01
D 19088 F
1. 2 0 1 7 Ja n ua ry
D 7,50 € NL B L 8,70 € I 8,80 € SEK 96,00
4 198801 307506
Peter Bialobrzeski
Leonard Freed
Tom Wood
L e i c a F o t o g r a f i e I n t e r n at i o n a l E n g l i s h E d i t i o n
Cédric Gerbehaye
Winner of the TIPA Award
“Best Photo Lab Worldwide” All prices include VAT. Shipping costs not included. All rights reserved. We reserve the right to change prices and correct errors. Room: BoConcept. Pictured: “585833397 @gettyimages”. AVENSO GmbH, Ernst-Reuter-Platz 2, 10587 Berlin, Germany
Awarded by the editors of 28 leading international photo magazines
Don’t just take photos, show them off. In gallery quality. 80 awards and recommendations. Made in Germany. Gallery quality trusted by 21,500 professional photographers. Discover us at WhiteWall.com
WhiteWall.com 2 |
lFi
20% Voucher
Code: WW16LFIUK12 Valid until 15.02.2017 Only for first-time customers Single use only. Cannot be combined.
Lfi 1. 2017
p o rt f o l i o l i g h t b ox
F / s to p
1 0 2 | L f i . G a LL e r y
84 | Leica summaron
Over 20 000 photographers are presenting more than 250 000 pictures at the LFI Gallery. We highlight the treasures. This time with Bugs Bunny at Mardi Gras and nuns in need of cash
Small, light-weight, retro: these are the attributes of the Summaron-M 28mm f/5.6. A lens calculation from the 1950s in the digital age
P h oto
90 | Leica TL The Leica T now carries the designation of the most modern bayonet produced in Wetzlar, and offers more internal storage and improved auto-focus
114 | books
In front of the club where Tom Wood spent a part of his youth
96 | Leica Sofort Communicative and immediate: Berlin photographer Julia Baier reports on the experiences she had with the new instant camera 1 0 0 | H u aw e i M at e 9 Not just a one-off: Leica and Huawei are pursuing a longterm collaboration. The new Huawei Mate 9 contains Leica’s second dual-lens camera
Cédric Gerbehaye 8 | T h e c u r s e o f s i lv e r
Potosí in the Bolivian Andes: a centuries-old symbol for the fatal consequences of the silver mining there
Peter Bialobrzeski 2 6 | ko c h i D i a r i e s
Archives of urbanity: another edition of the photographic City Diaries series, produced in Kochi, southern India
Tom Wood 3 8 | Lo o k i n g f o r lov e
Lust, love and the right drink: Wood documented youth in the eighties at the Chelsea Reach disco-pub Now also available in a titanium version: the T(L) update from Wetzlar
Monica Menez 4 8 | T e m p o r a r y Wa r d r o b e
With her eye for the bizarre and the humorous, Menez produces her unique style of fashion photography
M Magazine No. 5
Elliott Erwitt: Home around the World, Alex Webb: La Calle, Fred Mortagne: Attraper au vol (Catch in Flight) and Karolin Klüppel: Kingdom of Girls 116 | Exhibitions Hiroshi Sugimoto, Amsterdam; Kishin Shinoyama, Yokohama; Helen Levitt, Milwaukee; Joel Meyerowitz, Paris; The Radical Eye, Tate Modern, London 117 | Leica galleries An overview of the Leica Gallery programmes around the world: including Elliott Erwitt, Ara Güler and Craig Semetko 1 1 8 | I n t e rv i e w Graphic designer and photographer Adrian Ehrat curates photo, the largest photography showcase in Switzerland 122 | my Picture Joachim Baldauf reveals how a couple of paper tissues and a lemon net can be transformed into haute couture 122 | imprint
5 8 | as o f 1 9 Ja n ua ry 2 0 1 7
José Colón, Ernesto Bazan, Fred Mortagne, Claudine Doury, Peter Bauza and Giovanni Del Brenna
Leonard Freed 72 | Leica Classic
A homage to one of the greatest photojournalists of the second half of the 20th century
Cover photo: Cédric Gerbehaye – the daily lives of miners in Bolivia (page 8)
lFI
| 3
L F I r e l au n c h
P h o to g ra p h y a b ov e a l l More pictures, more diversity
Cédric Gerbehaye Peter Bialobrzeski
L E I C A F O T O G R A F I E I N T E R N AT I O N A L
L E I C A F O T O G R A F I E I N T E R N AT I O N A L
L E I C A F O T O G R A F I E I N T E R N AT I O N A L
Peter Bialobrzeski Leonard Freed Tom Wood Cédric Gerbehaye
Tom Wood Peter Bialobrzeski Cédric Gerbehaye
Leonard Freed
Leonard Freed ENGLISH EDITION
ENGLISH EDITION
01
D 19088 F
4 198801 1 1 307506 3 6
01 4 198801 1 1 307506 3 6
01
ENGLISH EDITION
L E I C A F O T O G R A F I E I N T E R N AT I O N A L
Peter Bialobrzeski
JA N UA RY
Monica Menez
1. 2 0 1 7
L E I C A F O T O G R A F I E I N T E R N AT I O N A L
Peter Bialobrzeski Tom Wood Cédric Gerbehaye
Giovanni Del Brenna Peter Bialobrzeski
Tom Wood
ENGLISH EDITION
Leonard Freed
Tom Wood
ENGLISH EDITION
ENGLISH EDITION
Leonard Freed
01 4 198801 1 1 307506 3 6
ENGLISH EDITION
JA N UA RY
01
1. 2 0 1 7
D 7,50 € NL B L 8,70 € I 8,80 € SEK 96,00
ENGLISH EDITION
JA N UA RY
D 19088 F
1. 2 0 1 7
1. 2 0 1 7
D 7,50 € NL B L 8,70 € I 8,80 € SEK 96,00
ENGLISH EDITION
JA N UA RY
1. 2 0 1 7
1. 2 0 1 7
D 7,50 € NL B L 8,70 € I 8,80 € SEK 96,00
1. 2 0 1 7
4 198801 1 1 307506 3 6
L E I C A F OTO G RA F I E I N T E R N AT I O N A L
L E I C A F OTO G RA F I E I N T E R N AT I O N A L
L E I C A F OTO G RA F I E I N T E R N AT I O N A L D 19088 F
D 19088 F
01
L E I C A F O T O G R A F I E I N T E R N AT I O N A L
Leonard Freed
D 7,50 € NL B L 8,70 € I 8,80 € SEK 96,00
ENGLISH EDITION
JA N UA RY
D 19088 F
1. 2 0 1 7
1. 2 0 1 7
D 7,50 € NL B L 8,70 € I 8,80 € SEK 96,00
ENGLISH EDITION
JA N UA RY
1. 2 0 1 7
1. 2 0 1 7
D 7,50 € NL B L 8,70 € I 8,80 € SEK 96,00
1. 2 0 1 7
4 198801 1 1 307506 3 6
L E I C A F OTO G RA F I E I N T E R N AT I O N A L
L E I C A F OTO G RA F I E I N T E R N AT I O N A L
L E I C A F OTO G RA F I E I N T E R N AT I O N A L D 19088 F
4 198801 1 1 307506 3 6
ENGLISH EDITION
Tom Wood
There is no denying that LFI has a new look: the cover already reflects the basic idea – more room for photography; well-structured content; a clear, seamless design. As the medium for Leica photography, LFI offers photographers and their work an even larger platform, which does justice also to the different systems that make up the Leica cosmos. Technology also continues to get its due in the new F/STOP segment. We introduce new products and push ideas about how to use them to the fore, a clear understanding of practical knowledge to make better use of your Leica. The Readers’ Gallery is now titled LIGHTBOX and presents a selection of works from the LFI online gallery in large format. In the PHOTO segment, our eyes look beyond our horizon to the international photo scene: this is where you will find information about current exhibitions, new photo book publications and information about photo festivals. We hope you enjoy the new LFI!
Pure Leica photography – possible covers of the LFI relaunch edition
Contributors
In 2015 and equipped with a Leica Q, Belgian photographer Cédric Gerbehaye documented the life of miners in the Potosí region of Bolivia, where the silver that once filled Spanish galleons is mined. “The work there gave me insight and understanding into the origins of modern-day capitalism. The mineral wealth found in the ground at Cerro Rico sparked the industrial revolution in Europe. What’s more, the place was and remains a significant symbol of Spain’s colonial history.” 4 |
lFi
to m wo o d “The pictures were taken in 1983, on Christmas Eve, at the Chelsea Reach disco pub in New Brighton near Liverpool, at a time when I was photographing in black and white. It was a very good day. I had worked hard and knew that I had some good shots under my belt. It was time to be heading home and I was just making my way the cloakroom to get my jacket when someone came by and called, ‘Hey, Photie Man, let me take a photo of you.’ He took my camera and this is the picture he shot.”
H e n ry C a r r o l l
“The practical aspects of, and appreciation for, photography have changed dramatically over the last fifteen years. Therefore, there has now emerged a need for a new kind of guideline that is not so much about the technology, but more about creativity and personal forms of photographic expression. That’s how I came up with the idea for my Big Shots book series. It is dedicated to the new generation of up-and-coming photographers who want to deal with important themes and great ideas.”
Photo far left: Stephan Vanfleteren
c é d r i c G e r b e h ay e
LEICA. DAS WESENTLICHE.
Leica TL
NEW
Designed with a sense for the extraordinary. Express new facets of your personal style. With a system camera that’s different. Its stylish aluminium Unibody and generously dimensioned touchscreen make the Leica TL simplicity itself to use. Capture exceptional pictures with the lens of your choice, send them to your smartphone with the integrated Wi-FiŽ module and share them with the world within seconds. No need to worry when space gets tight on your memory card, the Leica TL keeps you shooting with a whole 32 GB of memory on board. Available in a choice of titanium, black or silver. Discover more at tl.leica-camera.com LEICA TL-SYSTEM. Boldly different.
www.leica-camera.com
lFI
| 5
LFI Apps
LFI shop
A n d r o i d U p dat e
L e i c a S o F o rT
New App Versions
The first Leica at the LFI Shop: you too can take one-of-a-kind pictures in credit card format. Find this versatile instant camera by Leica, in white, mint or orange, at the LFI Shop. Also available are the corresponding shoulder straps, Leica photo paper for colour and for black and white, and items for Sofort image archiving, as well as a wide choice of Leica accessories, technical accessories and photo books at: lfi-online.de/shop
LFI workshop
Pat r i c k Zac h m a n n
After launching the new generation of LFI apps for iOs devices at the beginning of 2016, these apps are now also available for Android devices. The numerous extensions and improvements of the LFI app offer Android users more content, larger pictures and better functionality. New additions include the LFI Blog, featuring all the editorial contributions since the blog’s launch more than two years ago; the video and magazine segment; and selected products from the LFI Shop. The new clear structure of the 6 |
lFi
LFI Gallery start page guides the user through every feature in the app: in addition to the Leica Master Shots, it now also includes the Photo of the Week, the competitions, and the latest photographer contributions. The apps for the M and S Magazines have been completely updated. The visuals and functionality of the S app have been aligned with the S Magazine webpage and now also include the Digital Features segment. The apps are immediately available for free at Google Play. lfi-online.de/apps
lfi-online.de/workshops
Patrick Zachmann: Filmset, China 1982
Photo: © Patrick Zachmann/Magnum Photos
René & Radka: Tussie-Mussies. The exclusive digital features are now also part of the S Magazine app for smartphones
For Patrick Zachmann, the time he spends preparing and polishing an image before and after the shoot, is as important as the actual moment of photography. During his workshop in March, Zachmann will help participants develop their own, inimitable and individual, photographic eye. He will offer personal suggestions during the portfolio review section and also present examples from his own work. Further information on this and other workshops at:
Handmade in Germany
THE NEW OBERWERTH PORTO CUSTOM-MADE FOR LEICA SL
By professionals for professionals – specially selected materials and outstanding workmanship. This is why all of our products are handmade in Germany. From the first stitch to the very last seam.
Perfect for Leica SL photographers – whether professionals or ambitious amateurs. Lightweight, versatile, finest materials and a precise fit – we present the Oberwerth Porto. Handmade and specially tailored for Leica SL.
www.facebook.com/OberwerthÊN www.instagram.com/Oberwerth www.oberwerth.com
LeicA Q
CĂŠdric Gerbehaye
the curse
o f t h e s i lv e r
It has been said that five hundred years ago, there were streets in Potosí that were paved with bars of silver. The city in the Bolivian Andes was once synonymous with prosperity: that of its Spanish colonial masters. To this day, the country’s mineral resources are the backbone of an economy of dependence.
Top: At the end of the shift; right: inside the Reveka Mine. After hundreds of years of exploitation, the Cerro Rico is riddled with barely secured tunnels such as this one. Previous page: miners working at an altitude of 4300 metres. They have pushed the wagon filled with ore over a distance of two kilometres.
10 |
lFi
Cédric Gerbehaye meets Luis, 16, and Marco, 15, in the early hours of the morning. The two boys polish off a bowl of soup, their only proper meal until the evening. Then they set out for the Cerro Rico mountain: to work in one of the mines, as they have done every day for some time now. There is a strong possibility that the two teenagers are looking at a remaining lifespan of perhaps 30 years. They know this – it is just the way things are here in Potosí, one of the main contributors to Bolivia’s mining industry, perched 4000 metres high in the Andes. Cerro Rico, the ‘rich mountain’, also has another name: the ‘mountain that eats men’. It is estimated that over the centuries, some eight million lives have been lost in connection with the 4800-metre high earthen pyramid – victims of greed for the treasures it contains. Even the Inca attempted to mine silver here, but according to legend, the mountain responded to the very first strike with a thunderous noise – prompting them to abandon the place and give it the name of Potochi (Quechua for ‘he who grumbles’). Naturally this did nothing to deter the Spanish conquistadors, who began to establish a large-scale operation of silver extraction from 1545 onwards. They built a settlement and, in a malapropism of the original Quechua term, called it Potosí. It was to become the cornerstone of the wealth of the Spanish Empire. Potosí quickly expanded to a size that superseded cities such as London or Madrid at the time. From here the Spaniards not only supplied raw materials to Europe, but they also had their coins minted right on site. This enabled them to finance their Armada, as well as fuel trade and the monetary economy in Europe – causing the latter to overheat in the process: when silver coins from Potosí flooded the market in an abundance that was disproportionate to the volume of available goods, it led to the first inflation of world-historical dimensions. As the Spanish coins depreciated in value, it was mostly the farmers and tradesmen who were affected by soaring prices, while many trading companies actually benefited from the crisis. This period marked an emerging recognition of economic principles that have remained central to our world economy to this day – namely the correlation between the prices of goods and the volume of currency in circulation. The downside of this new understanding manifested itself in the form of countless victims. Among them were the indigenous Indios who were forced into hard labour, many of them being poisoned by the mercury used to recover the silver, beaten, buried alive or falling to their deaths. And then there were the countless slaves brought from Africa, who had to die en-masse in the mines before it was finally acknowledged that they simply could not withstand the harsh conditions in the thin air at such high altitude. And as for today? Potosí and the mines of the Cerro Rico have been added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, not least because the city is an outstanding example of an authentic colonial settlement, featuring the baroque architecture of houses originally built for the ruling class, along with workers’ quarters and the mining infrastructure. It also bears testament to the fluctuations of the silver market, which underwent its last crisis in the 1980s when the market speculations of America’s Hunt brothers crashed the price of silver – putting thousands of miners out of work. →
WHAT I F T H E MO U N TA I N AC TUAL LY COL LAPS E S? S O ME M I N ERO S WA L K ED all the way TO LA PAZ TO D EM O N STRAT E FO R FU T U R E IN VE STME N TS.
Top: The biggest and oldest extraction site at the Cerro Rico: the Pailarivi Mine has been in operation since the 16th century. In July 2015, miners from Potosí (left, pictured during meal distribution) and their wives (above) held a demonstration in La Paz, 700 kilometres away, to demand improvements to their city – such as an international airport. In contrast to the provincial regions, Potosí has been neglected by the government for years
lFI
| 13
14 |
lFi
Mine workers from PotosĂ, demonstrating outside La Paz University in 2015
The average life expectancy for PotosĂ’s miners is just over 40 years. Black lung is one of the most commonplace illnesses. To recover from their shift, many workers like to drink 90-percent alcohol
lFI
| 17
A worker with a bag full of coca leaves. These are indispensable, as chewing them helps the men cope with the strenuous work in the mines. The cultivation of coca is a big part of Bolivian culture. Tourists visiting to view the tunnels are advised to bring a bag of coca as a gift for the miners
18 |
lFi
Luis (16) and Marco (15) with their breakfast, a bowl of soup. Afterwards the teenagers, like many of their peers, set out to work in the mountain
lFI
| 21
POTOSÍ EXISTS BECAUSE OF THE CERRO RICO. MINING BROUGHT PROSPERITY TO THE CITY, AND THEN POVERTY. YET PEOPLE FIND IT IMPOSSIBLE TO BREAK AWAY.
Left: View of a district in PotosĂ. The city was founded by the Spaniards in the 16th century. Top: The widow and daughter of Don Eduardo, founder of one of the mining cooperatives in PotosĂ, at his grave. Next page: Mother and son at work on the Cerro Rico
lFI
| 23
c é d r i c G e r b e h ay e Born 1977 in Belgium. Projects in Israel and Palestine were followed by travels through the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2007 onwards. The resulting series Congo in Limbo was awarded the World Press Photo Award. His series D’entre eux is published in M Magazine No. 4, featuring profound observations from his homeland. His visit to Potosí formed part of an ongoing project about the social consequences of the global hunger for natural resources.
LFI-Onl i n e . D E / B log: SLIDE SHOW WITH MORE IMAGES
Equipment: Leica Q with Summilux 28mm f/1.7 Asph
Although the extraction of silver still continues, tin and zinc have become more important assets of the Cerro Rico. Not least the electronics industry has an insatiable need for minerals, so that in the past few years Potosí has experienced another economic boom. Because agriculture does not yield enough of a living, thousands are drawn to the mountain each year, in the hope to one day earn a better wage. Cédric Gerbehaye visited the Cerro Rico in 2015 as part of an extensive project exploring the sites of global raw-material extraction. “What we are witnessing here is a new type of colonialism and slavery,” the Belgian photographer explains. “The terminology may be outdated, but factually speaking, this level of exploitation in favour of accumulating wealth for the rich parts of the world is absolutely comparable with a slavelabour based economy.” In his work, Gerbehaye pursues a specific aspiration: to make visible the human dimension that lies beneath the abstract discussions about capital and labour, development strategies and the intricacies of the global economy. Perhaps next time someone picks up a button cell, they might be conscious of this human element, prompted by a visual memory. Maybe they will picture the miner, a bag of energising coca leaves in one hand to get him through the day, and a bottle of 90 percent alcohol in the other to revive him in the evening. Gerbehaye’s images are concise, which is precisely what makes them powerful. His gaze wrests moments of bleak poetry from the harshness, poverty and tristesse he observes. His is a photography of bias, very much in the tradition of the most influential representatives of social-documentary photography. The impact of their work also stemmed from a powerful interpretation of the medium’s aesthetic potential. But to what extent can a picture contribute to bringing about change? Amidst the complex array of conflicting interests in the Cerro Rico, Gerbehaye’s images can at least represent a small mosaic piece of an emerging awareness. The same goes for the warning issued by UNESCO to revoke the cultural heritage status of the Cerro Rico, because the ever-more riddled mountain is increasingly at risk of collapsing in on itself – taking countless lives. Throughout the centuries of exploitation, its iconic peak has already sunk by around 200 metres. Bolivia’s socialist government under president Evo Morales seeks to nationalise the country’s natural resources, and aims to establish trade unions, workers rights and environmental regulations. At the same time, however, there are the dozens of cooperatives that largely took over operations at the Cerro Rico when the state-owned mining company stepped back, following the crash of the silver market in the 1980s. These cooperatives would much rather continue with their more or less anarchic administration and, if anything, gain greater autonomy, such as the ability to enter into contracts with trans-national firms. Even the workers themselves often downplay the hair-raising conditions, simply because readily available work counts for a lot in a region that offers few other prospects. At this point in time, anyone who is willing can go and find work on the mountain. They do so in the hope that one day, things might get better. Even at the risk that a black lung, a collapsing mine or a dynamite accident could mean that this day will never come. olaf Stefanus
lFI
| 25
LeicA SL
Peter Bialobrzeski ko c h i d i a r y
The development of cities in this age of globalization and their paradoxical constructions is a long recurring theme in Bialobrzeski’s photography. This year he spent four weeks in the southern Indian province of Kerala, in the city of Kochi.
26 |
lFi
lFI
| 27
28 |
lFi
lFI
| 29
lFI
| 31
32 |
lFi
lFI
| 35
36 |
lFi
Peter Bialobrzeski With his surreal, haunting urban landscapes, Peter Bialobrzeski moves between art and documentation. He is interested in places of transition, places without context. Born in Wolfsburg in 1961, Bialobrzeski studied politics and sociology. After travelling to Asia, he studied photography at the Folkwangschule in Essen and the London College of Photography. He has been Professor of Photography at the University of the Arts Bremen since 2002.
bi a lob rz e s ki .d e Koc hi D i a ry: 112 pages, 140 × 210 mm,
51 images, The Velvet Cell, 2016 Exhi b i t i o n : Kochi Diary , starting on
12 December, 2016, at the Mandalay Hall, Kochi/India (satellite exhibition to the Kochi-Muziris Biennale) Equipment: Leica SL with Carl Zeiss
Distagon Shift 35mm f/2.8 and Novoflex Contax adapter
Kochi has a population of 600 000 residents, however, if you include the surrounding urban areas, the number soars to 2.1 million. That said, many of the city’s districts are rural, and by Indian standards, Kochi is still considered a small town. The European influence of the 16th century can still be seen in the Portuguese churches and forts, while former Chinese merchants have left traces of their presence with the unusual fishing nets scattered along the coastline. Vasco de Gama died in Kochi in 1524. For most tourists, Kochi is a departure point for further travels into the south of India: to Backwaters, a network of waterways that stretches along the coast from Kochi to Kollam. This year, German photographer Peter Bialobrzeski accepted an artist-inresidence invitation from the Goethe Institute at the Pepper House Residency in Kochi. He remained in the city for four weeks. During his time there, Bialobrzeski produced one of his City Diaries. “For these diaries, I capture impressions during my strolls. They are photographic investigations,” he explains. In previous years he has created City Diaries for Cairo, Athens, Taipei and Wolfsburg. All the books of the City Diary series, published by The Velvet Cell, are in effect photographic books: very subjective ones, the photographer acknowledges, “with my personal notes, the pictures are given a context. A context within the world, and also in relation to whatever is happening there, what I find in local newspaper or experience myself.” City Diaries are always published in manageable editions. New ones are being planned, others are ready, as the series continues to grow. “My pictures are taken in better known cities as well as lesser known ones. It’s precisely this diversity that I find interesting,” Bialobrzeski explains. He adds, “this then gives rise to an archive of contemporary urbanity.” The plan is that the Kochi Diary will be on display December 12, 2016, at Mandalay Hall in its place of inception: in a satellite exhibition attached to the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.
For a long time now, the Hamburgbased photographer has been dealing with cities and their development. He has captured the results of high growth modernity, from architectural mega-city monsters to anachronistic constructions on the dark side of globalisation. All his images are very sober, yet they reflect a balanced aesthetic. Is his style of work still to be classed as street photography? Or, is it a self-contained concept within architectural photography? Do the images the viewer sees reflect chance encounters or carefully staged events? To Bialobrzeski, the photographs are “small questions about urban spaces”. He always asks himself, “What is this town about?” And, “what appearance does it take on when I photograph it?” After all, each city has its very own mantra. When asked what mantra Kochi has, he points the viewers towards their own receptive capacity: “Listen to the music!” The two-dimensionality, the soft light: these characteristic features result from the fact that Bialobrzeski always photographs half an hour before and after sunrise and sunset. The constancy of the light transcends the moment, so that his pictures go far beyond simple documentation. Urban architecture and people going about their lives, images side by side with equal value, this is the common thread. Bialobrzeski does not get up close like many street photographers – otherwise the architectural structures would not be so clearly represented, however he does invest a similar degree of compositional complexity into his work. “I always use a tri-pod, I’m always there before the situation. The urban setting becomes my stage, and I wait till something happens.” Working with a tripod gives assertiveness to a situation, a fleeting street scene. In this manner the flâneur and the photographer are united for a moment that, in turn, touches the viewer. katrin ullmann
lFI
| 37
LeicA M
Tom Wood L o o k i n g f o r L ov e
The Chelsea Reach opened in New Brighton in 1968. Both an observer and a participant in the local scene, Wood spent the mid eighties photographing the youth of the city in their search for happiness. They found it in fleeting relationships and hopeless romances, that only usually lasted as long as the effect of their drinks.
Wood’s flash illuminates the gloomier corners of the club, bringing to light scenes that would have otherwise remained hidden
38 |
lFi
lFI
| 39
The idea for Looking for Love came similarly out of the habits and rituals of daily life. In his thirties Wood used to go to parties in the function room above the club in the Chelsea Reach and would have to push through the crowds on his way to the toilet. The looks and glances that dominate the book are ones that Wood would also have exchanged. The sweaty physicality, the aggression, the humour, the sexual chemistry are all things he would have felt and taken part in
40 |
lFi
lFI
| 41
42 |
lFi
Although it was never intended as such, Looking for Love has become a unique social document of its era to which the cultural historian might turn for evidence of dress codes, gender roles and other signs of the times
lFI
| 43
44 |
lFi
The book emerged from and celebrated this relatively small world, and when it was published it became something of a local phenomenon. Copies were to be found amongst the magazines in hairdressers all over Merseyside, the dog-eared books gradually disappearing over time. That his work emerged from personal experience and social attachment not only gave the book an informal intimacy, it also gave it its integrity and was part of its meaning
lFI
| 45
46 |
lFi
To m wo o d Born in 1951 in Ireland, Wood always carries a camera on him when he is out and about. Though he is clocking up the mileage, the distances he travels from his home tend to be short – many projects emerge in his immediate surroundings. Looking for Love (1989) is the first photo book where, as in his later often long-term projects, he focusses in an unconventional manner on the daily lives of his fellow human beings. L FI - O n l i ne . DE / B lo g : One Photo — one Story
Equipment: Leica M2, Summicron-M 35mm f/2, Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8
Dav i d C ha nd le r
Chandler is an author, curator, editor and has written the introduction to Looking for Love. He has worked for renowned galleries and is currently Professor of Photography at Plymouth University.
Some thirty years after the photographs were taken, Tom Wood’s seminal book of British colour photography, Looking For Love, is still charged with the present moment, with the body heat of last night’s party. But, made between 1984 and 1987, the work is in fact a kind of elegy; a passionate love poem to something forever lost. The photographs were taken at the Chelsea Reach, a disco pub in New Brighton, Merseyside, which opened in 1968. But in 1988, a year after Wood stopped taking his pictures, the pub was closed down. So, although it was never intended as such, Looking for Love has become a unique social document of its era to which the cultural historian might turn for evidence of dress codes, gender roles and other signs of the times. And as such, its value rests in the fact that in many ways the Chelsea Reach was unremarkable. It was not an edgy, trendy club; it was not an aspirational setting or a place to pose. Its dancers, drinkers, fighters and lovers were very ordinary young men and women looking for a good time, and on these wild nights out in the mid-eighties they more or less found it. Although we know Wood’s photographs conceal other human stories – the complexities of lives intertwined, the ebb and flow of personal histories, desperate futures, troubled pasts – they celebrate this brief, febrile and fragile moment and preserve it in time. Tom Wood had moved to Merseyside in 1978 and had been photographing there since that date. Taking pictures became a daily activity and over time he developed a close relationship with the people. Working in this way, as part of the community, photographing was very much a give and take process; he would always offer prints to the people he photographed, dropping them round to their houses a few days later. After a while he became a recognisable figure, the Photie Man, as the kids called him. While some of Looking For Love’s pictures have an air of performance about them, there is a common language of gesture and expression in the pho-
tographs, a body language, however slight, that we all might recognise. In the mid 1980s, the book’s brash overtones, its scouring flash, its painful honesty, all felt in tune with the unsentimental, even caustic nature of the new British colour photography, exemplified by the photographs in Martin Parr’s The Last Resort (1986), also made in New Brighton. But the noisy heat of Wood’s pictures has tended to overshadow the fact that Looking For Love was a truly sympathetic, even affectionate portrait. Not in the least romantic, it came rather from Wood’s sense of realism and his abiding interest in the people he saw every day: on the street, on the bus, in the park, at the party, in the pub. The book emerged from and celebrated this relatively small world, and when it was published it became something of a local phenomenon. Copies were to be found amongst the magazines in hairdressers all over Merseyside, the dog-eared books gradually disappearing over time. That his work emerged from personal experience and social attachment not only gave the book an informal intimacy, it also gave it its integrity and was part of its meaning. At the end of Looking for Love’s parade of garish, saturated colour, in two small black and white pictures accompanying the end matter of the book, we suddenly see Tom Wood, the Photie Man himself. In one photo he is sitting, beer in hand, flanked by two girls; he is grinning, looking a little sheepish (page 4). In the other he is standing at the bar, his reflection in a mirror, firing his flash to catch a roaring man groping the breasts of two other women, their shouts of protest sacrificed to the silence of the image (page 41). The photographer is both part of the scene and apart from it, he is inside out, paying attention but with his mind elsewhere, always thinking on his feet and taking the pictures. david chandler
lFI
| 47
LeicA s
Monica Menez t e m p o r a r y Wa r d r o b e
Caught between snapshots and movement – clearly constructed, with impressive detail and an eye for the bizarre, the photographer arranges her scenarios to capture them both as stills and for films.
48 |
lFi
50 |
lFi
Menez is inspired by surreal and amusing films such as John Waters’ Polyester; but she also gets ideas from iconic fashion photos from the fifties and sixties, as well as from contemporary art
52 |
lFi
lFI
| 53
54 |
lFi
Menez often constructs her pictures around ideas for short films. She likes to use visual metaphors as stylistic elements. Sometimes she puts them in a different context. This results in amusing, multi-dimensional productions
lFI
| 55
Monica Menez Born in Stuttgart in 1971, the press and fashion photographer’s pictures combine the bizarre and the humorous to create a unique, graphic style. She was trained at the KD Busch Studio in Stuttgart between 1995 and 1998, and went free-lance after various jobs as an assistant. She has also been producing films since 2010; and the following year she received the La Jolla Fashion Film Award.
mo ni c am e n ez . d e S.Magaz i n e. p h oto g ra p h y: MORE IMAGES AND AN IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW WITH Monica Menez
Equipment: Leica S007, Summarit-S 35mm f/2.5 Asph and Summarit-S 70mm f/2.5 Asph
Photographer and film director Monica Menez expresses her concept of fashion photography with clear compositions, provocative ideas, empty backdrops and a minimum number of accessories. Menez used an S 007 to shoot these campaign photos for Temporary Wardrobe in Stuttgart, a vintage wardrobe and accessory rental service for stylists. The series introduces company founders and stylists Nora Erdle and Jeanna Krichel to the market. Menez spent a day in the studio, spontaneously staging two models in front of a relatively neutral backdrop. “The idea was to hide the faces of the models, so that the attention is fully concentrated on the clothes and the accessories. During the photo shoot I improvised and gave free rein to my ideas – none of the motifs were planned beforehand.” It is a happy circumstance when the items are so good they almost tell their own stories – as in the case of the Temporary Wardrobe series. Individual pieces fall outside the norm because unusual materials were used, or the pieces were cut and produced differently. During post-production, discreet colour gradients were added on computer. This cleverly-devised colour concept is a common thread running through all Menez’s work – she uses it to add emotion to her photos. A leading colour reappears throughout in single items or in patterns. “At the moment my work is very graphic, striking and centered: the focus is on the colours and the model, and nothing should distract from that. For this reason my photo sets are scaled down accordingly. I like to work and play with whatever means a space has to offer. In such a framework it is much easier to apply spontaneous ideas,” Menez explains. She says this is lacking in many fashion images. “The pictures should be somewhat unsettling; but nowadays, many fashion productions look very homogeneous and similar.” She believes the reason may well be in the layout: magazine design is often too dominating. There is little room for the type of creativity found in her opulent imagery. With mostly female protagonists, Menez often packs her productions with humorous situations that become surreal stories. “Women are obviously an essential part of my work, and they are my preference when it comes to photography and film. I can’t say why exactly. It also doesn’t mean that I don’t like working with men.” She enriches everyday situations with curious details, then places them in a new context: even the description of an item of clothing such as the ‘secretary look’ can be the basis for Menez’s fantasies. In the last few years, she has applied her ideas to short films, a passion she discovered by chance while working on her Precious photo project. “After working on it for over 18 months, I realised that I couldn’t tell the story with photographic means.” So how does she see the difference between a film still and a photograph? “There is a difference if I just extract an image or if I deliberately stage one. A photo can’t explain the story behind a film, because photographic means are inadequate. In a photo, everything has to happen within a frame. That’s also the advantage of a photo over a film – the concentration. The precision of detail in a photographic composition can’t be achieved in film.” Menez often works with both mediums on any given project. “The complementary aspects of both techniques are very attractive. The tendency seems to be that photos continue the story in a film. And so it should remain.” Carla Susanne erdmann
lFI
| 57
LeicA M MagAzine
n o. 5 Available January: the new M Magazine with JosĂŠ ColĂłn, Peter Bauza, Ernesto Bazan, Giovanni Del Brenna, Claudine Doury and Fred Mortagne.
58 |
lFi
Claudine Doury Summertime in Crimea
Artek, a former pioneer camp in Crimea, is now popular as a holiday camp. In this refuge of nostalgia, Doury, the 1999 winner of the Leica Oskar Barnack Award, reveals a farewell to childhood
José Colón V i va l a V i r g e n !
Long live the Virgin! José Colón explores traditional religiousness in his Andalusian homeland. Every Whitsun, a million pilgrims make their way to the village of El Rocío to worship the Holy Virgin
lFI
| 61
62 |
lFi
Ernesto Bazan cuba, mon amour
“For many years I had strongly desired Cuba, as if longing for a woman that you meet only once and can’t get out of your mind,” Bazan remembers. He spent 14 years on the Caribbean island
Peter Bauza The Flip Side of the Coin
Copacabana Palace is what residents call the derelict building complex, a cynical reference to a luxury hotel in Rio. Peter Bauza’s reportage reveals daily life for Brazilian families who call these ruins home
lFI
| 65
66 |
lFi
Fred Mortagne modern lines
Unusual architecture with curving lines or a mini ramp? With the eyes of a skateboarder, Fred Mortagne goes on an architectural prowl defined by clear lines, always on the lookout for new skating possibilities
Giovanni Del Brenna Ass u m p t i o n s
Del Brenna photographs people but no faces. In this Parisian series he speculates about people based on reference points such as clothes, accessories and jewellery
lFI
| 69
70 |
lFi
the French photographer travelled frequently to Artek, a holiday camp she considers a refuge of nostalgia. Founded as a pioneer camp in 1925, it was reconstructed in the Khrushchev era, the unusual architecture turned it into a symbol of prestige for the General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party. To spend the summer there was a dream of many young Soviets. Today, Artek is experiencing a revival as a holiday camp for children. German photographer Peter Bauza photographed a very different type of community in Brazil. In recent times, the country has organised a number of great sporting events. While Rio de Janeiro celebrated sporting champions, just a few kilometres away, outside the city, hundreds of families live in a ruined building complex they have named Copacabana Palace – a cynical reference to a luxury hotel in Rio. Originally designed as homes for the middle class, the Copacabana Palace structures were never completed due to Brazil’s speculation and construction crises. The unfinished buildings have been deteriorating for the last 30 years. In the meantime, more than 300 families call it home. Unlike Bauza’s images, people are not central to the pictures taken by French photographer Fred Mortagne: for him, human bodies, shapes and silhouettes are lost in the compositions rather than being at the forefront. Mortagne is one of the global skateboarding community’s most respected photographers, simply called ‘French Fred’. The natural biotope for skaters is a city and this is the focus of his series, which he captures with an amazing feel for unusual perspective and lines. In Giovanni Del Brenna’s Assumptions portfolio, people are central to his compositions but the individuals pictured on the streets of Paris are faceless, unaware of the camera. Del Brenna deals with his – and our – lack of knowing when faced with social masquerades in public places. He focusses on their clothing and other reference points to speculate about the individuals. Simon Schwarzer
D a s M a g a z in F ür l e ic a M - F o t ogr a F ie
No. 5
05
14 ¤ · 16 US$ · 25 CHF · 2000 ¥ · 12 £ 0 2 . 2 016 / D e u t s c h
4 192346 114001
c l a u D i n e D o u r y / J o s é c o l ó n / F r e D M o r ta g n e / P e t e r B a u z a / g i o va n n i D e l B r e n n a / e r n e s t o B a z a n
Issue No. 5 of M Magazine appears in January, and will take you to Brazil and Cuba, to Andalusia, Paris and Crimea. Exciting reportage alternates with architectural photography, with pictures from the streets, and with the documentation of dramatic scenes. The first reportage is by Spanish photographer José Colón. His Viva la Virgen! documents the largest pilgrimage in his homeland of Andalusia when, shortly before Whitsun, more than 100 brotherhoods head for the village of El Rocío to honour the Holy Virgin. They travel on horseback, in beautifully decorated wagons, in simple donkey carts and on foot. Dressed in traditional garments, the faithful transform the dusty streets into a place where time seems to have stood still. Attracting nearly one million pilgrims, the yearly event is also a big celebration, culminating in the violent abduction of the Virgin Mary – a rather strange tradition from the perspective of an outsider, which José Colón captures in atmospheric black and white pictures. Ernesto Bazan’s pictures of his former adopted home, Cuba, are also in black and white. “I made my first trip to Cuba on a cheap week-long package tour bought in Mérida, Mexico,” Bazan remembers. “For many years I had strongly desired Cuba, as if longing for a woman that you meet only once and can’t get out of your mind.” From 1992 to 2006, the Italian photographer shared the life, love and sufferings of the Cuban people. Then he had to leave the country. The photographs he took during those 14 years reveal the soul of the country, free from any clichés. Ten years after his departure, he looks back with nostalgia. The photo series is accompanied by text about hope and sentimentality, memories and patience. Summertime in Crimea, a reportage by Claudine Doury, also deals with memories. Over a period of ten years,
In dieser Ausgabe:
cl au D i n e D ou ry J os é colón F r eD Mortagn e Pet er B au za g i ovan n i D el B r en n a e r n esto B azan Essay: 10 Jahre digitale M – von der Leica M8 bis heute
Th e magazin e For L e ica M Ph otogra ph y – No. 5 Essay: 10 years of Digital M Photography: Giovanni Del Brenna, José Colón, Ernesto Bazan, Peter Bauza, Claudine Doury, Fred Mortagne
180 pages, 89 color and black and white images, German and English. Available at lfi-online.de M magazin E – No. 4
Ram Shergill, Cédric Gerbehaye, Patrick Zachmann, Tomas van Houtryve, Julien Mignot, Corentin Fohlen M magazin E – No. 3
Joseph Michael Lopez, Julia Baier Jacob Aue Sobol, Alvaro Ybarra Zavala, Per-Anders Pettersson, Matt Black M magazin E – No. 2
Bettina Flitner, Stanley Greene Ayman Oghanna, David Alan Harvey, Valerio Bispuri, Matt Stuart M magazin E – No. 1
Bruce Gilden, Anton Kusters, Ciril Jazbec, Trent Park, Alex Webb, Jan Grarup
Hamid Sardar Dark Heavens Shamans & Hunters of Mongolia
272 pp. 121 color and 26 b/w photographs Hardcover with jacket ISBN 978-3-8327-3408-4 € 79.90 $ 95 £ 65
• A stunning visual record of Mongolia’s last nomadic tribes • Documents the daily customs and manners of Mongolia’s wandering hunters and shamans
www.teneues.com
• An ideal gift for those interested in photography and lFI | 71 native cultures
L e i c A Class i c s
Leonard Freed S p i r i t o f t h e Ag e
His reportages created in the US and Europe made Freed one of the most significant photojournalists of the 1960s through to the 80s. With an unerring sense for the moment and empathy for the people, he left behind a multi-faceted body of work.
72 |
lFi
lFI
| 73
On 31 October 1964, Freed captured the exuberant joy of Martin Luther King’s supporters on the streets of Baltimore (Maryland), following the announcement that the civil rights activist was to receive the Nobel Peace Prize
Previous page left: In the summer heat of 1963, Freed photographed these children cooling off at a hydrant in Harlem Previous page right: An activist at the March on Washington, 28 August 1963. Direct images from the centre of the action are typical for Freed’s work
74 |
lFi
lFI
| 75
76 |
lFi
Many of Freed’s photographs are defined by the dynamic force of his compositions: a Hasidic boy in Jerusalem, 1967 (left) and a scene of children playing near the newly-built Berlin Wall in the western part of the city, 1961 (top)
During his travels through post-war Europe, Freed pursued his interest in everyday scenes and life on the streets: Paris, 1959
lFI
| 77
78 |
lFi
In his photo book Made in Germany (1970), Freed addressed the life of the country’s young people alongside the generation of their parents who had lived through the war, and also documented the yearning for a greater freedom in intimate images such as this picture from 1965
lFI
| 79
80 |
lFi
Photos: Leonard Freed/Magnum Photos/Agentur Focus
From 1958 to 1970, Freed lived in Amsterdam. Once again he was interested in people’s everyday lives and the changes of the post-war era. This portrait of a young girl was taken in 1958
“The photographer is of human stature and subject to the realities of a situation. When the photographs do not show what he has seen, it is not the reality but the inadequacy of the photographer and his tools that is to blame.” This statement, taken from Leonard Freed’s photo book Made in Germany, is a striking illustration of the photographer’s attitude to his own work. The volume, which was first published in New York in 1970, marked the end of Freed’s European reportages: he and his family left Amsterdam the same year to return to New York – the city where he was born forty years earlier, and where he would now continue to build his career. His years in Europe had made him one of the most prominent photojournalists of his time, with a diverse range of magazine publications. He became increasingly dedicated to developing themes over extended periods of time, culminating in numerous acclaimed books. His precise observations also yielded remarkable images which perfectly capture historical moments embedded in a greater socio-political context. His photograph from 31 October 1964 is undoubtedly one of these extraordinary gems. On this day countless people took to the streets of Baltimore to cheer and congratulate Martin Luther King, following the announcement that the civil rights activist was to be honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize. Freed captured the wave of euphoria in a symbolically condensed scene: from the back seat of a limousine, King has turned towards his supporters; his right hand is stretched back over the boot of the car, interlacing with a tangle of hands. The tight framing concentrates entirely on this gesture of enthusiasm and solidarity. The dynamic photograph went on to become one of the most famous symbols of the American civil rights movement. In the previous year, Freed had recorded another momentous day in the history of the USA. On 28 August 1963, some 250 000 people gathered in Washington D.C. to participate in a peaceful pro-
test demanding equal civil rights and economic opportunities for AfroAmericans. Known as the March on Washington, the demonstration culminated in Martin Luther King’s legendary ‘I have a Dream’ speech. The event really did lead to the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, turning the March on Washington into an iconic beacon for the success of social protest. Freed’s photographs, showing the different facets and manifestations of the demonstration on this historic day, are still seen as a visionary portrait of democracy. Along with spectacular wide-angle shots, Freed kept shooting close-ups of individuals as well as intimate group portraits, in order to capture the atmosphere of the March. He first published a selection of these images in 1967/68 in the book Black in White America. It was re-issued posthumously in 2010, with an extended version released in 2013 under the title This is the Day, marking the fiftieth anniversary of the March on Washington. Each volume is a remarkable testament to the photographer’s personal commitment and genuine interest in social change. Born in New York in 1929 to Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, Freed grew up in a liberal household. During his time in Europe, his initial aspirations in the field of painting and graphic design were replaced by his interest in photography. He started taking pictures in 1950, working with a Rolleiflex. By the time he bought his first Leica in Cologne in 1954 the decision to become a photojournalist had already been made. His ambition was aided by courses with the legendary Harper’s Bazaar art director Alexej Brodovitch, and the support and advice of Edward Steichen, director of the photography department at the Museum of Modern Art in New York at the time. For much of the fifties, Freed went back and forth between →
lFI
| 81
Europe and New York, until finally deciding to settle in Amsterdam in 1958. This was the base from which he pursued reportages all over the world. From 1961 onwards he worked as a freelance photographer for various international magazines, and began to take on his first commissions for the Magnum Agency. Along with Italy and the Netherlands, Germany plays a significant role in Freed’s earlier work. Perhaps this was not least due to his German-born wife Brigitte, who was not only his life partner but also became the invaluable master printer of his oeuvre. Since her husband’s death ten years ago, she has continued to protect and promote the body of work they created together over decades. And yet the couple’s first encounter in Rome in 1956 initially seemed destined to remain no more than a holiday flirtation, as the young woman was not inclined to give her home address to the smitten American. A few months later, however, a deeply enamoured Freed stood on the doorstep of her parental home in the city of Dortmund – having travelled all the way from Italy across the Alps on his Lambretta scooter. Eventually even the girl’s parents consented to their daughter’s exceptionally inquisitive admirer. Freed’s inquiring nature is also reflected in his photographic themes, which always involved an exploration of his own identity. “What led me to photography was a deep need to understand and resolve my relationship to my Jewish heritage and other questions that confounded me.” He photographed the Jewish community in Amsterdam, and examined the situation of Jews in post-war Germany who had survived the Holocaust. This yielded two books, Jews of Amsterdam published in 1958, and German Jews Today released in 1965. The documentation of Jewish life, which had started in 1954 with a series about Talmud
82 |
lFi
students in Brooklyn, was to remain a central theme of Freed’s work. Freed’s archive includes 800 rolls of film from Germany alone, shot between 1954 and 2004. Time and again, he accompanied the country’s upheavals and development in his reportages. He documented the Economic Miracle in West Germany with its prevalent social suppression of the recent Nazi era. In 1961, he was an eye-witness to the building of the Berlin Wall. He attended the 35-year anniversary of the GDR in East Berlin as an accredited press photographer. During the same trip he documented Turkish life in the western part of the city, and continued to frequently return to Germany after the country’s reunification. The book Made in Germany, first published in 1970, was a multi-layered journey of exploration. Freed captured the country’s inhabitants in their social surroundings, at work and in their leisure time, at traditional festivals and other social events. Here, too, Freed used a through-thelens view of the world in order to better understand it. With seismographic sensitivity, he documented a deeply fragmented country in images that place a discordant, rebellious youth in contrast with an apparently incorrigible older generation. Conscious of the limitations of visual documentation, he complemented the images with comments and notes about his personal experiences. Concentrating on individual subjects to encapsulate a historical event was an approach Freed had developed during his time in Europe, and continued to apply to his work once he returned to the US. From his major reportages on the American civil rights movement and the Arab-Israeli wars of 1967 and 1973, to his study of everyday life at the New York Police Department (1990), Freed’s series were always marked by a genuine empathy for those he portrayed. And so it is not only his documents of great moments in world history, but also the small scenes of everyday life that make Leonard Freed’s work so deeply fascinating. ulrich rüter
Leonard freed Born on 23 October 1929, in Brooklyn, New York, to parents who had emigrated from Minsk to the US in 1917, Freed initially studied painting and graphic design. During his travels through Europe and North Africa in the 1950s he became increasingly committed to photography. In 1958 he settled in Amsterdam with his wife Brigitte, working as a freelance photographer. His concise compositions in combination with dedicated reportage photography opened up a multitude of opportunities. Soon he took on commissions from the Magnum Agency, which he joined as a full member in 1972. His work was featured in leading magazines, yet it was his book publications that became significant. Leonard Freed died of cancer on 30 November 2006, in Garrison, New York.
magn u mph otos.com b ooks: (selection) Black and White America (Grossman Publishers, New York
1969); Made in Germany (Grossman Publishers, New York 1970; Reprint Edition Folkwang/Steidl, Göttingen 2013); Photographies 1954–1990 (Les Editions Nathan, Paris 1991); This Is the Day: The March on Washington (Getty Publishers, Los Angeles 2013)
f/ s top Summ a ro n 2 8 mm f/ 5 . 6 – L e i c a T L – L e i c a So f ort
T h e n e w L e i c a T L: T HE T U P DAT E WI T H M O R E IN T E R NA L M E M O RY, I M P R OV E D auto f o c u s AN D T I TANI U M FINISH
lFI
| 83
n i c e to h av e S u m m a r o n - M 2 8 m m f/ 5 . 6
This is as compact as they come: the new Summaron-M measures just 18 millimetres in length. Strictly speaking, it is not entirely new – the re-launched design originates in the 1950s, and makes for a handy street-combo with retro charm.
Flawlessness isn’t every thing. The most recent addition to the portfolio of M lenses follows a rather appealing philosophy: the charm of imperfection. In the official adverts for the Summaron-M 28mm f/5.6, Leica emphasise the ‘analogue look’ that can be achieved with this lens. Naturally this is something which can always be accomplished simply by using the lens on a film-loaded camera. But what the tag-line really intends to convey is that this re-edition of a historical lens brings to life a specific visual aesthetic that was typical for a time when there were no aspherical elements, when aberrations were something you simply had to accept as part of the image – and when all Leica cameras were still analogue. It is an aesthetic in which everything – the glass, 84 |
lFi
the lens assembly and its specific light-transmission properties – becomes an almost palpable and entirely inherent part of the visible image. This rather stands in contrast to the modernday efforts of Peter Karbe, head of Leica’s optical design department, and his team, whose prevalent aim is to combine lens elements in such a way that they no longer even need the corrective aid of the aperture in order to achieve a perfect image. In short, they endeavour to create the best lenses there can be. With this in mind, it certainly seems fairly outlandish to re-issue a lens that was originally released with a screw-mount thread for Barnack’s Leica in 1955, and eventually discontinued in 1963. Because let’s not forget that this is not
a newly-calculated interpretation of a classic lens, such as, for example, the collapsible Elmar-M 50mm f/2.8 listed in the Leica catalogue from 1994 to 2007. Instead, the new Summaron-M 28mm f/5.6 corresponds exactly to the original lens’s historical design. The only adjustment was a careful internal modification in accordance with the glass types available today and modern lens-coating technology. Anyone with the opportunity to look at a sectional drawing of the original Summaron and compare it with that of the re-edition, will notice that in the screw-mount version, the lens with its six elements grouped symmetrically around the aperture seems to feature circular, cemented areas between elements
1 and 2, as well as elements 5 and 6 – whereas these are depicted as plane-parallel surfaces in the new M version of the lens. According to information provided by Leica, it is a mystery how this detail ended up in the old drawings. However, it certainly puts to rest any speculation that the new version may have been subject to more optical re-calculations than Leica were disclosing. Besides, had this been the case, the engineers would hardly have retained the pronounced vignetting of 2.5 f-stops at a fully open aperture of 5.6, considering that peripheral shading is something the masters of modern optical engineering go to every length to avoid – even in high-aperture wide-angles. In the Summaron-M, however,
the vignetting is not actually a flaw, but a visual feature. Indeed there are many photographers who like to introduce vignetting to their digital images during post-processing, in order to emphasise the main subject and add a sense of plasticity. This also goes for Hamburg-based photographer Markus Tedeskino, who provided our test photographs. The Summaron-M simply offers this effect in the most authentic possible form – meaning, as a direct consequence of the physical lens assembly. Of course, this authenticity also means that the effect is no longer optional. The same applies to the distinct fading of contrast and resolution towards the edges of the image circle – put simply, in the corners of your photograph. The ‘Leica glow’ is a term widely used to describe a certain kind of magic that emanates from photographs taken with historical Leica lenses. It refers to the painting-like, pastel blooming on high-contrast edges, caused by the spherical aberration of fast lenses such as for example the old → The Summaron-M weighs 160 grams, but feels heavier in your hand because of its tiny size. Never before has the M system offered quite such a pancakeshaped, screw-mount-Leica style ensemble – though the effect is slightly counteracted by the lens hood, elaborately milled from solid brass
lFI
| 85
Su mmaron- M 28mm f/5.6
f/5.6
Using a wide-angle lens to capture a brick-wall instead of spacial depths may not be common photographic practice. But for comparison purposes, a simple subject that is parallel to the sensor surface was an excellent choice.
35mm Summicron or the 75mm Summilux. There are a growing number of Leica fans who consciously use lenses with these older calculations on their digital M. They do so in order to create a look to which they attribute an inimitable charm – precisely because of its inherent technical imperfections. And that is exactly what prompted Leica to bring back the 86 |
lFi
Elm ar i t- M 28 m m f/2 .8 AS P H
F/5.6
The sections respectively show the upper edge, centre and top-right corner of the image (clockwise from top-left). The contrast and fine-detail rendition of both lenses are almost indistinguishable up to an image height of 9 mm →
original calculation of the Summaron: this popular tendency among photographers to assimilate the complete history of Leica photography into their creative work and make it part of their personal aesthetic signature, and to counteract the modern trend for smooth, digital perfection with something that lets the characteristics of your tool become a distinctive
TO ALLOW FOR CERTAIN A B ERRATION S AN D MA KE THEM A PART OF THE AE STHETIC S I GNATURE – THAT I S W HAT THE SUMMARON - M STAN DS FOR .
element of the image. With the Summaron-M it is of course not so much the ‘glow’, but rather a sense of plasticity that distinguishes the images it creates. However, it seems as though Leica might well intend to bring back further interesting historical designs, so that they may be juxtaposed with modern sensors and give rise to an appealing new visual language.
Summaron- M 28m m f/5.6
f/8
at aperture 5.6. What is immediately noticeable, however, is the vignetting of the Summaron-M, which towards the edge increases to 2.5 stops. Often this is a desired effect – but with the Summaron it is also unavoidable, even when stopping down. →
For the moment, the Summaron-M 28mm f/5.6 is made exclusively on request, for the price of 2200 euros. Another remarkable aspect of the Summaron-M is its extremely diminutive size. With a length of just 18 millimetres, it gives the Leica M what can only be described as a pancake front – thereby making the camera genuinely coat-
E lm a r i t- M 28 m m f/2 .8 AS P H
F/8
And while the Elmarit-M offers excellent resolution right into the corners, with the SummaronM the details in these parts of the image appear blurred. Stopping down makes virtually no difference. But to many, this is a big part of the lens’s charm.
pocket-sized. Add to this the aperture of 5.6, and you have one half of a perfect street-photography ensemble. The lens has a focus throw of almost 180 degrees, allowing the photographer to set extremely precise distances, including very exact hyper-focal distances. Like its historical counterpart, the lens features a small infinity lock lever, which is also used to set the dis-
tance. This is surprisingly easy to operate, in spite of the lens’s tiny dimensions. In fact, with a little practice you will be able to instantly gauge the selected distance setting based on the position of the lever – for example if you are shooting from the hip and would like to know the exact distance without relying on the hyperfocal setting. The Summaron does not show
up in the viewfinder at all, though at short distances (up to one metre), it is both unavoidable and indeed slightly bothersome that the photographer’s hand on the lever protrudes into the viewfinder image. The design of the lens body, including the locking lever, has been carefully adapted to today’s design aesthetic. The lever, for example, no longer → lFI
| 87
has the cone-shaped profile of the original, but features a parallel knurling. The lens definitely cuts a fine figure on the M, though it is a matter of personal taste whether the solely-available silver finish will appeal to everyone, and be deemed sufficiently inconspicuous for street photography in combination with the blackfinish Leica M model.
The perceptibly emphasised image centre and warm overall colour character are a hallmark of the Summacron-M. All test images: Markus Tedeskino
TA M A R K I N
C A M E R A SINCE 1971
America’s Premier Leica Specialist
800.289.5342 | TAMARKIN.COM CH ICAGO, USA
88 |
lFi
Of course, any lens can be stopped down to 5.6, nor is the Summaron the only lens model to be described as exceptionally compact. This also becomes apparent when looking at the Leica website where, at the time of writing, the SummaronM and the Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 Asph share the title
of the most compact lens in the M system. However, the Elmarit measures 30 millimetres in length – making it perhaps too large for the average coat pocket. On the other hand, the Elmarit does not limit the photographer to an aperture of 5.6 and, with its aspherical element, is based on a stateof-the-art calculation – meaning that it does not require you to tolerate un- avoidable aberrations, such as those inherent in the Summaron. It seems reasonable that those who are undecided might wish to compare the imaging characteristics of the two most compact 28mm lenses in the M portfolio, so we have done exactly that in the form of a simple trial.
As was to be expected, every picture taken with the Summaron-M bears the distinctive hallmark of pronounced vignetting. The softness in the corners of the image is also very noticeable. The Elmarit, by comparison, offers a homogenous and consistently high performance across the entire image plane, not just at an aperture of 5.6 but even at 2.8, though the images illustrating the latter have not been included here. On the other hand, the Summaron-M records photographs practically without distortion. It is also worth noting that even back in 1955 (when it would not yet have been feasible to combine the Summaron’s field angle with a
light sensitivity any higher than what it is), the contrast and detail rendition was already of remarkable quality, at the very least up to an image height of 9 mm, i.e. near the upper and lower edge oft he image.
The lens body has been carefully adapted to today’s design aesthetic. This is particularly noticeable when looking at the focuslock button on the right
So there is no doubt that, all things considered, the Summaron-M 28mm f/5.6 makes for a fascinating and enriching addition to the M portfolio. And while it is aimed primarily at historyconscious Leica aficionados, even those who hold little or no store by tradition are equally sure to appreciate its interesting visual effects, not to mention the tactile advantages this diminutive lens has to offer. OLAF STEFANUS
tamarkin rare Camera auCtion saturday, november 12, 2016
A love of photography and dedication to camera collecting — and especially the Leica — is what drives us to seek out the world’s rarest and most intriguing photographic collectibles.
Visit www.tamarkinauctions.com for more information on our November 2016 Auction.
Call us at 800.289.5342 to inquire or e-mail info@tamarkinauctions.com
lFI
| 89
A r e va m p e d T Leica TL
For all practical purposes the new TL system is the established T camera system under a new name; but the TL body replacing the T introduced in 2014 also promises a few changes, some of which will be retrofitted to the T.
It came as no surprise that the successor to the Leica T would be named TL. In 2014, Leica had introduced the T camera system, their first system with neither a mirror nor a rangefinder. At the time the fledgeling system comprised the T (Typ 701) body, a standard zoom, and a 23mm prime lens. From the start, the optional Visoflex (Typ 020) electronic viewfinder and an adapter for M lenses were available as accessories. There were complaints about a missing roadmap for the additional lenses Leica planned to introduce, but their internal roadmap was never published. Suffice to say that Leica has by now reached all the goalposts set out three years ago, including two more zooms, two primes and a new body. 90 |
lFi
The t ra n s i t ion f ro m T to TL. The relaunch of the
system as the ‘TL system’ is motivated in part by the introduction of the SL system, the T camera system’s bigger sister, in November 2015. Both systems share the same mount, which was consequently re-christened ‘L mount’. The old mount under a new name supports TL lenses for the APS-C image circle of the T camera system and SL lenses for the larger full-format image circle of the new system. The mount being the same, both systems can use the other’s lenses, even when that requires cropping the optical image to a smaller sensor size or the digital image to the limits of a smaller image circle. There was some initial confusion about whether new TL lenses would some-
how differ from existing T lenses, but the differences do not go beyond the different names. It was only a matter of time when both the system and a new body would acquire the new TL moniker. The ‘T’ designation is now gone for good; all the full-format products go under the ‘SL’ name while the products designed for APS-C go under ‘TL’. Interestingly, the new camera is missing the ‘Typ’ number we have become accustomed to. It is too early to tell whether this indicates another change in Leica’s naming policy. The still current scheme of specifying a camera class like ‘M’, ‘M-P’, ‘S’, or ‘SL’ and adding a ‘Typ’ number to indicate the specific model has not been met by unequivocal approval.
Many customers still prefer the old-style designations of an M6 or M9. But christening the new model ‘TL’ without any further specification raises the question of how its successor might get called. Two syst e m s. Despite
their shared mount, the TL and SL systems are quite different in many respects. The SL is kind of a baby S; anyone familiar with the S will immediately feel at home with the SL, which features a nearly identical interface. In a way it can be considered the mirrorless version of the R10 that never was. Some customers would have wished for Leica to repeat this miniaturisation step within the TL system, designing an APS-C version of the Leica SL. This would be a →
Regardless of whether one looks at the front, the back, or the sides of a new TL camera, it is virtually indistinguishable from the original T with the same unibody aluminum case. Apart from the black and silver versions, there is now the added option of a titaniumfinish and a subtle bevel around the top and bottom
lFI
| 91
Super-Vario-Elmar-TL 11–23mm
Apo-Macro-Elmarit-TL 60mm
With a wide-angle, a standard, and a tele zoom plus three primes, the TL system now sports a lens portfolio spanning focal lengths from 11 to 135 mm, corresponding to 16 to 200 mm in 35mm terms
92 |
lFi
Vario-Elmar-TL 18–56mm
Apo-Vario-Elmar-TL 55–135mm
Summilux-TL 35mm
Summicron-TL 23mm
camera with an integrated electronic viewfinder and the handling of the SL. But it looks like Leica has different plans for the TL system. Its designated target group have always been those with a penchant for great photographs and good design, and correspondingly less concern for the specs. The T and now the TL are distinguished by their sleek lines and a rather clean and simple interface. Two dials are sufficient for controlling all camera functions and the big (3.7 inch) touch display appeals to the smartphone generation accustomed to controlling electronic devices with tap, swipe, and pinch gestures. In a nutshell, the TL is essentially the T (Typ 701) with very few changes.
There is one change in the specs in that the internal memory has doubled from 16 to 32 GB. If cameras offer internal flash storage at all it is usually limited to a few MB – useful for taking a few test shots without a memory card but for little else. The large memory of the T could already save the day if one forgot or lost an SD card and the TL improves on that. Hopefully the internal memory will also be faster; that of the T was rather on the slow side. Further improvements are mostly firmware-based. Continuous AF used to be a weak spot in the T (Typ 701) and the TL should perform noticeably better. The TL now supports the →
We Make Time for You !
Jörg Henzen
- Individual Advice and Training Courses - Individual Appointments
Marcel Piatkowski
also independent of regular opening hours - Camera Workshops / Seminars - Camera Service / Firmware Updates
Ilona Moryl
- Professional Sensor Cleaning - Professional In-house Photo Lab
Marta Sanchez
Inh. Jörg Henzen Kaiserstraße 23 40479 Düsseldorf
Tel. 0211 4920064 Fax 0211 4920468 www.fotogoertz.de
full range of SL lenses, including an optical image stabiliser, if present. Lenses of Leica’s M and R systems can be used with an adapter. Leica is working on a firmware upgrade for the T (Typ 701) that should raise its performance to the level of the TL, preserving the investment of existing customers. The TL, it appears, is squarely aimed at new customers. A viewfinder continues to be available as an external accessory. The Visoflex (Typ 020) introduced with the T is also supported by the TL. Its resolution of 2.34 million dots pales next to the 4.4 million dots of the SL’s viewfinder; yet it is the same resolution as found in high-
M o st i mprov eme n ts a re fi r m wa re- base d. Co nt i n u o us A F use d to b e a w ea k spot i n t he T (T y p 701 ) a n d t h e T L sh o u l d pe rfo rm n otic ea bly b e tt e r.
end models by Sony or Fuji. The viewfinder can be tilted upwards and contains a GPS module. Like the original T, the TL body is milled from a single, solid block of aluminium. As before, there are silver and black versions available, but additionally a titanium coloured one that is also distinguished by a subtle bevel along the edges of the top and bottom. With the new camera Leica introduces new accessory items such as Nappa protectors that can stay on the camera when changing the battery – this used to be an issue with the T. New carrying straps are available as well. Owners of Android devices can finally rejoice: there is now an Android
version of the Leica TL app complementing the previously available iOS version. T h e le nse s. The TL system now features a portfolio of lenses suitable for a broad range of photographic tasks. There are two fast prime lenses, the SummicronTL 23mm f/2 Asph and the Summilux-TL 35mm f/1.4 Asph; a third prime, the APO-Macro-Elmarit-TL 60mm f/2.8 Asph, is ideal for macro photography and portrait shots. Its focusing range starts at 16 cm and the maximum reproduction ration is 1:1. Both the 35 and 60mm lenses are available in silver and black anodised version; the 23mm lens only has a black version.
Leica
13
D 19088 F 9,90 €
4 192346 1 209905
L E I C A O S KA R B A R N AC K AWA R D 2 0 1 6
Oskar Barnack Award
15,00 $
WINNERS & FINALISTS 2016
|
I N T E R N AT I O N A L E D I T I O N
Leica
2016
Oskar Barnack Award 2016
The 2016 LOBA finalists and LOBA winners – 12 outstanding series of contemporary photography: 148 pages, 96 images, in German or in English, € 9.90
WINNERS & FINALISTS
photo: scarlett Coten
L FI s pe c ial e di tion
L E I C A F O T O G R A F I E I N T E R N AT I O N A L
0000001_E_LFI_LOBA_2016_00_Cover_RZ.indd 1
94 |
lFi
P H OTO : S C A R L E T T C OT E N
|
M E C TO U B
08.08.16 14:20
l f i- on l in e .com/sh op
While the primes cover the classical focal lengths preferred by M photographers – they correspond to 35, 50, and 90mm lenses for the M –, this range is extended by the TL system’s three zoom lenses. The standard zoom Vario-Elmar-TL 18–56mm f/3.5–5.6 Asph is augmented by the Super-Vario-ElmarTL 11–23mm f/3.5–4.5 Asph for wide-angle and the APO-Vario-Elmar-TL 55–135mm f/3.5–4.5 Asph for tele shots. Together the zooms cover the range of focal length between 11 and 135 mm (equivalent to about 17 to 200 mm for a full-frame camera). Some more specialised lenses are still missing – long telephoto lenses for sports
or wildlife photography, or a fisheye, but the lens portfolio is already quite comprehensive. If longer focal lengths are required, the owner of a TL could resort to the SL system’s APO-Vario-Elmarit-SL 90–280mm f/2.8–4. Used with the TL its zoom range is equivalent to 135 to 420 mm. This lens also features an optical image stabiliser that also works with the Leica TL. Ti ta n iu m is t h e ne w black. Not to be outdone by the TL, the Q also gains an alternative design option. Besides the original black version that continues to be available, there is now a version with a titanium-gray paint finish for
The black Leica Q is complemented with an alternative version with a titanium-grey paint finish. The engravings on the lens are picked out in red and the carrying strap is made from a material used for climbing ropes
the top, back, and baseplate; while the leathering is still black. Engravings for the focus and focal length scales are picked out in red. The colour coordinated carrying straps are made from a robust material normally used for climbing ropes. michael j. Hussmann
for your Tablet F o r i OS a n d A n d r o i d
Read all the current issues of the magazine on your tablet as well! In addition, LFI is presenting selected areas of the LFI Gallery and informing with daily news from the world of photography. ClassicConnection_LFI ad_with red.pdf
1
11/4/12
6:36 PM
We buy, sell & trade Leica worldwide! We want your used & rare Leica! C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
TOP $$$ paid for all Leica gear. Ask about our low consignment rate. Please call Sam Shoshan at 1-888-534-2272 Toll free (US)
C L A S S I C CO N N E C T I O N L LC
501 Kings Hwy East, Suite 101. Fairfield CT 06825 USA 203-371-2352 | 203-371-2353 Sam@ClassicConnection.com | www.classicconnection.com Leica USA Authorized dealer. lFI
| 95
a s p e e dy c o m pa n i o n i n s ta n t p h o t o g r a p h y
Just before Photokina 2016, Leica introduced an instant camera. Berlin-based photographer Julia Baier was among the first to put it to the test. We have asked her to share her experiences.
96 |
lFi
“When I received the request from Leica to try out their new instant camera, my first reaction was: Leica? Instant? How curious. Then I thought, what a clever move, to surprise the world with something completely unexpected. I finally sat down and emailed back to confirm, because I was genuinely intrigued. I quickly realised that working with this camera would mean having to let go of any kind of perfectionism. For example, I don’t think the Sofort facilitates street photography or the transmission
of complex visual contents. The photographer has only limited control of the framing, focus distribution and exposure. Consequently some results will be good and others barely usable. On the other hand, if you embrace the variables caused by these limitations, you can consciously utilise the resulting ‘happy accidents’ and play around with them. This is when the fun really starts. What I also found unfamiliar to begin with was the small size of the pictures. I had to figure out which con-
tents were going to fit onto the small image plane. In the end I focused on capturing atmospheres, and experimenting with colours and forms. This worked fantastically well. I found myself testing the limits of perception. How far can I go with abstraction? How much information do I have to convey so that the image is still
With the Leica Sofort, the photographer’s influence on framing, focus distribution and exposure is limited
just about readable? I love creating riddles without going completely abstract. The small image format is really well-suited to this. Obviously there is no option of zooming into the image. You are instantly presented with your print, seeing only what the naked eye can recognise on these 28.52 cm2. By the time I started working with the Leica Sofort to create this Instant series, summer in Berlin had already passed its zenith. Rays of sun were still permeating the city, but they already told of →
lFI
| 97
the waning of the season, and were tinged with a certain melancholy. There is a serenity to this intense but palpably dwindling warmth which also creates a sense of yearning. This is the feeling I wanted to capture in this series. The images I created are still imbued with the strength of the sun, but there is already a suggestion of transience. I dedicated the series to a friend of mine who recently introduced me to the beautiful term ‘apricity’, meaning ‘warmed by the sun’. Some dictionaries actually extend the
98 |
lFi
meaning to ‘the warmth of the sun in winter’, which I like even more. To me, it instantly conjures up a sensuous association. This is why Apricity became the title of this series. It was interesting to see people’s reaction to the camera. The small pictures invariably led to an initial confusion, often followed
There is an impulse to keep hold of the instant portraits – this is why there are not many pictures of people in Apricity
by the impulse of wanting to keep them. So I actually had a hard time not giving away all the prints to those I had just portrayed, and ending up a photographer without any photographs. This also explains why there are hardly any pictures of people left in this series. Without a doubt, the instant photos foster positive communication. And it is worth remembering that these photos are true originals. They cannot be reproduced in an arbitrary manner, which in itself makes them valuable.
I can imagine taking the Sofort with me every time I set out for a project. In most of my work, people play a significant role. Therefore I usually rely on good communication to approach my subjects. Taking the Sofort with me as an additional tool would literally create an instant connection. It normally takes some time before I’m able to present something to the people I photograph, so the thought of being able to give something back right there and then really appeals to me.” recorded by bernd luxa
MS Optics
Now available in Europe
C apturing the Mood
Handmade in Japan for Leica cameras by Miyazaki Sadayasu
Image compostion
see between the lines: Why we s h o u l d e n d e av o u r t o p h o t o g r a p h t h e n o t- q u i t e - ta n g i b l e .
Photo: Bruce Davidson/Magnum Photos/Agentur Focus
Beneath a pair of wide-eyed windows, five people sit in the back of a bus – each of them a different line of the same poem. On the left, a black man and woman sit shoulder to shoulder. Perhaps they are companions, perhaps not. She stares beyond the frame, he gazes, arms crossed, down the bus into nothingness. Then, between them and the three white kids, there is a gap. It is just three inches wide, but this divide feels as wide as the East River. The first guy looks the picture of James Dean, and as for the girl beside him, she could be Brigitte Bardot. But the character slumped over her, exhausted, his face buried in his arm, reminds us that we are a long way from Hollywood. We often fixate on photographing tangible subjects, things that we can describe using nouns. This is fine if you want your photograph to add up to nothing more than the sum of its parts. Yet this picture from Bruce Davidson’s 1959 series, The Brooklyn Gang, reminds me that photography – great photography – is about capturing something else. Something you cannot quite put your finger on. Something more akin to a mood or an atmosphere. Maybe you don’t see it when you take the picture, but a voice inside tells you it is there. To hear that voice, you have to tune your eyes to a different frequency: one that is informed by instinct rather than logic. H e nry C a r ro l l is the author of the bestselling
MS Optics Apoqualia-G 28mm f/2 MC Ultra Thin Limited edition Silver & Black
Imported in France by
www.taos-photographic.com contact@taos-photographic.com
Big Shots If You Want To Take Great Photographs series of books published by Laurence King.
annonce MS Optics_ULTRA_THIN_PRINT.indd 2
lFI
07/11/2016 | 99
13:31
H uaw e i m at e 9 Smartphone Photography
Seven months after the introduction of the P9, Huawei have unveiled the smartphone’s business variant, the Mate 9. Leica’s second dual-lens camera hints at the future evolution of mobile phone photography.
Dual-lens camera, faster chip and the latest Android OS. Will the Mate 9 help Huawei fill the void left by Samsung’s Note 7 disaster?
100 |
lFi
On 3 November, Huawei and Leica launched the new Mate 9 smartphone in Munich. It was the third top-of-the-range model released by the Chinese corporation in the same year, and the second to feature a camera developed in collaboration with Leica. With its 5.9-inch display (offering a 1920 × 1080-pixel, full-HD resolution), the Mate 9 falls into the category of ‘phablets’ – touchscreen mobiles with dimensions half-way between a smartphone and a tablet. At the heart of the Mate 9 is the octa-core processor Kirin 960, which comes with 4 gigabytes of RAM and a 64-gigabyte internal memory. The chip, which was developed by Huawei’s subsidiary company HiSilicon and is introduced in this model for the first time, also features an intelligent algorithm with the ability to analyse and learn user habits and adapt the system’s resources accordingly. The operating system of the Mate 9 is the current Android 7.0 Nougat, previously featured exclusively in Google’s Pixel smartphone. With the launch of the Mate 9, Huawei also introduced the new version of their inhouse developed user interface, Emotion UI 5.0. After the P9, the Mate 9 is the second Huawei smartphone to feature a dual-lens camera developed in collaboration with Leica. As with the P9, the 12-megapixel RGB camera saves images in JPEG and DNG format. The Pro camera mode allows manual control of the main parameters via the familiar Leica-style menu. In addition, the Mate 9 allows you
to adjust the depth of field with apertures from 0.95 to 16 – even in post-processing. An image stabiliser for colour photographs and a laser autofocus provide support when shooting in low light. Also, the dynamic range in low-light situations and darker areas supersedes that of the iPhone 7 and the P9. This is due to the additional data provided by the 20-megapixel monochrome camera, which captures a greater amount and also different types of informa-
T HE SY NERGETIC COOP ERATI ON OF SEVERAL OPTI CAL SYSTEM S: T HAT IS LEICA’S VISION FO R T H E NEAR FUTURE O F S MARTP HO NE P HOTOGRA PH Y.
Gallery Over 20 000 photographers have presented their view of the world in 230 000 pictures posted in the LFI Gallery. Why not join them by registering for free, uploading your pictures and sharing them with others. lfi. gallery
kultbag bundeswehr
kultbag bundeswher mono_09
tion than the RGB camera. As a result, the Mate 9 not only delivers crisp black and white images but also offers a zoom feature which, similar to the iPhone 7 Plus, records photographs at twotimes magnification without compromising the image quality (at a resolution of 12 megapixels). Andreas Kaufmann, chairman of the board at Leica, shared his thoughts on smartphone photography in several recent interviews. Among them was the aspiration to build even more lenses into an array. A lens array allows for several optical systems to work together. Each system would be singularly responsible
for one specific imaging aspect, such as contrast, depth of field, the colour red etc. The sum of the collected data would result in an image quality comparable with that of a high-performance lens. At this stage, this concept is simply a future ambition given that there is currently no chip powerful enough to support it. The two companies will doubtlessly be looking to the Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon, which is China’s largest chip manufacturer. So we can see that Leica’s second-generation duallens camera in the new Mate 9 marks the beginning of the long-term technological evolution Leica and Huawei intend to pursue at the recently established Max Berek Innovation Lab in Wetzlar. Leica’s decades of experience in the development and quality assurance of their own products represents a firm foundation for the venture, and the collaboration with this major player is sure to result in remarkable contributions to the mobile phone industry. It is possible that their joint accomplishments might lead Leica to expand further into the field of innovative smartphone photography, which could potentially also open up exciting new pathways for their most traditional camera system. It would certainly be a wholly new milestone in the company’s more than a century-old history. David Rojkowski
photobag made from truckcanvas and bundeswehrblanket
www.monochrom.com
lFI
| 101
b e s t o f L F I . G a ll e r y
Fa s h i o n Freeze “I’m actually a street photographer, but this picture was taken at a fashion shoot. The model only had to walk through the scene, but she slipped and fell down. Her misfortune was my good fortune. That’s how I captured the best decisive moment picture of my career.” Pin Pinkriangkrai Leica M-P, Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 Asph
102 |
lFi
l ig h t b ox
f e s t i va l C h ill - o u t “In August 2016 I’d decided to document the SonneMondSterne Electro Festival in Germany. The festival was over and this was my last shot: the young guys were lying on the couch totally relaxed, like they were hanging out at home. They didn’t even notice me.” Jan Hartmann Leica M Monochrom, Apo-Summicron-M 50mm f/2 Asph
104 |
lFi
lFI
| 105
Bl a c k D o g two “The picture was taken during an exercise about the effects of perspective and angle: the bicycle against the wall made the dog appear larger. The bike wheel rolling into the picture from the left made him smaller. You could see the dog grow after the bike had driven by.� Lucia Eggenhofer Leica X1 with Elmarit 24mm f/2.8 Asph
106 |
lFi
108 |
lFi
M a r di Gras “The photo was taken during Mardi Gras in New Orleans. On ‘Fat Tuesday’ people dress up and stroll through the French Quarter. There’s a lot to experience during those days, but a rabbit driving through the packed streets in a car was something I’d never seen before.” Michel Murat Leica M240, SummicronM 35mm f/2 Asph
lFI
| 109
110 |
lFi
nuns need cash
Closed shop
“There’s no special story behind this picture. I had just landed in Rome and I wanted to change some money, when I noticed the two nuns standing in the line in front of me. I thought to myself, that’s funny somehow – nuns needing cash. A nice memory.”
“This picture was taken when I was on my nightly photo stroll through Causeway Bay (Hong Kong). The shutter rolling down at the jewellery shop caught my attention. A couple of minutes later, the legs of the three employees had disappeared completely.”
Nicholas Dominic Talvola Leica M2, Summicron-C 40mm f/2
Debby Kwong Leica X113 with Summilux 23mm f/1.7 Asph
lFI
| 111
1 Pig e o n , 2 Wo m e n “I didn’t give this picture a second thought. I saw the scene and guessed what would come next, lifted up my camera and pushed the trigger. Afterwards I had a nice chat with the two ladies.” Roland Blazejewski Leica M240, Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 Asph
112 |
lFi
p h oto – B o o k s – E x h i b i t i o n s – F e s t i va l s –
Cover image of Karolin Klüppel’s Kingdom of Girls: the girl Ibapyntngen with bugs
114 |
lFi
A l e x Webb La C a l l e
E l l i o t t E rw i t t
Photos: Karolin Klüppel; Harry Ransom Center Collection © Elliott Erwitt/Magnum Photos; © Alex Webb/Magnum Photos; Fred Mortagne
Home Around the World
In the course of a career spanning seven decades, the US-American photographer (born 1928) has authored many of the most famous photographs of the 20th century. Time and again he has captured unmistakeable scenes in perfect compositions, often with an apparent nonchalance and marked by witty irony. This new photo book presents an opulent blend of his artistic, journalistic and commercial work – featuring many of his well-known images, but also surprising the viewer with a multitude of new discoveries. The addition of contact sheets, magazine layouts and advertisements further illustrates the versatility of the legendary photographer, who has been a member of the Magnum Agency since 1954. The book encompasses Erwitt’s most enduring themes, such as his interest in museums, streets and beaches, women and children, his penchant for cities (especially Paris and New York), and of course, dogs. To complement the many existing publications of Erwitt’s work, this new volume does not concentrate on any single aspect of his work, but instead endeavours to explore and convey the complexity as well as the evolution of his photographic vision. The wealth of material ranges from Erwitt’s early experiments in California to his striking portrait work and the major reportages he created all around the world. The result is a beautiful homage to an extraordinary lifetime of photography. 312 pages, 250 b/w and 4 colour illustrations, English, 23.1 × 25.9 cm, Aperture
For the past thirty years, the American Magnum photographer (born 1952) has worked in Mexico. Inspired by the atmosphere and light, he captured its street life with his Leica. This volume confirms the photographer’s ability to effortlessly consolidate photojournalistic, documentary and artistic images into one unified impression. 168 pages, 86 illustrations, English, 21.5 × 27 cm, Aperture
F r e d M o rtag n e At t r a p e r a u v o l
In his long-awaited first book, the French director and photographer – also known as ‘French Fred’ – shows much more than skateboarding fascination. Taken with a Leica, his powerful and atmospheric, black and white compositions perfectly capture the interplay of light and shadow, architecture, geometry and the human figure. 132 pages, b/w illustrations, English, 23.5 × 29.8 cm, Um Yeah Arts
Ka r o l i n K lü p p e l Kingdom of Girls
The German photographer (born 1985) opens the door to an unknown world: she spent a total of ten months in the small village of Mawlynnong in Meghalaya, North-East India. The local Khasi culture follows a matrilineal social structure – meaning that girls are the most valuable members of a family. Only the birth of a daughter continues the lineage of a clan. From an eye-level perspective, the photographer recorded the everyday lives of her protagonists, observing them at play and within their village community. The colourful images are distinguished by a harmony of gestures, space and light, and particular by the interplay between documentation and composition. With great sensitivity for the perfect moment, the artist captured the girls’ connection with nature and village traditions, as well as the carefreeness of childhood play and imagination – telling entire stories in her intense and magical portrait and still life photographs. 92 pages, 38 illustrations, German and English, 23.2 × 27 cm, Hatje Cantz
lFI
| 115
K i s h i n S h i n oya m a Y o ko h a m a M u s e u m o f A r t
H i r o s h i S u g i m o to Foa m , A m st e r da m
A black box with an inner life that remains in the darkness; something that cannot quite be recognised. Hidden, ambiguous, secretive. Japanese star photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto’s exhibition carries the title Black Box for a good reason: his black and white pictures are never explicit, absolute or real. Viewers are left in doubt about the truth one believes exists as opposed to what is really there to see in the image. The Amsterdam museum Foam writes, “Taken as a whole, Hiroshi Sugimoto’s work constitutes a profound meditation on the nature of perception, illusion, representation, life and death.” Black Box offers an insight into the creativity of the Japanese photographer, who even today is fully committed to traditional methodologies. The exhibition includes pieces from five of his series: Theaters (1976–ongoing); Lightning Fields (2006–ongoing); Dioramas (1976–2012); Portraits (1994–1999) and Seascapes (1980–ongoing). In the latter, for example, water and air – which Sugimoto considers mystical elements – are placed in special relationships. At times clearly separate, at others blended together, at times photographed in the mist, in daylight, and in the night. With technical virtuosity and great beauty, Sugimoto offers the viewer a different perspective every time. Seen together in one exhibition, the 34 large-format pictures on display reflect 40 years of the creative work of a photographer and an artist in the broadest sense of the word. 16 December 2016 — 8 March 2017 Photo: Hiroshi Sugimoto, Hyena-Jackal-Vulture, 1976
4 January — 28 February 2017 Photo: Kishin Shinoyama, Momoe Yamaguchi, 1977
J O E L M E Y E R OW I TZ p o l k a G a l e r i e , Pa r i s
In the second part of a retrospective titled Taking My Time, the Polka Gallery presents colour pictures the famous American photog rapher has taken since the mid seventies. Contemplative, and reflexive compositions and meditations captured on Kodachrome film: are they beautiful illusions or semantic disruptions of reality? 7 January — 4 March 2016, Photo: Joel Meyerowitz, Florida, 1978
Hele n L e v i tt MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM
Everything began in the mid thirties with a Leica camera. For more than fifty years, Helen Levitt, with her unique ‘way of seeing’ (title of her 1965 book), captured life on the streets of New York. The In The Street exhibition presents her early black and white images, and colour photos taken later in the American artist’s career. 27 January — 16 April 2017 Photo: Helen Levitt, New York, c. 1940
T h e Ra d i c a l Ey e Tat e M o d e r n , L o n d o n
70 photographers and nearly 150 pictures: Modernist Photography from the Sir Elton John Collection, at the Tate Modern, presents one of the twentieth century’s largest private collections. The exhibition includes pieces by photographers Man Ray, BrassaÏ, Imogen Cunningham, André Kertész and Aleksander Rodchenko, among others. 9 November — 7 May 2017 Photo: Man Ray, Glass Tears 1932
116 |
lFi
Photos: Helen Levitt Courtesy of Telfair Museums © Film Documents LLC; The Sir Elton John Photography collection © Man Ray Trust/ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2016
“My theme is people that everybody knows,” says Japanese photographer Shinoyama, and with Picture Power he delivers a series of 120 portraits of celebrities, especially compiled for the Yokohama Museum. Actors, athletes, authors, musicians: his pictures span more than five decades and take the viewer on a trip down memory lane.
— S MAGAZINE — L e i c a G a ller i e s germany
Portugal
W etzl a r
P o rt o
Ara Güler: Leica Hall of Fame
Daniel Rodriguez: Homage in black and white to Porto
Am Leitz-Park 5, 35578 Wetzlar 23 November 2016 — mid January 2017 F r a n kf u rt
Vincent Peters: Personal Großer Hirschgraben 15, 60311 Frankfurt am Main 20 January — 19 March 2017 Zingst
Elliott Erwitt: Personal Best for Leica Am Bahnhof 1, 18374 Zingst 30 August 2016 — 7 March 2017 Austria
S a lz b u r g
Craig Semetko: Funny Business 21 October 2016 — 15 January 2017
Dirk Bader: Memento Fiori 19 January — 25 February 2017 Gaisbergstr. 12, 5020 Salzburg S c h l o s s Are n b er g
Anton Stefan: Grenzenlos – Schwerelos Arenbergstr. 10, 5020 Salzburg 9 October 2016 — February 2017
Rua de Sá da Bandeira, 48/52 4000-427 Porto 1 December 2016 — 1 February 2017 Turkey
i s ta n b u l
Kurt Hutton: From Strasbourg to London – from Hübschmann to Hutton Bomontiada - Merkez, A, Birahane Sk. No:1, 34381 Şişli/İstanbul 20 December 2016 — 11 March 2017 USA
L o s A n g ele s
Douglas R. Gilbert: Italian Light, Morgan Lugo: We Were Left To Dream 1 December 2016 — 3 January 2017
Michael Grecco: Urban Landscapes 4 January — 31 January 2017 8783 Beverly Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90048 Boston
Vienna
Mark de Paola: 60 Seconds
Alfons Walde
74 Arlington Street, Boston, MA 02116, 3 November 2016 — 2 January 2017
Walfischgasse 1, 1010 Vienna 16 December 2016 — 25 March 2017 I ta lY
Milan
Current exhibition unknown at time of publication Via Mengoni, 4, 20121 Mailand czech Republic
Prague
Jaromír Funke: Photographer of the Avant-garde Školská 28, 110 00 Prag 1 25 November 2016 — 29 January 2017 polAnd
wa r s aw
Piotr Zbierski: Push the sky away Mysia 3, 00-496 Warsaw 15 December 2016 — 29 January 2017
Brazil
S ão Pau l o
David Burnett: Man Without Gravity Rua Maranhão, 600 Higienópolis, 01240-000 São Paulo 8 December 2016 — 10 February 2017 Ja pa n
To kyo
Mark de Paola: 60 Seconds 6-4-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 9 December 2016 — 28 February 2017 Kyoto
Hobby Izaki: Florence 570–120 Gionmachi Minamigawa, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 10 December 2016 — 9 March 2017
ELLEN VON UNWERTH —
www.s-magazine.photography
118 |
lFi
Photo left: © Max Vadukul, photoforum photo16; photos right: © Helmut Karl Lackner, exhibitor at photo16; © Tina Sturzenegger, exhibitor at photo16
“WE ARE MORE THAN JUST A S H OWC AS E .” i n t e r v ie w
The art director and photographer, Adrian Ehrat, has been curating photo, the largest photo fair in Switzerland, since last year. A summary and looking towards 2017.
Since the first edition in 2005, photo has developed into the largest Swiss photography platform. Every year, around 150 participants, selected from more than 600 submissions, fill up the 4000 square metres of the Maag Halle in Zurich, presenting selected works from the preceding year. LFI: photo was launched by the Blofeld communications agency. What is photo and what, in your opinion, makes the event so attractive? Ehrat: photo manages to present and exhibit photography in a popular manner that’s free of the formality of museums. This makes us more than just a showcase. photo is a happening, a melting pot, with a complementary programme. 150 photographers that
we select from over 600 submissions will be exhibiting their work; and the diversity is great. It’s also great that the general public can look at the pictures in a relaxed setting – having a drink at the bar and even getting a chance to talk with the photographers. The photoForum is the gateway to the world, the complementary programme with presentations by international star photographers, such as Juergen Teller, René Gröbli, James Nachtwey, Peter Lindberg, Steve McCurry and Max Vadukul. Star guest at photo17 is Martin Parr; and maybe Terry Richardson will also come. LFI: How established is photo in
Switzerland and who do you want the event to reach? Ehrat: photo has been well anchored in Zurich’s creative scene for some years now. In addition to the general public, we’re joined by many representatives from relevant photo agencies and publishers, as well as art directors: last year over 25 000 people visited throughout the five-day event.
Above: Tina Sturzenegger, exhibitor at photo16, from her I Do Pop-Art and Sometimes I Eat Pop Tarts (2015) series; left: Helmut Karl Lackner, exhibitor at photo16, Girl With Blue Sneakers (Sumida, 2015); left page: Max Vadukul, Keynote Speaker at the photoforum at photo16, Mick Jagger, from his book Max: Photographs By Max Vadukul (2000)
LFI: For the 2016 edition, you joined with Mel Sinha and Iouri Podladtchikov to work together as a new curator team. What impulses →
lFI
| 119
did you hope for during your debut at photo16? Ehrat: We want to reach both professional and amateur photographers and to create a clear structure for the content: reportages, portraits, some fashion and also artistic photography. The main thing is that professional photographers participate, but I try, above all, to convince ‘my people’, i.e. the art scene, to take part. photo is equally important as a springboard for young talent – this is where the stars of tomorrow are exihibiting. LFI: Why were they rather under-
represented so far? photo receives no support from the state, so this necessitates a fee to participate. It’s the only way to finance the event. My main task, above all, involves convincing the artists to take part, so that photo doesn’t become mainstream. I also wanted there to be black and white images and unusual photography. After all, photo is a good springboard for the art scene as well. The attention paid to it by the general public and the media is enormous. Ehrat:
“ T H E C H A L L E N G E I S F O R P H OTO N OT TO B E C O M E M A I N S T R E A M . ”
Above: Dominic Nahr, Keynote Speaker at photoforum 2016, from his Hidden World, Mali (2015) series; very top: Jim Parker, exhibitor at photo16, from his On the Fringe: Snapshots From the World’s Biggest Arts Festival (2015) series
Above: Mathias Braschler/Monika Fischer, Keynote Speakers at the 2016 photoforum, Vivienne Westwood, from the photographer duo’s Act Now! — Berühmte Klimaaktivisten im Portrait project; right: Maurice Haas/ Christian Grund, exhibitors at photo16, from their #Refugees (2015) series
120 |
lFi
LFI: How do you decide when viewing the submissions? Ehrat: This year I’m doing it on my own. The portfolios for photo17 began arriving little by little since August, and there’s time up until December. The best work often comes in at the end. It has to be the right light and the right moment. Some people send in five photos but maybe not the best. Every now and then I will ask for further motifs. LFI: In addition to picture presentations, you’re also once again giving a prize to newcomer photographers. Ehrat: Yes, headed by jury chairman Res Strehle, long-time editor in chief of the Tages-Anzeiger, a daily newspaper, we grant a lifetime award to a deserving photography personality: this year it’s Walter Pfeiffer. In addition, the Swiss Photo Academy, a body of 1200 photographers, creative people and journalists, select the Swiss Photographer of the Year.
Photos: © Jim Parker, exhibitor at photo16; © Braschler/Fischer, photoforum photo16; © Dominic Nahr, photoforum photo16; © Maurice Haas/Christian Grund, exhibitor at photo16
The nominees are Thomas Kern, Lukas Wassmann, Jean-Vincent Simonet, Alexandra Wey and Andri Pol. LFI: Seen from abroad, it is amazing to see the percentage of top quality photographers coming out of Switzerland. Is there something like a Swiss Photography School, a visual imagery or direction specific to the country? Ehrat: Switzerland has a long tradition of reportage and artistic photography. In the nineties there was the, so-called, Zurich School related to a handful of photographers who were very successful and were represented in Die Klasse, a photo book published in 1996. It includes Daniel Sutter, Shirana Shahbazi, Olaf Breuning, Ruth Erdt and Isabel Truniger. Their work, that became known as ‘magazinestyle’, was defined by its humour and a lot of flash.
NEw Leica Sofort For the moments you’d like to capture and frame right now: the Leica Sofort is the perfect companion for design-loving photography fans. The first instant camera by Leica, the appropriate films and stylish accessories are available at the LFI Shop.
LFI: What defines the photography,
or rather the publications scene in Switzerland? Ehrat: Reportage and artistic photography have a long tradition in the Swiss photography scene. The Ecole Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne is producing the best Swiss photographers at the moment. Philippe Jarrigeon, Jean-Vincent Simonet, Yann Gross and Mathilde Agius to name a few. It takes a lot of courage and a vision so that young people can succeed. LFI: What’s your highlight for photo17?
The Lifetime Award to Walter Pfeiffer. I still have to decide on the exhibitors.
Ehrat:
A d rian E hrat Born in Luzern, 1969,
Adrian Ehrat is a free-lance art director and photographer. 2009 and 2010 he was design director for Vogue Hommes International. He is the co-founder and operator of various off-art spaces in Zurich. He has been the Artistic Director for photo since 2016. Ev ents : photo 17 Zurich , 6 to 10 January, 2017; photo-schweiz.ch photo 17 Munich , 3 to 5 March, 2017; photo-deutschland.com
o r de r n ow:
lfi-online.com/Sofort
Leica Fotografie I n t e r n at i o n a l
J oac h i m B a l dau f mY Picture
Supermarket Haute Couture: using frugal means, the German photographer manages to recreate the glamour of iconic images from the fifties and sixties.
69th year | Issue 1. 2017
LFI PHOTOGR A PHIE GMBH Springeltwiete 4, 20095 Hamburg, Germany Phone: +49 / 40 / 2 26 21 12 80 Fax: +49 / 40 / 2 26 21 12 70 ISSN: 0937-3977 www.lfi-online.com, mail@lfi-online.com Editor-in-Chief Inas Fayed, Frank P. Lohstöter (V.i.S.d.P.) A rt Direction Brigitte Schaller EDITORIA L OFFICE Carla S. Erdmann, Michael J. Hußmann, Katrin Iwanczuk, Bernd Luxa, Edyta Pokrywka, David Rojkowski, Holger Sparr, Olaf Staaben, Simon Schwarzer, Olaf Stefanus, Katrin Ullmann Photo Editor Reportage Carol Körting layout Thorsten Kirchhoff Translation, Sub-Editing Robin Appleton, Hope Caton, Anna Sauper, Osanna Vaughn CONTRIBUTORS to this issue Henry Carroll, David Chandler, Katja Hübner, Ulrich Rüter M anagement Board Frank P. Lohstöter, Anja Ulm Commercial M anagement Johanna Schulz
Veza, Kay, the swimming pool and the lemon #1, Hamburg 1998
This photograph represents a key experience for me. Even as a child I was fascinated by the glamorous images of the fifties and sixties, and later on, once I’d become a photographer, I wondered how I could convey that elegance to our current times. This beautiful manifestation; this parallel world that helps us put daily life aside. At the time this picture was taken, I had no access to haute-couture clothes or to super models. So we put together a hat made out of tissues and a lemon net, to simulate high fashion. My model, Veza, was fifteen at the time; now I’ve been working with her for over eighteen years, and a deep friendship has developed. The picture includes everything that would later become important to my photography: the proximity to the people I photograph, the creation of iconic subjects and a pinch of humour. Joachim Baldauf has been working as a free-lance photographer since 1998 and has been publishing the independent magazine Vorn. In February, Veza, a book documenting the collaboration between Baldauf and model Veza, will be published by Distanz.
L F I 2 / 2 0 1 7 W i ll A p p e a r o n 2 4 . F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 7
122 |
lFi
Media SA LES A nd M arketing Kirstin Ahrndt-Buchholz, Samira Holtorf Phone: +49 / 40 / 2 26 21 12 72 Fax: +49 / 40 / 2 26 21 12 70 E-Mail: buchholz@lfi-online.de holtorf@lfi-online.de A DV ERTISING Sales USA D.A. Fox Advertising Sales, Inc. Phone: +1 / 2 12 / 8 96 38 81 E-Mail: detleffox@comcast.net REPRODUcTION: Alphabeta, Hamburg Printer: Optimal Media GmbH, Röbel/Müritz PA PER: Igepa Profimatt Distribution LFI (USPS no 0017912) is published 8 times per annum. Subscription price per annum (including shipping) worldwide: 69 € LFI is also available as an app at the Apple iTunes store and at Google Play LFI Subscription Service P. O. Box 13 31, D-53335 Meckenheim Phone: +49 / 22 25 / 70 85-3 70 Fax: +49 / 22 25 / 70 85-3 99 E-Mail: lfi@aboteam.de We accept no responsibility for unsolicited material. All articles and illustrations contained in the magazine are subject to copyright law. Any use beyond the narrow limits defined by copyright law, and without the express permission of the publisher, is forbidden and will be prosecuted. Printed in German y
Transfer faster, store safer. The fast and compact external storage The new Samsung Portable SSD T3 sets the standard for speed, capacity, durability and connectivity. Store data safely and move it wherever it’s needed. Learn more: www.samsung.com/t3
lFI
| 123