[Leica] New to Leica, advice a-plenty wanted!

[afirkin at afirkin.com (Alastair Firkin)]

Boy, you have chosen a tough task I think to take images at events like 
this. The contestants may well want the images, but I always find it very 
very hard to make interesting images of events where there are lots of 
"bystanders". Of course it can be done, but so many always look the same, 
whether its a street parade or other event. I like to try to isolate the 
subjects. Leicas are good because you can get a neat little f1 lens or a 
nice 75mm f1.4 and blur the little suckers out. Also, those lenes allow you 
to get away from the flash can. I think images are better when the flash is 
turned off, or if it is on, you have to "hide" the effect: this takes great 
skill, off the camera flash, bounce etc. For me steer away from the flash 
and onto the Nocti. Also almost everyone who takes images at "events" takes 
colour. Look for portraits in b/w to be something a bit different.

Cheers

--- geordiepete211@yahoo.co.uk wrote:

From: Peter Cheyne <geordiepete211@yahoo.co.uk>
To: lug@leica-users.org
Subject: [Leica] New to Leica, advice a-plenty wanted!
Date: Wed, 5 Nov 2008 22:32:07 +0900

Hello fellow Luggers!

I bought an M6 classic last Thursday and exposed 6 rolls of film over  
the weekend on a visit to Tokyo.  I used Superia 200, Superia 400,  
Neopan 1600, Ilford Delta 3200, and a couple of rolls of Provia 400X.   
This camera is eminently usable!

I only got one roll developed, an evening at the Japan Salsa Congress,  
on Superia 400.  One mistake was that I used my EOS 580 EX II as an  
auto-thyristor flash, but forgot to change the flash's ISO to 400 from  
100.  So I suppose the film was pulled by the over-the-counter camera  
store developer.  Do you think this is so?  Also, leaving the flash  
set to 100 iso instead of 400 is better than leaving it at a setting  
two stops or so in the other direction.  Anyway, you can see these  
first shots at using a Leica here:

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=leica%20m6&w=73557746%40N00

I'd like to get better at this sort of event photography and would  
like to become good enough to sell images from time to time.  Could  
you give me any advice on my shots, in terms of composition, film  
used, technical or other things?  I'm all ears to hear any advice and  
criticism - please do tell me how to improve and where I went wrong on  
some shots!

Another little problem- I loaded my second film upside down- oh dear!   
So it will be unexposed and is now rewound in the cannister.  I put it  
in my pocket after 36 (non) exposures and realized it would not have  
worked at all.  Now I don't know which film roll it was.  Do you think  
the camera store developer can save the film for me to use again?   
Anyway, a small right-off to experience and a valuable lesson learned.

I only developed one film, because I accidentally left the other 5  
behind in a bag I absent-mindedly left at Akebanebashi Subway Station,  
Tokyo.  Before I got to Haneda Airport, a Subway worker attendant  
called me to tell me he found my bag (I had labelled it with my name,  
phone number and e-mail address).  He very kindly offered to post it  
on to me, if I would pay the postage to the postal worker.  I received  
the bag 2 days later, which was this afternoon.  Nice service!  I will  
develop the others tomorrow.

Other things I'd like to know.  I would love to have an eyecup for my  
M6.  I use Fuji 6x45 and 6x9 rangefinders and can use $6 Nikon eyecups  
on those to shield my eye from light coming from my side, allowing the  
viewfinder to be seen more clearly.  I have seen someone selling M6  
eyecups for about $40, but I don't think they would be any better than  
a $6 dollar one.  However, the M6 eyecup would have a smaller  
diameter.  Anyone know where I can get a 5 to 10 dollar eyecup made of  
rubber, with a steel screw-in ring?

I am thrilled to be able to take decent photos at 1/15th sec, maybe  
1/8 and 1/4 is possible sometimes too, I think.  I will see soon when  
my other films are developed.  Any thoughts here? How slow can you go?

And I have a feeling that if I load my film in a black changing bag, I  
should be able to get 1 or 2 extra exposures from my film.  Is that  
so?  I don't have a changing bag, but will get one if this is the  
case.  Loading an M6, then winding and clicking 2 or 3 times before  
firing in earnest, it seems that at least the second and third shot  
need not be wasted.  Anyone tried this?

Um, what else? Oh yes.  Most people use Leicas for b&w.  What are your  
thoughts on using it for transparencies and for colour negatives?

Finally, I'd like to develop my own films.  I heard of table top,  
daylight developing kits, any advice on these - brand names, ease of  
finding the chemicals, anyone ever done this in Japan (where I live)?   
An old gent I met in Thailand told me he used to develop his own slide  
film and that was very easy.  Any thoughts on this?  It sounds like  
smoke and magic to me, hence very intriguing.

Thank you for reading my long post, I hope to stay in this group as a  
long-termer. Don't hold back on criticizing my first exposures with  
the M6, please!

Geordiepete


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