Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/08/14
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]LUGnuts: Hit rates depend so much on what you are shooting and how close to the edge of the cliff you are willing to walk. Much of my corporate work is carefully lit, polaroided, approved etc. So the hit rate is pretty high technically, but even then a challenge to bring everthing together such as every person's expression and gesture that works. And the lighting, if powerful, is usually precise. Models can't move much or be out of the light--like movies out of the 30s and 40's with really directional light. On more casual documentary photography I look on the experience as a writer taking notes and asking questions. I just keep exploring and exploring, angles, timing, lenses, whatever, even working beyond when I think I have something useable. On my recent project I burned 200 rolls of film and have really 2-3 pix really worth saving. Many others will be used and have commercial value, but only 2 or 3 are really knockouts. For each of the 2 or 3, three or four rolls were exposed of which 4 or 5 useable frames emerged, and one gem. Granted, all were riding the edge of failure technically--either pull it off or fail. But there it is. The biggest problem with having all the budget cuts these days is that there is little room for failure. And generally if you are not on the edge of failure--artistically, technically, compositionally, emotionally--your pictures are going to be boring. So we need to budget time and film to create failures on the way to success. In a recently attended presentation by Douglas Faulkner, the celebrity portrait photographer, he described having a month to travel with someone to do a portrait for Life magazine 20 years ago. He mentioned having discussions about a wonderful event happening, but where something just didn't quite come together. So the staff would shrug there shoulders and say well maybe next time. Today, he said, he is expected to get these results in a few minutes and no failure permitted. Which is why we get safe superficial portraits mostly contrived with gimmickery. You want me to be creative?? Give me a high failure rate and a low hit rate! Donal Philby San Diego (where, after traveling five weeks in the Pacific Northwest, I finally saw a cloud)