"Sanctuary: The Temples at Angkor" is the title of the book, recently published. It's a smaller format than his other Big Books. There are portraits in addition to the architectural views.

Some of you folks who have shot at Angkor would enjoy it, and might like to comment here on the work.

-- Preston Merchant (merchant@speakeasy.org), June 05, 2002

Answers

Doesn't he shoot with Nikons?

-- john (jbee193@aol.com), June 05, 2002.

Does it matter?

Steve could shoot with instamatics and still take better shots than 95% of us.

-- Josh Root (rootj@att.net), June 05, 2002.

preston, is there a website ? would like to see some images online, too lasy to go to a bookshop right now..

-- sparkie (sparkie@mailcity.com), June 05, 2002.

I just looked at this book yesterday at the bookstore at the SFMOMA. I have recently read some about Steve McCurry. He does use Nikon, currently F100s. He doesn't use extreme lenses, allegedly favoring lengths from 28 to 105. His two favorite length lenses seem to be 35 and 85mm but he is on record as saying if he had to he could get by pretty well with just the 50. He uses a tripod quite a bit and the films he favors are Kodachrome 64 and Ektachrome. He gets outstanding quality out of his nikon lenses and has a fine, artistic eye. We could all learn a lot from looking at his pictures. g

-- Gil Pruitt (wgpinc@yahoo.com), June 05, 2002.

www.stevemccurry.com doesn't have any new images in the gallery, though I expect it will soon. No sample pages at Amazon, either.

-- Preston Merchant (merchant@speakeasy.org), June 05, 2002.

Yeah it matters this is a LEICA forum! McCurry is great but what the hell does the news regarding a new book have to do with this forum?

Hate to be a stickler, but there are other forums to glorify his work...

-- John (jbee193@aol.com), June 05, 2002.

Yes this is a Leica forum. But surely things like technique and ways to improve your photography should be allowed. Books are a great way to get inspiration that'll force you to go and shoot with your leicas.

So surely a single message giving a heads up isn't doing any harm?

-- bubble (bubblegrass@yahoo.com), June 05, 2002.

I'm with Bubble. I think a single message that's not specifically Leica-related isn't going to kill us. And besides... this is more on topic than discussing watches.

-- Hadji (hadji_singh@hotmail.com), June 05, 2002.

I tink Steve shoots the type of photos that a lot of us would like to shoot with our Leicas. Therefore, I don't see it as being very off topic to make mention of his projects.

Besides, if you wanted to be strict about it, we shouldn't talk about Konica, voigtlander, any digital besides the digilux, or any of the other brands that pop up here. This forum stays very much on topic (as compared to others on the net). If you wan't to be a stickler, go hang out at the LUG.

-- Josh Root (rootj@att.net), June 05, 2002.

There have been many good shots of Angkor Wat posted here by forum members in recent months. The book's content seemed germaine . . .

-- Preston Merchant (merchant@speakeasy.org), June 05, 2002.

Yeah it matters this is a LEICA forum!

I don't think the true spirit of this Leica forum, or the Leica history for that matter, can be attributed to equipment.

Leica photography, to me, is in your face, journalistic, documentary, life-on-the-street photography....regardless of what camera brand or format is used, RF or SLR.

Leicas excel at this, true, but so do slrs.

-- Jim Tardio (jimtardio@earthlink.net), June 05, 2002.

I agree with Jim. I associate "Leica Photography" with integrity, not necessarilly equipment. I like the new book, but it's to small given the amount of info in each image. His previous book was rather big and unwieldy Strange considering how well designed Phaidon books usually are.

-- Steve Wiley (wiley@accesshub.net), June 05, 2002.

Another vote in support of the occasional discussion of non-Leica related topics in here. Steve McCurry has more than earned his right to be discussed by us amateur glass snobs IMHO.

If you don't like the post, just don't read it.

-- Luke Dunlap (luked@mail.utexas.edu), June 05, 2002.

"Steve could shoot with instamatics and still take better shots than 95% of us."

I'd up that to 100%.

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), June 05, 2002.

Can't we just get along? You want flame wars - wait till this forum integrates with photo.net, revive this thread, and watch the Canon and Nikon guys wade in. *shudder*.

-- Fred Sun (redsky3@yahoo.com), June 05, 2002.

Fred's right. Wait til this forum merges with photo.net. All hell is going to break loose. I guarantee you that within days, the Nikon and Canon users will inundate the place with anti-Leica rants and other flames.

-- Hadji (hadji_singh@hotmail.com), June 05, 2002.

Yeah and my Ford is better than your Chevy...

Some of us use Leica AND Nikon (or Canon, God forbid), so who gives a damn about Leica only extremists. Get a life!

-- Carlo Hessman (ch3@linkstar.com), June 06, 2002.

To All;

And Summicrons on Zorkis and Industars on M6s.

I will say it again: "the Leica is like the Harley Davidson where the secret ingredient that sells it is in the buyer, not the product".

Wine, Women & Leicas. I could live my life without them, but it would be hardly worth living.

Maybe an Instamatic or even a Lomo. Many of us refuse to admit that a great photo is the product of the eye that looks through the lens, not the lens that the eye looks thru.

Cheers

Keep smiling

-- RICHARD ILOMAKI (richardjx@hotmail.com), June 06, 2002.

"There have been many good shots of Angkor Wat posted here by forum members in recent months. The book's content seemed germaine . . . " But none of you are as well known as Steve McCurry. Gee, I wonder why that is. Is it because of the Afghan girl? Yeah that's it! That's the only reason why he's famous, he actually sucks because he uses Nikon. Yawn.

-- al feng (al_feng@hotmail.com), June 06, 2002.

Hey I use Nikons too. You guys are lamenting the impending doom of Nikon and Canon folks inundating this forum yet taking issue with a clearly non-Leica thread raises ire. I was most certainly not looking to incite a flame war, just questioning the appropriateness of the thread here. Most seem to have no problem which is fine, I still reserve the right.

-- john (jbee193@aol.com), June 06, 2002.

I like Steve McCurry. His images are great particularly for an armchair travellor like me. Thanks for the tip.

-- Robin Smith (smith_robin@hotmail.com), June 06, 2002.