Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/09/21

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Subject: [Leica] Helping kids develop as photographers.... (like Laura)
From: "Birkey, Duane" <dbirkey@hcjb.org.ec>
Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2000 09:29:51 -0500

My point was and is that a M-Camera may or may not be the best tool to
develop Laura's vision nor the best way for her to figure out how to get it
on film and onto paper.   Tina will be a far better judge of that than I
will...  But I'd think twice about adding RF to SLR or switching systems
altogether at this point.

I know that I tend to shoot things very differently with SLR's and Leica M
and quite frankly find the M very limiting for a lot of the subjects I enjoy
photographing.  I think most people would agree that a SLR system is
inherently more flexible and if I were limited to one system.... I'd sell
the M without even thinking about it.

My experience in teaching a photography class here one trimester a year and
my own personal recollection is that a lot of the first weeks or years of
photography  is the desire to sample the entire gamut of photographic
possibilities; shooting every type of subject, learning how to use depth of
field....  blurrrrrr... motion...   macro... telefotos etc...  But it is
harder to learn to see the qualities of light and it's direction, subject
choices...figure out composition, getting the right moment along with the
technical side...

Chances are very high that Laura's work in ten years will be very different
than that of today..   My guess is Laura will either go a completely
different direction photographically speaking from Tina or follow it in the
same direction...

Laura has a great eye and as I looked through the rest of them this
morning.....  I would be proud to call many of her photographs my own....
In fact.... I see some similarities between some of her images and many I've
taken over the years..... (that can either be good or bad)    And she
definitely has the advantage of having Tina as mom and mentor...    

But what's best for Laura should be thought about a bit before jumping to
the conclusion that a M-4 is.  I'm not saying it's not... Just that Tina
should think about more about the long range implications of it in relation
to her daughter who she knows better than any of us.   

But IMHO the last thing that needs to get thrown in the mix during this
process is a different camera system.  And I could say the same about some
of the topics discussed on the LUG.....

I've got a few more years before this becomes an issue personally as my
oldest daughter is 5.... but this has caused me to think about the what ifs
and I'm sure I will go through the same doubts and wonder ifs  that Tina is
going through... and  I'm still thinking about what would be best...   

Actually the hardest thing for me about teaching and mentoring is learning
to encourage yet critique their photographs as well.  

SO.... Tina take good notes and let us know how we can best help our own
kids and waht pitfalls to avoid.

Duane Birkey
HCJB World Radio
Quito Ecuador
Duane's Photographs of Ecuador
http://duane_birkey.tripod.com


*************************************************************************
Hoyen wrote:
 
Duane, methinks you are overreacting a bit here...

>I would be more concerned whether the M-4 will help her develop
>her vision more at this point or be a stumbling block in her
>current path... Having too many eq choices or learning RF and
>SLR at the same time may confuse things further...

I'd rather give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she's a human being
of at least average intelligence, not a parrot... Judging from her
photographs, I'm sure she will handle it just fine...