Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/10/10
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]> Hi LUG, > > I am going for a 3 week journey to Egypt. I began to write this reply in my mind as I drove down the freeway on a hazy hot spring morning becoming increasingly jealous, when the random choice genie of the CD player brought up JSB and "lch Habe Genug". How like Mr JSB to remind me of all my blessings. So with a restored Karma I want to give you some thoughts on Egypt. We travelled from Aswan to Cairo with Swann-Helenic. In doing it this way you travel against chronology starting with the "Modern" Egypt and moving back in time to the cradle of civilisation. If I had a choice I would travel South and move through Egypt and time in synchrony but it is no big deal and this way you end up in Giza and can do the museum with more understanding. Egypt has been a tourist Mecca since the Greco-Roman days and for good reason. For those of us with a love for photography it is even better. The light is clear, the colours are vibrant and the shapes and contrasts are great for b/w. I travelled with Minolta SLR and CLE and with the 3.5F Rollei. My Kodachrome slides are great but my 120 shots were a revelation to me as I had never used a TLR before. I used it mainly for portraits 90% of which I could take without the "knowledge" of the sitter. This made for some very natural images and saved me quids on tips ;-) We travelled in great style making friends with unlikely walks of life. I suspect that we were the only "paupers" on the cruise ;-) I was able to handle all the latest Japan had to offer, but most of those interested in photography would remark "Rollei-I had one for years and I wish I still used it." I was accredited with greater acumen than anyone with modern gear--only wish I'd had Leicas in those days. Highlights [ before this gets too long]; 1. the people especially the children ; outside the city you will see real life scenes identical to those on the walls of the temples. Little has changed. (if I ever go again I will try to capture better scenes of rural life on the banks of the Nile and set them against the temple decorations.) 2. The proximity of the desert to the fertile flooded pastures- I never really captured that well. 3. The rising salt table and rapid destruction of 3000 years of history- get there quickly ! 4. Any and all of the temples but Kom Ombo in the early morning light was fantastic. 5. An over-heard comment viz: "I wonder what we will leave behind for visitors to see in 3000 years." to which someone replied "Nuclear waste?" Strangely I was planning an exhibition of my Rollei prints in Egypt when I update my home page at the start of November. I will let you know when they are up! Oh I'd say the M series Leica would be ideal for Egypt. There is little need for long telephoto lenses, and for portrait work and carrying, it would be ideal [but I'd still take a Rollei ;-)] Alastair Firkin, http://users.netconnect.com.au/~firkin/AGFhmpg.html