Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/01/14

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Subject: [Leica] New 35mm cropped
From: imagist3 at mac.com (George Lottermoser)
Date: Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:14:35 -0600
References: <C7741825.5BED8%mark@rabinergroup.com> <BD6F4F5A6ADB498F9C690FB2BBD821C3@syneticfeba505>

Ted - you make a significant point here.

I totally understand Mark's concerns for "satisfying" the equipment  
requirements of the client, art director, editor, etc..
Working my way through college at a commercial photo studio I saw it  
every day.
"You need it on 120 chrome; I'll deliver it on 120 chrome. You need  
it on 4x5 chrome; I'll deliver it on 4x5 chrome; 8x10 chrome - fine."
Those same art directors not only want to choose your equipment for  
you; they want you to have the "right" studio and assistants for  
their entertainment; they provide the drawing for the photo  
illustration; they tell you how to frame the shot; prop the shot; etc.

These are the main reasons I became a graphic designer / photographer  
? in order to work client direct ? art direct my own concepts ?  
choose and use the appropriate equipment to accomplish the concept.
I still have most of the gear from chasing the ever elusive carrot of  
perfect film format (now sensor format).
It certainly worked well enough to earn a decent enough living (most  
of the time).

However, at this point in my aging career, it did not leave me with  
the life-time portfolio I envisioned at age 20. I didn't say, "no  
thank you" often enough. I didn't pursue enough of the work that  
spoke to my heart. I truly wish I would have remained a tad truer to  
my own personal aesthetic vision (and concomitant equipment  
requirements) to achieve much more personal goals. My original love  
of 35mm documentary work has suffered a bit over the decades; due to  
developing these other format skills and chasing fleeting market  
style affairs.

At the same time I truly appreciate the depth of experience that I've  
acquired with all formats from 35mm through 12x20 view camera work  
(and for the past decade - digital);

Ideally the power of our unique vision should drive the art  
directors, editors, agents or clients to us; not the other way  
around; even though reality may seem to work against that idea. Those  
we most respect (the greats of any particular photo genre) did it  
their way, with their chosen format, and the art directors and  
editors bent to those creator's superior visions.

We (who seek to earn our keep with photography) must constantly ask  
ourselves, "Do I want this job if it's not in synch with my way of  
seeing and/or working? Do I want to become what the art director  
(editor, agent, client) wants me to become? or Do I want realize my  
own vision?"

A life goes by very quickly. Whatever size film or sensor resides in  
our camera?we mostly need to create photographs which we're proud of? 
we need to constantly show our work?we need to license the images and  
sell prints ? if we can ? though I'm not at all sure we need to buy a  
new camera or lens to achieve what's truly photographically important  
to us. So very many of those we consider great achieved their vision  
with very limited amounts of gear. They made simple choices (Avedon's  
8x10, Cartier-Bresson's 35 with 50mm, Arbus's square, etc.) learned  
it and worked it - day in and day out.

Some days - I wish I'd done that.
Other days - I love playing in my too-large toy box.
;~)

Big prints impress because they're big.
Great photographs impress because they're great photographs -  
whatever size they're printed at.
Great photographs; printed large can, of course, take your breath away.

Regards,
George Lottermoser
george at imagist.com
http://www.imagist.com
http://www.imagist.com/blog
http://www.linkedin.com/in/imagist

On Jan 14, 2010, at 10:12 AM, tedgrant at shaw.ca wrote:

> he'd already made all the accolades about how fantastic the  
> photography quality was and I could be sure they'd be calling me  
> again. :-)
>
> They didn't! ;-) I just figured their loss!



In reply to: Message from mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner) ([Leica] New 35mm cropped)
Message from tedgrant at shaw.ca (tedgrant at shaw.ca) ([Leica] New 35mm cropped)