[Leica] The Making of an Exhibit

["David W. Almy" <dalmy@mindspring.com>]

Dear Lugnuts,

For those of you who are new, or missed it the first time, I decided to
repost something I wrote a year ago to good reviews (the post, that is).
It describes the making of photographs for exhibit at the National Air &
Space Museum in Washington, DC, which although due for only a one-year
run, has now been extended through the end of this year (1999). 

New in this post is the photo of the whole exhibit, which is online at
http://www.nbaa.org/bizwings/. This shot was taken with a G2 and the
16/8 Hologon w/filter, necessary because of the confined quarters. This
photo does show the 18 photos on display in the museum (left wall) and
described below, as well as the 20x40 foot lambda print on the opposite
wall.

Would be interested in your comments.

DWA

******************

Originally posted in July, 1998:

Got a little bored this morning so I thought I sit down and pound out a
few items. I have been lurking since 1996 (believe it or not), and don't
often post, but always read. So in an effort to catch up with Eric (and
lately, Jim) in one fell swoop, go get a cup of coffee, settle back, and
read on....

The following details the photographic development of a new exhibit --
entitled "Business Wings" -- which includes 19 photographs (by yours
truly) that opened on June 12 at the Smithsonian's National Air & Space
Museum in Washington, DC. Business Wings is all about the use of
aircraft for business purposes -- why we have Learjets, etc. The exhibit
will be up for one year, through May, 1999, during which an estimated
9.2 million visitors are expected to zip through the museum. All of the
shots are now online within the Museum's Web site as well. The primary
link to the full  "Business Wings Online" virtual exhibit is
http://www.nasm.edu/GALLERIES/GAL104/bwings/bwhome.html  The link to a
rather nifty command center for viewing the 18 Leica-shot photos is
http://www.nasm.edu/GALLERIES/GAL104/bwings/bwswph.html

The exhibit's actual prints are large and all but one were taken from
January-May of this year using current production Leica equipment. I'm
not kidding when I say large -- there are 5 48"x72" prints, 9 24"x36"
prints, and 4 16"x24" prints. The 19th photo -- enlarged to 20'x40' or
800 sq. feet -- was taken using a Deardorff 8x10 on Velvia, but more on
that later. There is no more humbling photographic challenge than making
4x6-foot prints from 35mm originals.

This has been a fun, fascinating, tiresome, travel-intensive and
challenging project, during which I shot about 3,000 slides using two
M6s, an R8/winder, and 24, 28, 35/1.4 ASPH, 50/2 and 75 M lenses, and
100/2.8 Apo and 180/2.0(!) Apo and 2X/Apo R lenses. Almost all of the
slides were shot at wide apertures or wide open, where Leica optical
performance is most obvious. Most all of the photos were taken either
indoors (inside airplanes in flight) or at dawn or dusk. Few pictures
taken between 10 and 4 seem to interest me, so I shoot before or after,
which can make life technically challenging. Briefly, my "style" of
photography is to tell "the story of business aviation" through shots of
real life as found on the road, or runway as it were. Consequently, for
reality's sake, I never use flash. It's a cross between commercial
photography and photojournalism. Sometimes in-your-face, sometimes
painterly, never "beauty shots," hopefully always involving the viewer.
At least that's what I try to do.

A no-news-here caveat: none of the Web versions of the photographs do
the originals any justice. Leica quality is wasted on the Web -- you
just can't see it. What you can see is composition, subject matter,
gross lighting, etc. To really see the photos as Solms and Oscar
intended, you'd have to project them using a fine slide projector.
Barring that, and for use in the Museum, great effort was made to make
the best possible prints from the original slides. (see below for the
details). Comments on individual photos follow. As mentioned, none of
the shots were staged, with two exceptions: the air-to-air of the Mooney
obviously was set up as was the helicopter shot. Everything else was "as
found."

Aircraft: Mooney Bravo Location: Kerrville, Texas Leica R8 w/winder, 180
Apo Summicron, 1/250@f5.6, Professional Kodachrome 25 Print size in the
Air & Space Museum: 48"x72" A very windy, bouncy day. Focus was
(wrongly) behind the cockpit/people. Camera, chase plane and subject
plane were bouncing around like a banshee. Air-to-air framing is more
luck and photographer's agility than anything else. The 3-bladed prop
arc's placement is pure luck. A 4x6 foot print in the Museum. See it at:
http://www.nasm.edu/GALLERIES/GAL104/bwings/sw12.jpg

Aircraft: Dassault Falcon 100 Location: Marshall, Texas Leica M6 on a
Bogen monopod, 50 Summicron, 1/125@f4, E100 Ektachrome Print size in the
Air & Space Museum: 24"x36" The guy in the picture, Jeff, 26, is the
airplane's co-pilot. Picture was a grab shot as he returned to the
hangar after opening the aircraft's door on this rainy morning. The
print is surprisingly attractive for what, superficially, appears to be
a snapshot. Nice atmosphere, beautifully and correctly blue. The Museum
chose this one, not me. See it at:
http://www.nasm.edu/GALLERIES/GAL104/bwings/sw07.jpg

Aircraft: Beechcraft King Air B200 Location: Enroute to Smyrna,
Tennessee from Cleveland Leica M6, 28 Elmarit, 1/60@f4, E200 Ektachrome,
Bogen monopod Print size in the Air & Space Museum: 16"x24" Three senior
guys from a manufacturing company. Sunshine coming through the polarized
windows lit the interior, which was very dark. May have been exposed as
low as 1/30@2.8 but the 28 is an excellent performer at any aperture.
One of my favorite shots. See it at:
http://www.nasm.edu/GALLERIES/GAL104/bwings/sw14.jpg

Aircraft: Beechcraft King Air B200 Location: Artesia, New Mexico Leica
M6, 35/1/4 ASPH Summilux, 1/250@4, Professional Kodachrome 64 Print size
in the Air & Space Museum: 24"x36" Out in the boonies again. Not easily
seen, but there's a guy coming out of the plane's door. It's dawn; the
sun lights the top half of the plane while the bottom half of the plane
is in shadow. Incident light meter reading of the morning sun coming
from the left. See it at:
http://www.nasm.edu/GALLERIES/GAL104/bwings/sw05.jpg

Aircraft: Bell Helicopter 407 (a new model) Location: Dallas Leica R8,
180 Apo Summicron, Bogen Monopod, 1/500@4, Professional Kodachrome 25

Print size in the Museum: 4x6 FEET! Dallas has a heliport attached to
the downtown Convention Center. We flew in this helicopter from the
plant in Arlington to Dallas for the shot, for which we had 10 minutes
in hazy late day sun. I was dropped on the heliport while the helicopter
did approaches from the city. A couple of times they hovered in front of
me -- sort of like shooting ducks in a barrel. The winder on the R8
worked its little heart out that day. One of the most popular
in-your-face images in the exhibit. The guy in the right seat is the
account manager for the advertising agency handling Bell. My Gitzo
tripod was in a Bogen tripod bag and as the helicopter flew over, the
rotor wash picked up the bag, launching the tripod, which landed on the
head, smashing it. I still need to order a new one. Oh, well. See it at:
http://www.nasm.edu/GALLERIES/GAL104/bwings/sw09.jpg

Aircraft: Cessna 172/Piper Navajo Location: McCook, Nebraska Leica R8,
180 Apo Summicron, 1/250@4, Professional Kodachrome 25 Print size in the
Museum: 24"x36" There's not much in McCook. I focused on the guy's
shoes. A grab shot on a lark, which the Museum liked. See it at:
http://www.nasm.edu/GALLERIES/GAL104/bwings/sw10.jpg

Aircraft: Dassault Falcon 2000 Location: Enroute from Grand Rapids,
Michigan to Philadelphia Leica M6, 28 Elmarit, 1/30@4, Ektachrome E200
Print size in the Museum: 24"x36" Cockpit of a Falcon 2000. High tech,
state-of-the-art airplane. The Museum wanted to show a cockpit and this
was it. You can read the instruments, although scan lines are visible on
the instrument CRTs. Hand held. See it at:
http://www.nasm.edu/GALLERIES/GAL104/bwings/sw17.jpg

Aircraft: Cessna Citation VII Location: Wooster, Ohio Leica M6, 28
Elmarit, 1/125@4, Ektachrome 100SW Print size in the Museum: 24"x36" A
picture of farmland that just happens to have a business jet in it (see
silos in upper left corner). I climbed up on the roof of the adjacent
hangar to shoot this on a very cloudy day. A landscape, really. Shot a
couple of rolls up there. Wooster is not served by commercial airlines,
hence the need for the planes. See it at:
http://www.nasm.edu/GALLERIES/GAL104/bwings/sw11.jpg

Aircraft: DeHavilland Twin Otter DHC-6 Location: San Jose, California
Leica R8, 100 Apo Elmarit, 1/90@f4, E100SW Ektachrome, handheld (sorry,
Erwin) Print size in the Air & Space Museum: 48"x72" Eight AM in San
Jose, in the rain, dark as anything. Check out the guy caught mid-step
coming off the plane. Seen THAT scene before? I was on an adjacent
hangar roof. One of the keys to neat photos is getting up high. As flat
a scene as you ever will find, lighting-wise. But lots of little nooks
and crannies of activity. Reminds me of a Babar scene, if you know what
they are. Probably one of the signature images of the exhibit. See it
at: http://www.nasm.edu/GALLERIES/GAL104/bwings/sw03.jpg

Aircraft: Cessna Citation VII Location: enroute to Rogers, Arkansas
Leica M6, 24 Elmarit ASPH, 1/15@4, Professional Kodachrome 64 Print size
in the Museum: 24"x36" To shoot directly across from the two passengers,
I sat across from them, focused on the opposite windows with my back to
the wall, and then placed the camera on a sidewall railing perpendicular
to passengers. There was only an inch between the camera and the cabin
wall behind it. An unusual view of passengers in a business jet and a
visual innovation of which I'm proud. Incident light meter reading (Luna
Pro SBC). See it at:
http://www.nasm.edu/GALLERIES/GAL104/bwings/sw08.jpg

Aircraft: Dassault Falcon 900 and Douglas DC3 Location: Lincoln,
Nebraska Leica R8, 180 Apo Summicron w/2x Apo Converter, 1/125@2.8
(effectively 5.6), Gitzo tripod, mirror locked up, Ektachrome E200 Print
size in the Museum: 16"x24" We called this shot "Peeping Tom" as this
maintenance guy was using a flashlight to look at the windows from the
outside. Just a ramp shot which, because of the juxtaposition of the old
DC3 and the state-of-the-art Falcon 900, the Museum liked. Otherwise
undistinguished. Early-in-the-morning overcast. See it at:
http://www.nasm.edu/GALLERIES/GAL104/bwings/sw19.jpg

Aircraft: Cessna Citation III and "Chris" Location: Smyrna, Tennessee
Leica R8, 180 Apo Summicron, 1/250@2, Bogen monopod, Ektachrome E100S
Print size in the Museum: 24"x36" One of my favorite shots, taken with
the 180 wide open at f2. A fun environmental portrait and a grab shot
with nifty lighting on this guy's face. Unplanned. I was just plunking
off shots and he walked up to me late in the day and zap. Love that 180.
He is an aircraft service guy in Smyrna. See it at:
http://www.nasm.edu/GALLERIES/GAL104/bwings/sw15.jpg

Aircraft: Beechcraft King Air B200 Location: Artesia, New Mexico Leica
M6, 28 Elmarit, 1/250@f5.6, Ektachrome E100S Print size in the Museum:
4'x6' FEET Out in the boonies. One of the most successful of the shots.
Everybody likes this shot. Phenomenal 28 Elmarit. I considered the very
right edge of the plane to be very important to the photo. See it at:
http://www.nasm.edu/GALLERIES/GAL104/bwings/sw02.jpg

Aircraft: Beechcraft King Air B200 Location: Enroute to Denver Leica M6,
35 Summilux ASPH, 1/60@2.8, Ektachrome E200 Print size in the Museum:
24"x36" Surprisingly dark, despite the sun. Another reality shot of
normal guy going normal places. This is not lifestyles of the rich and
famous. The Museum liked the guy with the open Daytimer. See it at:
http://www.nasm.edu/GALLERIES/GAL104/bwings/sw16.jpg

Aircraft: Beechcraft King Air B200 Location: San Antonio, Texas Leica
M6, 28 Elmarit, 1/250@f5.6, Professional Kodachrome 25 A ramp shot,
exposed for outdoors. I was just waiting around and plunking off shots,
wasting film. The Museum liked it. The "tug" -- used from pulling planes
out of the hangar -- was handmade from cobbled together parts. It has a
V8 engine and can go 60 miles per hour. Obviously unique. See it at:
http://www.nasm.edu/GALLERIES/GAL104/bwings/sw20.jpg

Aircraft: Cessna Citation VII Location: Rogers, Arkansas Leica R8, 180
Apo Summicron w/2X Apo Converter, Ektachrome 100, Gitzo Tripod, mirror
locked up Print size in the Air & Space Museum: 48"x72" Another of the
4x6 foot blowups. A fun shot because of the pilot coming down the stairs
on the right. They had started the engines and were ready to go when the
door came open with the engines running and out leapt the pilot (on
right). Camera was already set up with mirror locked up when he bounded
down the stairway so I snapped him at this instant. Turned out that I
had left one roll of film on the seat and he didn't want to fly away
without returning it to me right then. One of the most-liked prints in
the exhibit. A 4x6 foot print in the Museum. Excellent quality image due
to excellent quality optics. See it at:
http://www.nasm.edu/GALLERIES/GAL104/bwings/sw06.jpg

Aircraft: Dassault Falcon 2000 Location: Enroute to Philadelphia Leica
M6, 28 Elmarit, 1/30@2.8, Ektachrome 200 Print size in the Museum:
24"x36" My second favorite shot in the exhibit. Despite the sun sliver,
VERY dark. Hand held, at 1/30th wide open, probably at least a stop
underexposed. I shot standing over these folks as they reviewed plans.
Unusual perspective of aircraft passengers. This is what commonly goes
on during flights aboard bizjets, much to the media's disappointment.
See it at: http://www.nasm.edu/GALLERIES/GAL104/bwings/sw13.jpg

Aircraft: Beechcraft King Air 350 Location: Marshall, Texas Leica R8,
180 Apo Summicron, 1/200@2.0, Ektachrome E200 Print size in the Museum:
24"x36" A grab shot taken just for fun with the 180 again, wide open. I
focused on the air stair door, which resulted in the nose of the
aircraft being "out." Undistinguished. See it at:
http://www.nasm.edu/GALLERIES/GAL104/bwings/sw01.jpg

Some random thoughts:

Editors are king. The Smithsonian's folks chose 18 shots from about
3,000 I took. Those chosen were not always my first choice. Oh, well.

I got the assignment for two reasons; one, my employer was the corporate
sponsor for the exhibit (Hey, it's a tough world. If you see an opening,
you take it. And life is good!) and two, I was uniquely qualified, both
from an aviation and photography standpoint (RIT, class of 82, Flying
and B/CA magazine staffer, yada yada yada). A once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity.

I'm a little concerned about the viability of Kodachrome 64 and 200
given the performance of Ektachrome E100S and E200, both of which seem
to surpass Kodachrome in several areas. Aside from their archival
advantage, these two Kodachromes seem dated in their technology
vis-à-vis these other films, specifically in the area of grain
structure. The new Kodachrome 100, which I'm guessing will be launched
at Photokina, should restore Kodachrome to its historical leadership
position. BTW, the performance of both Professional Kodachrome and
Kodak's Kodachrome processing, used by me over the past six months, was
unreliable.

The optical performance of Leica glass commonly exceeds the abilities of
film to record it. We need to have a serious discussion regarding the
ability of Leica glass to cut an image that film isn't able to record.
Erwin's suggestion that we only use sub-100 ISO film is not without
foundation. Use faster and you might as well be shooting with another
brand. Consequently, there needs to be a reevaluation of the EVIDENT
film/lens characteristics and performance in enlargements below, at a
minimum, 8x10 in size. I believe that they are rarely meaningful. Above
that size, and increasing with the enlargement, EVERYTHING matters. But
when I read people testing lenses using little prints, I smile. At that
size, really, mox nix.

Perhaps more importantly, the potential of Leica equipment exceeds the
abilities of most users, me included. But the equipment is designed for
thinking photographers, and that's not meant as snobbery or elitism. It
just captures an philosophy of engagement which forces decisions by
forcing those operating the camera to think. I truly believe that this
makes Leicas harder to use than other brands and results in better
photos.

I am convinced of the optical supremacy of Leica glass, albeit with
exceptions (they're not ALL the absolute reference standard for their
specific focal lengths). Specifically, the current M lens line contains
THE optical reference standards in their respective focal lengths (this
is not an idle comment), with possible exceptions for the 50/1.4, 50/1
and 50/2.8, all of which have some competition, both within the R line
and elsewhere. M lens optical performance mildly exceeds R lens optical
performance, according to all that I've read (which is a lot). How
meaningful those advantages are, in "small" prints for instance,
ordinarily is overwhelmed by other factors in the photographic process.

The quality or nature of ambient light has an obvious, powerful effect
on photographs and can easily negate or at least ameliorate the (high,
in Leica's case) quality of a lens. Poor lighting conditions (hazy,
gray, dark, overcast, flat, rainy, post-dusk, etc.) cannot be
compensated for by even the best of lenses. These poor lighting
conditions can "dumb down" the performance of any lens, masking its
optical potential. Be advised, and don't be disappointed by photographs
taken on ruddy days.

I struggled with the Museum regarding whether the final prints were to
be produced digitally or optically. I demanded tests, so six
interned/optically produced 1'x6' slivers of the slides were produced. I
was not pleased with them. I noticed edge falloff when there shouldn't
be any, color fringing and exaggerated grain. I "requested" digital
proofs of the same images. When placed side by side they digital proofs
were less grainy, smoother and less harsh, sharper and just cleaner,
visually. We then "went" with digital prints.

The drum scans of the transparencies are the weakest link in the digital
print enlargement process, in my view. Drum scans are considered the
highest quality method to scan slides and are commonly used today in the
printing process. My concern has to do with a comparison of the
projected originals and comparing their resolution, contrast, grain,
etc.., with the same-size digital output of the Durst Lambda 130 digital
imager. The Lambda is not the weak link in the system -- it prints
whatever quality electronic files you give it. But the quality of the
scan, squeezing every possible advantage out of that transparency, is
what's important, similar to the importance of quality in an interneg.
With hindsight, I do not think my scans were as good as they could have
been. I have always felt that the final digital prints made from my
original slides were slightly soft compared to the projected originals.
We are taught to accept this. Prints made from slides will never match
the projected originals, particular those projected using Leica
projectors :-), but that's the way it is, right?

Autofocus IS important and acutely so for "sports," defined liberally as
taking pictures of moving subjects with longish lenses. Leica may be
able to retain optical supremacy in a pure sense but cannot hold a
practical advantage against the ultrasonic focusing motors in Canon and
Nikon lenses. Old news: there goes the sports market. Oh, well. Leica's
gotta find new niches.

Individual lens assessments:

24/2.8 M ASPH -- Wonderful optically. Small, physically, if you don't
mount the hood. The black plastic Leica 24mm finder, permanently
attached to one of my M6s, is fine and I've had no sturdiness problems
with it, but it is slightly cumbersome to use so I often don't, and thus
tend to shy away from using the 24. Lens is sharp with lots of DOF,
albeit unique to this focal length, not to Leica.

28/2.8 M -- Excellent and a natural match to the M6. Excellent wide
open. Shots I've taken directly into the sun show no ghosts or
aberrations of any kind. Incredible. Didn't expect to like this lens
(too common a focal length) but really do. Bought on a lark but used
constantly.

35/1.4 M ASPH -- Excellent and probably the lens of choice if you can
have only one M lens. It's fun to shoot wide open with impunity and
without fear, assuming you can focus your camera.

50/2 M -- Excellent. Mine is German with the same optics as the current
version but with the tab focusing knob and a snap-on metal hood. Bought
from Don Chatterton, who gave me a deal. I have been surprised by my
affection for this lens and the pictures it produces.

75/1.4 M -- Erwin swears by it (that's good). Largish, which doesn't
matter much to me. Interesting lens I'm still learning to use. Beautiful
to look into and to see the 10 aperture blades close. Bought ("stolen!")
used (on consignment) in mint condition from a California dealer for
$1495.

100/2.8 R APO -- Everybody's reference standard. Why say more? Well,
could be a little faster, but that's why I'll buy the 90/2 APO M if it
ever gets here. Which gets me thinking...it's ten years old this year,
and wouldn't a 100/2 Apo Macro Summicron R (focusing to 1:1) be nice?
Look down into this lens and you will see a multi-tiered black baffle to
block reflections. Way cool and very effective.

180/2 R APO -- Probably my favorite lens. Just phenomenal. Glorious.
Built like a tank. Huge. Consistently elicits astonishment from
passerbys -- They believe I must be a professional or something.
Optically spectacular. Have shot dozens of pictures in various
situations wide open and continue to be amazed by the chromes. And if
they're not spectacular, it's my fault, not the lens's. Environmental
close-up portraits are part of the reason; at five feet, if you focus on
the someone's face using f2, the depth of field is less than half an
inch and you can still count the veins in their eyes, or see where their
contact lenses start and stop.

M6 -- Way cool. No complaints. I'll buy an M6HM soon. Additionally,
would like to see an M7 w/electronic shutter, aperture priority
automation and several metering modes. They'd sell a zillion of them to
go with the existing lens and camera family.

R8 -- A deceptively fine camera and easily and wrongly underrated in
comparison/competition with the F5 or EOS cameras. Both the
sophistication and simplicity of the R8 are nifty. I have an F5, like it
and use it, but it's different than the R8, and I don't think it is
better in non-sports applications. (The F5's motor is completely,
totally, better, however, with the Leica's winder representing the
state-of-the-art -- in 1980.) Leica, Inc.'s capabilities, limits and
corporate culture have caused them to give us a camera emphasizing the
basics, with an edge.

The R8 winder/motor delays are embarrassing.

Leica USA -- Mostly high marks. Supportive, even though they've never
heard of me from Adam. They lent me a 400/2.8 which I used to shoot a
Learjet down in Texas for the exhibit's commemorative poster (not
viewable online). The lens is awesome, beautiful, had a bit of
pincushion distortion (how can this be?).

I'd be happy to mail the poster to any Luggers who email me their snail
mail address. (This offer is made only to those who have managed to read
this far in what probably, at this point, is the Lug's longest single
post.)

Finally, the largest photo in the exhibit. Its finished size is 20x40
feet. There are two actual aircraft in the exhibit, one hung from the
ceiling and one parked on the ground. The one on the ground (a Cessna
Citation 500) needed a background, and I thought that the ramp in front
of an open hangar would convey the right reality feel. We scouted about
30 airports, took photos of five and settled (happily) on Smyrna,
Tennessee as the place to shoot.

Flew down from Washington, DC, with a Deardorff 8x10 and Schneider
Apo-Symmar 360/6.8 lens, all rented from Lens & Repro in New York. Eight
sheets of Velvia and my Bogen tripod, Luna Pro SBC and Leica 35 stuff
(for fun/backup) completed the equipment list.  The plan was to shoot
late in the day so that the sun would light the hangar, which has a
western exposure. The weather cooperated, sort of -- winds on the ramp
gusted to 30 knots that day. What we did to steady the camera was set it
up inside a Step-Van -- which we then wedged a forklift up against on
the downward side. A gas truck tried to act as a wind block on the
upwind side. When I shot the pictures, I would hold the cable release in
one hand and gently touch the side of the truck wall with the other,
feeling for motion, and click accordingly.

Incident exposure worked out to 1/4 at about f36, although with clouds
coming in and out the exposure was a little different for every shot.
With the sun setting, we had about a 20-minute window before the light
became too orange -- this after six hours to set up the shot. Setup
involved placing three aircraft in the hangar and one on the ramp in
front of the hangar. The Smyrna Fire Department watered down the runway
for us (thanks, guys!). The very top (sky) and bottom (ramp) would be
cropped out of the 8x10 so were not a concern. And then we were done.

The film was processed by Chrome in Washington, DC, which scratched two
of the eight transparencies, but didn't charge me for them. Nice, eh?
The winning transparency was FedEx'd to The Color Place in Dallas where
it was drum scanned (at less than max resolution -- apparently their
computer couldn't hold the multi-gig file required by max resolution)
and then imaged using a Durst Lambda printer in 20 4x10 foot sections,
which were mounted, UV laminated, shipped to Washington, and installed
over three days to make a 20x40. The Color Place did an excellent job.
Seams are nearly invisible. Resolution and color both are in the
excellent category. The APO/Velvia combination is pretty potent. A
miniature version of the shot is online at:
http://www.nasm.edu/GALLERIES/GAL104/bwings/bwmural.html

Of the all the variables I've identified that go into every photograph
(aperture (DOF/bokeh), camera movement, camera performance,
enlarger/projecting lens performance (optical), film processing, film
performance, focus, image manipulation, taking lens performance
(optical), lighting quality illuminating subject
(amount/direction/contrast/etc.), lighting quality illuminating final
image (amount/direction/contrast/etc.), perspective (lens
choice/length), print developing print quality, print paper, shutter
speed, subject movement, subject choice, etc, Leica is responsible for
only a few. All are up to us to select, and master if we choose, and
there stands an evergreen challenge.

When you are next in Washington, visit the Air & Space Museum and email
me with your comments (dalmy@mindspring.com).

We are very lucky to be able to use this magnificent equipment and
practice this wonderful art.

Best regards,

David W. Almy
Annapolis