Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2013/09/01
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]G'day Duane, Good on you lad in taking the critique comments as offered. :-) Not mean spirited! :-) I understand your comments extremely well as I have been through that "Life in the day of." in finding a photo? One newspaper I shot for, each day one staff photographer's assignment was "FIND A MAGICAL MOMENT PHOTO!" Without any direction. And flower photos became an out subject! WHY? They were too easy to find and shoot. Then they became boring as flowers became a sort of cop-out photo. Of the eight on staff everyone hated vehemently being tagged for this assignment. Why? You were all alone searching! Well it meant you had all day to find something "eye catching and interesting!" With no direction from the city desk nor anyone else. Just seek out and shoot it! By midnight of that day and you still don't have a "magical moment." You become very snarly and mean spirited in photo attitude! Not to mention really dragging yer butt having pounded the streets and city all day looking. Then of course throw in a spirit of competition between the photographers to see who shot the best "MAGICAL MOMENT" each week ( the winner got a free lunch and a beer!) :-) only meant you worked harder trying to find something. Nothing like a free lunch anytime! :-) :-) You still have all night to keep looking as long as you had something for the morning edition layout call at 5 a.m.. :-) Having beaten yerself on this assignment as you said. :-) I know you can surely appreciate not getting the Magical Moment Assignment and why we all hated getting it! Thanks for your efforts and taking the meaning of the assignment concept of designating a subject as meant.... "get the crew out and looking for the subject experience!" cheers, ted ----- Original Message ----- From: "Duane Birkey" <dbirkey at hcjb.org> To: <lug at leica-users.org> Sent: Saturday, August 31, 2013 11:57 PM Subject: Re: [Leica] Am I too tough??? maybe... maybe not : ) > Hi Ted, > > > > Thanks for the kind words and compliment as well as the frank--tell it > like you see it--harsh words of a photo editor... > > > > You are right... yes "A) I've got to do a reflection shot for the LUG." > was sort of what I was thinking... Actually it was... Reflection in a car > window...? Really??? That's our assignment??? Car window are curved... > and you see all the stuff inside of the car...? ARGHHHH.... I liked the > theme blue and reflections I can do... Car windows??? > > > > After not really seeing anything I wanted to shoot for a week and 1/2... > I took a day and headed off to a couple of towns in the mountains where I > had never been before to take some photos... with the assignment sort of > a "if I see something I'll shoot it." > > > > So I was looking for something interesting to shoot and actually.. I > really liked the reflections I was getting in > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/dbirkey/abstracts/DuaneBirkey20139156_lg.jpg.html > > > > So I figured... I wonder if there is a car window I can get this > reflection in... Well the only thing there was this stupid old Chevy > pickup with dirty windows, and dirty windows aren't ideal for a > reflection.. I thought about cleaning them... and then remembered that I > was in Colorado where people tend to carry guns and don't really like you > messing with their truck... I took one frame... wasn't happy with it > at all... So I gave up on that... and didn't even notice the mirror at > that point... I came back a couple hours later hoping there would be > another car there... there wasn't... So thought I'd try again... at > which point I saw the pink hand mirror haphazardly duct-taped as the side > mirror.... So I changed directions and made the photo more about the > humour of the pink mirror and duct tape on a Chevy pickup than the > reflection.... Which is why the focus is on the mirror and not the > actual reflection... > > > > Normally I wouldn't bother to even take a photo of a pink duct-taped > mirror on the side of Chevy pickup... let alone show it to anybody.... > but I thought the LUG might find it humorous.... (Did at least > somebody smile at it??? : ) ) But I never could find an angle for the > shot I was happy with... So I moved on... > > > > I did actually try to think of some other situations that might make for > an interesting reflection... and most of those involved lighted signs at > night.... which if I had had more time or motivation... and no security > concerns.... I would have worked a bit harder at it... > > > > As you said, it was not my best effort... But I still had fun doing > it... And it got me out to take a whole bunch of other photos that I > really enjoyed getting... which is sort of the purpose of the assignment > anyhow... > > > > Thanks for the honest C&C, > > > > Duane > > > > > > > > Ted wrote: > > > >> > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/dbirkey/DR_Ted/DuaneBirkey20139193_lg.jpg.html >> > >>You sitting in your car or van and think? > >>A/ "Damn I've got to do a reflection shot for the LUG." > >>B/ You grab camera hop out, see colourful object and some kind of >>reflection >>and go click! Get back in car ! There done and over! You feel better???" >>:-) >>I'm right? Right? :-) > >>I look at it and think "What the hell was he thinking?? Let alone was >>there >>worth shooting?" > >>Really? Is this one of your all time best ten images you've ever taken? > >>This isn't personal, I'm re-acting just as a hard assed as I've had >>Photo-editors treat me over the years ! And possibly me doing exactly what >>you did. Or I assume it had about that amount of effort put into your >>"ASSIGNMENT" shot. I have fallen into this kind of mood and had the >>howling >>bejjjjjeeessuuuss hollered at me. So you are not alone! > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information