[Leica] Re:Black ZI

[bdcolen at earthlink.net (B. D. Colen)]

The reality here, Ted, is that I think because so few people put in the
time and effort to learn how to take photos unobtrusively, and put in
the work needed to then perfect doing it, they figure that there's some
piece of equipment that allows one to do it magically. And just as many
people think that any snapshot taken with a Leica is ready for hanging
in the MOMA, so they think that to be successful at unobtrusive
photography one has to use a Leica, and, conversely, if you use a Leica,
you will of course be successful at unobtrusive photography because it
is so "quiet." :-)

B. D.

-----Original Message-----
From: lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org
[mailto:lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of
Ted Grant
Sent: Sunday, April 24, 2005 10:43 AM
To: Leica Users Group
Subject: Re: [Leica] Re:Black ZI


B. D. Colen offered:

> Yes, the M is wonderfully quite, and I like that fact. But there are 
>many cameras that are wonderfully quite - (as I think I posted a while 
>ago, when I fired off my M, and then my E-1 DSLR to demonstrate the M's

>quiet to my students, they all thought the M was "louder" than the 
>DSLR. I think they're about the same, but the sounds are 'different.') 
>Certainly Rollei TLRs are quieter than the M.

Hi B.D.,
I've tried the same thing with people listening for the "quiet M
shutter" 
and had similar re-action. However, I think what happens is, people 
"turn -up their hearing" and are distinctly listening for a sound,
therefore 
more aware in the "click of the M." Where in fact, if their minds are 
involved with something else and normal peripheral sounds, they do not 
distinguish the shutter sound from anything else.

I've shot during meetings with a dozen people around a board room table
and 
never once had anyone re-mark about camera noise, nor my movements about
the 
room while changing shoot positions.

The secret of changing positions is to have cased the room first, know 
exactly where you are going to move to, then watch the eye direction of
the 
people and when they're pretty well all looking in the opposite
direction to 
you, move quietly and smoothly to your new position, sit down, wait and
be 
still. In most cases you have changed position and sitting on the other
side 
of the room and the majority of the people at the table never know
you've 
moved.

Just like a stealth bomber. ;-)

>What matters in unobtrusive, stealth if you will, photography, is NOT 
>the shutter noise, but how you handle the camera, and how you conduct 
>yourself. If YOU are quiet and unobtrusive, and if you don't keep 
>bouncing the camera up and down from your face, you can shoot with a 
>shoulder mounted rocket launcher and no one will notice you. <<<<<<<

Absolutely right on the mark!!

I've watched photographer's attract attention to themselves like a bull 
elephant in a china shop. While others move with the smooth silent
motion of 
a ghost. It's about motion and movement, and one can stand or sitting 10

feet or less from someone and shoot without ever drawing attention to 
themselves that they're actually shooting.

When I first acquired Leica's many years ago I was fascinated with the 
photography of the greats of the day in "how could they shoot so close
and 
people not know they had taken a picture?"  It's a learning process by
doing 
it over and over again. Then when you get it right you can sit on a park

bench while shooting the person sitting at the other end and they never
know 
you've actually made an exposure of them.

You never look at them and there's never any direct eye contact at
anytime. 
You only see them in the view finder! And if they look at you, you just
keep 
the camera to your eye as if you're taking a picture beyond them. When
you 
put camera down you look right past them into infinity. In many cases
the 
subject will look in the direction you're looking to see what you're
taking 
a picture of. ;-)   KISS baby! ;-)

Once you have that down pat you can shoot almost anywhere and be
invisible. 
:-)

ted




 
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