Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/07/30

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Subject: Re: [Leica] M camera NOW R camera ?
From: Eric Welch <eric@jphotog.com>
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2003 06:54:31 -0700

Yes, and I'll go even further. He's probably the greatest war 
photographer who has ever picked up a camera. Of course, he's not as 
ground-breaking as Gene Smith or Capa (Steichen was too involved in 
propaganda), but then he has them for examples, they had no examples of 
such greatness before they went to war. DDD, Larry Burrows are great, 
as are many others. (In the end, it's all opinion!)

But when I look at his war photos, and the comprehensive nature of his 
work, he certainly benefits from technology. By that I mean not only 
cameras, but airlines, communication tech., etc. How else do you cover 
five major conflicts around the world in one year back when he won his 
first "Magazine Photographer of the Year" award from POY? And he's done 
it five more times since then. (Won that award, a record by far). Like 
technology, awards don't make you a great photographer. They are 
peripheral to talent. One helps extend skill further, the other is a 
recognition that it's more than luck. In the end, it's Jim Nachtwey's 
eye and heart that make the difference. Technology just makes him more 
productive.


On Wednesday, July 30, 2003, at 12:48  AM, Red Dawn wrote:

> To me he is a good example of a photographer who has put modern 
> automated
> camera systems to good use. The work that he has done with his all 
> singing
> all dancing Canon system puts to shame all of us (yes myself included) 
> who
> have at one point or another looked at photographers using automated 
> cameras
> with contempt :)

Eric Welch
Carlsbad, CA
http://www.jphotog.com

"If we had time for more meetings, we would have made more mistakes." 
Leon Trotsky

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