Re: [Leica] Techniques Please?

["Dan Post" <dpost@triad.rr.com>]

Rick-
"I feel your pain!", but seriously (and now for something entirely
different....) I would impart a couple of tips that work for me.

One- I am a large intimidating guy, and I have found that I have success
about talking to a child, and not DOWN to them. I avoid tha baby talk crap.
Now, I get a few incredulous looks from toddlers- it's like they are
thinking- "You talkin' t' ME?"

As a psych student, I came to realize that children can understand far more
than they can say in return; young children before the age of two have vocal
tracts similar to chimps. This allows them to breathe while they suckle, but
it makes it hard to produce intelligible sounds, hence their babbling! They
ARE talking, but it just isn't coming out! I don't get impatient with them,
and if you spend a bit of time with the occasional recalcitrant child, you
can usually get through!

Sport team monster shots! I did it one summer. HORRORS! These were a small
team of T-ballers, and eventually, I found that a promise of a trip to
Pizza-Hut after the shoot rendered them more pliable! Of course, if you're
shoot a large team, this might not be cost effective!

The occasional 'difficult' number? short of a cattle-prod, I can't help you,
but sometimes a little man-to-man talk can help; afterall, this sort of
child is probably in need of attention. I would suggest that you 'recruit'
this guy to 'help' make sure everybody is in a straight line, then assign
him the 'pivot' duty- let him hold the team flag, a bat, ball or something
and let him know that you are using him to focus on, and that he's helping
you make the team look good.

Too much psychology? - perhaps, but children are just like us... or maybe we
are like children! We have our 'needs', we are loath to share our toys
(Leicas? On topic!), and we sometimes, as my mother used to put it- "show
our asses" to get a little attention (Gee- does that sound like a LUGGER?).
I think if you really like kids, then you will be able to deal with them,
and get those mum-pleasers easily! Good luck, and best of light to you!

Dan ( Colonial Upstart Pontificator) Post
- ----- Original Message -----
From: Rick Dykstra <rdandcb@cybermac.com.au>
To: leica-users <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Saturday, June 03, 2000 8:22 PM
Subject: [Leica] Techniques Please?


> Hi LUG folks
>
> There's bound to be a lots of handy techniques out there, worth sharing.
>
> I'd welcome your thoughts on the following.  It might help to append the
> title with the appropriate subheading.  Thanks.
>
> Smiling? Your job is to take 'mum friendly' portraits of a few hundred
> children in a day.  Most are natural smilers.  Others haven't got a
> clue.  How do you get a nice, natural smile from the children in the
> latter category?  After the camera clicks on a half decent smile, the
> subject hops of the chair and cracks a beauty!  Using M6 and 90 AA.
>
> Sportsground Terrorist Gangs?  Another part of your job (you accepted
> the mission!) is to take team shots, often of the under 9, 10 and 11
> teams (hence the subtitle).  How do you get their cooperation for the
> three to five minutes it takes to line 'em up and take three
> crowd-pleasing shots?  You must also control the coach, manager and 20
> odd parents (assistants!).  Using R8, 50' cron and remote release.
>
> Difficult Individuals?   There's one child in a hundred (usually a boy
> but not always) who's intent on being a problem.  A real standout; the
> only troublesome one in a team that's otherwise OK.  How do you deal
> with this little bundle of joy, for the portrait and then for the team
> shot?  Others are generally within ear-shot, although you could always
> get real close and whisper!
>
> I am developing some techniques of my own, but I'd appreciate your
> suggestions, even those that I'd only be able to use in 'wishful
> thinking' mode.
>
> Regards
>
> Rick (just a little shell-shocked most Saturday evenings) Dykstra
>