[Leica] Digilux invisibility. :-(

[mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner)]

On 7/1/04 9:55 AM, "Nathan Wajsman" <n.wajsman@chello.nl> wrote:

> And as much I hate to take sides between the two of you, I must say that
> B.D. is on to something here. When my friend Lars was here this weekend
> with his (black) Canon D10, we went to the outdoor food market in my
> town, and he was able to get pictures of people that I had not dared to
> take with my Leica (e.g. Muslim women), despite the heft and size of his
> camera. It was all in the way he behaved, as B.D. says.
> 
> Nathan
> 

Not that I'm being BDs devils advocate always but I here think chrome
cameras look like happy go lucky doctor dentist cameras while black ones
look real mean like a stealth machine James Bond Darth Vader. And I think
others in effect think so to. (other people)
A chrome rangefinder camera is the least threatening thing anyone's ever
seen and they could give a shoot if you shoot them with it.
A black one and it might as well be a Nikon F5 with a nasty flash.
WAY too sexy! And scary.
Give me a slightly nerdy camera any day.
A Rolleiflex could be done up in titanium and red white and blue gemstones
and no one would look twice at you shooting them with that antique two feet
away. Although they'd be out of focus unless you had a Rolleinar 1!
Despite that fact the camera was made this year and cost you 4 grand.
And will magnify the split ends on the hairs sticking out of your nose a
thousand times if you print it big enough! From slow film Like the size of a
wall. Maybe taken with a flash.
(which you can sync at 1/500th of a second!)
But 35mm rangefinders and SLR's are "happier" looking when they're chrome.
If you ask me...
Your mileage may vary. But you'd be wrong!

I think we can only blend in as far as people want to pretend they can't see
us.

I still say the best way to be an invisible photographer is to put a big
camera on a tripod and climb behind the groundglass under the dark cloth.
Come out and take readings, put in a holder, and so on. Run around your
tripod. People just know you are doing a job and ignore you. They'll walk
right up to the front camera and stare at the lens as it clicks at them. And
shrug their shoulders and go "oh well" and walk away.

Snoop around hand held and all eyes are on you every second. That's all I've
seen. Although they're looking at you out of the far corners of their eye.
They know were we are in the room every second of the shoot.

People are vain.
And paranoid.

Much worse when live footage is being done. Moving pics that is.
Video it is mainly known as.
And a motion picture camera adds a decimal point. I mean with real film in
it. People know that video is make belive and 16mm film is real.
    See that Nagra tape recorder?....You KNOW you are in trouble.
... All blood pressures are up a good notch..
YES they are ready for their close up Mr. Demille.
Check those nose hairs first.

Actually I was thinking about the real fine ones which grow right straight
out of the pores on the bulbous end of your nose!!
:)


Martin Bulbous




Mark Rabiner
Photography
Portland Oregon
http://rabinergroup.com/