Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/02/26

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Subject: Re: [Leica] My M6 flash experiment
From: Ted Grant <tedgrant@islandnet.com>
Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 08:54:51 -0800

Carl Socolow  wrote:

>When I worked daily news I had a boss who had worked for S.I. Newhouse
>Sr. at the Newark Ledger. One of his favorite stories was when they were
>covering an event that Margaret Bourke-White was assigned by LIFE to
>photograph. She came in with her assistants and they lit the place with
>lots of flashbulbs rigged everywhere. My boss and several of the other
>local photographers just put their speed graphics on tripods, opened the
>shutter on bulb when Ms. Bourke-White was ready to make her exposure and
>of course scooped her cause they were on daily deadlines and she wasn't.>>>>>

Hi Carl,

Along similar lines:  using flash on camera of another photographer.

While shooting a political rally, which I had assumed (one should never
assume anything!) :) I "assumed" the TV guys would have the location lit.
Thus making it a piece of cake for me doing my usual what you see for light
is what you use.

"SURPRISE!" it wasn't lit! Talk about available darkness, this place was
"available black of night!"  And no 3200 to pump to 6400 and even with a
trusty Noctilux at hand, I was dead.

Fellow news photographer with big strobe flash on camera was blasting away
recklessly, of course do I carry a flash?  very rarely! :(

I say to him, "Could I use your flash for a few frames?" "Sure." But it
wouldn't fit on my M6.

New idea!  "OK here's the plan. When I count three you trip your strobe on
three. I'll set shutter speed on the M6 to 1/4 second,trip shutter on
three.

Ergo, your flash will light the scene recorded on mu film!  He scratched
head and couldn't figure out how that would work,  he not being an
available light photographer and seen the results when a number of
photographers at a news event using strobes and me working at 1/15th or
1/30th and having any number of flash images on my frames due to the slow
shutter speeds.

"OK, 1-2-3, Flash!  Shutter "click" after the flash!  Damn! try it again.
1-2-3 click! Flash!  after the camera! Damn try it again!
1-2-3....click--flash right on the mark!  Exposure when film processed?
Perfect timing. Unfortunately it just looked like a plain old flash
picture, but it saved my butt! :)

Eric and his band picture and dear old Margaret Bourke-White with flash
bulbs   makes for interesting picture taking.

A situation I've wanted to try at an evening Opening Ceremonies of the
Olympics or similar event, is a time exposure as Eric did, just as the
athletes or performers come into the stadium. That's the point the twinkie
flashes of all those folks with P&S cameras are blinking away like crazy.
it's quite an amazing sight.

It can be done at the opening of a night football game or any evening event
held in a major sized stadium or arena. It sure would be quite an
interesting effect. I haven't done it in the past because I'm usually doing
the super long lens thing.  Besides at international Games events you are
not allowed to use tripods!

So there's the suggestion for the day and all you lugittes now have an idea
to try sometime during this year. Have fun.:)
ted

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