Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/06/24

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Subject: Re: [Leica] HCB wide vs tele
From: bfranson@greennet.net (Bill Franson)
Date: Thu, 24 Jun 1999 22:49:45 +0000
 
 but I do NOT understand why a 90mm head-and-shoulder
>shot at ten feet is not as good as a 35mm shot at 3 feet.  But, apparently,
>editors have some psychological reflex need for wide-angle shots, so the
>PJ's are ordered to use 35mm or 28mm lenses to cover every press conference
>they attend.
>
>Sheezh!  I am a photographer, friends.  I do my own dark-room work.  I use
>MF and miniature-format gear (35mm for the youngsters in our crew).  And I
>simply fail to understand the frantic love for wide-angle lenses, other
>than that they radically distort the background.

For me, a wide-angle helps to place the subject in context whereas a tele
separates the subject from its context. Photographed Mayor Menino (Boston)
at a press conference tuesday and got talking head shots with a Nikon and
80-200 zoom that could have been taken anywhere. I got my best shots after
the event with an M6 wide with all the News media lenses and mikes coming
at him from all directions. 

Bill Franson