Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/04/08

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Subject: [Leica] WAS:... EASTER FLOWERS FOR EVERYONE....NOW: Prime Minister David ben Gurion - ISREAL
From: tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant)
Date: Sun Apr 8 15:02:47 2007

GREG LORENZO pointed out:
>> Even better is this gem from Ted's page:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/leicated/Israel+Prime+Minister+David 
+ben+Gurion.jpg.html<<<<<

Brian Ampolsk responded::
Subject: Re: [Leica] EASTER FLOWERS FOR EVERYONE

>> I  agree with Greg Lorenzo about the remarkable shot of David Ben  
Gurion.  BTW, I was in Israel in 1973 when he died.  It was a very  
traumatic time, just after the Yom Kippur war.  And, by luck of the  
draw, I was in Jerusalem then.  The day following his death, his  
casket lay just outside the Knesset (parliament) building.  The line  
of people passing the casket was enormous, and went on for blocks.   
Ben Gurion was a great man, and Ted's photo captures some of that.<<<<


Geg & Brian,
Thank you both for the kind words. This is a picture taken some years ago
when Prime Minister ben Gurion visited Canada. It's quite a simple picture
really, even if I feel it's one of the "best photojournalist type portraits"
I've shot. OK so that's how I feel. ;-)

Simple? Yep nothing more than walking into the room where an interview was
taking place, look at light on subject... move to shadow side. Wait for
journalist to ask question.... Prime Minister listens..... I go Click! And
that ladies and gentlemen is just as easy as it was! ;-)

It's all about understanding light and making use of it combined with one
more crucial thing for successful pictures of people.... "We hear with our
ears. But listen with our eyes!!!" And that is the tip of day! ;-)

Look, if you are shooting people while they're talking the chances are you
are going to end up with a screwed-up mouth or something unflattering! 

However, when your subject is...."LISTENING" it shows in their eyes. The
subject's available light was beautiful shooting from the shadow side. So
all I had to do was wait for a journalist to ask him a question when he was
listening intently!! Eyes beautifully listening, BINGO! CLICK!

Walk out after a couple more clicks. :-) No direction from me! And that's
how simple it was. 

Quite frankly it's been referred to as a KARSH type portrait on more than
one occasion. Even Yousuf himself complimented me at one time when I showed
it to him in Ottawa.

Sometimes we get lucky with the subject, right light & right eyes! Click!:-)

Once again thank you for your kind words.

ted




In reply to: Message from bampolsk at mac.com (Brian Ampolsk) ([Leica] EASTER FLOWERS FOR EVERYONE)