[Leica] KL Leica report final.

[tedgrant@islandnet.com (Ted Grant)]

Howdy all,

Home again! Between the 28 hours of travel and 14 hour time difference I'm
time warped out.  Even my M6 is lying here with a little pop-up note in the
view finder saying, "if you touch me for even one exposure, be assured I'll
kill you!":)

However, we are in the recovery stage and will be up rockin' and rollin'
come next Wednesday in Cape Cod for the Leica seminar. I see good ole doc
Mervin Stewart is supplying red dots for our name cards indicating LUG
members attending.  Sure looking forward to seeing you all.:)

Having just received a special edition Tom Abrahamsson commemorative "Red
LUG soft release" which I have already installed on number 1 M6. Maybe some
day Tom might consider making a "LUG lapel pin" much like the soft release,
then we could place them on our jackets denoting we are members of a
special group of crazy Leica photographers. :) :)

I mean everyone else has fancy lapel pins, the Order of the Moose to the
Flying Hootin-Nannies, so why not a lapel pin for the LUG family? :)

Never did recover my lifted R8, however with a $500.US reward floating
around in KL who knows what might happen. Sure was a shocker to have it
disappear so quickly and me always telling folks they should mindful of
their gear when on the road, insured or not. As loosing one is a major
trauma.

Equipment in use:
Canon, no question the leader of the photographers shooting sports, with
Nikon a very distant second and Leica virtually non-existant. But that's
today compared to the past before auto-focus and high speed motor drives,
when I'd attend the Olympics and Leica was favourably represented.

But then there was a photographer using an M6 shooting stock for Black
Star, but it seemed most of his work might fall into a "sport-art" category
and not those tight in your face athletes straining to win a race shot with
a 600mm.

Given I wasn't there as a working photographer, but as an advisor for media
photographer positioning, I found it frustrating as I saw great moments of
action happening, but no 400 plus 1.4 extender to put them on film. The
good thing, I didn't have a sore back lugging all my long lenses in and out
of steaming hot venues and crowded like sardines in the photo positions.

You see in international sports like this, you do not roam where you want
to go, you go to specific photo positons hoping that the person planning
the sightlines for photographers knows what he is doing. So in KL it helped
having someone with over 35 years sports experience setting the locations.
However!

Photographers being the crazies they are, are rarely satisfied with the
photo positions as in the swimming competition. Some whined because they
couldn't walk along the side of the pool deck and shoot the swimmers as
they churned up and down the lanes.  Kind of like whining because you can't
stand beside the quaterback in a football game for close-ups. :)

Although they were long hour (14-16 hr.) days it was interesting from a
search for Leicas whenever I could to help relax. It was an eye opener that
so few Leicas were present compared to the old days, but with 450
accredited photographers dispersed in various venues, it is possible I
missed a few. But Leica was sadly lacking in presence.

So the next big Leica event is the seminar on Cape Cod next week and let me
assure you there'll be Leicas aplenty! :)  From those carrying their own to
the Leica toys for folks to play with. For those of you attending I'll see
you at Wednesday evening's wine and cheese meet and greet! :)

So now I can settle down, re-join the LUG conversations and see how the
family is doing on a day to day basis.:)

ted