RE: [Leica] As The World Turns

["bdcolen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net>]

Under the circumstances there's nothing wrong with not advertising that
you're shooting. But I would suggest that in most circumstances, that
should be unnecessary. Certainly when doing a documentary project, the
primary goal is to tell the story - but you want to try to tell the
story with the best possible photographic images you are capable of
producing - and you aren't going to produce those images with the camera
on the table or your hip, you're going to produce them by carefully
framing your shot, working the scene until you get everything just
right. You may do that in an instant, or you may spend some time at it.
That said, those are nice hip shots you've posted... ;-)

B. D.

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us] On Behalf Of
drb@MIT.EDU
Sent: Sunday, January 12, 2003 6:21 PM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: Re: [Leica] As The World Turns


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/finalprojec
> > > > t/
> > > >
> > > > Starbucks isn't a "cat house," but the principle is the same. 
> > > > ;-)
> > > >
> > > > B. D.
> >
> > --
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>
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