[Leica] Landscapes with M Cameras (long)

["Khoffberg" <khoffberg@email.msn.com>]

I am forever beholden to Mr. Bower for having
awakened me to the feasibility of using the Leica M for all-round scenic
photography.  His "Lens, Light and Landscape" is a fine book IMHO.

Regards,
Nigel

I would second Nigel's comment.  I've never met Mr. Bower so I barely know
wherewith I speak but here goes.  I didn't care enough to actually count,
but after reading this post I went back and reviewed the book with some
care.  I would estimate that something in the neighborhood of 50 to 60% of
the images were actually made with an M camera, the rest were done with an R
or Hasselblad.  I was especially interested in how Mr. Bower dealt with
skies, in particular where there would likely be a significant EV range
between the sky and the rest of what was in the picture.

Again, I'll continue to caveat by saying I've never me the man so I only
know what I think I see.  It is my sense that the pictures that posed
significant challenges due to EV range were not taken with an M camera.
When they were, the sky was generally blown out or largely framed out of the
picture.  Where neither one of those was the case, the apparent EV range
appeared well within range of the film he was using.  For example, there are
several images that appear to be shot with the sun well past 45 degrees from
the horizontal with the attendant flat light.

Given all this, it seems reasonable to assume he was using, or certainly
could have been using, and ND Grad when shooting under challenging
conditions (EV).  In saying this, I'm simply deducing backwards from the
fact that the images where this appears to be true were shot with a reflex
camera which would support the use of this type of filtration.

This cuts to a point that has plagued me for about a year now.  Assume for a
moment that you're going to shoot landscapes during those "magic hours."  My
experience is that those are precisely the times when you're going to have a
significant range of exposure values.  If you plan on framing the sky into
your picture to any great extent, it seems like you have to use ND Grad
filters.  I don't know about the rest of you, but I've attempted to use
grads with an M camera.  I've tried a great many times.  As you would
expect, it's a total crap shoot.

Thus my question.  How do the rest of you deal with these types of shooting
conditions with your M cameras?  Do you just frame out the sky in order to
avoid the huge EV range?  Do you take a shot with an ND Grad?  Do you go for
the intimate scenics when the EV range is too great?  Do you stay away from
transparency film under these conditions?

Appreciate any thoughts you might share.

Kevin Hoffberg