[Leica] Shooting Leica on the stroke of midnight

[Ron & Beelian Miller <rkmiller001@earthlink.net>]

Hi folks,

It was great celebrating the New Year... and what better posting than to
tell the crazy things you shot with or at with you Leica's!! Or didnt in
time!

Thought I'd try out some previsualization last night. The aim was to
include myself in the pic as the New Year rings in at a friend's party.
It would not be quite a posed shot as people would not be aware of the
exact moment the shot was taken. Neither would I. On the count of zero,
people would be too distracted to notice! I counted on getting a moment
in time. Got the tripod, M6 and Summicron 35mm asph., the new self
timer, and metered at where the party seemed to be concentrated.  Of
course other preparations also count a whole lot. Just ten minutes
before countdown, I was dragged away by a fellow Leica enthusiast who
was dying to show me his USER (very battered but useable) screw mount
Leica and DR Collapsible 50mm (body type undetermined by both of us). 
Five minutes to countdown and it was difficult to drag us apart
(revelling in equipment, contacts sheets and slides). Spouses came over
to warn... without looking up, we waved them away, said "yeah, yeah".  
Threee minutes to countdown, i scramble for the set up, people START
moving away from the predetermined site. Tripod was not unfurled yet.
Jostling for a clear spot to get the group, I set the timer but too late
realizing that the count was already at "5" and the timer had "10" to
go!!! Didnt make it in time but I fudged!!  Redid the shot and
emortalized myself at January 1st 1999 0:01 AM!!  i did get the "5
second" moment into 1999, though!

I'm sure many of us had the same idea, recording those moments with
their Leicas. How about a tale or two??

Cheers,
Bee