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photo thought of the day

Godfrey

Well-known member
I'm reading a biography of Walker Evans at present. Today, in a section describing the period when he has returned to the USA and is living in New York City circa 1928 or so, I read this:

".. Grotz had brought with him from Germany the latest camera, a Leica. This instrument, coveted by serious young photographers, had been introduced in 1925 and was still relatively rare in the United States. Lightweight and pocket-sized, it was designed for inexpensive 35mm film. With one loading, the camera held enough film for thirty-six pictures, enough for a day's outing. Perhaps most important, it's fast lens enabled photographers to make brief exposures in an extraordinary range of available light. .."
The book is "Walker Evans" by Belinda Rathbone.

Isn't it amazing how the Leica camera was considered small, pocketable and fast, capable of handling an extraordinary range of available light (with an f/3.5 lens and film with an ASA around 12!), and that thirty-six exposures was considered enough frames for a "day's outing"? It gives me pause to reflect on that perspective in contrast to today's obsession with ISO 6400 and beyond, with making hundreds of exposures every outing, etc etc.

Godfrey
 

Ben Rubinstein

Active member
It's not an obsession with street photographers but it is an obsession with wedding photographers like myself who will take anything they can get!
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Great thought and insight. :thumbup:

To think ... not all that long ago, ASA 400 was the fast film, 800 was pushing the envelope, and 1600 was "arty".

In reviewing all my work over the years, including a huge amount of weddings, nothing has really gotten all that much better ... in fact my Leica M film work still is the benchmark, and a lot of work on my website is still film based M and Hasselblad V images, even though I haven't shot film for years.

I'd go out to a wedding with 10 or 15 rolls of film for a max of 500 shots, which I never, ever reached. Now it's a wallet full of 16 Gig cards and a 1,000 shots just because you can. Then I get to be the lab guy for 2 or 3 days ... :eek:

Go figure.

-Marc
 
R

richard.L

Guest
In '55 Winogrand was given a copy of Evan's "American Photographs"...
he said about it:
"That is the first time I was ever moved by photographs. I don't mean that I wanted to cry; I don't mean that by 'being moved.' It's the first time I was aware that photographs themselves could describe intelligence."
 
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