Saw this on the LUG. It is from the Philadelphia Leica User Group, (PLUG). It's kind of funny.

Leica User's Ten Commandments

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), January 06, 2002

Answers

Good. I haven't broken any----So far.

-- Steve Hoffman (shoffman2@socal.rr.con), January 06, 2002.

What's wrong with photographing buildings, I'd like to know?

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), January 06, 2002.

What's wrong with a tabletop tripod?

-- Frank Horn (owlhoot45@hotmail.com), January 06, 2002.

What's wrong with photographing statues, asses and homeless people?

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), January 06, 2002.

This is interesting, and leads to the question: "Why does one take a photograph?"

Taking pictures of one's family is for memories. Nothing wrong with that. Taking pictures of buildings and statures is "art." Whatever floats our boat. Taking pictures of asses (WITH permission) is also art, but can cross the line to erotica and then to pornography. Without the camera where would hte world of erotica be? Taking pictures of homeless people can have a documentary effect. And so on.

By the way, I find it good that people on this website have a high sense of ethics and morality when it comes to taking unsolicited pictures of strangers. The world of digital photography is, however, giving the entire world of photography a bad name. If you look at the website www.voyeurweb.com you will see pictures of people taken without their permission. What this ends up doing is making anyone with a camera seem like a pervert to some. Sorry for bringing this up but there should be some type of unwritten ethical code when taking pictures of others. In some countries taking pictures of women, fully clothed, will invite homicidal attacks from their spouses.

I don't mean to offend anyone here, but am just bringing up a topic that might affect us in the future.

Thanks.

-- Sikaan (Sikaan4@aol.com), January 06, 2002.

Now I understand why W.C. Fields said "I'd rather be dead than playing Philly".

-- Eliot (erosen@lij.edu), January 06, 2002.

I take pictures of people without their permission all the time. It's part of my job as a photographer.

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), January 06, 2002.

"In some countries taking pictures of women, fully clothed, will invite homicidal attacks from their spouses." In some countries women are regarded as chattels.

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), January 06, 2002.

"As a photojournalist and producer creating magazine features and audio-visual programs to help religious and humanitarian agencies communicate their mission, I'm always looking for opportunities to make portraits. Strong photographs of people add power to the message I want to communicate, because people are interested in people. That's why we call it "human interest." When someone from another culture is portrayed in all of his or her humanity, dignity, and individuality, both the subject and those who view the photograph are served. As the great Edward Steichen, creator of the landmark "Family of Man" exhibit said, "The function of photography is to explain man to man."

Photography bypasses the logical centers of the brain and communicates directly to the heart. When the subject is someone from another culture, an incisive portrait can arouse in the viewer a deep awareness that this also is a person, a member of my species. Different from me, yes, but part of my family. Nearly 30 years have passed, but I still remember the first time a photograph connected with me in this way. It was an Emil Schultheiss portrait of an African girl in the old 'Modern Photography' magazine. Her face plastered with ceremonial paint, she peeked at the camera from the corners of her eyes. I looked into her soul and was hooked for good." ________________________________________________________________

The above is an excerpt from my article "Foreign Faces," which appeared in the August, 1999 issue of "Rangefinder" magazine.

-- Dave Jenkins (djphoto@vol.com), January 06, 2002.

Thanks for the laugh! Of course, as "commandments," they're ridiculous, but I think they do make some valid points. I've broken most of them at some point or other (though I've never been able to brag about the dinglessness of my cameras!), but I have great excuses for why I have sinned. . .

-- Mike Dixon (mike@mikedixonphotography.com), January 06, 2002.

8) Thou shalt not photograph people from behind and call it street photography. This makith thou a coward.

Rats! I knew about this one, but I just hoped that nobody would ever confirm it for me.

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@mail.com), January 06, 2002.

They forgot one:

Shaketh not thine M6 to befun the quaking of the earth, for thine humor will only work in California. ;-)

-- Ralph Barker (rbarker@pacbell.net), January 06, 2002.

I think this is in compliance with rule 8.

Not from behind

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), January 06, 2002.

Just to make the list into a proper Twelve Commandments:

11) Thou shalt not wear thine Leica as jewelry.

12) Thou shalt not roll thine eyes at heathens whenst they asketh, "What is bokeh?"

-- Mike Dixon (mike@mikedixonphotography.com), January 06, 2002.

Al- That goes beyond bokeh-- That's double bokeh! :=)

-- Frank Horn (owlhoot45@hotmail.com), January 08, 2002.

Al, is that the largest magnification we can get, or do I need a bigger screen?

-- Ron Gregorio (rongregorio@hotmail.com), January 10, 2002.