Re: [Leica] Ted Grant: Personal photographer to the PM [Off-topic]

[Ted Grant <tedgrant@home.com>]

Ken Iisaka wrote:

> I wonder who had the stint with Kim Campbell during her summer job as a
> PM... :)<<<<<<<<<<<<

Hi Ken,
An Ottawa photographer Ken Ginn, nice lad, but never really allowed
behind the scenes. 

I spent 3 weeks on the road with her trying to capture images for
Federal Election campaign posters and it was a disaster!  Her moron
handlers kept thinking I was a media photographer and kept telling me to
"wait outside!" 

The Mounties never got it through their heads I was a special
photographer and required to always be wherever she was .... that
doesn't mean I just walked in front and created a pain in the
ass...."another GD news photographer" .... situation. 

 Not really their fault at the beginning, as they were not briefed
properly until I ran into a senior officer who was an old friend and
knew me from the "earlier days on the Hill" and quickly had it
straightened out.  Then the "Horsemen" were great!  Actually opened a
breathing space so I could shoot easier by "kinda holding the people at
bay" for a few moments in some situations on the road.  Kinda cool
having your own body guards to make room. ;-)

As you know, she lost big time in the election and had the Conservative
party wiped out of Parliament other than two seats.  No there isn't a
"personal photographer" anymore! :-)

My poster images?  Never shoot a female in colour for this kind of
thing!  They finally had her shot in B&W in a studio and none of mine
were used, not to say I didn't have some nice images. But in colour no
woman wants to look like she did!  One of life's little learning curves.

I might say, the Leica lenses didn't help matters any, as they are so
sharp and revealing of skin tones and other  .... "wrinkles" ....... 
that anytime we screened a new shoot there were, "jeeeeeeesh how come we
see all these things ?"

Heck I even used a softar filter, (sorry Jim I had to admit it.)  ;-) 
And even that didn't work all that well.  I mean,  "you can't make a
silk purse out of"  ............ oh never mind. :-)
ted