[Leica] Re:Black ZI

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant)]

B. D. Colen offered:
Subject: RE: [Leica] Re:Black ZI


> 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." :-)<,

Hi B.D.,
Absolutely! We see it all the time... "I use a Leica, therefore I am!!!!!!! 
A great unobtrusive shooter when in reality the "crappy exposures they 
produce make you want to throw-up!"  But try and explain that to some "Leica 
owners" who truly believe every frame they expose it's a great, wonderful or 
other adjective pertaining to fabulous because it's a Leica taken photo."

Sure there's a huge difference between someone shooting day after day on 
assignments where  your livelihood depends on production without excuse, 
compared to the weekend photo warrior and a little plinking as the mood 
strikes. It's like anything else though, if you want to be good you have to 
work at it, put lots of time in, shoot hundreds of rolls and learn the 
tricks of handling both camera and body language. That is until it becomes 
just like breathing and just as satisfying!

Then it get's slightly easier and sometimes you get lucky capturing a few 
moving moments. But it isn't because it's a Leica, it's because one puts the 
time in shooting rolls & rolls of film, studying the results, making 
corrections, moving on and becoming better at what one see's and not because 
it's a Leica.... they themselves become better.

We have seen many on the list over the years knocking themselves out working 
at it and because of that effort, we see their improvements. Then we've had 
the "wonder boys" who arrive, post the most atrocious images, of course with 
their great ramblings of how good they are because they used a Leica.

When in reality it's not the camera ... it's the person holding it that 
always counts, regardless what kind of machine. But some never learn!

ted