Christen Hansen
New member
In the very beginning of my career as a photographer I worked at a picture agency in Copenhagen, Denmark. Some day, (back in the late fifties), I was asked to join an American filmcompany, who was shooting some scenes in Copenhagen.
In the next three days, armed with my new Leica M3, I learned a lot about the life as a pro.
On the set was a still-photographer, employed by the filmcompany, and besides his shooting, he did every thing possible to harm my working conditions. My job was to take pictures for newspapers and magazines.We never became friends. Period.
But the filmcompany had hired one more photographer. A tall guy in his best age with grey hair and a moustache. Looking somewhat aristocratic, he was charming and very kind.
His name was Gjon Mili.
Sitting on a big brown metal case, containing all his Leica gear, tripods and lots of film, he looked like a soldier at the front line, cleaning and taking care of his weapons. His job was to take photos for LIFE Magazine.
The next days I secretly studied him, while he worked with the Hollywood-actors, and I noticed the respect they gave him. Whenever possible he used a tripod, and later I understood why. He was exclusively shooting Kodachromes.
The last day we worked together, he gave me a handful of Kodachromes, and pointing at the packages he repeatedly said “twelve”, the filmspeed in ASA. I understood why the tripod was necessary.
Today, I am in the mid- seventhies, and when I am fumbling with my Canon Pro 1 and a newly bought 30D, trying to shoot RAWs, sometimes up to 1600 ASA, I think of a wonderful colleague and a deep voice saying: “twelve”.
In the next three days, armed with my new Leica M3, I learned a lot about the life as a pro.
On the set was a still-photographer, employed by the filmcompany, and besides his shooting, he did every thing possible to harm my working conditions. My job was to take pictures for newspapers and magazines.We never became friends. Period.
But the filmcompany had hired one more photographer. A tall guy in his best age with grey hair and a moustache. Looking somewhat aristocratic, he was charming and very kind.
His name was Gjon Mili.
Sitting on a big brown metal case, containing all his Leica gear, tripods and lots of film, he looked like a soldier at the front line, cleaning and taking care of his weapons. His job was to take photos for LIFE Magazine.
The next days I secretly studied him, while he worked with the Hollywood-actors, and I noticed the respect they gave him. Whenever possible he used a tripod, and later I understood why. He was exclusively shooting Kodachromes.
The last day we worked together, he gave me a handful of Kodachromes, and pointing at the packages he repeatedly said “twelve”, the filmspeed in ASA. I understood why the tripod was necessary.
Today, I am in the mid- seventhies, and when I am fumbling with my Canon Pro 1 and a newly bought 30D, trying to shoot RAWs, sometimes up to 1600 ASA, I think of a wonderful colleague and a deep voice saying: “twelve”.