Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/07/20

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Subject: [Leica] PAW: Norwegian American Gothic
From: "Mark E Davison" <dmark8@qwest.net>
Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2001 13:23:19 -0700

This week's PAW is something a little different. I realize that the PAW idea
is supposed to spur you on to get out and photograph. Well I've been having
the opposite problem: too much photographing and not enough scanning and
editing.

So this week I dipped into my negative files and went through shots I took
at the Norwegian Constitution day (May 17) parade here in Ballard, a very
Norwegian neighborhood of Seattle.

If you are shy (like I am) parades are a great place to shoot people,
because the people are, how shall I say it, ON PARADE!     They want you to
take their picture.

This woman and girl were milling about in preparation. I spent a few minutes
chatting with them about their costumes (hand-made, gorgeous materials,
amazingly expensive). I asked them to pose.

Shooting with my 24/2.8 (the only lens I took), I got a slightly surreal,
Diane Arbus like pose.

I'm sure the shot has many technical flaws that would get me roasted at a
camera club meeting (not close enough, not vertical enough, colors not
bright enough, etc., etc.) but something about its ragged enthusiasum and
the fixed gaze of girl just gets me. And I like that the Norwegian red is
the only saturated color. So here it is.

http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=294687

Mark Davison


P.S. Most of the other shots were zone-focussed quick snap shots. Nothing as
successful as this character portrait.