Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/02/12

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Lea PAW week 5 & 6
From: Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca>
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 08:17:01 -0800
References: <003f01c1b3d8$97cd3340$0400a8c0@ccapr.com>

B.D. wrote:
>>> Lea, forgive me, but I am going to keep hammering at this...
>
> Paw 5 is a nice shot...but to the viewer it is not a shot of someone
> managing a coffee shop - it is a shot of a woman, persumably a counter
> worker, drinking a cup of coffee. You know that she is the owner because
you
> know the shop and know her. But the person looking at the photo doesn't
know
> it. :-)<<<<<

 The above in response to lea's PAW:
>>> Week 5 is what can happen in a coffee shop when photography is allowed
> http://www.whinydogpress.com/paw5.html<<<<

Hi B.D. and Lea:
You're right B.D. The coffee shop photograph is a perfect example of the
photographer knowing the facts of whom the subject is and the photograph not
doing the same, showing the facts. Happens all the time when the
photographer gets emotions, facts, feelings etc in the way of what the
picture says or whether it's a good or bad photograph.

Nothing new here, we've all done it at some time. :-) No one is perfect,
least of all photographers. ;-)

Example:
Photographer with broken leg in cast whining at editor because editor throws
picture in floor file 13:

Photog:
"How can you throw that away it's a great picture, that's the moment the
truck hit me and broke my leg!"

Editor:
"It's out of focus and blurry!"

Photog:
"So it's only a little bit, but that's when the truck hit me! It's a great
photo of a happening!"

Editor:
"It's out of focus and blurry!"

Photog limps away with thoughts of another visually challenged editor who
doesn't have a clue what makes great pictures!

It's because we have the experience of the real life moment while taking our
pictures, it quite often clouds our judgement in selecting the photo we
think illustrates the situation.

Lea:
I think if you were in the shop shooting a series on the owner "working"
instead of posing for the camera, you'd capture some very meaningful real
moments in her life and this conversation wouldn't be on the screen. ;-)

I bet because you have the connection, you could pop in there at a very
busytime and shoot an assignment of,  "Moments in the life of a coffee shop
owner" ----- without one posed image ----- and come away with very
meaningful photographs that express the fact ..........." she lets you shoot
all the pictures you want in her coffee shop!"

What think you? Worth a try? Hope so, as the shot you have is OK from the
exposure/technical side, but doesn't tell us anything other than she drinks
her own coffee! :-)

ted

Ted Grant Photography Limited
www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant


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Replies: Reply from Bill Satterfield <cwsat@istate.net> (Re: [Leica] Lea PAW week 5 & 6)
Reply from "lea" <lea@whinydogpress.com> (Re: [Leica] Lea PAW week 5 & 6)
In reply to: Message from "B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net> (RE: [Leica] Lea PAW week 5 & 6)