I'm looking at Huger Foote's _The_Friend_from_Memphis_ which I like a lot. Does any one know whether he uses an M or an R? I'd like to know because his type of photographs would be easier to compose using an SLR because of the play between the out-of-focus and in-focus areas.

--Mitch Bangkok

-- Mitch Alland (malland@mac.com), November 27, 2001

Answers

In th current issue of Aperature, there is an interview with Eggleston, in discussing which camera he uses, he said "One- third with a Leica, one-third with a Contax, and one-third with a Pentax". My guess is he uses the M.

-- Bill Magness (bmagness@marshinc.com), November 27, 2001.

Yes Eggleston uses a M. He even, famously, does not look through the viewfinder but just points the camera in the general direction of the subject.

-- John Collier (jbcollier@powersurfr.com), November 27, 2001.

I don't know either Eggleston or Foote; but I live in Memphis and have a friend who does know how they work.

Foote uses M6's. I'm sure a 35, based on the prints there's also a 50 and maybe a 90 in there, too. Wide open, obviously.

It's kind of surprising, but Eggleston uses everything under the sun. Pentax MX with the pancake 40mm. Contax G2 with the 45mm and the 90mm. And an M6 with 50mm mainly and others also. Also a Minilux. And a Fuji 690. There is also a hodgepode of Leica screwmounts. 90% of his work is in the 40-50mm range.

-- Dan (dan_stringfellow@yahoo.com), November 28, 2001.