Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/11/16
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]>my idea of the >proper equipment for shooting fires, explosions and violence would be a >600 f/4 with stacked 2x converters poking through a hole cut in the side >of an armoured truck parked a minimum of one city block out of harm's >way. I can understand. With the shooting spree we had last week, and me sending three photographers into that situation, I was quite worried. The man killed a police officer and wounded four civilians before he was killed. I had them all on the road within two minutes of the first radio dispatch. And the lenses of choice in this situation were a Nikkor 300 2.8, Canon 200 1.8 and Pentax 300 2.8. Not only is it safer, but the shallow depth of field makes a subject pop. But real photojournalism (besides "spot news") is often done with lenses from 20mm to 35mm. It is, some times, quite dangerous. People don't often appreciate how much they know about the world because of photojournalists. We ought to be grateful for the lives that have been sacrificed ( like Robert Capa) and the danger they put themselves into for their readers. I don't know how many times I had readers thank me for what my paper did in the flood of '93. We kept them informed on what was coming as well as what was happening and what happened. That's what makes doing this kind of work rewarding. Journalism is also called "History on the run." An apt description. And Leica had a great hand in shaping the beginnings of photojournalism, and the best qualities of that work in no small amount. - -- Eric Welch St. Joseph, MO http://www.ponyexpress.net/~ewelch If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor. Albert Einstein