Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/07/30

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Subject: Re: [Leica] arggghhh... this has nothing to do with.....rant at Keeble & Shucat...
From: Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca>
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2003 20:39:39 -0700
References: <BC92B520-C254-11D7-9647-003065BAFBD0@jphotog.com> <p05111003bb4d7cea482e@[ 192.168.123.49]> <006d01c356af$086afa40$9cad5018@gv.shawcable.net> <p0511100abb4db285e3c6@[192.168.123.49]>

Karen Nakamura offered:

 > I think the huge minority of photographers on this list are shot at
> at a regular basis.<<<

Not exactly what I meant! Like on your belly and hoping it ain't going to
get any closer or lower!

>>>I can tell you that being in the vicinity of shots fired is not as sexy
as television makes it out to be.<<<<

Absolutely!!! Big time. Some folks think it's neat covering a war, trust me
a couple of times I'd have much rather been photographing little
old ladies tea parties and flowers. But I'd not have wanted to miss the
experience.

 > Do I consciously think of the Zone when shooting? <<<

In my world there's only one zone! And that's the de-militarized zone and
don't go there! ;-)

> Well, I try to practice the Zen of Photography, not getting too
> heated about anything.<<<<

Now that's cool I suppose. However, try and stay perfectly "zenned" when
you've been standing for 6 hours waiting for an Olympic race to start that
lasts for less than 10 seconds. When a couple of minutes before the gun
goes off a photographer comes along who's just arrived and tries to
push his way into your tiny space. Then tell me your "zen," whatever the
hell
that is, will keep you from becoming a tad "agitated."

Oh and he never knew what hit him ! ;-)

>> A relaxed natural style of shooting does it for me. Even for the rare
occasions when I shoot sports, I find being relaxed is much better than
being excited.<<<

I suppose so.  But the toughest part is when the athlete of your country is
in for a Gold Medal and you'd stay perfectly relaxed and not excited? Not
bloody likely!

The toughest part of all is being excited your guy won, but keeping your
emotions
under control while continuing to shoot, sometimes with three cameras at the
same time is the hardest part of all. And if yer an emotional jerk like me,
try focusing with tears running down your cheeks while your National Anthem
is playing and  trying to photograph your athlete with his Gold medal around
the neck and a big bouquet of flowers.

Oh I bet your zen would keep you as cold as ice!;-)

> But then again, I avoid places where I'm being shot at. If you're
> being shot at a regular basis and you're married or have kids, I'd
> rethink your options. Or bump up the payable on your life insurance
> policy.<<<

Yeah that's easy to say, but then life isn't that easy when you're a gung ho
photojournalist and your wife started you off in this crazy world of
photography 20 years earlier. :-) She had to learn to live with it and if
she whined I had an easy out, "Dear you started it!" :-)

Of course the cool thing is to be shooting for a publication that when they
send you to a war assignment they automatically up your life insurance! :-)
Also the pay increases with "a danger pay bonus!" Which of course we
always hope to get if we make it home to appreciate later. ;-)

Sorry Karen the real life of being a photojournalist isn't like Nick Nolte
in the movies and being cool and in some kind of zen state all relaxed and
easy going, sure some of the assignments are like that. But then there's the
down and dirty ones also and one learns to take the good, bad and ugly cause
that's life, not zen photography!

ted











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In reply to: Message from Eric Welch <eric@jphotog.com> (Re: [Leica] arggghhh... rant at Keeble & Shucat...)
Message from Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca> (Re: [Leica] arggghhh... rant at Keeble & Shucat...)
Message from Karen Nakamura <mail@gpsy.com> (Re: [Leica] arggghhh... rant at Keeble & Shucat...)