Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/05/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Mar 1 mai 2001 21:57:28 +0200 "Bernard Degaute" <bernard.degaute@village.uunet.be> a écrit: > >Lots of images of photographs using the M6 leica . Let's moderate it...the M-Leica certainly, but also other other cameras: Mamiya, Rolleiflex, Contax, Nikon, Canon, Pentax etc. The camera is a personal choice and not a big deal in the big context. The important thing is the images, images, images, and the emotion. > >The weird image was to watch a photograph banging his M6 several > >times , and quite hardly , against the steering wheel of his car while > >driving ! He added that this kind of treatment usually fixed the > >jammed camera ! > > > >I'm still shaking ! The M-Leica is more solid than you think. And banged cameras are normal in photojournalism. I rarely buy them new, so I always have banged cameras... It was the Canadian photographer Larry Towell you saw in the Magnum reportage, working on his Mennonites project - a very fine photographer. I've got an interesting book about El Salvador by Larry Towell: http://www.wwnorton.com/catalog/spring97/el.htm > And the more curious was that it seemed he got only a camera with him as > he asked a farmer (not very rich) if he had another camera for him. > Ted's advises (about gear on assignement e.g.) are good, even for Magnum > photographers !! I always liked the minimum outfit concept on reportage: 1 M with a 35 and a 50 mm, another spare M in a pocket, together with a good point and shoot. Films everywhere. And then of course a lot of charm with strong ideas behind, compassion, solidarity, an open mind. When you are friendly and flexible, problems never occurs. There are no receipt in (Leica) photography, but there is a tradition to live up to, a road to follow. Directions. I have a credo. Some of you know a little about it. Others know nothing, or don't care. That is ok for me. But when I am speaking here, it must not become a pretext for bashing and boring nonsense. We are living in different worlds. A recent example was the bashing of Stanislaw Stawowy (being accused for "sexism"...). And then all this whining every time I open the mouth and write about (Leica) photography and human life. I know, Politics, even with a small p, barely exists in America, or is taboo. MacCarthy's spirit is still alive. The President was pointed out by judges who mainly were nominated by the Presidents father - the number I. Public life in the US and "politics" is show and money, bread and circus. And now it is even getting brownish. I know that under the surface things are fermenting also in "God's Own Country". There are a lot of injustice, enormous struggles and of course a lot of documentary to do. Why do we hear and see so little of that here on the LUG? Leica cameras are a tool for reportage, for making reflections and creating emotions. You don't really need this silent and unobtrusive camera in the emptiness - all alone in empty landscapes, empty streets, empty spaces). The Leica M is a camera for human photography in the middle of the tumultous life. In Europe and many other places, politics and struggle is a part of daily life. Politics is everywhere, and you are not considered as an alien when you care about your future, about the future of your children, or the future of human civilisation. I know, the American Amnesia is spreading, but the resistance is also growing (even in America). The main photographic concern today should be the restoring of the image, breaking the impact of the image pollution. Barnak "invented" the 35mm camera. Leica made the photo reportage possible. But one day it (almost) stopped. Photography became too dangerous for the establishment. The images were too exposing and "disappeared" from the medias. Some medias even disappeared. The power needed another "image" and started pouring out anything in a total disorder, but efficiently. The image became banal, without any direction, any idea, any emotion. Just images. Thousands of images. Commercial junk. Here and there outstanding images, and outstanding photographers and photojournalists. There are Magnum and some other agencies. But they are also becoming commercial and directed. The dominant situation is decline. What about restoring a photographic movement like in the past? Like the Photo League? This is an old idea i have, and I wote this here at the Lug back in 1996 (I too, start citing myself, what a horror...!): http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/v01/msg01314.html Oddmund Garvik ______________________________________________________________________________ ifrance.com, l'email gratuit le plus complet de l'Internet ! vos emails depuis un navigateur, en POP3, sur Minitel, sur le WAP... http://www.ifrance.com/_reloc/email.emailif