Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/10/10

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Subject: Re: [Leica] , Now light discussion? long!
From: "Steven L. Alexander" <alexpix@worldnet.att.net>
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1998 09:33:23 -0500

>
>Ted Grant
>This is Our Work. The Legacy of Sir William Osler.
>http://www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant
>
>

I too have been a professional for many years, first published in 1955, and
I concur with all Ted says about light.

All photography can be reduced to elements of shape/form (design), tonal
value ( white-black or color) and light (relationship of shadows to
highlights).  This of course discounts concerns of content; however, the
ideas surrounding content are a complete set of other discussions. One
assumes that technical issues of focus and exposure are understood and
practiced.

I have always told students and people at short courses I've led that;
simply without light you can not create a photograph.  Try it, even with a
Noctilux, no light, no photograph.  Mananging the light and understanding
how to use it is, IMHO, the most significant element in creating a
photograph.  This also comes back to my last contribution to this list that
"exixting light" is whatever you can make exist in any give situation.

Steven Alexander