I buddy gave me a solo ticket for a piano duet from the Van Cliburn Series at the Bass Performance Hall (a world class venue) in Fort Worth last night. Orchestra-Center, Row C, this was a good seat, so I brought my M along to grab a few shots. With the 50, I could get both ends of the back-to-back Steinways, and my view wasn’t too obstructed.

I was ever respectful of the performance and only drew the M during louder passages. The encore was light hearted (both pianist at the same keyboard) so I got a little more aggressive in my shooting. At the end of the evening, I took about 15 exposures, including a few at intermission.

After the encore, I made a beeline for the side exit to beat the crowd and as I got into the outer hallway, I was stopped from behind by a lady’s voice saying "Excuse me, sir, were you taking photographs in there?" Geez, I thought, is this the photo-police, there was no prohibition on shooting, was there? I turned, smiled and said yes. Her husband, a distinguished looking gentleman in his 50’s, was catching up and said, "Is that a digital? My wife won’t let me bring…" I held my camera out a little, and he quipped "Oh, that’s an M6!" (I had the red dot and Leica logo black-taped). I said "yes, even though it’s a quiet camera, it felt a little loud at times in the Hall." You could hear the pages turned by the pianist’s assistants in there. He said that a couple of rows away, they couldn’t here anything. "Is that a 50?" he said. I said "Yea, an f2, I’m shooting B&W 400 pushed a stop, I could get 1/50 sec. in there." "That should do just fine," he said. The crowd urged an end to our brief encounter.

That was a first for me, and I kind of enjoyed someone noticing my M, but not as much as I enjoyed shooting the event itself. I drove home hoping that I could get a nice 8x10 out to the effort. I little grainy, but sharp, 8x10. We’ll see.

Any other Leica sighting stories out there?

-- Dan Brown (brpatent@swbell.nnet), November 13, 2001

Answers

I am surprised you were allowed to take any shots at all, usually they make a big deal about not allowing it. But without flash, it is true, most people think you have no chance and often do not worry the subtle M photographer. Delta 3200 would have been great for this situation too: 1/250@f2, that would be really sharp!

-- Robin Smith (smith_robin@hotmail.com), November 13, 2001.

Of course, I enjoyed your storytelling quite a bit concerning Leicas :)... Well yesterday was a rather solid day of sorts. I managed to procure my fresh out of the box Summicron-R 50mm lens (for my upcoming Leica R4 hurrah) and was so happy to meet the guy at Midcity Camera who sold it to me yesterday. Sadly enough because of personal expenses that lens will be the last until next year when I can catch up on bills after my marriage next year.

Then I headed over to the church activity, being the ward photographer, to shoot pictures using my Leicaflex on Superia 1600 (no joke) but I was shooting in dark interior lighting at 1/250 and 1/125 speeds which allows me the great sharpness despite the high grain (not too bad from the testing I saw in a mag). Of course I could have gotten a better deal on Fuji 800 it seems although I enjoy Tri-X just as well.

Of course, everyone there bugs me about being the photojournalist. I was shooting pictures happily with the 'flex for the 2 hours we had the activity for and I was rather delighted by the fact that my photographic abilities were the subject of poetry written about me during the poetry night at church. I caught a picture of Mary doing crossword pictures and Shane cooking the desserts. All in Leicaflex mode there. Hopefully I will have the chance to post some pictures when I get the scanned CD back in a few weeks hopefully :)

I was debating about sneaking the Leica Mini into the Suzanne Vega concert but I got caught as some photographer so basically the only Leica photograph I got that night was the picture of the billboard advertisement telling everyone about the concert. Not good enough but commercialism corrupteth the arts? :)

Alfie

-- Albert Wang (albert.wang@ibx.com), November 13, 2001.

I don't bring cameras to performances because every time I go to one I see the "CAMERAS STRICTLY PROHIBITED" sign and envision some minimum-wage guard demanding to hold onto my Leica until after the show (or me having to walk back to the car). Yet once the show starts there are always flashes popping off and I've never seen anyone being ushered out. Trouble is, for most shows I'd want about a 300mm lens!

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), November 13, 2001.

Same sort of story. A year ago when our son was born I decided to document the event photographically. I had lots of time due to a 36 hour labour. Took my IIIG w/35 Summicron and 5 roll of TriX. At the end it looked like a ceasarian was possible so we ended up in the OR. When I asked a nurse if I could take the camera in she said that was up to the anethistist (found out he's in charge in the OR, at least in Canada). He started to say no, then looked down, and said 'Oh you use a Leica - as long as you're not using flash I'll let it in'. Found out later he wouldn't let in anything run by batteries, so thankfully he knew what a Leica was..

-- Bob Todrick (bobtodrick@yahoo.com), November 13, 2001.

I attend shows in Fort Worth pretty regularly. They seem to come in three flavors, identified by an announcement prior to curtain. Either "protographs prohibited" or "flash photography prohibited" or silence. I respect the requirement of the Hall in any case, last night there was silence. Of course, I would not use the images for commercial gain or subsequent distribution without a signed release.

And, regarding Delta 3200, yes a fine film indeed. But what I really want is a Noctilux and an 0.85 TTL, snicker, snicker :-)

-- Dan Brown (brpatent@swbell.net), November 13, 2001.

its dissapointing how they dont allow photography, even non-flash. something to do with copyright? yeah like thats a real seller huh, well maybe...i snuck in my m6ttl into one of the bbc prom nights. snapped away right at the back and no really noticed. a bit of whirl and light clunk at 1/15 of a sec, and a heck of a lot quieter than those point and shoot and slr's thats for sure. i havent processed it yet so will see..

-- sparkie (sparkie@mailcity.com), November 13, 2001.

Hi folks,

I tried not to use any camera in a performance. But I just happened to bring an Leica M with me a lot in case it's allowed informally.

Last month we went to the Dave Brubeck series of S.F. Jazz festival, I know it's not allowed, but for a lengend like him(81 years old), I can't stop feeling it's very special for his live performance at this age. I believe no one took any shot during any session, but as soon as he finished and stood up chatting with people, I saw annoying "flashes" running everywhere from P&S, I realized it's time for my low-light camera and started taking some pics. 50mm lens not long enough and the pics not sharp enough to enlarge, but indeed these pics will bring back some good memory I got those nights in SF.

ps. I once got warned taking pics of Daniel Barenboim during "standing ovation", but that was in Carnegie Hall, guess the no-photo-rule is better excuted there.

Fred

-- Fred Ouyang (yo54@columbia.edu), November 13, 2001.

Although this isn't performance-related, it's camera-sighting related.

Seems like every time I go up to St. Augustine, Fla. to wander around I always encounter at least one other person who has a funky camera. Rolleiflexes meet in the street, Leica RF encounters Nikon RF, even Superwide runs into Superwide. It's odd; it happens nowhere else.

-- John Hicks (jbh@magicnet.net), November 13, 2001.

Yes. Here in Singapore I was in an elevator. It stopped at an intermediate floor, the doors opened to reveal a waiting mob of elderly men all decked out in their photo gear. The leader spotted me and shouted "leica"!! The mob, excited, roared "leica, leica, he has leica!!" and crowded into the elevator with me. I had to calm them down by letting them play with it a bit when we all got off in the parking basement.

Honest to goodness - the truth.

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), November 13, 2001.

Do us a favour, go down to Joe T Garcia's, tell them your're hongry, and order a meal, a take a few shots just for old time sake. they may not spot your gear, but you'll have a hell of a good time!

-- Paul Nelson (clrfarm@comswest.net.au), November 14, 2001.

I checked my e-mail this morning and found the following message in my "In-Box". I was shocked and delighted. I deleted the gentleman and his wife's proper names out or respect for their privacy.

Enjoy (I did)...

Begin Message

Hi Dan - This is a message from the Ball Hall photo-police. The paragraph below, beginning with "Curious coincidence..." is part of an e-mail I sent today to a friend in Kansas City. What an amazing coincidence: as he was trolling through Greenspun, he came upon the thread that you started about last night's concert and was astonished that he had read about the incident in my message just a short time before. So he e-mailed me with the link to the Greenspan site and your thread.

"Curious coincidence: I wrote the above two paragraphs a couple of days ago, but last night we were at a recital at Bass Hall, and at the very end when the audience was standing and cheering, [wife's name] pointed a few rows down and said "There's a man taking pictures with no flash. I think it's a digital camera." I couldn't resist and followed him out as the audience was leaving. I asked about his camera which he withdrew from under his raincoat (I've done that in the past). "Wow, I said, an M6. What lens is that ?(of course I knew)." Since I had established my credentials, he told me it was a 50mm f2 and that he was shooting 400, pushing to 800, b&w. He said he was worried about the shutter noise and waited for loud musical passages to trip the shutter. I don't think you can get the kind of surreptitious images he'll have with any other camera. Moral of the story: take the M6 even if you don't go to a duo-pianist recital."

Dan, once you've processed/printed your Ax/Bronfman photographs, hope you can attach a couple to an e-mail or other electronic communication. By the way, thanks for the "distinguished gentleman" part and for shaving off a few years.

Kind regards, [gentleman's name], Bass Hall Photo-Police

End message

Of course, I e-mailed him and will certainly provide him a copy of my images.

-- Dan Brown (brpatent@swbell.net), November 14, 2001.

Very interesting!! Thanks for posting, Dan.

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@mail.com), November 14, 2001.

It's a small world after all...

-- Bert Keuken (bkkn@wanadoo.nl), November 14, 2001.

“When will you refuse your damned whether a FED or Zorkiy, know not what’s namely ever hanging over your neck, don’t you want to buy yourself anything a bit more respectable than this antique, a Zenit- E, P&S Kodak, at least???”

Such kind of question I answer at least twice a year to some acquaintances here in former USSR looking at my Leica. I smile and reply that I can't afford yet these ;?}

-- Victor Randin (ved@enran.com.ua), November 15, 2001.