Re: [Leica] Cool Leica Pictures

[Bruce Feist <bfeist@flock.org>]

Hi, Alan, Eric, and other Leicaphiles;

I'm not so sure that this is truly something new.  Every medium introduces new
limitations onto the final photograph.  Most photos are never enlarged above 4x6"; at
such sizes, a P&S camera or one of the newer digitals will do fine too.  If we wanted
to avoid such limitations, the only approach that I can think of is to shoot on
large-format slide film, at the size of the desired print!  (As far as I can tell,
this leaves the lens's abilities intact, except for film resolution, processing
damage, and developing chemistry <g>).  If the Web is the only desired target, a
Leica is completely unnecessary (although some of the photos do seem to have a glow
about them that's lacking in shots from lesser equipment).

However: a photographer likely to use a Leica is also likely to care deeply about the
photograph, and to have a degree of aesthetic awareness and technical proficiency
less likely to be found in the user of a $80 P&S.  The lesser optics of the latter
system will not damage a photo on the Web, but poor composition, exposure, or
focusing, or movement of the camera during the photo, will.

Maybe the glow is not from the camera, but rather from the photographer using the
camera.

Bruce

> From: Alan Ball <AlanBall@csi.com>
> Subject: Re: [Leica] Cool Leica Pictures

...

> The only things that survive Web browsing might be the essential ones:
> the relevance of the image, the idea or feeling it chooses to convey or
> the documentary value it brings. But it certainly is not a good showcase
> of technical performance. It can be cruel in the sense that it strips
> the 'glitter' out of the image, and leaves only the barest level of
> information.
>
> Maybe Web imaging requires a new way of creating the images, with Web
> usage as the main objective even at the shooting stage, and attention
> concentrated on the strengths and weaknesses of this particular
> application: the technology allows the creation of 'living' images,
> loaded with 'inner' animation, timed transformation, etc.