Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/02/15

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: Re: [Leica] Younger photographers and Leica rangefinders
From: Alan Ball <AlanBall@csi.com>
Date: Mon, 15 Feb 1999 17:52:13 +0100

Jim,
I find your statement very pessimistic. Nothing lets me believe that
'young photographers' are less capable than the previous generations.
They have to manage whole new sets of parameters, where productivity and
speed of delivery are high on the agenda. They also manage new medias.

Nevertheless, when I see portfolios published in various types of
magazines, I see some extremely high quality images, in black and white
and in color. Those encourage me to believe that the younger generation
of photographers is very literate, very conscious of the processes
involved in photography and has a good knowledge of the history of the
art form they practice.

I have no idea if that translates into an attraction for 'classic'
equipment, à la Leica M. But even if those 'younger photographers' were
not salivating at the red dot, that would not make them less creative
and less capable than their elders...

My personal guess is that any active photographer has a "sweet spot for
the dot" and that most of them either own or desire at least a piece or
two of the Barnack legend...

Alan


Jim Bauman wrote:
> I'll bet that's not true nowadays with EOS, AF, and all the rest.
> Everything is getting to be so automatic, the days of young photographers
> with the ability to look at any scene and just "know" it's 1/60th
> at 5.6 with Tri-X etc. are probably long gone.