Newsletter - September 2008

True confession: I bought my 24mm lens to avoid taking a long walk off a short pier. That said, running out of dock while photographing a ship is not a well-thought-out reason for choosing a particular focal length.

If photography is the art of capturing what we see, then rangefinder photography is simplicity itself, providing a frame around an unobstructed and unaltered view of our subject. With any M mount camera, you actually train your eye by placing the frame within a larger scene. Those bright lines unlock unlimited potential to create a memorable image!

Observe enthusiasts with the latest and greatest lens on their SLRs. More often than not, they search for a photograph by varying the focal length of the zoom. There are few exercises as counterproductive as this. First you must see the big picture, then you take the photograph. A fixed focal length lens can serve as a valuable teaching tool. It hones our ability and clarifies our artistic vision. If you don’t see a photograph with your eye, you most certainly cannot find and create one by scanning a ground glass and playing with the zoom.

Perspective is the impression and relationship of objects when seen from a fixed point and reproduced on film. Put down your camera and place your fist close to your eye. It appears huge compared to other similarly sized objects in the scene. Go outside and look down the block at the line of telephone poles. Those that are more distant, appear compressed and close together. The wide-angle lens is able to capture the angle of view that naturally makes your fist appear larger than it is, and the telephoto lens brings distant objects closer, but does not alter the naturally occurring compression. The selection of different focal-length lenses permits us to capture a perspective and not degrade the quality of the image. Without changing your vantage point, take two photographs of that line of telephone poles, one with a wide angle, the second with a telephoto. Crop the wide-angle image so that the distant poles are framed as they appear in the telephoto image. Because they share a common perspective, both images will now show the same compression.

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to selecting a lens. The 50mm guides your eye into the frame. The 85/90mm magnifies this way of seeing. The wide-angle lenses pull your vision outward toward the edges of the frame and beyond. To compliment or slightly augment the normal perspective of the excellent and often under-rated 50mm, the 35mm and 85mm/90mm are the lenses of choice. The 85mm/90mm provides a comfortable working distance and a flattering perspective for portrait photography. Photos taken with the 35mm, while containing the feeling of extending outward past the edges of the image, can be beautifully framed and selectively focused. Providing an expansive feeling, the 28mm and 24/25mm excel in situations where photography is done in tight quarters. The 21mm and 18mm come into their own for street reportage, while the super-wide 15mm and 12mm lenses shine in specialized and very personal applications.

The rangefinder photographer has a wealth of choice. Leica, Voigtlander and Zeiss produce innovative lenses of the highest quality. As for which ones to use, it really is a question of how you see the world.

Many thanks to John in Guelph for suggesting we tackle an article about focal length. The newsletter and website depend on your opinions and comments.

Stock update.

The days grow short and the nights are crisp. There is a hint of colour on the trees. Leaf watchers everywhere are readying their cameras and lenses for fall-foliage tours. Within the month, the harvest of images will be spinning in stock agency hard drives from New York to Seattle. Some of these photos will be appended to inspirational quotes and end up on posters destined for the walls of employee cafeterias. Others will find their place in calendars promoting local hairdressing salons and auto-body shops.

Forgive the cynical and dated portrayal of stock photography. Today, shutterbugs and photojournalists both partake in this diverse and competitive marketplace that trades in tendencies and trends. Clearly, stock photography is not about pretty pictures, so put down the polarizing filter and slowly back away from that maple tree!

Playing the stock market.

While researching the ins and outs of stock imagery, I had the opportunity to talk to corporate project managers, magazine editorial staff and graphic designers. Here is a summation of their comments.

Everyone was in agreement about two points: stock images help beat deadlines while soothing the company accountant’s concern about runaway budgets. Corporations use stock imagery as part of their communication tool chest. Royalty free images and inexpensive stock can free up resources that may be allocated to photographic assignments. Even expensive stock can prove to be a bargain when compared to certain types of original photography assignments. With models, makeup artists and travel costs, lifestyle editorials can quickly become too pricey for all but the flushest budgets.

A picture researcher mentioned how, several years back, her company loved imagery from smaller outfits like Tony Stone Worldwide. The landscape became much less exciting as Corbis and Getty grew until they virtually monopolized and homogenized the playing field. But the stock business is nothing if not entrepreneurial. VIIphoto.com and Stock That Doesn’t Suck are two of a litter of new boutique agencies emerging with promises of, well, stock that doesn’t suck!

Photo community websites such as The Digital Railroad give independent photographers a chance to get their images out to potential clients while circumventing costly agency fees. That said, one creative buyer pointed out that his magazine buys at least 80% of stock photographs through stock agencies. That magazine seeks to negotiate exclusivity agreements in return for preferential pricing.

Stock images are occasionally victims of their own DNA. Rather than standing as photographs in their own right, they serve as visual punctuation for a copywriter’s ad or a graphic designer’s layout. Want to show anthropomorphic polar bears, content and well-groomed office workers, radiant retirees? Call in the stock agencies, prepare for the deluge and watch how supply and demand economics apply as much to photography as to barrels of oil.

Don’t be easily discouraged. There are many photographers who should be reselling their material, and a good agency might be the ticket. Before you take the plunge, invest the time to understand what makes your business tick. You must decide how much you would like to commit to shooting stock. A critical mass of imagery is highly advantageous in promoting a single sale. Potential buyers want to pick and choose. Their selection may have little to do with the strength of a particular photo, and more to do with the strength of that photo in a predetermined layout with unusual dimensions. Perhaps a cooperative of 8-10 photographers with a common interest is a better way to proceed than joining a large stock agency.

A worthy recipient of high praise.

If you were to look up Carl Zeiss M-mount 18mm f4 T* Distagon in a photographic dictionary, the entry would tax a copywriter’s thesaurus of superlatives!

Building a better lens is what Carl Zeiss in Oberkochen and Cosina in Nakano set out to do. Boy, did they accomplish their goal! The lens is constructed to the highest quality for demanding photojournalists and photo enthusiasts who want the best. It is an eye-opener in delivering beautiful tonality and sharpness, as well as a remarkable lack of distortion. Despite its relatively compact dimensions, the controls are distinct and easily manipulated. The markings are very clear and the aperture indentations, in 1/3-stop gradations, are just what the doctor ordered for slide users.

Fêted by the European photographic community, it has rightfully received the highest accolades and awards. The 18mm f4 T* Distagon represents an extraordinary value, an all too rare example of uncompromising quality within reach of many.

Recently introduced, the Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 3.5/18 super wide-angle lens for SLRs in Nikon F mount and Pentax K mount promises the same high standards as the 18mm M mount. In what is rapidly becoming a truism, I have every confidence that Carl Zeiss will deliver the goods!

See our complete list of Zeiss Lenses

The latest offering from the Eagle.

Cosina has recently introduced a newly formulated Voigtlander Ultron 28mm f2. Like recent Voigtlander offerings, it is available exclusively in M mount. It replaces the venerable Ultron f1.9 which was available in L mount.

Everything about this lens is new and improved. It is appropriate that it comes from Voigtlander, because its edge-to-edge sharpness would do justice to an eagle's eye. It also comes with Voigtlander's bargain-basement price. We expect this Eagle to fly off the shelf! (Yes, the pun is intended.)

See our complete list of Voigtlander Lenses

Leica M8 base plate.

As part of their effort to enhance the experience, Leica has rightfully encouraged production of accessories and peripherals by small companies and artisans. With that in mind, when I received a technical notice raising concerns about an accessory M8 base plate, I took it seriously.

Read Leica's take.

Another mess in Mesopotamia.

I feel like we’re stuck in the quagmire. I’m not only referring to the military and political situation, but to the review of the Leica M8 in Iraq by photojournalist Michael Kamber.

The camera is on the heels of its second anniversary and he’s complaining about the 1.33 factor. C'mon! The white balance issue: resolved in January 2008. Comparing depth of field rendition between camera brands, these comments are rooted more in ignorance than in fact. Stating that the M8 ain’t an M3 or M4 is like going to the circus and complaining there are too many clowns. Understanding the limitations of any camera is part of the photographic experience. I’m not setting up a Deardorff to grab an action photo at the hockey game!

The M8 is first and foremost a digital rangefinder camera, and a damn good one at that! Photojournalist Zoran Milich said it best. “Personally I would never take this gem of a bling to a combat zone.” http://www.zoranmilich.com/

I’ve calmed down and am looking at a truly memorable image of a silhouetted child dancing with a stick in Xinjiang, China. Taken by our very own West Coast award-winning photojournalist Wendell Phillips, this is what photography is about. Let’s not forget that.

Local Leica luminary makes good!

Hubert Hayaud, a most extraordinary photographer with an eclectic eye and oodles of talent, is holding a one-man show starting September 29th in Montreal’s Mile End district at 155 Saint Viateur West. If you are interested in what modern photojournalism should aspire to, you must find time and take in this tour de force. His presentation is nearly as interesting as his imagery. The colour photographs are framed, but the black-and-whites are presented in boxed sets.

Another trip on the Hudson River Line.

In late June, I was in a New York state of mind. It is the perfect venue to get the photographic juices flowing. I decided there would be no pictures of Times Square or yellow cabs on 6th Ave. With my M7, a 50mm and a 21mm, I spent a day and a night around Harlem and Lower Manhattan, photographing different faces of Gotham.

Now comes Kölsch time !

I love Paris in the springtime, but Cologne in the fall is nothing to sneeze at! There is nothing better than sipping on a cold Kölsch as you gaze upon the spectacular Dôme Cathedral.

Photokina 2008 will herald the latest and greatest, the contenders and pretenders, the innovations and hits, and some unforgettable misses. In the next issue of M Vision we’ll review products and announcements from Leica, Voigtlander and Zeiss, and other developments from the Really Big Show.

A first-rate schedule of events.

We are planning our autumn Leica Days. The gathering will take place on the weekend of October 31 and feature the latest developments in everything Leica from M to R10, and all lenses and accessories in between.

With many samples available on site, be certain to drop in and handle what promises to be the biggest product release in Leica’s history. Bring in your cameras for a checkup and fine-tuning. None other than my favourite Scotsman and Leica technician extraordinaire Gerry Smith will grace us with his presence.

On the evening of Friday, October 31st, prepare to be dazzled by one of Canada’s finest and hardest-working photojournalists. I’m honoured to be hosting an evening with Wendell Phillips. Move over Michael Phelps! Wendell’s awards include numerous Gold Medals topped by being named Canada’s News Photographer of the Year in 2007. From Vancouver’s Lower East Side to Saharan West Africa, from North End Winnipeg to South China, Wendell has turned his camera on events and issues that shape our age. www.wendellphillips.com

Make sure to reserve your spot at this event by emailing me at jeanb@camtecphoto.com or phoning the store (514-875-5110).

Always looking forward to your comments.
Photographically yours,
Jean Bardaji & Daniel Wiener