Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Elliott Erwitt's Camera Case, Circa 1974

On my bookshelf is a copy of The Private Experience, Elliott Erwitt which was published in 1974. At the back of the book there's a technical section which includes a glimpse into "Erwitt's complete traveling camera case with Canon cameras and lenses."

While best known for shooting with a Leica, it turns out that:

'For most of his "professional" still photography -- the pictures he makes for money -- Erwitt has reduced his equipment arsenal to the contents of one case weighing approximately 32 pounds.'
Inside the case: two Canon F1s, a complete set of prime lenses (17mm, 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 35mm tilt/shift, 50mm, 100mm, 135mm, 200mm and 300mm), a cable release, a Minolta light meter and an Eastman Kodak "Pocket Guide to Photography."

I like the fact that they put "professional" in quotes.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I recently ordered this book used and it's pretty cool. I also have the Mary Ellen Mark and Annie Leibowitz edition, but it's not as interesting. Possibly, it's because those two have been in many interviews and talk openly about their techniques whereas Elliot has always seemed so standoffish when questioned. It's nice to see a different side of him. Is it just me, or is it truly odd he would be using a Canon rig back in the seventies? No disrespect to fans of the F1, but they were not exactly the greatest a "professional" could use back then.

Ted Fisher said...

Since he had the full set of lenses, I wonder if he may have been sponsored by Canon?

tf