A short time ago the subject of David Allen Harvey and his Cuba book came up... specifically what equipment he used. On the LUG, one of the participants e-mailed Harvey and he posted it. Harvey discusses his equipment and thought process for a small outfit. He even discusses his Nikon days prior to going to the Leica. Check it out at:

http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/v18/msg12507.html

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), December 18, 2000

Answers

Thanks Al, but wouldn't the heading have been better "From God's lips...."

-- Bill (bmitch@home.com), December 18, 2000.

Anyone who clicks on this thread is likely to have seen this anyway but this site on D.A. Harvey's Cuban photographs is top notch, because of the accompanying realaudio clips and now a realaudio video.

Enjoy.

http://dirckhalstead.org/issue9910/cubaintro.htm

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), December 18, 2000.

Thanks for the info Al. Ever wondered why there was only one vertical shot in DAH's pictures on Cuba (Dirck Halstead's site)? Horizontal shots must be his style, which I also like. My opinion is that if he'd used the 50 more often, he'd be forced to take vertical shots like HCB. This is one reason why I prefer the 50 (instant crop), and I also still don't have the nerve to get close to people on the streets like DAH does.

-- Ron Gregorio (gregorio@ksc.th.com), December 19, 2000.

getting close is what its all about, whether it be physically, mentally or spiritually....hopefully all 3 at once!

-- grant (g4lamos@yahoo.com), December 19, 2000.

Ron,

That was very observant of you... the low number of vertical shots that Harvey takes. I am shocked sometimes at the high number that I take. I found that the short side of a 35mm lens shot is equal to the long side of the 50mm shot, so when I use the 35, I shoot something like 90% verticals. Maybe it is just my desire to capture a certain scope, and I rotate the camera with the wider lens to facilitate that area to be covered. I've even mastered the ability to hold the camera vertical while it is at waist level for blind candids. I hate dead space, and this fills the frame with the human form.

On my last trip to Europe, I shot about a thousand slides and a hundred prints. For fun I was going to send a print into the local newspaper for the travel section. The rule was ..."horizontal prints only". All of the shots that made me think they were good enough for the paper were verticals, and the compositions were so finalized that cropping would not have been possible. I hadn't thought of it before your observation, but this might be a manifestation of a "personal style". I believe to be valid, it should be something that occurs without thought, and I never thought about this before... it just happens.

Now I hope since you made me think about it, that it doesn't turn into something contrived and artificial.

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), December 19, 2000.

I remember reading somewhere that verticals have "tension" while horizontals are "relaxed". I noted that Harvey's style (and his personal way of working) is rather laid-back, so perhaps he transmits that in his work. Also, he works a lot with a shoe-mounted flash for fill and a vertical shot would require him to burden himself with a flip bracket (or handhold the flash with one hand) to avoid having the flash come from the side.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), December 19, 2000.

Al, your recent discovery of the way you take horizontal or verical shots kind of reminds me of the time my brother told years ago that healthy human beings tend to complete their breathing cycle within two and a-half seconds when relaxed. Since then, I've never looked at breathing the same way.

Unlike you, I'm more conscious of the way I'd prefer a vertical shot than a horizontal ones. I also often do it with my 35mm, but more so with the 50. I purposely take the vertical ones when I want a tighter crop on the subject and isolate them from their environment (horizontal background that is). My reasoning is that space above or below the subject emphasizes depth or distance more so than horizontal ones. The subject is either going up or down, towards you or away from you. I don't know if this works for everyone, but that's how I see it in my photos or others' as well.

So, is two and a-half seconds about right?

-- Ron Gregorio (gregorio@ksc.th.com), December 20, 2000.