Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/09/16

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Subject: Re: How not to waste a day
From: Carl Socolow <csocolow@microserve.net>
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 09:25:19 -0400

Leikon35@aol.com wrote:
> 
> In a message dated 97-09-16 02:33:47 EDT, you write:
> <<
>  Now wasn't that story better than watching a rerun on television?
> 
>  Donal Philby
>  San Diego
>  >>
>  Donal -
>   I have a non-war story similar to yours.  It concerns an immense
> train wreck and Will Connell who was sent to photograph it for his
> newspaper with his Speed Graphic.
>   Will came back to the paper and handed the editor one single film
> holder.  When asked why he only shot one picture, Will answered -
> "There was only one train wreck".
> 
> Marvin Moss
> Altadena

Speaking of "war stories" I'll at least share a bit of my background
when I first started working for a daily newspaper in the early 80s.
Most of the guys there had been raised on Crown and Speed Graphics. We
younger guys came in with our winders and a bevy of lenses. I was soon
told that all you need is a 50mm lens and one sheet of film. If you want
a wider shot, step back and a tighter shot move closer. And that if you
took your time and waited till the right instant you would have the best
picture. 

This has been guiding advice since. And though I still have an
assortment of lenses I find that I still favor using my 50mm Summilux
(especially with the M3 finder) and I still have art directors and
assorted clients wondering why I haven't shot scads of film like other
photographers that they've used. 

By the way, I recall reading somewhere that Contact Press photographer
Dave Burnett primarily uses a 50mm lens for most of his work. If you
take the time to learn it you will truly be amazed at what it can do.\

Carl S.