Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/06/15

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Subject: RE: [Leica] This week's PAW from Jim Shulman
From: Jim Shulman <garcia@chesco.com>
Date: Sat, 15 Jun 2002 20:39:25 -0400

Jeffery,

It helps to have a senior orchestra board position, and to use concert shots
(blown up to 20x30--and shot with the "soft" Elmarit 135 on Fuji 800 wide
open) for orchestra publicity.  They have no problems when I haul in my
Leicas.

If you're not an orchestra board member, do what a friend of mine used to
do:  hide the camera, shoot anyway, and keep a sacrificial roll of film if
they ask to confiscate your exposures.  Hand over the blank roll (an usher
only needs to show s(he) confiscated A roll of film), put your camera away,
and develop the pictures later.

There are two reasons why orchestras are skittish about photography during
concerts: 1) the COMMERCIAL use of photos taken at a concert (typically in
violation of union and soloist contracts) and, even more important 2) the
LIKELIHOOD that some nitwit will use a FLASH point 'n shoot during the
concert and distract the performers.  Typically it's the person in the
second balcony who thinks they'll get a useable picture of the soprano on
stage with a $35 camera, rather than a thoughtful amateur or pro.  The
Reading Symphony tried to delineate between flash and non-flash pictures,
but the audience could not.

During regular season concerts I shoot with the Elmarit and a Summicron 90
from my left side box, which is exactly 34 feet to the podium, and 31 feet
to the soloist spot (or pianist bench).  I get excellent results at f2.8 and
1/250 with Fuji 800 speed color film.  What I CAN'T get, though, is BOTH
conductor AND soloist in focus with the Elmarit wide open.  One gets
sacrificed for the other.

My M3 with this combination give me a telephoto shot without the mirror
noise of a reflex, so I can shoot away even during the quietest passages
without distrubing my neighbors or interfering with the conductor's
reference sound recording.

Jim

PS.  In the case of this week's PAW I was sitting in the CENTER of the FIRST
row.
PPS.  To see the orchestra's web use of some of the concert photos, try
www.readingsymphony.org/concertmaster.htm



- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Jeffery
Smith
Sent: Saturday, June 15, 2002 8:24 PM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: Re: [Leica] This week's PAW from Jim Shulman


Jim,

They allow photographing of concerts up there? Our orchestra doesn't allow
cameras or tape recorders. I tried to get permission to shoot a dress
rehearsal (no flash, quiet camera, I promise). They wouldn't even
acknowledge the request. When I asked the choir director (who teaches at
the same college where I work), he said that the request would have to go
before a vote of the orchestra. No thanks. I didn't want the shot that
badly.

Jeffery Smith

At 10:14 PM 6/14/2002 -0400, you wrote:
>Off to the Reading symphony hall for the introduction of the new
>Concertmaster, Chrisopher Lee.  For those not up on things orchestral, the
>concertmaster is the first of the first violins.  He/she is the one who
>comes out just before the conductor and strikes the A for orchestra tuning.
>He/she also plays all the violin solos in orchestral repertoire.  It's sort
>of the liason position between the conductor and the general orchestral
>players.
>
>It was a big deal for Reading, since Chris is their first new concertmaster
>in 26 years. He played several selections with piano, and answered
questions
>from the audience.
>
>Lighting was almost non-existent, but I was able to squeeze a few shots
with
>Ilford XP2 and my trusty Elamrit 135/2.8 wide open at 1/60:
>http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=812385&size=lg
>
>Jim Shulman
>Bryn Mawr, PA
>
>--
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Replies: Reply from "Dr. Elliot Puritz" <drpuritz@bellsouth.net> (Re: [Leica] This week's PAW from Jim Shulman)