Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/01/12

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Subject: Re: [Leica] As The World Turns
From: drb@MIT.EDU
Date: Sun, 12 Jan 2003 18:20:45 -0500
References: <NABBLIJOIFAICKBIEPJJMEHGDJAB.darkroom@ix.netcom.com> <3E21E7F1.A05748D8@pacbell.net>

Hey-

Permission aside, there seems to be a generally negative attitude towards
shooting "from the hip" (or basically without raising a camera to your eye).
What's wrong with clandestine photography?  I'm in the middle of a
documentary project on student EMTs.  I have permission from the whole class
and the instructors.  Some of the students, however, clam up and act funny
when I raise my camera (even my Leica M6 which is so small, so quiet, "looks
like a toy", etc. etc.).  Here are two VERY preliminary photos which I shot
without raising my camera.  The first one is full-frame, the second is
cropped:

http://www.drbphoto.com/leica/l6/

I still have several weeks of shooting left, and as I get to know my
subjects better, hopefully the tense ones will relax in front of the lens.
If they don't, I have no qualms about pressing the shutter while the camera
is around my neck, on the table, while I'm pretending to screw with the
settings, etc.  Am I wrong?

- --Dan


- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Jerry Lehrer" <jerryleh@pacbell.net>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Sunday, January 12, 2003 5:10 PM
Subject: Re: [Leica] As The World Turns


> Austin 747
>
> Don't ask me that question, I didn't bring up Starbucks.  Security
> classified places aside, I take the pictures if I am allowed to go
> there.
>
> Jerry
>
> Austin Franklin wrote:
>
> > Jerry,
> >
> > I wasn't aware that "corporate policy" dictated legality, or even
customs?
> > Besides, how do you know the student didn't ask Starbucks for
permission,
> > which in fact, may have been the point of the "exercise"?  It gave them
> > experience on asking for access.
> >
> > Austin
> >
> > > BD
> > >
> > > First you say that you have never done that, then you encourage
> > > your students to do just that.  Isn't there an English word for that,
> > > besides "catspaw". It starts with an "H" and ends in a "Y".  :-)
> > >
> > > Jerry
> > >
> > > bdcolen wrote:
> > >
> > > > Good points, Jeffrey. And there are very few places - "national
> > > > security" aside - where you can't eventually work out a way to take
> > > > photos if your are serious about what you're doing, and have a
> > > > legitimate reason for photographing.
> > > >
> > > > I remember a long discussion on this list about the impossibility of
> > > > shooting inside Starbucks. Couldn't be done, people said. It's
against
> > > > corporate policy, they said. Starbucks sucks, they said. Which is
why I
> > > > challenged one of my students to do a project on a day at
Starbucks -
> > > > http://web.mit.edu/21w.749/www/Students/aaronmihalik/finalproject/
> > > >
> > > > Starbucks isn't a "cat house," but the principle is the same. ;-)
> > > >
> > > > B. D.
> >
> > --
> > 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
>

- --
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In reply to: Message from "Austin Franklin" <darkroom@ix.netcom.com> (RE: [Leica] As The World Turns)
Message from Jerry Lehrer <jerryleh@pacbell.net> (Re: [Leica] As The World Turns)