Sunday, July 06, 2008





Lack of updates lately. Sorry.

It's hot. 40'C hot.

I got the columnist position at the local newspaper. To my Canadian friends, I didn't say anything because I didn't want to jinx it. But I have been tossing the idea with a local here about writing an article for the daily paper about my life in Linping. I wrote a proposal, he translated it and that is that. They thought it was a good idea. So once a week I have an article and a picture.

I have been in a photo slump lately. I have found that I am not happy with my current camera set up. It works great for the work I do in Canada. For sports it is great, for set up shots it is fine. But for street work, actually walking around taking pictures, it sucks. First of all, the weight. The cameras are heavy. Carrying even one camera and lens for a day takes its toll on my body. Second, the size. They are big. Big equals reactions. Small cameras tend not to get reactions, even when people know that you are taking their picture.

Enter my Leica. After wanting one for the better part of 10 years, I finally have one coming. It is still in Canada, waiting to come with Danielle and Brian when they come. Nothing too fancy, just an M2 with a 50 f2 and a 35 F3.5. The pocket book is a little lighter now, but I think it should do, at least until I decide on the $4000 M8 digital.

5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

your pictures are really nice,which portray local life.

Sunday, July 06, 2008 11:23:00 PM  
Blogger A few words about Lisa.... said...

Congrats on the job dude. Thats SO awesome!
I was wondering when those cameras were going to get to heavy over there fo ya!!! Nice work on the Leica!

Tuesday, July 08, 2008 11:31:00 AM  
Blogger ... said...

Vance, how close are you to Shanghai? Canwest can always use resources around the world. I was thinking of submitting you to our freelance list.

Good stuff on the weekly. Vance Lester China Columnist. I like, I like. Well I guess it's Canada Columnist.

Cool dude!

Kelly

Wednesday, July 16, 2008 5:54:00 PM  
Blogger b said...

Read all the reviews you can on the M8 - it doesn't fit Leica's pedigree for being the ultimate un-intrusive tool for taking photos.

http://web.mac.com/kamberm/Leica_M8_Field_Test,_Iraq/Page_1.html

According this Kamber fellow, it fails as a professional tool.

"I have no axe to grind against Lecia--quite the opposite. I have made my living with Leica’s for most of the past 20 years; I depend on them. I still have several Leica M’s with which I shoot film on a daily basis."

"Others have pointed out to me that the M8’s exposure and color balance problems can be managed by carefully exposing on manual settings, and by shooting RAW. For a fine art or documentary photographer this may be feasible. For a working photojournalist on deadline in a war zone, it is not. And in 2008, it should not be necessary on a $5500 camera. My first digital camera was a Nikon D1x that I purchased before I left for Afghanistan in 2001. The pictures were well-exposed and the color balance was consistent. Seven years later, Leica cannot match this performance."

There's always the DP1, although it's been getting similar reviews. :/

Thursday, July 17, 2008 12:39:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi,vance, the local newspaper u mentioned in yr artical, does the name in Chinese is "chengxiangdaobao城乡导报" in Linping,right?

Monday, July 21, 2008 5:47:00 AM  

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