[Leica] Hail Mary

[red735i at earthlink.net (Frank Filippone)]

I don't photograph weddings.  So my buddy asks me to take some candids, in
addition to the official wedding photographer.  I say OK.
I know the official pro, no problems there.  I will do whatever it is I
wish.  As I am not "responsible" for anything, I feel the pressure is low.

So the day arrives, we go to the wedding with the M6TTL and a 15, 75, and 35
ASPH Lux.  Plenty of film, 3 spare batteries.

I like to be prepared, so I turn on the camera, and get ready to take some
pre-wedding shots.  No meter indicators.  Meter battery must be dead.  Put
in Battery #2.  Ditto.  Battery #3.  Ditto.  Last battery: Ditto.  Nada.
Wait some glimmers of an intermittent problem.  Sometimes the meter works,
sometimes it does not activate.  Opening and closing the wind lever ( the
on/off indicator for the M6 meter) sometimes works.  Pushing down on the
speed dial sometimes works.  15 minutes to Zero Hour.  What to do?  Freak?  

Not me......

I got the meter to work sometimes, so I knew that if I set up the camera to
start, I could get off some desired shots.
Outside, 4 PM, nice light, open sky or shadowed people, all is well.  .....
no quick lighting changes.
That night, during the reception, I took some more.,  The meter is working
maybe 20% of the time, but that was sufficient.

My buddy had asked to take some shots of him and his new wife as he played a
surprise solo performance on his guitar.  I was a bit leery.  Inside, low
light, bad lighting, one possible shot at this.....But he really wanted me
to shoot this scene, without flash.

Time comes. It is 9PM, it is DARK!.  Lighting in the room is lousy at best.
I get on my knees, between the 2 pros ( Canon and Nikon DSLR with requisite
flash), tell them to step in front of me as needed to get what they are paid
to do....
The meter works for like 20 seconds.  I metered the scene.... then some
dufus turns off the rest of the lights......   It is not nice.  Now I have
no meter and basically no light.  

Hail Mary time.

F1.4 at 1/8 of a second, Fuji ASA800 print film........

A full roll, all well exposed.  Most without movement.

I did it.  He loves the shots.

Sherry got the camera 6 days later, fixed it ( bad meter switch......), and
I have my baby back.

No more weddings... too stressful.


Frank Filippone
red735i@earthlink.net