Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/06/15
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]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 > >-- >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 - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html