[Leica] Manley and the Noct

[Mike Johnston <michaeljohnston@ameritech.net>]

Tina Manley: >>>I worried the whole time about what I might be missing,
but it was
actually freeing in a way not to have to make choices.  Did you find
that
to be true when you limited yourself to a 50?<<<

Tina,
Thanks for the fascinating reply. The answer to the above is: yes, very
much so. I think it's a psychological / personality thing: some people
like to be loaded for bear and ready for anything to be creative (I'm
not talking about you, mind); some people find clear limits are more
"freeing." I'm one of the latter. At first I worried about it, then I
found that I just forgot all about it; all I ever wanted was the 50mm.

But bear in mind I'm not a pro any more, and in any event I was never a
photographer of your caliber (although I think I've done some nice work
in my more constricted sphere). I know that sometimes pros don't have
much of a choice--you have to get a certain subject covered. The most
freeing thing for me is not "needing" to take a picture of any
particular thing any particular way. I can be very smug about it, in a
sense--I can just shoot, and whatever works, works, and whatever
doesn't, well, who cares? I no longer have to see wide or tele, so those
options don't taunt me much.

I hope you get to do that trip with just the Noct. I'll bet you will do
some really good work.

- --Mike