Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/11/05

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Subject: Re: [Leica] re: The Decisive Moment is gone
From: Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca>
Date: Wed, 05 Nov 2003 07:08:37 -0800
References: <6C3F454C-0EED-11D8-BDDB-0050E42E6E0B@shaw.ca> <Pine.SOL.4.58-L.0311051013550.11617@hedvig.uio.no>

> John Collier wrote:
>
> > there. Rob is talking about actions and manipulations that many
> > photographers and their subjects are unconscious of performing. Being
> > conscious of them makes you a more honest photographer in my books.<<<

Why?

Do you think it makes any difference to the 18 member crew of a deep sea
fishing trawler on the ice covered North Atlantic in February whether I'm on
board or not? Or they are "unconscious of performing" or I am and it makes a
difference knowing or not? Does this make me a more honest photographer and
are the results going to be any better?

Please explain why I'd be a more honest photographer?

Hell these guys are far more concerned of not being swept off the stern ramp
to a chilling death than whether a photojournalist is around. Or when they
dismiss the death thing, they're far more concerned about a good catch for
their livelihood. And I'm far more concerned about how many more weeks I
have to spend on this boat before I can stand on rock solid mother earth.

That's what's conscious or unconscious.

I don't know why some of you have this hang-up that because a
photojournalist is around, people are going to act. Consciously or not. Yep
sometimes it happens, that's when the shooter, the good ones, see it
happening and walk away!

Because quite frankly if you've never been on an assignment of one on one in
the office of a Prime Minister or CEO for several hours or days, I don't
understand why you feel this creates a conscious or unconscious manipulation
of the situation.

It's so damn easy what do you manipulate in mind or otherwise? Be conscious
of doing or not doing?

You walk in, get introduced, you look at the light, pick the spot to capture
it effectively, sit down and wait for something to motivate you! When it
happens, you go click and one is in the can! What is there to be consciously
honest in that?

A few hours later you haven't moved and the subject has had their meetings,
reading - writing letters and all a long you've unmovingly sat in one chair
or another quietly clicking away. The main thing is watching the light and
if there's anything to be conscious of it's whether you have effective light
to work with or not.

This whole so called decisive moment thing is so off the wall to some of us
who do it daily without thought, it's a no brainer. We're always re-acting
to the visual motivation and if we  can't see it and shoot instinctively
with unconscious motivation, then we shouldn't be playing at a
photojournalist.

Like I said, this topic is way beyond e-mail chit chat and is a discussion
group real people to real people topic, not key board stuff.

ted






- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Daniel Ridings" <daniel.ridings@muspro.uio.no>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2003 1:14 AM
Subject: Re: [Leica] re: The Decisive Moment is gone


>
> I fully agree. I would have written it, but you expressed exactly what I
> was going to say.
>
> Daniel
>
> --
> To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html
>


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Replies: Reply from Henning Wulff <henningw@archiphoto.com> (Re: [Leica] The Decisive Moment is gone)
Reply from sam <sam@osheaven.net> (Re: [Leica] re: The Decisive Moment is gone)
In reply to: Message from John Collier <jbcollier@shaw.ca> (Re: [Leica] re: The Decisive Moment is gone)
Message from Daniel Ridings <daniel.ridings@muspro.uio.no> (Re: [Leica] re: The Decisive Moment is gone)