Re: [Leica] Another Noctilux experience

[Paul Chefurka <pchefurk@Newbridge.COM>]

Jorg Willems wrote:
> 
> Poor girl does an excellent job but is scared to death about that day when
> she, or the camera, or the lab, or what else screws up.
> Anybody on the LUG that could give her some good tips how to cope with the
> stress?

1.  Camera: Check the flash sync repeatedly during lulls in the
    action (or during every reload).  The only spectacular failure
    I've seen during a wedding was when the photographer's sync
    went down and he didn't realize it.  The flash kept flashing,
    but there was no light on the film.  There but for the grace
    of God go you or I.

2.  Lab:  Build a relationship with a local professional lab that
    already has a good reputation.  One trick for the truly safety
    conscious is to number the rolls, and to give the film to the
    lab in two batches - one with the odd-numbered rolls, one with
    the evens.  Give each batch to the lab on a different day.

3.  Personal:  Have a shot list, and check it regularly.  Especially
    during the early days, this will ensure that nothing is missed.
    This is the same principle as a pilot's checklist.  Later on
    the list will get so ingrained that it becomes superfluous.
    This is both a good thing and a bad thing.

But the only thing that really helps is experience.  Unfortunately,
I found that when the nerves and stress go away, the boredom and
ennui move in to fill the vacuum...

Weddings are utterly banal events that must be covered perfectly,
every time, with style, grace, wit and artistry.  I have nothing
but respect for people who can do that for any length of time!

Paul Chefurka