[Leica] more gun portraits (let me know if you get tired of this)

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant)]

Kyle your biggest problem with this project wont be gun owners, but the 
daily "edit by committee comments!"  I know everyone mean's well in their 
comment and critique, but it can breed confusion more than being helpful.

I think you've got the track to run on .... pictures in the kitchen or 
living room of their homes appear to be the common denominator, simply 
because one or the other of these are room's throughout the homes of the 
world.

By showing out-takes every day the danger is, what 3 people think are a 
great picture, ten will say otherwise and it'll create a thousand fold 
confusion compounded day after day. Even when you feel strongly about a 
given picture, the constant comments will get to you sooner or later.

And having produced a number of books, I as much as anyone know without 
question, we are our own worse editor's! What you need is an editor who's 
absolutely ruthless, who could care less whether you laugh or cry in the 
selection. Their bottom line is nothing but success of the project as the 
criteria for the in-out editing process.

Sure you can plead your case for a certain photo to be used, been there done 
it many times and lost in most cases! :-( The editor sees the photo simply 
as a photo with absolutely no aroma of the home, how tired you were, and the 
many other emotional aspects we go through working on such an intense 
project.

There have been some very important suggestions offered, certainly when you 
use a super wide lens! You have to hold that puppy absolutely straight, bend 
your knees and not "bend the camera down!" Tilt for a better word.  Or 
you'll blow the shot simply because the extreme distortion takes the viewers 
eyes away from the content!

This series has the potential for every photograph to have a "WOW" factor to 
"EXTREME WOW to SUPER WOW!" And more, page after page. It will take readers 
quite some time going through it, simply because it wont just be the guns 
holding the fascination, but the surroundings of each home as well. Not to 
forget the subjects will be most interesting in themselves.

However, you know your own thing as we've seen in your excellent photography 
on previous projects, so what works for you, is what works. But make damn 
sure the editor whomever, is totally in-tune with the project.

ted