Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/01/22

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Another Ted Grant
From: Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca>
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2002 20:45:51 -0800
References: <B86BA163.1593%telyt@earthlink.net> <011b01c1a155$1bbabec0$bd3afea9@oemcomputer> <002701c1a16f$bd48ef40$633f4d18@gv.shawcable.net> <blrl4uoe7dcjjuc01vtup23pvh8u6o23c6@4ax.com> <014301c1a1f4$973660a0$633f4d18@gv.shawcable.net> <jteq4ustuvatmchincjud7a3b8c2git143@4ax.com> <006d01c1a360$4a912a60$633f4d18@gv.shawcable.net> <3C4D96AA.A466C753@hemenway.com> <3.0.2.32.20020122222738.006d0680@roanoke.infi.net>

Marc James Small wrote:
>>> Damn, Ted, but you are letting us down.  I thought you invented the fine
> art of pounding in railroad spikes with a Leica M3.  Or was that a IIIa?
> Back in the days when the Crown wouldn't allow the use of a hammer west
> of Halifax, due to the unreliability of those folks on the West Coast?<<<

Well Marc, not to disappoint you old chap but just west of Halifax is where
I drove the first spike with a IIIa. I had a newly minted Leica opal lens,
one of a kind Oskar special 135mm's attached. Acted as a damn fine handle
for the over hand swing necessary to drive the spike solidly into the tie on
the first stroke.

Which in later years became known as the double stroke. ;-) As many of you
know. :-)

Later as a photojournalist with several pre entry Leica's, a previous
unknown model to the "O", an "OO I hope it works version."   Oskar hand made
three of them for me as test machines.

So I went further west by horse and buggy with the first 35mm film, emulsion
was hand applied, and processed in "Axtol" developer. Rather difficult as no
one had thought to make reels at that point, so that attributed to my rather
long arms which were stretched to their limit while swishing the roll
through any old container I could find. On one occasion it was an old pot I
found under the bed of the shanty hotel I stayed in.

Must say the developer took on a rather strange yellow colour by morning.
Exhausted I suppose. ;-)

My assignment was to record the last of the frontier before it was taken
over by the white man and his "Iron Horse." The cameras and self managed to
survive several Indian attacks aided by Metis, who were becoming restless
and tired of tourists invading the place with their soul grabbing picture
machines of the devil.

Unfortunately many of the rolls were lost one evening while I was asked to
test a new single malt liquid of questionable colour, smell and taste.  As
one of the old Scots who ran the distillery tried to aid by making a little
more light, he dropped a burning ember into a barrel of liquid to give more
light for the "Notsofastlux," which wasn't as fast as it's name sake of
today the Noctolux.  When the place blew up!

So in what one might call, a blinding flash of light, one might say far more
than a twinkie-light, all my film was vaporized in a single malt swoosh.
:-( And it's been my good fortune since that long time ago to appreciate the
swoosh of a good flashing single malt scotch. ;-)

The OO test cameras? Well they became the O and the rest is history!

So there you go eh? ;-)
ted


Ted Grant Photography Limited
www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant


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In reply to: Message from Doug Herr <telyt@earthlink.net> ([Leica] a horse for the boof)
Message from "Don Dory" <dorysrus@mindspring.com> (Re: [Leica] a horse for the boof)
Message from Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca> ([Leica] Something to feel good about. :-))
Message from "Eric" <ericm@pobox.com> ([Leica] Re: Something to feel good about. :-))
Message from Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca> (Re: [Leica] Re: Something to feel good about. :-))
Message from "Eric" <ericm@pobox.com> ([Leica] Re: Something to feel good about. :-))
Message from Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca> ([Leica] WAS: Something to feel good about. :-) NOW: equipment./autofocus)
Message from Jim Hemenway <jim@hemenway.com> ([Leica] Another Ted Grant)
Message from Marc James Small <msmall@roanoke.infi.net> (Re: [Leica] Another Ted Grant)