Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/07/25

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Subject: Re: [Leica] PAW wk 30/sl/the story about this picture
From: Steve LeHuray <steve@streetphoto.net>
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2003 12:28:35 -0400

> Steve LeHuray wrote:
> 
>> http://www.streetphoto.net/paw2003/wk30.html
>> 
>> All comments welcome.


Martin Howard wrote:
> 
> That is a brilliantly captured moment.  There are a million stories in
> that one shot.  I have lived through many of them.
> 
> M.
> 

I am very surprised at how many comments this picture generated. So for a
little bit of background:

As an expatriate New Yorker living south of the Mason-Dixon line I have
cravings for hot-corned beef on rye with lots of yellow mustard, deli
pickles, the smell and feel of the hundreds of mom & pop Delis in New York
City. The classic NYC Deli is a rarity outside of NY. Los Angeles only has
two, Ziggys and the Broadway Deli and thank God where I live in Annapolis
there is Chick & Ruth's Delly. Started in 1945 when Chick returned from that
conflict in Europe. Both Chick & Ruth are dead now but the Deli is now run
by their son, Teddy. Teddy told me a few years ago that 'Delly' was simply a
spelling mistake by his father and they never saw the need to change it. A
visit to Chick & Ruth's and you will find a photographer's paradise, not
only for the ambiance and all the characters you find there, but for the
hundreds of photographs hanging on the walls. There are 50 years of pictures
of politicians, movie stars, sports figures and just plain folks.

This is an overview of the place and you can see how cramped it is:

http://www.streetphoto.net/images/im39.jpg

and here is a customer looking at some of the pictures:

http://www.streetphoto.net/images/im40.jpg

Anyway, I have been going to Chick & Ruth's for years and sometimes take
pictures while there and Teddy does not mind, someday I will give him a
handful of 8x10s.

So, about this picture. For a long time there is a shot that I have been
trying to get, this one comes close. What is missing is some people outside
the window looking at the menu which is in the window. Someday I will get
it.

Well, I was sitting at my table having a grilled cheese sandwich and a
strawberry milk shake, when this couple walks in. The guy immediately is
eyeing my strawberry milk shake and as he sits down he says, "man that's
what I want." Referring to the strawberry milk shake. Finally the waitress
shows up:

http://www.streetphoto.net/photo_of_the_week/wk32a.jpg

You can see Teddy behind her with the cap.

The waitress tells the guy that they are all out of strawberry milk shakes,
he whines a little bit and looks at me like I had just stolen his
girlfriend. Then he settles for a creamsickle milk shake (mmm I have to try
one of those). 

So the two of them get settled in at the table, I had a feeling that maybe
this was a first date as both of them seemed a little unfamiliar with each
other. Since I had two Leicas sitting on my table, I could not think of any
reason to not use them. Fired off a few shots, they did not even notice,
paid my bill and left.

sl

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Replies: Reply from "Jack McLain" <jmclainaz@comcast.net> (Re: [Leica] PAW wk 30/sl/the story about this picture)