, however they want, for whatever reason they want. And I am indeed interested in the results. I'm sorry... but I like Ted's idea best. Keep that Fred Ward soft release and that Tom Abrahammson winder working folks... Cheers, Jim At 06:58 PM 4/17/98 +0200, you wrote: >At 00:05 17.04.1998 -0700, Jim wrote: >>Sorry folks, taking only a 50mm lens just won't cut it! Lame idea. Maybe as >>a local one day self assignment, ala Ted, but certainly not for serious >>photography. > > >If you discredit your professional authority by that stupid remarks, >you don't need to worry, that people might take your more fundamented >comments serious. > >Alf > > >-------------------------------------------------- > >Alfred Breull >http://members.aol.com/abreull/index.htm >http://members.aol.com/mfformat/c-mf.htm >