Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/08/01

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Subject: [Leica] Millimeters and milliseconds
From: Peter Klein <pklein@2alpha.net>
Date: Thu, 1 Aug 2002 18:12:05 -0700 (PDT)

I wrote:

> Now, here's an example of why all the techie stuff matters, using a
> real live picture.  I'm very pleased with the content of this photo.
[but I was not happy about sharpness, a camera with longer lag might
not have caught the picture, yadda yadda yadda. . .]

>     http://www.2alpha.com/~pklein/currentpics/grackle.htm

Ted wrote:

> . . . do you have any idea at all how many people in this world think
> about some mickey mouse technical detail like this lag thing when
> they're taking pictures? Hell I bet HCB would laugh his head off if
> this subject were brought up to him to explain how many milliseconds
> he related to each time he shot a picture of the "Decisive moment?"

> Sorry Peter lad, some day we'll break bread and drink water, then
> discuss this topic, as I like your picture of the bird very much! But
> to read all this techie stuff that makes or breaks it spoils the
> picture, as I see it as a photograph taken by a talented photographer
> with a quick trigger finger! The explanations and technical stuff is
> for the theory artists in the crowd! Not for one second does it mean
> anything the the doers of picture taking.

Sure, Ted.  I look forward to hoisting a glass with you in Portland, and
hearing some of your war stories.  I do think that we integrate the
technical knowledge into ourselves so that eventually we use it without
thinking about it consciously.  I certainly didn't think about
milliseconds when I shot that bird, or fast-moving little Claire, or Paula
and Harpo.  It was "see it, click."

I think you're doing us all a service by urging us to think less about
equipment and get out there and shoot.  And you've reminded me to stop
smelling my prints so much, and evaluate them more on content than on how
mucy texture I can see in the eybrows.  That's a good lesson--we can get
too hung up on sharpness.

Gathering technical information to rationalize the purchase of a Summilux
ASPH (or choosing an old lens instead) isn't about pictures.  Only
pictures are about pictures.

One interesting thing about all this:  I think I've generated more
discussion of my pictures by using them as technical examples than I have
by merely posting them for discussion.  Too bad.

- --Peter Klein
Seattle, WA


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Replies: Reply from "Doug Lee" <drlee9@earthlink.net> (Re: [Leica] Millimeters and milliseconds)