Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/04/16

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Subject: [Leica] National Geographic
From: "dante@umich.edu" <dante@umich.edu>
Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2002 00:33:58 -0400

Call me shallow, uneducated and rude, but...

Reading this: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/qanda/

"How much film is shot on an assignment?

The number of rolls (usually 36 exposures each) ranges from 300 or 400 to
more than 1000 for complex stories. While this seems high, you must remember
that professional photographers ³sketch² with the camera, much like writers
probe with questions to get at the essential information. They explore
subjects visually by shooting many sides of a subject in many ways. It is
usually the combination of enough time in the field and enough film exposed
that provides the depth that has become the hallmark of our coverages."

- ---

A thousand monkeys, given an eternity and typewriters seem to get results,
too.  NG's realization rate is absurdly low.  Let's take the low end of this
estimate.


400 rolls x 36 exposures / 8 weeks (ave) / 7 days = 257 frames per day

or 1 frame every 2.80 minutes over a 12-hour workday.

Is the definition of "sketch" to run your F5 on motor drive continuously?  I
have been to a lot of places and I think it is highly questionable whether
any society is moving so fast that you would find something even arguably
photographically useful an average of every two minutes and 40 seconds.  If,
of course, they waited for something interesting to happen, it would mean
that they would just roll the motor drive.

I would love to know how much film DDD or Gene Smith used in a day.  I would
hazard to guess a lot less.

- ----

"Any advice for a photographer wanting to enter the profession?

Desire and drive count, but professional photography is a competitive
business, and for every successful photographer there are dozens looking for
work. Training can only help to fine-tune a natural ³eye,² and although a
prospective photographer may have a true passion for the art and craft, if
he lacks that eye no amount of training or desire can compensate. Many
people must be content to be advanced amateurs rather than professionals."

No, working at Geographic is about connections, connections, connections.
It couldn't be about having photographic "eye"... Other than McCurry's
Afghan girl, can anyone name a national Geographic picture?  She is
memorable only because she had bright blue eyes.  Wait, I remember one with
some monkeys in a hot spring in Japan... but frankly Life photographers were
far, far better at making images which stick in your mind.

Looking at an issue of Geographic today, calling its photography "craft" is
being somewhat charitable.  Utilitarian editorial eye candy is a little
easier to swallow.

Dante

> Hello Luggers,
> If you want to spend some time seeing what National Geographic
> photogs use their M6's for, please check out the following URL:
> http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=leica+M6+site%3Anationalgeographic.com
> Enjoy
> Howard
> --
> To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html

- ------------
Dante Stella
http://www.dantestella.com

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

Replies: Reply from "Eric" <ericm@pobox.com> ([Leica] Re: National Geographic)
Reply from Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca> (Re: [Leica] National Geographic)