RE: [Leica] Lens signatures, old and new

["Dan Honemann" <danh@selectsa.com>]

Leafing through the pages of HCB's _A propos de Paris_, I'm struck again by
the beauty of these prints.  Not just what was captured, but the quality of
the printed image itself.  These images are what leave me struggling for
words, and resorting to inadequate terms like "warmth" and "glow."

If these are the characteristics of the earlier Leica lenses, then I'll opt
for them--the photos are plenty sharp enough.

But my hunch is that it is more a product of the processing and the
printing.  I really don't know.  Obviously, much is due to the talents of
the photographer--his alert eye, his sensitivity to framing the image just
so, his attention to light and to depth of field.  But some of these photos
are quite simple--I have ones that are similar in terms of content; it's the
"glow" that renders it art.  Does that make any sense?

I see hints of this in contemporary work from time to time--in Brian Reid's
offerings, or those of the esteemed Mr. Brownlow, to just choose two
examples.  But I mainly see it in these older photo books--and consistently.
So tell me, what makes these photos _shine_ like they do?  Is it the
emulsion?  Did Tri-X of old contain more silver?

When I was a kid and videotape made its way to television, the difference
between it and film was readily apparent to me.  In fact, it was so obvious
that I flat out refused to watch anything videotaped.  It offended the
sensibilities somehow.  When "All in the Family" and other sitcoms started
appearing in vidotape rather than film, I felt a sinking feeling.  When 60
minutes went that route, it was the end of that program for me, and the
demise of the medium.

I feel the same way about still photography.  How the photo appears matters
as much to me as what it captures (in fact, it seems silly to divorce the
two)--maybe even more so.  Without the richness and the texture of these HCB
photos, all others seem mere snapshops--cheap entertainment that doesn't
leave this lingering glow.

Dan