Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/06/25

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Newbie shooting at wedding shower
From: Charles Dunlap <cdunlap@es.UCSC.EDU>
Date: Thu, 25 Jun 1998 11:40:02 -0800

>I will also shoot B&W film -
>any comments or recommendations on pushing TriX400 (3 times) or would
>you recommend other B&W film for better pushing capabilities?

For B+W I would recommend Kodak T400CN or TMAX 3200.

I'm not convinced that you need to shoot at f/11 or higher. The 35/2 ASPH
reaches its optimum by f/5.6 and deteriorates after f/8 due to diffraction
(as any lens does). With grainy film this might be irrelevent, but if you
shoot at f/5.6 you won't have to push the film as much and the grain will
be less severe.

I would practice focusing in the 3 to 5 foot range. Do some "air
photography" at home. When taking photos at a party I usually find myself
easing into a position near to a potential photograph. I focus and then
wait til the elements align themselves (facial expressions, body positions,
gestures). I rarely find that I can see a good photo and react quickly
enough, even with the focus set, to get it if I'm not already prepared. I
see a lot of pictures in the fleeting camera of my eye that no equipment
would have let me captured unless I had been anticipating it. You'll have
to learn to let some opportunities pass and not get too worried about it.
Keep relaxed and calmly focussed (Cartier-Bresson spoke about his approach
in zenlike terms). Some people think that auto-everything cameras are best
suited for these situations, but in reality they are deceiving you. By the
time the camera has focussed, set exposure, and then released the shutter
the fleeting moment you saw in your mind is gone. Even if you had a
superfast auto camera you'd be better off using it in its manual modes. (As
an example, the AF might seem quicker, but if you're constantly whirring
the motor and moving the camera around to focus on the subject and then
recompose you are distracting yourself and other people.)

Good luck,

Charlie