Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/10/25
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]B. D. Colen offered: > I think the bottom line here is: > Act like a photo dork and people will react to you as a photo dork, no > matter what camera you use; act like someone who knows what they are > doing, and who respects the people and situation in which you are doing > it, and people will ignore you - which is the highest form of respect > for a working photographer - and let you get your work done. ;-)<<<< Hi B.D., This is so true, no brains nor social graces, just another one of those dumb ass photographers crashing about like a rhino in a bakery. I've seen it on and off over the years so often with "dork photographers" who have absolutely no concept of how to move about, attend an event and be silent and invisible while standing in the middle of an official group of a dozen people. Or shooting in an OR when later the surgeon or nurses compliment with, "Gee I never gave you second thought after the first few minutes, it was like you weren't there!" And you say to yourself, " alright they'll have me back!" :-) I have a shoot coming up in a couple weeks doing a series on the staff of a restaurant during a Friday and Saturday evening serving dinner guests..... absolutely nothing posed! ..... Absolutely "no flash!" Period!!!! Nada, don't even think about it! Don't ask why you can't use it cause that'll only point out how stupid the questioner is considering it's a restaurant of class and they do not want any distraction or annoyance of their guests. Put yourself in the guest's position, who's going to pop a couple hundred dollars for dinner and you're going to be a happy diner with some klutz photographer flashing all evening when you've brought a gal for a romantic dinner, hopefully leading her on for more romance later, if you get lucky. And here's some dumb ass shooter blowing your evening by flashing all over he place? So you get the idea.... no flash! I already know the lighting....... "one step brighter than a black hole in a wall!" You know that moody stuff candles on tables, soft overhead lights... trust me this will be difficult due to the light, or lack there of. However with a couple of M7's a 35 mm f 1.2 and the Noctilux at f 1.0 with Neopan 1600 exposed at 3200 it'll be a piece o cake. ;-) Oh yeah and some hand held 1/15 and 1/8th second exposure speeds with the lenses wide open will help also. ;-) And the film souped in XT0L! Wear dark clothing then you blend in, move slowly, position myself in one spot then wait for the "action to happen near by" Then when I decide to move do so slowly without distraction and know exactly where I'm moving to and the position I'm aiming for. Then I'm not out there fumbling about wondering where I'm going. I'll have roughly 5 hours each evening to shoot without ticking anyone off. Dark clothes, black M7's, 3200 film, hey how can I go wrong? ;-) Look like I'm supposed to be there, make little eye contact with patrons as that makes you visible to them and you are an invisible object with the least amount of moving distraction. Focus quickly, shoot quickly and don't get into conversation with anyone! Period! Be early in place before they open then you are part of the fixture as guests arrive. You'll notice I haven't mentioned anything about using digital......... Not on your life because doing my film thing I do the shoot with reasonable confidence it'll work due to experience. Digital at the moment will have to wait for another day or night. :-) ted - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html