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

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: Re: [Leica] Lea PAW week 5 & 6
From: Bill Satterfield <cwsat@istate.net>
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 10:56:55 -0600
References: <003f01c1b3d8$97cd3340$0400a8c0@ccapr.com> <006f01c1b3e0$b4599320$633f4d18@gv.shawcable.net>

Early in my  continuing efforts to transition to being  my idea of a 
serious photographer, advanced amateur type. I took what I considered to 
be a really good photograph. I showed it to my mentor  and  workshop 
instructor. He  looked at it and said " shots like that are a dime 
 dozen." This really deflated me but I have more or less used it  as my 
guide in trying to get that great wall hanger. He also said you can buy 
local  picture post cards and save your film unless you can get a 
photograph that is not a dime a dozen. I am still transiting. and my 
ideas have changed too.
Ted Grant wrote:

>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
>
>
>--
>To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html
>
>



- --
To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html

In reply to: Message from "B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net> (RE: [Leica] Lea PAW week 5 & 6)
Message from Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca> (Re: [Leica] Lea PAW week 5 & 6)