Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/06/14
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Yes, Ted, I have been of the opinion for some time that anything that promotes an erection must have some redeeming social value. Don R. - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ted Grant" <tedgrant@shaw.ca> To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us> Sent: Saturday, June 14, 2003 8:38 PM Subject: Re: [Leica] Some may find this of interest! ...... NO IT'S BULL SHIT! > Do you guys and gals realize this stuff is a great big crock of bull shit! I > apologize to the ladies for my use of BS! > > But in reality, do you people have any idea how stupid and Mickey mouse you > sound to the rest of the world? > > After all, this is an international list, not some hick town group of USA > people who think the world revolves around the values of the USA! > > Get real, despite what your President may think, the world has no interest > in Bob Shell and his unfortunate situation, which none of you have the > ultimate details to make any comments, regardless of the unfortunate out > come of this situation. Right or wrong! > > Look if you want something worth discussing that has some meaning and > thought, try this for a moment. > ======================= > > The value of our photography! > > This isn't about using a Leica, although the photograph was taken with a > Leica, an M6 at the time. It's all about 1/30th of a second of captured > time and what it means 15 years later to someone you've never met. Sometimes > we never relate to our photography in it's potential of giving great joy to > others. > > I had a phone call from a young man asking if I might have taken a picture > of his father while I was shooting my first medical book, "This is Our > Work.The Legacy of Sir William Osler." ? > > As he'd found his father's name listed in the book as one of those in the > "thank you > credits" although he did not find a picture of his father. And, was it > possible I might have a picture of him in my files from the time of the > shoot? > > His father, a doctor, anesthetist, had past away when the lad on the phone > was 16 and he admired his father immensely and now he, the son, was > enrolled at McGill Medical School in Montreal following in his fathers > footsteps. Consider the thousands of medical frames exposed at the time and > try to say, "Oh yes I remember him etc etc." An impossible task. > > I suggested if possible, he send a scanned/JPEG picture of his dad and I'd > have a look at the contact sheets and see if he might be there. Obviously in > my mind not holding out much hope after all these years. > > When his father's image appeared on the screen I immediately knew the man in > the picture, there wasn't any question. The son's photo of the father wasn't > in OR garb, but there was an immediate recognition for the doctor I knew. > > Although not published in the book, we had made a B&W slide of him > during an operation and used it in many lectures to photo students and > professional photogs. My immediate response was, "Hey, that's the doctor > with the flowered mask and glasses in the Montreal Children's Hospital!" > > It was like discovering gold! > > I immediately e-mailed a JPEG for confirmation. The response was > a phone call of a very tearful son who'd never seen his father dressed in OR > garb for > an operation. Here he was looking at a 1/30th of a moment in time of his > late father. He was completely over come, obviously from our conversation > there had been a wonderful relationship between father and son. > > We now have copies of the photo on the way for his mother, grand mother, > younger brother > and himself. > > You know, sometimes we as photographers capture something so meaningful it's > beyond words to describe what our 1/30th or whatever has done, not for us in > the satisfaction of a completed picture. But what we have on film has such > great meaning for others whom we've never met. > > Because we are the recorders of our times and those around us, that > sometimes I think we forget what we are doing in our quest for the ultimate > 1/30th moment and what it may mean to those who follow us. > > Our role in life isn't what camera / lens we use, we may at times think it > is. It's really about everything we live for, see and save on film for > future generations. Many of you may not believe that, but it's true simply > because all we have to do is understand that each exposure we make is a > record of our times. No different than those old timers with their wooden > cameras, glass plates and horse drawn wagons who went before us. > > It only takes one moment of a young lad looking for a picture of his father > to open our eyes and heart to realize the importance of what we do in > recording the life and times in our lives. Let's not forget, we are the > visual record makers of the world. Small and large. > > Sorry it's a bit long, however, I hope I've got across what this boy gave me > in his request, "Do you happen to have a picture of my dad?" And yes I > cried along with him when we realized there was a picture. > > Now don't you think this has greater meaning than gnashing your teeth over > something you don't have any control over, nor all the details to make a > comment about? > > If you should unfortunately totally disagree with me, please do not respond. > Thank you. > > ted > > > > > > > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html > - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html