Re: [Leica] Great exposures & sharpness don't......

["Steve LeHuray" <icommag@toad.net>]

Ted,

I really appreciate your saying this, so few people seem to realize that
photography is all about the CONTENT, does the photo say something. Content
is the biggest challenge, NOT perfect exposure or perfect focus. It is a
photo that compels people to linger, to see what is going on, to see if
there is some message in there.

All the best,

sl


> Hi Guys,
> Sometimes you shoot a frame or two and you know you've captured the sharpest
> properly exposed, lighting great picture & it's going to be a beauty!  Then.
> :-(
>
> Then you make an 11X14 print and you can count the eyelashes of this female
> surgeon, the tonal range of the print is perfect, the Leica glass 100mm f
> 2.8 macro lens used in an available light operating room setting, lens has
> cut an image into film you might cut your fingers if not careful.
>
> You stand looking at all these photographic technical niceties and most of
> all the great looking "only Leica Lens sharpness crispness, pure magic
> technically speaking photograph." So what.
>
> Then you look at it and for all that wonderful technical stuff that some
> folks rave on about, the great mm per line and squigglies to make any Leica
> carrying member wet their pants over the Leica sharpness look! And what do
> you have?
>
> You don't have to look very hard to realize you have a perfectly technical
> everything picture that the techno freaks would drool all over while peeing
> their pants! And?
>
> You just shrug your shoulders, " Oh well so big deal!" Throw it down on the
> out pile. Why?  There isn't any "LIFE IN THE PICTURE!  :-(
>
> It's like one of those absolutely technical crisp everything metered to
> death salon magic dead photographs that we are lead to believe, is the
> ultimate Leica image on film and print!
>
> All the initial excitement is lost because the damn thing is way too perfect
> without any feeling of  heart or emotion. Technically great, but hell
> there's an awful lot more to great pictures than being in zone 88, sharp and
> perfect tonality.
>
> Sorry folks I don't know where the hell I'm going with this as it's sort of
> letting it all hang out frustration! On the one hand I have this wonderful
> sharp / crisp Leica glass cut photograph and unfortunately it just sits
> there and does nothing!
>
> So you see sometimes it doesn't matter if you use a Leica on a tripod, the
> slowest film on earth developed in the finest grain developer and the
> techies are all excited at the look and what the expensive lens has cut in
> film. But if there isn't any life to it what the hell have you got but a
> very leica sharp picture.  Big deal! :-(
>
> good night!
> ted
>
> Ted Grant Photography Limited
> www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant
> 
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