Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/08/24

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Subject: [Leica] Re: Leica Users digest V11 #13
From: Alexey Merz <alexey@webcom.com>
Date: Tue, 24 Aug 1999 19:39:55 -0700

Alex Brutal rhapsodized:

>As everyday transport, carrying a minimum of M6, one lens,
>puncture kit, small pump, lights and notebook I am highly
>mobile, part of what's going on around me and free to stop 
>and take pictures at any time or follow my nose in the back 
>streets and parks looking always for the weird, the idiosyncratic, 
>the beautiful, the unexpected. I nose around, talk to people,
>feel at home. I love the potential of any journey to turn into
>an adventure of image hunting (it often does - I'm often late!).
>A major element of my non-commissioned photography is to work hard
>at maintaining a view of the world as a miraculous and stimulating 
>place, keep that jaded feeling of the Normal at bay. It makes me 
>feel more involved with my surroundings, rather than on the outside
>looking in as can happen with cars and long lenses in a world seen 
>distantly, through glass. How this would change if I lived in a
>car-dependant city such as L.A would be interesting. Maybe I'd have
>to walk, like our ancestors did!
>
>Camera, notebook and bicycle are essential equipment in the search
>for the Miraculous!


That is a stunningly pretty summary of how I feel about 35 mm in
general, and the M in particular. I would add only that public
transit is an interesting & useful adjunct to this type of journey.
Perhaps I dig up some of what Andrea Codrescu has written about 
riding the bus & post a short excerpt. He seems to need only the
notebook... but he may well be the Koudelka of poets.

- -Alexey Merz
http://www.clearcut.net