Re: [Leica] sneak thief photographers!

["James R. Nelon" <JNelon@netvigator.com>]

I have to disagree with your idea that you miss an intimacy with your subject by
shooting with a longer lens. You say that intimacy will "never" show when you
use a longer lens. Well, perhaps, never say never. I was at the Ashkabad,
Turkmenistan Sunday Bazaar about two months ago shooting in the early morning
(4:30) up until about 10 AM when the place got too incredibly crowded. The
bazaar had rows of sellers hawking everything imaginable. I stood a row away
from some women selling silk cloth shooting with an R250 f4 to isolate their
selling activities. The slides turned out to show them in their full intimacy of
wishing and hoping and praying for a sale (I can send a jpeg image if you would
like to see what I'm talking about). I would have had to have been on top of
them to have achieved the same shot with a R35 and then I would have been in not
only their personal space but their selling space as well. And been perhaps more
obvious as well.

Jim Nelon
David Medley wrote:

> -Original Message-----
> From: Michael Garmisa <elmar@nyct.net>
>
> >I would like to hear some the the ways fellow luggers "make themselves
> >invisible".
>
> Michael,
>
> This is as much of a mental game as anything. Your attitude and the way you
> deal with those around you makes you blend into your surroundings.
>
> Know your equipment - inside and out.
>
> Take a genuine interest in what is happening around you.
>
> Don't take everything you own, in a big bag and expect to be ignored. One
> body and a fast 35 mm lens is all you will need. There is an intimacy with
> your subject when using a short focal length lens that will never show when
> using a longer lens. And, that intimacy manifests itself in your attitude
> and how you interact with your subjects.
>
> ......and practice. Go out and do it on a regular basis.
>
> If you know a teacher, ask to spend a morning in the classroom. No one will
> be more interested in who and what you are than a classroom full of 12 year
> old kids. After a short time, if you are tuned in to the pulse of the class,
> you will find that you can work freely among these kids and they don't even
> know that you are around. It is a great confidence builder.
>
> Remember, the best accessory that you can possibly buy for you camera is
> film!
>
> Cheers,
> David Medley
> Whidbey Is.   WA
> USA
> dmedley@whidbey.net