[Leica] Totally false??

[Erwin Puts <imxputs@knoware.nl>]

Eric wrote in obvious anger about my observation of HCB's way of taking
pictures:
>That is totally false. There is no call for making such an accusation. He
>has denied such action, and it calls into question his whole life's work.
>Name one single picture that you say is posed, besides the portraits which
>are often, but not always, legitimately posed.

First of all I did not say that HCB posed his subjects as Doisneau did in
some of his pictures. I did not say that HCB forced his subjects to pose
for him. I said that the image of HCB as a person who patiently waited for
the decisive moment to arrive and then without hesitation would capture it,
is not the whole truth. HCB influenced the scene he would like to capture
into *his* view of a perfect image by dancing around the scene and taking
many many pictures of a scene. No one could jump around and firing a camera
(even a Leica) as a Gatling gun without being noticed and thus he
consciously influences the  unfoulding of the act.
Read the story by John Malcolm Brinnin, an American journalist, who worked
for four months with HCB on his (HCB) "America in Passing" documentary. Did
you know that HCB took pictures in a restaurant from a person who suffered
an epileptic, even impeding the helpers who tried to help, as he insisted
that he first could take pictures of the man. Brinnin observes with
surprise that HCB takes hundreds of pictures a day, shooting "like a
Gatling gun at the same subject".
Well I am a great admirer of HCB, but for me realistic appraisal  and truth
of the matter are worth more than a cherished myth, be it a Leica lens or
HCB's way of taking pictures. The result is still impressive, even if we
have to adjust our  opinion a bit. Maybe Doisneau's way of taking pictures
is not that far away from HCB's. In fact they discussed photography a lot
and compared each others way of doing things.

Eric also wrote:
>I know from experience that some people are jealous of others who get great
>candid pictures, and accuse them of posing them because they themselves
>have never been able to get such pictures. It happens all the time. Not
>that you are jealous, but such disinformation about photographers has
>harmed their work's reputation.

Now please Eric, that is a bridge too far. If I were jealous, I would not
"accuse" someone in the way you describe. You should know me by now as a
factbased, truth-seeking individual. May I say that my feelings are really
hurt.

Erwin