from the horse's mouth.... Harvey in Cuba, equipment used.

[albert_smith]

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:

 

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

[wilhelm]

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

lips...."

[msitaraman]

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.

 

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Enjoy.

 

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

[ron_gregorio]

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.

[grant_.]

getting close is what its all about, whether it be physically,

mentally or spiritually....hopefully all 3 at once!

[albert_smith]

Ron,

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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Now I hope since you made me think about it, that it doesn't turn

into something contrived and artificial.

[jay_.]

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.

[ron_gregorio]

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.

 

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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.

 

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