[Ansteorra] Flash Photography at events

[robert segrest]

Collwyn said:

"I had a question to put to everyone.

I know, for the most part, photography is one of the
anachronisms we
 accept
in the SCA since we all like to look at the pictures. 
Though I would
 like
to disguise my camera bag, and possibly my camera a
bit better.  (ideas
welcome here)

 A couple weekends back, I was at an event, that the
use of my flash
 was
needed to insure acceptable pictures.  The whole time
hoping I wasn't
offending/annoying anyone popping off my flash every
time someone
 received
an award (was during evening court, under a 
pavillion).  Most of the
 time I
can make use of existing light, but as evening
approaches, or worse,
 things
under large pavilions require the use of some fill
flash.

My question is, how do you feel about the use of flash
at events?"

The general responses seem to be that flash
photography is an unavoidable requirement of good
pictures and that pictures are desirable or downright
necessary

Although I am rarely personally offended by
anachronisms, even those more egregious than flash
photography, it seems that this discussions points out
something easily overlooked about the recreation that
we are pursuing.

Part of what makes the SCA appealing to me is the
recreation of oral traditions.  Personally, I would
rather not see a picture of what happened in court (I
know that I am in a very small minority here).  I
would rather hear someone tell me what happened in
court, complete with discriptions of people I don't
know, and pantomime of facial expressions etc.  We are
recreating a time where pictorial reproduction of a
scene was incredibly difficult and reserved for
occassions of great significance.  Even where such
reproductions were made (usually through paintings or
woodcuts), the artist projects himself into the scene
through the methods he uses to reproduce it.

I have heard stories:  Michael of Monmouthshire riding
into court on a shield a la Surfboard, Sir Emrys'
knighting, The Impervious shield of Sir Erasmus, and
others.  Now I do not know, or barely know, any of the
people involved in these stories, but they are
indelibly burnt into my memory.  I'm sure pictures
were taken at the time (maybe not of Sir Erasmus), but
they could not possibly live up to the larger than
life images I have of these moments.  In many ways the
"ephemeral" arts of song and story can outlast the
"permanent" arts of visual reproduction.

I do not wish to denigrate the photographer's art, and
I know that many do want pictures of the important
events of their lives, in and out of the SCA.  But we
might do well to remember that there is more than one
way to make our history permanent, and some of them
are more in keeping with the ways of life we wish to
(re)create.

Fatthiopap Laszlo




      ____________________________________________________________________________________
Check out the hottest 2008 models today at Yahoo! Autos.
http://autos.yahoo.com/new_cars.html