Re: [Leica] Leica and off-camera strobe

["Ted Grant" <tedgrant@home.com>]

Marc Attinasi wrote:
>>Come on, flash photography is real - let's not get too snobish about our
'available light' bias.<<<<<

Marc, mon ami,
Nothing snobbish at all it's just simple fact. And I'm always trying to
encourage other Leica users to attempt to work with the light they are
motivated by.

And of course under the conditions you mention of heavy duty sunlight and
dark shadows it's photographic common sense one might use flash fill or a
good sized reflector of some kind.

Or where I can.... I'd move the subject into a soft shadow-lit location and
not worry about flash. But then to each his own. And as you know, I try to
keep everything as simple minded as possible, simply because I'm a simple
photographer! ;-)

>>>> Flash pictures are not real? Gee, I guess we better enlighten all of
those
> magazine photogs about how to take pictures :)  > <<<<

This might give some of you an understanding for my aversion to using flash.

When I was a rookie photographer for Weekend magazine, the Photo Editor, a
previously successful shooter himself, was always on me about light and
flash before I'd leave on a shoot.

Photo Editor after final briefing: "OK, do you have your flash?" The first
time he pulled this I near choked to death.

Me in all seriousness, remember I'm the rookie in the presence of the "Photo
Almighty."   "Yep, new batteries, extra batteries, colour gels, spare
connector cords and a back-up flash."

And before you could take your next breath he'd growl,

"No guts eh!  Don't you know anything about real light and how to use it?
Hell if you've got to use that damn flash on everything you shoot, you
better start taking lessons from the old painters what using light of the
eye is all about!" Then he'd smile. "It's OK kid, one of these days you'll
get it right as I see it in what you do now and you don't even know you're
doing it. Just keep the flash stuff to the minimum and only use it if you
absolutely have to!"

And I had that routine pulled on me time after time and it was his influence
that I feel gave me the eye for using the magic of existing light and not to
be afraid to use it, even where others fear to tread.

This doesn't mean I've never screwed-up, that goes with the territory. But
what it constantly does, is give my pictures a look of naturalness that many
others do not achive. And that look has been the hallmark of my photography
and the reason for many of the assignments over the years.

Life's like that, as some work one way and others another and both are
correct. So there we go eh? :-)
ted































Ted Grant Photography Limited
www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant
- ----- Original Message -----
From: "" <marc@attinasi.org>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Saturday, December 01, 2001 10:19 AM
Subject: Re: [Leica] Leica and off-camera strobe


> Ted Grant wrote:
>
> > All this flash stuff on M camera's is quite amazing, when you're talking
> > about the finest available light camera/lenses around. Hell if you can
see
> > it..you can shoot it!
>
> I guess if you don't care about balancing out harsh shadow on faces in
direct
> sunlight, or are always using low contrast / wide latitude print film, or
like
> blown out highlights, this works. I use chrome a lot and fill flash for
out door
> portraits becomes a necessity if I want to keep the eyes and background
> balanced. And sometimes, there just isn't enough light for the shot I
want, and
> a flash makes a shot possible.
>
> > Besides why knock yourself out banging an M camera around with a flash
when
> > it's much easier to pick-up a point and shootie camera and do it all as
a no
> > brainer flash exercise! ;-)
>
> Most P&S cameras don't give much control, over the exposure or the flash
> balance. Even my beloved Minilux has little control over the flash output
(a
> nice flash exposure compensation switch would be a great improvement).
That
> said, a good P&S will do in many cases, but an M6 (TTL or otherwise) is
not hard
> to use a flash on, it is really really easy (even I can do it). Focusing
at f1,
> now that's hard.
>
> > Remember guys... keep it simple, save the Leica for real picture taking.
;-)
>
> - marc
>
>
> --
> To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html
>

- --
To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html