[Leica] Latest Photojournalism Blog. now ROCKET CAR! :-)

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant)]

Bill Clough offered:
Subject: [Leica] Latest Photojournalism Blog

>>>HI there--

For those interested, here is my latest blog on photojournalism:

http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/bill_clough

 

Hi Bill,

Just had a read of your BLOG on shotgun shooting and it brought to mind one
of the stories from the book I'm working on and I thought you might find it
interesting. Thing is it's a true story from way back when about a Toronto
news-photographer.

Cheers,

ted

================================

The Rocket Car

When 35mm camera motor drives' appeared on the market, it was 

perceived to be the answer to the action photographer's prayer.

 

The motor could advance film at 4 or more frames per second, allowing the

photographer to capture peak action every time; well it was thought to.

 

Many photographers found to their sorrow, by relying only on the motor and

not their reflex instinct to release the shutter,  were missing the peak

moment of the action.

 

A story from small town Ontario of an old time photographer shooting

with a 4 X 5 Speed Graphic and how he bailed out a "hotshot" big city news

photographer explains it all..

 

An inventor in the town had built a rocket engine car that caught the

attention of a Toronto newspaper.  The paper's regional editor phoned and

arranged a test of the car to allow a writer and photographer to do a story.

 

On test day the news photographer mounted three motor-driven cameras along
side the track to ensure he would capture the moment of engine ignition.

He tested them with several bursts to ensure they were synchronized ready

for the fiery blue flame spurting from the exhaust upon ignition.

 

While the hotshot was going through all the testing, the old timer made

ready.  He removed the dark slide from his Speed Graphic film magazine,

cocked the shutter set for action with his one sheet of 4 X 5 film.

 

Finally everyone was ready, car and driver, motor driven cameras, Speed

Graphic and one sheet of film.  The engine ignited, there was a brilliant

flash of blue flame, the  hotshot fired his three rolls of motor driven
film, the old timer's shutter went, "Click!"

 

The hotshot asks for a restart of the car, "Just in case we missed it."  

Same sequence takes place, three cameras burning up film at 5

frames per second; the Speed Graphic went, "Click" !

 

The next day the old timer received a phone call from the photo editor of

the Toronto paper. "Were you shooting the rocket car startup?"  "Yep" the

old timer replied.

 

Photo editor, "Our guy missed the flame, did you get it?"

 

Old timer with a smile on his face said,  "Yep, which one would you like?"

 

Moral of the story:

Equipment isn't everything!!  Photographers must have an acute sense

of timing to capture the peak action.