Re: I respectfully agree with Ted ;-)

[ted grant <75501.3002@compuserve.com>]

Eric wrote:

<<<<<But sometimes you have to shoot a lot of film, simply because as you
shoot, you begin to see new things. If you stop, you might miss the best
picture that only comes as you begin to whittle away the lesser pictures.
>>>>>>

Hi Eric,

There are folks who believe the more you shoot the greater your chance of
getting "the" picture. Because if you use enough film you are bound to get
the perfect photograph sooner or later.  "WRONG!"

Using great amounts of film by an inexperienced photographer or an
incompetent one will not give them the "award winning photograph."  It
rarely happens and if it does, then that truly is "pure luck!"

What some people don't understand is, we documenting photographers are no
different than a writer who starts to write a book.  He begins to write
without any thought in numbers of words, paragraphs or pages. She starts to
create sentences forming paragraphs and they in turn form chapters.

Before they are finished they have used a great number of words (read here
rolls of film!). Their work is edited, rewritten and finally the finished
product goes to press.

Photographers work very similarly, we start shooting without any thought of
"how many frames" (read here words). Our frames are edited, sometimes
reshot and when we are done, we cut to final images for the essay.

Film is the cheapest commodity of an assignment, much like words. But if we
do not "write with our cameras" in that we use film as the writer uses his
or her words, then how do we know we have done the very best coverage
possible?

<<<But sometimes you have to shoot a lot of film, simply because as you
shoot, you begin to see new things.>>>>>>>>

That is very true.  You begin to feel how the light is working and changing
as you shoot your way through the maze of motivating actions or scenes.  

I never relate to film or how much I may use, much like an artist begins a
canvass rarely concerns himself with "how many tubes of paint" he will use.
They begin with the sole object of creating a finished piece of work. Using
the same logic, why would we ever consider how much film we use on a
documentary?

It is interesting though to take one Leica, one lens and one roll of film
and shoot an assignment.  A personal project kind of thing and simply shoot
an exciting series of pictures. What this does is make you look at the
subject more objectively, select the Leica lens and which model (M6 or R8)
that will allow you to do the best job.

Shooting something like this sorts out the "machine gun shooter" from the
"single shot shooter" because volume of film isn't available with only one
roll.  Simply put, "more doesn't make you better, unless you are paying
attention and know what you are doing!"

I do the "one roll, one Leica" thing every once in awhile simply as a
"refresher shoot".  Works wonders for "learning to see"  when you have to
work at it with 36 frames. Besides it makes you "look harder" about what
works and what doesn't. 

In the end it makes you a better photographer when the time comes that your
5 or 6 Leicas are smoking with film flying in all directions! :)

ted