[Leica] Colored Tape! and Mounties.

[Ted Grant <tedgrant@islandnet.com>]

Eric wrote:
>Oh yeah.I can see it now. At a sniper situation, snip... When they
>capture the sniper he says: "Yeah, I was distracted by some red dot that
>nearly blinded me. What green tripod?">>>>>>>

Eric,

Colored tape, Mounties and the Queen.

During a Royal Tour across Canada at a time when press photogs were
becoming armed in great numbers with "long gun barrel lenses," 300mm and
up.

It became a major concern for the Mounties, government officials and the
Queen's  Scotland Yard body guards. They were getting paranoid with these
"big things sticking out of the press areas that could be weapons of some
sort!"

So a brilliant government official decreed everyone covering the tour must
have "fluorescent orange tape around the end of the lens" so they could be
quickly identified in a crowd if pointed in the direction Her Majesty.  No
tape, quick tap on the shoulder and you were outta there, quick time! :)

But the orange tape decree, particularly of my "slide barrel, pistol grip,
shoulder brace equipped 560mm Telyt" weapon looking lens stopped the
mounties from standing right in front of me when I had camera to my eye! :)

There was some whining, but that's part of being news photographer's.:) But
a couple of "those with over abundant ego's" refused to muck-up their lens
with that sticky tape stuff.  However, at the first photo op these guys
were quickly escorted from their "very best in front photo position" to the
rear for a camera examination and taping. It kinda put them and their ego
in place.

Not only did they loose their prime photo position, they were only too glad
to  tape the lens shade the most brilliant orange you can imagine for the
next photo op!:)

And this taping had nothing to do with the "red dot" syndrome!:)  Heck the
orange color was so brilliantly bright, it overshadowed any "red dot" in
the crowd!:)

ted











Ted Grant
This is Our Work. The Legacy of Sir William Osler.
http://www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant