Re: [Leica] WAS: What hath Kyle wrought...NOW...SEEING!

[Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca>]

John Straus

> Ted, I just checked out the little article in PhotoLife. The first shot
they
> lead with of the woman who dropped her purse and the 3 gentlemen in the
> three stages of "assisting her" is a perfect example. I don't know what's
> behind that day of shooting but I can just imagine out of the 100's of
> possible exposures (or maybe this is the only one) you might have made
that
> day that IS the shot. It might not be what goes into some magazine or
> article but is say so much about people and therefore is the keeper.
>
> PS: I'm so glad you shot this with a low shutterlag camera too, otherwise
> you might never have got the shot ;) ...<<<<

Hi John,
>> The first shot they lead with of the woman who dropped her purse and the
3 gentlemen in the three stages of "assisting her" is a perfect example. I
don't know what's behind that day of shooting but I can just imagine out of
the 100's of possible exposures (or maybe this is the only one) you might
have made that day that IS the shot. <<<<

That photograph is the  "one frame!~" And I'm the only one to shoot it, as
it's the result of always working at being "first there and last to leave!"
on news related assignments. Regular assignments I'm always early as a
courtesy to whomever I'm shooting for or the subject. Better I wait for a
few minutes than the subject waiting and becoming ticked off waiting for the
"photographer."

However, back to the picture in question.  The people left. to right are:

Governor General Georges Vanier, Canada
Prime Minister John Deifenbaker Canada
Prime Minister David Ben Gurion of Israel
Mdm. Georges Vanier, wife of the GG.

This was a "photo Op" at Government House on the State visit of Prime
Minister Ben Gurion and the media invited for a quick shoot in your face and
out!  Basically everybody gets the same footage and stills in the allowable
45-60 seconds to shoot. But this is the kind of event to absolutely be first
there, for best possible position if there's one. And without question the
last to leave.... just in case? Why? What? That's why you're always last to
leave not to be surprised by missing some tiny moment of human nature that
illustrates the "wheels of the world" are human after all. ;-)

In this case you have 4 senior citizens who must re-negotiate the stairs
behind them and it's always possible one could slip. Of course one doesn't
want any untoward accident to happen, but you damn well better be prepared
just in case. One of them could slip, the GG has only one leg from an old
war wound and a possible. So knowing these things that when the Press
Officer says, "Ok ladies and gentlemen that's it, thank you." Everyone turns
around and walks away across the garden.

Not me, I never turn my back on a situation like this and I walk on a kind
of side walking to always be observant of the "prey!"  Camera still in hand
close to my eye ready... just in case! In this moment all the other media
types were walking away back to the scene.  I very slowly hung back and was
ready when Mdm. Vanier dropped her purse and the action occurred. It was
camera to eye...click! All in one movement!

By the time others realized something had happened it was all over and me
smiling! That's what you see in the photograph and that's the only photo of
the moment. It happened faster than I can type. ;-)

Any photographer attending an event should always be "first there and last
to leave!" it's worked for me more times than I can count. And here's the
example of it in action.
ted




















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