[Leica] Re: Banning the professional

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant)]

Subject: [Leica] Re: Banning the professional

ted said:
>> And the ridiculous assumption of the bureaucrats who think everyone who 
>> is a
>> professional makes thousands of dollars from their pile of rocks? Bull 
>> shit!
>>
>> Get real Frank, it isn't TV! It's real life!

Larry offered:
> Frank, Ted - Can't we just get along?

True! Sorry, I owe Frank an apology for the language use. Sorry Frank.
ted

Larry continued....

> My wife, a curator of a major art gallery, assures me that the directors 
> of museums and historic sites are not trying to ban professional 
> photographers, as such. They are trying to ban TRIPODS and flashes, a 
> practice encouraged by their insurance companies. <<<<

Hi Larry,
 I well understand the rules and agree with them absolutely! Simply because 
we have amateurs and pros who use tripods creating a "walk way blockage" 
bigger than a Mac truck. Because they don't know any better nor do they 
consider others.

Over the years I've surprised " museum clients" more often than not when 
I've been assigned to shoot various situations particularly when I walk in 
"sans tripod, lights." And do my simple KISS  "click-click" and ready to 
move on to the next site. Usually I get this response... "How do you do 
that? The last person took what seemed for ever and held-up things for quite 
some time."

>>> "Tripods interfere with the flow of patrons to the site and constitute a 
>>> safety hazard. The rule of thumb assumption is that a professional uses 
>>> a tripod, the amateur does not.<<<

This is an assumption on the part of many locations. In my case as recently 
in Paris a couple of years ago at night at the Arc de Triomphe while I was 
on holiday, so basically a tourist amateur. ;-) Yeah I know great line eh? 
;-) But it's true. :-)

I put an R8 on a Leica table top tripod right at roadside, remember it's 
night about 10 pm or so and I'm on my knees to make an exposure down the 
Champs Elys?es. A few lost looking tourists were close to a hundred yards to 
the back of me. In front vehicle traffic and the Champs Elys?es straight 
ahead. As I was about to make an exposure two police officers came and told 
me to stop because I was a professional using a tripod and it wasn't 
allowed. I smiled.

My smart young niece who was my guide and interpreter fluent in French 
explained I was her old uncle visiting from Canada... a tourist who merely 
wanted to make a quick picture of the Champs Elys?es and on my way. The 
officers responded I was a professional because "I was using a tripod and 
had to move immediately because I was in the way of the people walking 
about."

Like two cops, Christine and myself! :-) Man it was really crowded! ;-)

She explained to me what the problem was.... the tripod! OK if that's the 
problem I'll fix it. Removed the camera, handed her the  tripod, set camera 
on road and made a dozen or so bracketing frames while the officers stood 
there making sure I didn't use my Leica table top tripod! But that was OK as 
I became an amateur simply because I didn't use the tripod. I still took up 
the same amount of space just from my body size alone. Quite frankly I think 
I got a  better picture because the camera was right at ground level! ;-)

The frustrating part in many of these situations is, the folks enforcing the 
rules do not use some common sense in applying them, certainly in this case 
"at night, hardly anyone in sight." Then allowing me to shoot the scene 
simply because I took the camera off a small table top tripod which in their 
mind made me a professional by what they saw, not what they knew.

Oh well the world changes all the time and things like "using a flash will 
damage the painting or artefact" is a neat way to keep the happy snappers 
under control and not taking pictures they may or may not sell later.

ted