[Leica] Leica Monochrom in DC today -- NOT DC?

[jon.streeter at cox.net (Jon Streeter)]

Ted,

Thanks so much for the insight into the biz and your experiences in it.  I 
value both.  I photographed mostly in black and white because I could afford 
it, could process the film myself and make the prints myself in a rental 
darkroom.  I don't remember thinking that I'd have preferred color.

I love your comment about "real photographers" and "souls vs. clothes."  I 
plan to get some mileage out of those observations.  On the other hand, I'm 
not ready to make a pronouncement on which is superior, B&W or color.  When 
I think of my favorite images, mine and others, most of them are in black 
and white.  On the other hand, how many times have people come out of a 
museum thinking, "Well, those were nice paintings, but they'd have been 
better in black and white"?  With Photoshop, we're finally, perhaps, 
approaching the control the painter has over the precise color of our 
images.

I had the chance yesterday to photograph my daughter in her gymnastics class 
using my Leicas, M3 and M6.  They were both loaded with color.  But I wasn't 
thinking of the color, just the timing and composition.  (By the way, I 
noticed a huge difference in the shutter release between the M6 and M3 that 
I don't recall noticing before.  Maybe I've noticed it and just forgotten. 
The M3's release is much more positive and the shutter goes off with very 
little shutter-release travel; whereas the M6 release felt mushy and had to 
be depressed much further for the shutter to release.  I missed several 
shots because I'd not pushed the release far enough).  I'll see how I did 
when the film is processed and proofed.  It certainly was fun looking 
directly at the subject instead of at the little color TV inside the camera.

As for in-camera metering, I love it, both manual and full auto.  From my 
earliest days in photography I wanted a camera that would do all the grunt 
work for me, leaving me free to concentrate on timing and composition, with 
the option, of course, of reverting to manual whenever I wanted.  Modern 
cameras are just about there, and may arrive when AI really hits its 
stride -- a little hand will pop out and slap the photographer in the face 
and say, "That is NOT a good photograph."  Interesting thought.  As Kertesz 
said, "The best ones get away."  I've found that no matter what camera I'm 
using, for some shots, the one I don't have with me would have been better. 
With the M3, I have to take a light reading and transfer the settings to the 
camera.  With the M6, I still have to balance the little triangles. 
Automatic film or digital cameras, both point-and-shoot and pro-level SLRs, 
have to be turned on -- a concept not much thought of back in the '50s --  
and, even on the program setting, the desired ISO has to be selected. 
Murphy's law applies in photography as far as I can tell.  I've got both 
hits and misses because of the camera I was using.

Best regards,
Jon


-----Original Message----- 
From: tedgrant at shaw.ca
Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2012 10:58 PM
To: Leica Users Group
Subject: Re: [Leica] Leica Monochrom in DC today -- NOT DC?

jon.streeter OFFERED:
Subject: Re: [Leica] Leica Monochrom in DC today NOT DC?


> Fascinating observation about not thinking you were shooting in black and 
> white, just shooting.<<<

Hi Jon,
When I started playing in photography 1950, colour was an expense beyond my
economic reach. So I never bothered with it. Besides I learned to soup B&W
film and eventually got around to making my own B&W prints using my wife's
"tin baking trays" :-( Which didn't make her a happy camper because the
trays all went black.... nothing like Acetic acid and tin! I eventually had
to buy her a new complete set of baking trays and a set of plastic photo
trays so I may live another day! ;-)

But right at the beginning the most important part of being a success (
whatever that was 63 years ago?) Was the content of a successful captured
moment! No different than today! Be that stock cars crashing & flipping
during a race. A major fire with engines and police and whatever was
happening............ It was the content with B&W film! Yep all 36 frames!
Roll after roll! By the hundreds!

If we went on a little holiday and the weather, location was pretty? I might
spring for a roll of Kodachrome? But never had a projector to show. :-( So
that took care of shooting colour! :-)

During my many years of shooting documentaries for the National Film Board
of Canada it was 100% B&W regardless of subject. From under the earth
mining, birthing, cattle ranchers to deep sea fishing vessels' off either
coast of Canada. Or me to the North Pole. You name it and I've probably shot
it in B&W. Most of the 100,000 collection images in The National Art Gallery
of Canada in Ottawa are B&W. Every frame with nary a thought about colour.

My personal National Archives of Canada collection of 280,000 images are a
mixture of B&W, some colour shot for different clients. It's the largest
photo collection by a single photographer in the History of Canada. Lot's of
Happy Snapping to be sure! :-) Damn you just have to love it! :-)

Like I've said for years! "Real Photographers Shoot B&W! Eat Sushi and Drink
Single Malt Scotch!" :-)
AND:
"When you photograph People in Colour. You Photograph their Clothes. But
when you photograph people in B&W . You Photograph their Souls!"

Shooting books on the medical profession started in June 1980 in B&W. Then
along came digital some years later and I started shooting digi without a
thought about shooting in colour, then converting to B&W! The book "Women in
Medicine . A Celebration of their Work." I shot and souped 500 rolls of
Tri-X with not a thought of colour during the months of shooting in the USA
and Canada. Producing one of my best ever books! And all shot with Leica
cameras, M7's & R8's. Sandy Carter was my co-shooter on this book and you
can't tell her photos from mine even when we were shooting in different
hospitals and cities!

You might be surprised to learn every frame of my 500 rolls were shot set on
automatic "A". And not one frame lost to anything........ but ME shooting a
bad angle or moment! :-( Exposures all perfect!

Leica's can be absolutely amazing tools of the trade when one doesn't think
techie stuff and just shoots magical moments of life!  B&W or colour!

cheers,
Dr. ted



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