Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/12/01
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 12:07 PM 01/12/98 -0500, Arturo wrote: > >> And perhaps, a new technique (for street >> photography) I've been considering; hang the M6 and winder around my neck >> (bottom of the camera secured with a body strap to prevent flopping) with the >> 24mm lens attached and a long cable release threaded through my sleeve to my >> hand. With the exposure and focus pre-set, just fire away!! How's that for >> being unobtrusive?? Virtually invisible!!! >> There's an entire genre of photography devoted to this. Just point and shoot. Set to the hyperfocal distance with a small aperture on fast film, and let the D.O.F. of the wide angle lens take care of focusing -- use a film with a wide exposure latitude to take care of slight changes in lighting as you stealthily take your snaps. The problem I have with most of this material is that it there is no thought given to the composition. None of the elements seem to fit together. Only by sheer luck can something good come out of this technique. One must engage the grey matter before taking the picture. Look through the veiwfinder before you press the shutter release. Taking a crooked picture of people's feet on the sidewalk does not somehow elevate a photo to the status of "fine art". This type of "street" photography, which intentionally avoids using the kinds of pictorial techniques which makes for good pictures, seems to show its contempt by suggesting that modern life is as coarse and crude as the resulting images. One gets tired of these types of pictures very quickly. _ [o] -GH