Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/07/08
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]First of all HCB used a 50mm lens for most of his work. This is by no means wide enough to be as close as we are talking about. What the discussion was involving was the TV videographers who, no matter what they are shooting, put their lens on the widest setting shove their way into someones face to shoot. In many cases it is better to shoot with a longer lens. There are several reasons for this. One is that because the focal length is longer the background clutter is reduced. You are not creating a shoving match when you use a longer lens, there is generally more room to work. We have all seen on the TV the packs of news people crowding around someone after a big trial ect to get the interview. Speaking as someone who has been there, this is no way to get a decent interview. The subject is put on the defensive because of the press and crush of people surrounding them. And all too often the TV guys get in the face of someone who just lost a close family member in some tragedy and ask that great journalistic question "How did that make you feel." How do you think it made them feel to find a loved one had been killed suddenly,...... joyous?---As far as I am concerened a person with this much stupidty should not even be reporting in a public forum. As far as the Tabloid shooters who climb trees to invade someone's privacy...well they have no ethics and are a GREAT example in the extreeme of what is wrong with the media in general today. Give the public what they want no matter who it offends, what rights are violated. As long as we can make a lot of money screw the ethics of the situation. Just my opinions of the media after spending 10 years as a news photographer. Thank goodness I now shoot mostly travel and trade photography doing news only on the really big stories and then I have free reign as I am doing it on my own to service out through my agent. Harrison McClary http://people.delphi.com/hmphoto - ---------- > From: Shawn London <st942432@pip.cc.brandeis.edu> > To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us > Subject: Re: M6, 50mm Summicron and more > Date: Tue, 08 Jul 1997 01:30:07 -0400 > >> >>These are the types that perpetuate the animal image of news photographers to >>the point that newspaper shooters do no not receive any respect simply >>because >>of the animal pack in your face mentality. > >Oh, I see. Henri Cartier-Bresson was an animal because he shot close. >And tabloid photos shot through windows and out of trees from a block >away are automatically less offensive because the photographer didn't >irritate the subject at the time? >