Re: [Leica] Not quite PAW, but please could you take a look

[Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca>]

Simon Stevens suggested:
>I wouldn't want a picture of my hemiplegic aunt in a nursing home with
> her appearing to stare into space.  That would be a terribly lonely
> picture.  It would probably be one that a person with more emotional
> distance could, and perhaps should take.  But not her nephew.<<<

Hi Simon,
I completely agree with you as you've explained and neither would I.

However, what you've described isn't what I mean in my description of
looking away from the camera. And heaven forbid under the circumstances, the
shot should look as blank as you describe.

The manner in which I suggested shooting, "looking away from the camera" is
created by an off camera person speaking to the subject in a manner which
the subject is "listening to what's being said both by hearing and ___
listening with their eyes__!!

And with no relationship to having their picture taken.

In my Leica Seminar presentations one thing I describe to look for when
photographing people that's so simple that once learned it's a piece of cake
to improve ones people pictures of all ages and situations:

       "We hear with our ears..... We listen with our eyes!"

If you are watching someone who's intently listening to another, not
yourself speaking, that doesn't work. But another person speaking off camera
where the subject is intently listening, it creates a slight turning of the
head towards the speaker and the subjects eyes become quite interesting
because we "listen with our eyes." Watch people who are talking, the
listener's eyes have a different intent to them to what you'll see when they
are speaking.

Yousuf Karsh when photographing his subjects would often stand away from the
camera with a long cable release and speak softly making the subject strain
to hear him with their ears.... but really to make something magical happen
in their eyes trying harder to listen.

So it's this method I tried to explain how I would've taken the picture of
your aunt.
However, reading or hearing how to do it doesn't always work in real life
moments. Maybe there wasn't a person to speak with her at the time of the
visit.

One more point here .... the speaker should avoid asking questions the
subject must answer, because as soon as they answer, you'll shoot and
capture a screwed-up mouth line ......  end of shot!

I trust this explains my earlier comment and you find it useful at another
time.
ted

"Doctors' Work." book .....www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant
Ted Grant Photography Limited














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