First off, I want to apologize to those who found two of my previous posts offensive, or at the very least, aggressive. As one poster noted, I was probably bringing my work with me to the forum, which may have been uncalled for. And I got a bit pretentious.

I had taken the advice of many here. I borrowed a camera before I laid out the cash and took pics and was blown away by the detail, a good roll and perhaps beginners luck.

I just got back two contact sheets and I have noticed how spoiled I have goten over the years by all the bells and whistles of modern SLRs. I have many overexposed and underexposed photos and quite a few (at wide aperatures) where the focus isn't right on.

Of course, all of these can be attributed to my lack of attention. In other words, the camera is very unforgiving. That said, I love it! The two pics on each roll that were passable (not great) feature exquisite detail and an unbelievable range of contrasts in B&W.

This machine will tame me and bring me back to what it's all about. I'm overjoyed and humbled. But the new M6 will not kick me, I'm tenacious.

I want to thank all of you for your contributions. At this point, the outlay doesn't bother me a bit. There was a comment on one thread earlier that suggested those of us posting who may be bringing the "quality" of the forum down probably haven't shot a roll of film in a year. I don't know if some of that was pointed at me, perhaps, perhaps not.

I can assure you that I take it everywhere I go and I don't stop pressing the shutter.

I think it would be a bit ridiculous to buy such a thing and set it on the shelf. Why buy a Porche (or Ferrari, if you like) if you are not going to drive?

One of my problems is I live in a foreign country, meaning that anyone can spot me a mile away, so many of my subjects end up being too far away with a 50mm. If I am inconspicuous enough, by the time I get the focus, ap and shutter speed set accurately, I have been discovered. Any tips on this?

Thanks again,

-- Hyatt Lee (shahmat@ms63.hinet.net), May 16, 2002

Answers

wrt street shooting candids:

scale focus, preset meter, pretend your doing something else, raise the camera and shoot.

or, aim at something other than the subject, then swing the camera and shoot.

it helps to use 35mm or wider, and to see outside the frame lines - for which leica has little competition.

-- steve (leitz_not_leica@hotmail.com), May 16, 2002.

What "foreign country" do you live in? I'm not in a predominantly Chinese/Asian part of the U.S., so I guess I'm in pretty much the same physical predicament you're in. Nevertheless, I think being "inconspicuous" depends not just on your physical appearance or ethnicity, but also on your personality, attitude, body language, etc. It may be impossible for you to be literally inconspicuous, especially w/a 50mm lens, but successful street photography (& I assume that's what you're writing about) doesn't require that your subjects be completely unaware of your existence, only that your presence doesn't overwhelm & distract them from whatever they're doing. Sneaking around & trying too hard to be inconspicuous usually makes someone *more* conspicuous. There are no easy answers, particularly since no one knows your shooting style better than you, but legwork always helps. A cop once told me that there were only 3 things he needed to know to do his job right: (1) who the people are on his beat; (2) what they do; & (3) when they do them. IMHO, knowing those 3 things are also invaluable for street photography.

As to your technical question, if the light doesn't change too much, you should @ least be able to set your aperture & shutter speed ahead of time, & focusing quickly will come w/practice (you can also rely on the greater DoF of smaller apertures to zone focus).

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"One of my problems is I live in a foreign country, meaning that anyone can spot me a mile away, so many of my subjects end up being too far away with a 50mm. If I am inconspicuous enough, by the time I get the focus, ap and shutter speed set accurately, I have been discovered. Any tips on this?"

-- Chris Chen (Wash., DC) (furcafe@NOSPAMcris.com), May 16, 2002.

You could also talk to people, get to know them, then take their picture. Why spy?

-- Preston Merchant (merchant@speakeasy.org), May 16, 2002.

Chris, Ben Hogan said 'the more I practice, the luckier I get'. Ken Keset said 'walk small and ooze' if you don't want to attract attention. I've been taking pictures for quite a few years, on the street a lot. The better your technique is, the better your street pictures will be. The street is funny. People key on you if you are staring or looking and acting unusual. Some days I have it more together than other days. It's an attitude, a relaxed confidence that blends in to the landscape. Some days I get self conscious and attract attention. Other days I can use my M or ever my R camera with finesse. I have been threatened on the street before, but that is very unusual. Scary but unusual. The other day on Market Street in SF where I work I took a picture of two young women - at my age a lot of women look young. As I was walking away one of them yelled at me 'hey you took my picture! you have to pay to take my picture!'. I turned around and smiled and waved to her and she smiled back. When I took her picture I was about 5 feet from her with 35 summicron. Sometimes I blow an exposure or a focus but I remember a famous photographer who said something like if you're going to take the risk of taking the picture you might as well take enough time to get the exposure and focus right. Long winded but I mean to say that you have to work within your ability and stretch yourself to get better. If you are going to take pictures on the street you have to make up your mind that you are going to 'take pictures' on the street and get over the fears and shyness all of us wrestle with much of the time. If you cannot there is still a world of things to take pictures of. Good luck.

-- Gil Pruitt (wgpinc@yahoo.com), May 16, 2002.

"One of my problems is I live in a foreign country, meaning that anyone can spot me a mile away...."

Maybe there is another way of thinking about your situation. Rather than thinking....Hyatt is in a "foreign" country....Maybe you could think...Hyatt is a "foreigner," a guest of a people and a culture that intrigues him so much that he wants to take repectful, representative pictures to show his friends and family when he returns home.

If you adopt the later way of thinking, you can openly and honestly take pictures in full view of everyone.

-- Jim Lennon (jim@jmlennon.com), May 16, 2002.

Hi Hyatt,

Be conscious about personal space and sensitive to people's feeling. If you can feel people getting defensive you are probably too close. Either switch to longer lens or walk away. Don't be trapped by preconceptions.

Have you visited any night market yet? Almost all major city got some place like that. You can really get close to people in such crowded place. Night market is also a great place to try available light with fast Leica lens.

I grow up in Taiwan so its good to hear from home :-)

Chi

-- Chi H (chihuang@yahoo.com), May 16, 2002.

If you are doing it right, subjects don't have time to get defensive.

-- John Elder (celder2162@aol.com), May 16, 2002.

Hyatt,

Almost anyone with a good computerized SLR and a good eye for composition can get a fine displayable image with very little effort.

That's why I use such cameras for my 35mm weddings. I owe it to my clients to be consistent, to be involved with them and NOT constantly messing with my equipment. My equipment for these jobs must work "on their own." The computerized SLR is a very safe and reliable piece of BUSINESS equipment.

I also use many vintage cameras. I use Kodak Tourist and Monitor folding cameras, old Mamiya 6 folders, Rolleicords, and such, where I not only have to guesstimate the exposure but the distance as well, in many cases.

In fact, I make a game of it: I try to guess both the exposure and the distance accurately. In truth, this "game" is very useful. It will make you a better photographer.

When I use my "new," old Leica IIIC, I make a practice of estimating the exposure on the basis of my perception of the ambient light and from my experience in using light meters, and not using a meter at all. It is truly amazine how accurate one can get without a light meter with practice.

The key here was stated above...don't give up...practice! Use lots of film and evaluate your results and be very hard on yourself! If you keep practicing, you WILL get it.

I remember seeing, and hearing, the famous Spanish falmenco guitarist, Carlos Montoya in the 1970s. My most profound impression of his music and technique was that he and his guitar were as though they were One Being...his guitar was an extention of his body...they were ONE entity.

I think this is the way of photography...practice so much that you and your camera become One Being...where you don't have to think about what you're doing with the equipment at all.

I recall a description, in a magazine, of a man observing Henri Cartier-Bresson working a park in the 1990s. Bresson was dressed in a long trench coat, wearing a flat sports cap, looking very inconspicuous. He had his hands cupped around his Leica at his waist, Pre-Focused, beneath his coat, and walked up to some people, raised his camera, did not focus or look through the finder, took the shot, and wandered off, as silently as he appeared. His subjects had no idea their photo was taken. That is the "Way Of Photography."

But...all of this comes from extensive practice.

Do NOT evaluate your success or failure on the basis of ONE roll!

-- Todd Frederick (fredrick@hotcity.com), May 16, 2002.

After a year of Leica R4s I still have sometimes pictures wasted because I forgot to change from M to A or vice versa, or in my excitement didn't focus well enough, or didn't measure the light correctly, or didn't check if the camera really got hold of the film, or (once, with my minolta x-700) simply forgot to load the camera with film (hey...I can make 32 shots on a 24 film). If I could only print all the great shots I have in mind but not on film :-).

It will not change, you will on a regular basis do things wrong

Reinier

-- ReinierV (rvlaam@xs4all.nl), May 17, 2002.