[Leica] peter turnley's workshop in Cuba, march 2015

[Leo Wesson]

>From my experience with Peter he said that you shouldn't quit a scene until
you were done and then don't be afraid to go back to it to rework it.
Peter's big takeaway for me was learning to anticipate what was going to
happen next and be ready to shoot it when the moment and elements were
right. He was a quick and brutal editor; yes or no.  No maybes or sort ofs
of save by cropping.

He discussed UV filters.  Said take them off.  Was of the opinion that
unless you were shooting in a dangerous situation the coatings on modern
lenses were capable of handling any normal abuse.
He said to take off lenshoods.  He felt that they made the camera look
imposing and again, felt that modern lenses didn't really need them.
He even discussed lens caps.  Said to leave them in a drawer at home.

Leo Wesson
Photographer/Videographer
817.733.9157
www.leowesson.com

On Wed, Mar 25, 2015 at 8:11 PM, Steve Barbour <steve.barbour at gmail.com>
wrote:

>
> > On Mar 25, 2015, at 5:52 PM, Robert Baron <robertbaron1 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > Thanks, Steve, I'm really glad you and Tara posted this. It is very
> > educational even for those of us who wait….
>
> a pleasure for us, we sent a copy to him…..
> >
> > Was there any (or much) discussion of the concept of working all angles
> of
> > a scene / photograph / portrait, or did he urge shooting a few frames  -
> > taking your best shot, as it were - and moving on?
>
> can say little, he said little or nothing, from our observation of him, I
> could see that he shot what drew his eye in the first place, then he moved
> on. He took us to places that he felt would generate opportunity,  but
> remained in constant movement, not shooting but always looking for the next
> shot.
> >
> > Did he talk about quantity of shutter pushes?
>
> no
> >
> > Should I assume there was no mention of UV filters?  ;-)
>
> none
>
>
> thank you,
>
>
>
> Steve
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > --Bob
> >
> > On Wed, Mar 25, 2015 at 7:45 PM, Steve Barbour <steve.barbour at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> >> making images…some thoughts transmitted by Peter Turnley during his
> >> workshop in Cuba…  March 2015
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> 1. produce the flavor of (the people and fabric of ) Cuba as it is now.
> >>
> >> 2. color or bw, one or the other. Tara used color, I used only bw, and
> was
> >> the only one
> >>
> >> 3. consistency of focal length, prefer one, get to know it well.
> >>
> >> 4. horizontal format encouraged, a few vertical frames but watch content
> >>
> >> 5. formatting, keep them all in the same, standard ratio
> >>
> >> 6. do not have pieces of the primary focus of the composition cut off,
> >> e.g.feet etc(see # 12 below)
> >>
> >> 7. do not shoot cliches or standard stuff, things that may be seen
> anywhere
> >>
> >> 8. compositition and content is key...it’s all about the feelings
> generated
> >>
> >> 9. ditch the long lens, and the zoom too, shoot 50mm, 35mm, or wider
> lens
> >>
> >> 10. move, be aggressive, go for the shot..."move like a butterfly, sting
> >> like a bee”
> >>
> >> 11. writer’s don’t talk about their word processors, they talk about
> >> their         writing,  photographers don’t need to talk about their
> >> equipment either….talk about the art and what it evokes
> >>
> >> 12. watch the edges, especially when photographing people, if you are
> >> making an image of dancers, cutting off a foot is a critical error.
> >>
> >>
> >> We stayed at the top Havana hotel, which was very comfortable, quiet and
> >> excellent. Food overall was excellent and abundant, but one must know
> how,
> >> where to eat in a foreign country, as poor food was easily available.
> >>
> >> The workshop was intensive, ie very hard work. Students numbered 16,
> plus
> >> Peter Turnley, two other young, excellent photographers, also a bus
> driver
> >> and a guide who knew the people, the geogrpaphy, history, and the social
> >> makeup of the people, who spoke excellent English. The experience was
> >> joyful, even thrilling at times.
> >> Speaking for Tara and I...  we learned a lot, agreed with some of the
> >> above, practiced it all...  benefited from it, found it productive. It
> was
> >> an experience with benefits that will last a lifetime. We may do another
> >> similar workshop with him one day in Paris.
> >>
> >> In this world of rapid changes, even in this country where time has
> stood
> >> still for 50 years, change is inevitable, and it could be rapid, now
> that
> >> the political landscape recently changed. What will happen of course is
> >> unclear, it may be good and bad…  How it will influence the Cuba we see
> now
> >> is anyone’s guess…so if you want to see Cuba as it is now, go now.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Steve and Tara
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Leica Users Group.
> >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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>
>
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