LFI Magazine 3/2020 E

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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 ENGLISH EDITION

Michel Vanden Eeckhoudt Scott Brennan Gaël Turine

Stephen Shore

LFI 3. 2020

P O RT F O L I O L E I C A A KA D E M I E

F / S TO P

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76 | M 1 0 M O N O C H R O M

It all began with the Leica Schule around 80 years ago, which was renamed Leica Akademie in 1988 and has now spread to 16 countries around the world. Heidi and Robert Mertens pay tribute to the school of inspiration

We took the new Leica M10 Monochrom out in the field to see how its 41-megapixel, highresolution sensor performs in Available Light conditions 84 | LEICA S3 Three full-frame cameras in Leica’s catalogue have already eclipsed the Leica S (Typ 007) in terms of image resolution. Now the medium-format camera has reclaimed its crown as Leica’s flagship model

P H OTO 104 | EXHIBITIONS Scott Brennan: Church in the Mexican village of La Ticla

88 | SPECIAL EDITIONS Two new lenses for the “Safari” edition, two special editions of the Leica M10-P, and the first design variant of the M10 Monochrom – it has been a busy few months in Wetzlar

Stephen Shore 6 | T R A N S PA R E N C I E S

In search of the aesthetics of daily life, Shore sharpens his ability to capture details that are often overlooked. A journey through the USA in the seventies

Michel Vanden Eeckhoudt 22 | OF ANIMALS AND PEOPLE

Striking images capturing relationships between people and animals, where a sense of humour and of melancholy walk hand in hand The Leica S3: medium-format photography with the usability of a full-frame DSLR

Gaël Turine

Photography’s Last Century, New York; Erwin Wurm, Paris; Vivian Maier, Amsterdam; Josef Koudelka, Wetzlar; and Paolo Roversi, Ravenna 106 | LEICA GALLERIES The program of Leica Galleries around the world, including Shinya Fujiwara in Kyoto and Lisette Model in Milan 108 | BOOKS New publications from Göran Gnaudschun, Sarah M. Lee, Arno Rafael Minkkinen, Peter Dammann and René Burri 1 1 0 | I N T E RV I E W Margot Klingsporn, founder of the Focus Agency, speaks about the change in quality awareness, and what photographers today need to do to make it ahead

32 | R OA D TO R E S I L I E N C E

A journey through Iran forty years after the revolution: daily life in a country where public spaces are severely regulated

Scott Brennan 4 8 | I N D I G E N O U S R E S I S TA N C E

Brennan documents the bitter fight confronting indigenous communities in Mexico, whose traditional culture is on the line

114 | MY PICTURE Mehmet Esen captured a delightful portrait at the vernissage of a Thomas Hoepker exhibition at the Leica Gallery Istanbul 114 | IMPRINT

Letizia Le Fur 6 2 | T H E W E A LT H O F C O N T I N E N T S

Using magical colour schemes, the French photographer tells of the existential fight for survival of an individual in a seemingly hostile world

COVER: Stephen Shore, from Transparencies. Small Camera Works 1971–1979

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EDITORIAL

KEEPING IT GREEN LFI IS NOW CARBON NEUTRAL

The optimal media printer in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania

Excellent news from behind the LFI production scene: starting with this issue, the printing of the magazine has become carbon neutral. This means that, in collaboration with the company ClimatePartner, all the aspects of production where CO2 emissions are unavoidable will be balanced out through our support of local climate change protection projects. As LFI is printed in the German State of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, it makes sense to support an initiative in that area. Consequently, we have chosen the Bergwaldprojekt e. V. forest project, whose experts and volunteers work in aid of nature in Rostock and surroundings, to ensure the survival of rare species. With a carbon neutral LFI we are not only nurturing regional commitment, but are also making a small contribution towards efforts countering the larger climate change issue. You can find further information about projects at: www.climatepartner.de

CONTRIBUTORS

Nowadays, Shore is counted among the most distinguished representatives of New Color Photography; but back in the 70s, his pictures were mostly criticised and even ridiculed, because colour was not considered worthy of serious photography. With the passage of time, however, his imagery has gained all the more significance. A surprising complement to his predominantly large-format pictures are his Leica photographs, to which Shore has now dedicated a complete photo book. 4 |

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LETIZIA LE FUR Even though her first professional contact with the world of photography came through a work experience at the Magnum Photos agency, Le Fur never felt drawn to documentary photography: “Maybe it was because I was so used to ugliness and poverty…” Even so, she spent years trying to transform ugliness into beauty. Nowadays, however, it would seem as though the photographer travels to beautiful locations, but can not avoid discovering the disruptive or the bizarre once she is there.

S C OT T B R E N N A N

Photography means understanding. This is particularly true of Scott Brennan’s pictures: his portfolio reveals how indigenous peoples are fighting for the survival of their existence and their traditions. His work goes beyond a simple visual presentation – it is informative, it uncovers grievances, and it stands in support of those affected. There is a very good reason why he refers to his friend, the human rights activist and photographer Heriberto Paredes, as an inspiring example.

Photos: © Stephen Shore, © Richard Pak, © Cesar Ortiz

STEPHEN SHORE

Repeat Winner of the TIPA Award – 2013/2017

‘ Best Photo Lab Worldwide ’

Awarded by the Editors of 29 International Photography Magazines

Transform treasured memories into memorable wall art. Mounted under acrylic, framed, or as large-format photo prints. Made in Germany by people who love photography. We are the proud recipients of over 100 awards and recommendations Simply upload your photo and create custom works of art – even from your smartphone.

T R A N S PA R E N C I E S LEICA M

Stephen Shore

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He is considered one of the most renowned US photographers. As a representative of New Color Photography – a movement started in the seventies, capturing everyday life and the American landscape in large-format colour pictures – Shore’s work has a defining style. His latest book is dedicated exclusively to his Leica images. A real discovery.

A tan and brown cowboy boot with patterned stitching, enhanced by a splash of bright light, is the focal point of one of Shore’s pictures. The photographer has tipped the camera slightly, and in the narrow excerpt draws the eye of the viewer to two chrome stools set in an ordinary, somewhat shabby diner, where a customer has set his protectively booted foot between the two. It is in fact, a rather mundane motif, not particularly interesting from a photographic perspective were it not for the light and shadows that give structure to the image and transform the whole composition into an eye-catcher. Although laconic at a first glance, after longer observation the picture slowly takes on a more iconic and timeless quality. The bell-bottom trousers are the only thing establishing a sense for the time frame, placing the scene in the seventies. The cowboy boot however, can also be understood as an expression of a certain lifestyle; or could even be considered a synonym for the American way of life. What reason did the photographer have for capturing this particular image with his Leica? An explanation, which also underlines the photographer’s interest, only emerges when the picture is seen in combination with others. It is the camera’s subjective eye, the precise composition, that elevates and draws our attention to the objects, scenes and details of the image. Street corners, billboards, shop windows: middle-class America in the seventies, largely overlooked and made up of highways, small towns and landscapes that very specifically reflect the living environment of the United States five decades ago. At the time, the general public and, in particular, museum curators were irritated by such banal and commonplace imagery. It was not self-evident for the photographer either: until he turned twenty-three years old, Stephen Shore had only ever been aware of an area covering a few square kilometres of Manhattan. As the photographer admitted in an earlier interview,

travelling by car across the United States was something of a culture shock, a wakeup call that hit him hard. Soon his eye was being drawn to commonplace things as though he was seeing them for the first time. Shore’s Leica pictures, now being comprehensively published for the first time, do not simply deliver new variations of his already known 8x10 images. The change of format to 35mm slides from large-format negatives also changes habitual ways of seeing and perceiving. In her essay accompanying the photo book, Britt Salvesen, Curator at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), compares the two formats to the differences between the spoken and the written word. Shore described that his interest lies in producing photos that correspond to the way people speak in everyday life; rhythms of speech that stand in contrast to the formality of the written text. This includes various levels: picturing themes that formerly were not considered serious enough for artistic photography, and the deliberate use of what could appear to be snapshot photography. Yet this apparently quotidian imagery is enhanced by the photo techniques used, the presentation, print quality and, above all, the personal vision. It is precisely these superficial qualities (as already suggested in the title of Shore’s legendary series American Surfaces) that Shore considers offer the best format to speak about the world as it is, without imitating the conventions of amateur photography. Though they may appear simple and laconic, each photograph is preceded by a significant amount of thought and consideration. It is worth mentioning that Shore was a photographic perfectionist long before he adopted this way of seeing, having been given his first camera when he was just nine years old: providing him with →

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To underline the universality of his photographic interests, Shore forewent adding any captions to the motifs he captured during road trips he took through the western USA. Having grown up in New York City, the discovery of typical, small towns was an eye-opener for the photographer

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Using a Leica, Shore was significantly less conspicuous than with his 8x10 camera, allowing him to capture streets scenes and groups of people from up close without being noticed. His eye, however, remained fixed on patterns, surfaces and shapes

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Whether an interior or a street scene: thanks to Shoreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pictures, the perception of and deliberate emphasis on both unusual places and ordinary ones, turns them into a classic compendium of US living environments in the seventies that have long been considered visual classics

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The photographer tries to avoid time-specific insignia, but the types of cars, billboards, and the particular colours of the fashion and accessories worn by passers-by, point towards the seventies

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Colour, surfaces, space: during his road trips through western USA, Shore was particularly interested in the everyday. He pointed his camera preferably towards things otherwise overlooked. Each moment was valuable enough to give rise to a picture

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Shore found beauty in everyday things. Apparent banality and the indisputable brilliance of the photographs lead to a fascinating ambivalence of the motifs. Things that seemed alienating or even shocking at the time have long been acknowledged as great art

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LFI: How did you rediscover your Leica images? Stephen Shore: I shot them on Kodachrome. The only acceptable method of printing slides at the time was dye-transfer; but I preferred the subtlety of Type C prints, so I just never printed them. Then Quentin Bajac and I went through all my work to prepare for my MoMA retrospective in 2017, and decided to include some of them. I made inkjet prints from scans of the slides. And now you have the new book, Transparencies. What is the state of preservation of the slides like? They’re in excellent condition. Kodachrome is the most stable product Kodak ever produced. There are no changes in the colours. What was the relationship between the Leica and the 8x10 camera that you worked with at the time? For years, my primary camera was the 8x10. Using this was the focus

of my attention. There are a couple of groups of pictures in the book where the Leica was the only camera I was using: a trip to Europe and a project photographing in Fairfield County, Connecticut, for Geo Magazine (never published). What is the difference between 35mm photography and large format photography? Rather than talking about different motifs, it might be interesting to look at a picture that I might have taken in an 8x10. There’s an image of a rusted old mailbox. I could have taken it with an 8x10. There is nothing about the vantage point that demanded a handheld camera. The mailbox is, obviously, stationary. But the image would feel different as an 8x10. The emotional key of the image would change. Which equipment did you use to take all the images of the book? Mostly an M2 with a 35mm Summicron; but I also have an M3 with a 50mm Summicron. I got my M2 about 58 years ago! In her text referring to the images, the author Britt Salvesen wrote that she is “struck by their now-ness”. How do you see these images today? Some people think my pictures from the seventies are nostalgic; but this is simply the result of the passage of time. If a photographer is working in the moment, is attentively present, the resulting pictures can have a feeling of now-ness. What memories do you have of your travels in those days? In American Surfaces, I was photographing almost every meal I ate, every person I met, every waiter or waitress who served me, every bed I slept in, every toilet I peed in. But also, I was photographing streets I was driving through, buildings I would see. I mostly travelled alone, but not always. The biggest change in travelling around today is that the quality of food across the country has improved markedly. TEXT AND INTERVIEW: ULRICH RÜTER

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STEPHEN SHORE was born in New York City on October 8, 1947. Early successes: the first exhibition of a living photographer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1971; a Guggenheim Grant in 1975; and the participation in the New Topographics exhibition in Rochester. He is considered one of the most important representatives of New Color Photography, his series Uncommon Places and American Surfaces, established colour photography as an art medium. He has published over 30 photo books, has been exhibited and awarded on numerous occasions. STE PH E N S H ORE .N E T

STEPHEN SHORE

TRANSPARENCIES

SMALL CAMERA WORKS 1971–1979

STE PH E N S H ORE : TRAN S PARE NCIE S. S MALL C AME RA WORKS 1971–1979

192 pages, 136 images, 30 x 31 cm, MACK, with a text by Britt Salvesen; www.mackbooks.co.uk

plenty of time to go through his amateur learning curve. During the phase where he used both the 8x10 and the Leica 35mm side by side, he produced his own signature mix of formalism and everyday motifs. In comparing the two formats, the different perceptions are clearly in evidence and they are not solely the result of the Leica’s greater mobility. The 35mm picture is horizontal and flat, whereas the 8x10 picture can acquire greater depth. We also should not forget the considerably higher production costs of a large-format picture, which means that each single composition needed to be played through in the photographer’s imagination, before he then went on to press the release button. Without a doubt, this precise thoughtfulness also has significant impact on his 35mm photography.

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LEICA CLASSIC

Michel Vanden Eeckhoudt OF ANIMALS AND PEOPLE

Time and again, the photographer (1947â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2015) combined the everyday with both poetry and humour. His images are serene yet moving, distinguished by clear compositions and an unmistakable tone.

Idiosyncratic moments: captured in a German cafĂŠ, 1981 (top) and during a New York winter, 1982 (below). The series Doux-amer revolves around encounters between animals and humans: a hairless dog and its mistress, Belgium 1993 (right); three fish in Tokyo, 1996; a small dog inside a straw bag, Mauritius 1991 (previous page)

Time and again, manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best friend was the photographerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s subject of choice: a poodle named Daisy, France, 1996

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Dachshund at a French bistro, 1994 (top); a horse in the streets of Cairo, Egypt 1996 (below). Encounter at the zoo, from the series Duo, Switzerland 1991 (left page) and an unusual swing in Brussels, Belgium 2001, from the series Doux-amer (next page)

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Photos: © Michel Vanden Eeckhoudt/VU’

M I C H E L VA N D E N EECKHOUDT was born on August 3, 1947 in Ukkel near Brussels, the son of a biologist and a social worker. From 1980 to 1984 he taught photography at the École Régionale des BeauxArts in Lille. In addition to working for publications such as Libération, he was among the founding members of the VU’ agency in 1986. While his background was in classic, sociopolitically-themed reportages, he soon branched out to independent projects. His Leica and his passion for black-and-white film remained defining characteristics, though he was wellversed in all aspects of the medium’s digital evolution. The photographer’s work was widely exhibited and published in the form of twelve photo books. Michel Vanden Eeckhoudt passed away from cancer on March 28, 2015.

AG E NC EVU.CO M BO O KS : (selection) DOUX-AMER

(Delpire, Paris 2013); MICHEL VANDEN EECKHOUDT (Actes Sud, Arles 2007); D U O (Delpire, Paris 2004); C H I E N S

(Éditions Marval, Paris 1996)

Much has been written about the contradictions in our relationships with animals: we spoil and pamper the beloved pets in our homes, enjoy closeup encounters with exotic creatures confined in zoos, while other animals are killed to be served up as food without a second thought. The decision as to which species is to be loved, kept, tormented or consumed seems almost arbitrary. In photography, the portrayal of animals – be it for scientific reasons or out of a whimsical fascination – has always been a popular genre that is as unpredictable and multi-faceted as life itself. Animal pictures can range from artifice and cliché to vivid expressions of the harshness of the natural world. Perhaps the main reason why we see animals as compelling subjects of observation, as well as much-loved companions, is our belief that we can understand and communicate with the ones we encounter. All of these considerations were driving forces in the Belgian photographer’s work: time and again, he explored and questioned our view of animals; the ambivalence and complexity of this relationship is reflected in the title of his best-known book, Doux-amer (Bittersweet). Even though Vanden Eeckhoudt’s oeuvre encompasses a broad spectrum of genres, it was both the dissonance and the harmonious alliance between humans and animals that occupied a central role in his artistic pursuits. With a great talent for precise observation, he often captured animals in a manner that made them seem disconcertingly human – striking that perfect balance between surprise and amusement, usually paired with a good dose of melancholy. “Humour is an indispensable ingredient in most of my work,” he once explained. “I’m talking about quality humour, the kind that also contains an element of tragedy. That is the meaning of bittersweet.” The same signature approach was evident in his commercial assignments and sociopolitical series: whether he was capturing objects, people or fleeting moments, the photographer’s gaze always seemed both distanced and,

at the same time, full of empathy for those he portrayed. Yet it was his animal studies that truly brought his gifts to the fore. Ever since he was a teenager, Vanden Eeckhoudt was deeply moved by animals held in captivity. This went on to become a core theme in his independent work – particularly from the late 1970s onwards, when he began to take his own children for days out at the zoo. “Once I had a young family, I felt that I could no longer travel abroad for extensive reportages,” he recounted in an interview. “On Saturdays, I would take my children to the zoo. It was my respite from a week of working for the press. At that point I had founded an agency centred around workers’ struggles and immigration – fairly tough topics. Robert Delpire encouraged me to turn my attention to animals, and to this day, the first thing I do when arriving in a new city is go to the zoo.” A glum-looking puppy peeking out of a shopping bag, an exuberant poodle on an empty country road, a dachshund at its master’s bistro table – or the strangely homogenous appearance of a hairless dog and its mistress, who holds her darling in a loving embrace: just like in our selection, interactions between humans and their four-legged companions are the most recurring theme in Vanden Eeckhoudt’s oeuvre. However, the black-and-white images he captured with his Leica were not merely humorous shots of people with their pets, but sophisticated existential studies whose earnest nature was skilfully packaged within a seemingly light-hearted scene. The resulting images are compelling, moving, and often mysterious. “I like pictures that pose questions and get the viewer thinking. This is why I keep my captions to a minimum. I like a degree of ambiguity. Humour and pain, lightness and unease: these are the facets that are always present in my work. It’s how life is.” ULRICH RÜTER

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Gaël Turine R OA D TO R E S I L I E N C E

Forty years after the Islamic Revolution, Gaël Turine spent three weeks travelling across Iran on assignment for the Arte TV station. Covered by a tourist visa, his road trip took him along paths through a divided society – from Kurdistan in the north to the Persian Gulf in the south.

A young woman meditates at the grave of the martyr Mohammad Memarian, in Golzar-e-Shohada cemetery

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Above: With the help of questionnaires and games, a religious man in a tent in the holy city of Qom explains the advantages of the rules set down by the religious regime. Very top: a balloon seller in the streets of Sanandaj, the capital of the province of Kurdistan. Since the US once again imposed sanctions, unemployment in Iran has sky-rocketed. Many people cope by selling on the street. Right: In Yazd Province, a vendor, who cannot afford the rent for a shop space, offers his wares on the side of a four-lane motorway

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ST R E E T V E N D O R S H AV E F LO U R I S H E D SIN C E E CO N O M I C SA N C TION S W E R E ON CE AGA I N I M P O S E D O N I RA N .

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Pilgrims meet in the courtyard of the Fatimah Al-Masumeh Shrine in Qom, the second holiest city in Iran

Above: On the occasion of the Persian New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s celebration, Nowruz, hotels and restaurants in the city of Kermanshah decorate their tables with flowers, chocolate eggs and plastic fruits in front of the historic Taq-e Bostan site. Very top: In todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Iran, martyrs from the distant past as well as the present day are honoured. Their portraits are omnipresent in public places, such as seen here on a house wall in Shiraz. Right: on Kish Island, developed for tourists, Islamic regulations are dealt with in a somewhat more relaxed manner

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T H E CO N T RAST B E TW E E N D E E P R E L IGIOS ITY AND OPENNESS IS PARTICULARLY EVIDENT IN THE CO U N T RY â&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TO U RI ST D E STIN ATION S.

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In front of a cafĂŠ at the luxurious Kish seaside resort, both women and men play table football on the terrace

Above: Fishermen from Bangladesh who have left their country for economic reasons, work in Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan Province, in a workshop producing fishing nets. Many of them hope to make the long journey to Oman or the United Arab Emirates. Very top: In a meeting place of Dervish people in the village of Dulab, a believer is overcome by emotion in the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s room after a long prayer session. Right: Two men dressed in traditional clothing in Kurdistan Province take time for a photo session in the mountain landscape

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GA ËL T U R I N E ’S P I C T UR E S S H OW A S OCIE T Y AT A P O I N T O F D I V E R G E N C E B E TW E E N T RA DI T I O N A N D M O DE R N ITY.

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On the occasion of the New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s celebration, Nowruz, hundreds of Kurdish men and women perform traditional dances in the region of Sanandaj

During the traditional New Year’s celebration, a young man in the streets of Sanandaj swings a metal container full of glowing embers, wishing luck to passing cars and chasing away evil spirits

Turine is a freelance documentary photographer. His work is exhibited worldwide in galleries, museums and at festivals; his essays are published in the international press. The Belgian is a founding member of the MAPS Agency, and has presided over it since its establishment. He teaches photojournalism at the Université Libre de Bruxelles and runs documentary photography workshops in many countries.

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Photos: Gaël Turine / MAPS

GAËL TURINE

After holding a number of talks with a reportage team from the Arte TV station, I came to the conclusion that a road trip through the country would be the best way to uncover different aspects of Iranian society today, and so to capture something of a random cross-section of the country. Of course, as a foreign photographer my freedom would be limited, something that we took into consideration when we planned the route I was to take. To enable me to walk around and work freely, it was important that I not be recognised as a photojournalist. No one knew that I was actually pursuing a specific subject. In the end, I was able to work freely because I went in on a tourist visa, and I also behaved like a tourist. These photographies are the outcome of a clever balance between the assertion of my presence, behaving with discretion, seeing without observing, questioning without being persistent. In a country that is divided more than ever between those for and those against religion, I set out in the mountains in the province of Kurdistan and travelled all the way to Kish Island in the Persian Gulf. I journeyed through this enormous country with its breathtaking landscapes and wonderfully generous people for three full weeks. As I made my way south, there was one word that repeatedly came to the forefront of my mind: resilience. This capacity for resilience, to adapt to situations and overcome them with conviction and hope, is what, in my opinion, defines the country of Iran and its people. Many of the scenes I photographed reflect this resilience; because, considering the political, religious and economical contexts, there are many moments in everyday life when Iranians manage to rise above the government’s suppression and find their way back to a kind of levity – with ingenuity, personal experiences, poetry and joy.

Considering my three weeks and the many limitations imposed on a photographer, there were, of course, many parts of Iranian daily life that I was unable to experience. My work was not about delivering an exhaustive portrait of the situation in the country, nor did it aim to deal with the many important issues currently on the line within Iranian society. To do so, I would have needed to stay in the country much longer, and to have had official permission to work, which at the moment is virtually impossible. Even so, the manner in which I travelled and worked allowed me to illuminate certain decisive aspects of Iranian society today, and to decipher their often complex mechanisms and ways of functioning. The idea behind this road trip was to draw as close as possible to people’s daily lives, in rural areas and in cities, young and old, with their gestures and cultural habits, far from the difficulties imposed on them by the country’s regime. The dialectic of the Persian language plays a large role in this regard. In Iran there is always ‘another side to the story’, and the Iranians are very careful of the language they use, specially when dealing with sensitive matters, so as to avoid being accused of defamation. This dialectic is of great value, and allows those who master it a certain freedom in their dealings, thoughts and expressions, so that they are able to assert themselves in a society where social and public spaces are always monitored. Implying rather than saying, touching on rather than speaking about – the Persian vocabulary is rich and the nuances of the language are subtle, giving room for the refined dialectic. Thanks to my tour guide’s enormous knowledge about culture, history, politics, morals and customs, I was better able to understand socio-cultural, political and economical developments in Iran: Iranians suffer under the constraints and suppression of a regime that sees every form of change as a dangerous threat. Even so, the people resist and express their anger about

living in a country where prohibitions transform public spaces into places where everyone plays a role. Consequently, private spheres become the place where the Iranians are able to recover their high spirits and freedom. It is impossible of course to document the complexities of Iranian society in just a few weeks, but the sum of the moments experienced and scenes photographed are like a random sample taken from today’s Iran. Images that reveal the vitality with which the population battles against desperation. I do not fear that the pictures I took in Iran could be used as political instruments at this time. This would only happen if there was a breach of trust between the customer, the distributor and the author of the photographies. In this case, the first two roles are taken on by the Arte reportage team, whom I have known and have worked with for many years. The use of the images by those for or against the Iranian regime is another matter. This could happen above all because of distribution through the internet, but legal regulations allow me to react if necessary. This fear that some entity could use your work for its own purposes always emerges as soon as a photographer approaches any social theme in a journalistic, personal and at times critical manner. Much of my reportage work, whether on assignment or long-term, is affected by this. RECORDED BY DENISE KLINK

GAE LTU RIN E .COM, MAPS IMAGE S.COM ARTE .TV: Short clips can be seen on the Arte. tv website until July, 2022. Gaël Turine explains in detail some of the situations that led to the pictures taken. He believes these descriptions and commentaries complete the pictures, and in this case are particularly important for a deeper understanding – even if his comments are factual as much as personal. LF I-ON LIN E .DE /B LOG: ONE PHOTO — ONE STORY EQUIPMENT: Leica Q, Summilux 28 f/1.7 Asph

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Scott Brennan

INDIGENOUS

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The Mexico-based photographer, Scott Brennan, documents the apparently endless battle between David and Goliath: following indigenous communities in the southwest of Mecico as they fight for their tribal lands, for the survival of their collective identity and, ultimately, against the threat to their centuries-old culture.

The indigenous groups live in villages spread widely apart, but they have come together to defend their territories. There are many interested in getting hold of their land: in addition to its richness in minerals and wood, its untouched expanses attract both tourism industry and drug dealers

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Above: The inhabitants of Santa MarĂa Ostula protest to get a hearing on a coastal road that runs through their territory and joins two big cities together â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a strategically important location. Beside it: A visit to the family grave on the Day of the Dead â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a holiday the Mexican government has commercialised massively

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Indigenous cultural activities that once disappeared were first revived during the years of the independence movement. Previous page: Following the first invasions, autonomous security forces set up barricades to control who could come onto their lands

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Twice a year, the inhabitants of Santa MarĂa Ostula celebrate a centuries-old, theatre-like ritual with masked characters representing chaos and discontinuity. It plays an important role in the reconstruction of the collective identity

SCOTT BRENNAN Brennanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main interest lies in documenting indigenous groups in Latin America and their fight to defend their territories. He completed his studies in 2005 with a Masters in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography from the London College of Communications. So far he has worked for the New York Times, Time, and organisations like Amnesty International. He has been living in Mexico since 2010.

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South-western Mexico is defined by endless expanses of barely-developed landscapes: forests, hills and valleys stretch from the paradise beaches of the Pacific coast all the way to the mineral-rich mountains of the interior. Consequently, it’s hardly surprising that the area is equally appealing to criminals dealing drugs on an international scale, transnational mining companies and the tourism industry. Indigenous groups who reside there fully understand the value of their territories where they have lived in close harmony for centuries. As a result, a resistance movement has been building up in the region’s villages: facing an increasing lack of security and growing violence, they have found themselves forced to create autonomous security forces and to set up barricades in order to control individuals coming onto their lands. Since 2009, a network has developed where members with different historical backgrounds have embarked upon experiments with autonomous and independent governments, completely independent from the Mexican political party system. They all share a common goal: the defence of their homes and habitat. Over recent years, the US photographer Scott Brennan has come to know the area, its inhabitants and their needs very well. It was somewhat by chance that he stumbled across the local situation: while travelling through high forests in the Mexican State of Michoacán, he was stopped by masked, armed men at a street blockade. “They were hidden behind sandbags, burnt-out lorries and tipped-over cars,” the photographer remembers. “I was immediately terrified; but they were totally relaxed and soon let me pass through.” Later, a petrol station attendant informed him that indigenous people had established a militia to protect their ancestral territories and block illegal exploitation of their forests.

The photographer immediately understood the group’s uncompromising will to save the culture that has defined them over time. After building up a connection with the inhabitants by means of a radio station, he began documenting their fight and their daily lives in 2012 – initially at Cherán K’eri village, and a few years later expanding to include the localities of Santa María Ostula and San Lorenzo de Azqueltán as well. Though the three locations are geographically distant from one another, politics and philosophy bind them closely together. “An enormous area of Mexico is made up of indigenous territories,” Brennan explains. “Considering the numbers of different ethnicities, the country is very culturally diverse, with more than sixty spoken indigenous languages and unique cultural patterns.” The communities the photographer has worked with to date share a feeling of togetherness that he had never experienced before. This existential struggle – which the indigenous people have made their life’s work – finds strong expression in Brennan’s emotional black and white pictures. He allows enough space in the images so that the central motifs, ranging from suffering to pride, can speak for themselves and exist in parallel – while allowing the decisive spark of hope and confidence to shine through time and again. In contrast to the photography Mecca that is Manhattan, which lies just a stone’s throw away from Brennan’s place of birth on Long Island, Ostula and its allied villages at first proved to be much more challenging to photograph. It was not at all easy to be permitted access, because you can not just stroll into these sensitive communities aiming a camera and snapping pictures. Before he was allowed to photograph anything, he had to present and give explanations about his work in front of around one thousand local residents. “Luckily for me, they all agreed that I could take photographs,” the photographer remembers. He went on to document the community over a number of months and very quickly became aware

of how proud the indigenous people were of their history. He realised that photography was an excellent medium to convey this pride in an appropriate and dignified manner. While he was working, Brennan was conscious of the subtle danger simmering in the area: those interested in having access to the indigenous people’s lands come from every level of society; from small farmers all the way to members of organised crime gangs. Numerous confrontations are responsible for constant setbacks within the population. In Santa María Ostula alone, a community of around one thousand, more than forty land activists have disappeared or been murdered in a five year period. “It was relatively safe while I was photographing there; but the inhabitants had to go through hell to reach that state,” Brennan says. It is rather like a battle between David and Goliath, where nothing less than their own cultural identity is on the line. The fate of these people only rarely makes the news outside Mexico. One example was in the year 2015, when the hashtag #Ostula went viral because a ten year-old boy was accidentally killed by the Mexican military during a peaceful demonstration. The same year, the indigenous community celebrated its greatest successes to that point: the withdrawal of organised crime and a halt to all armed conflicts. However, the greed for the land remains. It is hard for Brennan to reckon how long this battle for freedom will carry on. But it is clear, that this story will not be forgotten as long as his pictures continue to be seen around the world. DANILO RÖSSGER

S COTTB RE N N AN PH OTO.COM LF I-ON LIN E .DE /B LOG: SLIDESHOW WITH FURTHER IMAGES OF SCOTT BRENNAN EQUIPMENT: Leica M2, Leica M6 and Leica M9 with Summicron-M 35 f/2 Asph and Summarit-M 50 f/2.4

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LEICA SL

Letizia Le Fur T H E W E A LT H O F C O N T I N E N T S

Dream-like landscapes and painterly compositions: Le Furâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work is imbued with poetic beauty. The artist has discovered that photography is the medium that best expresses her aesthetic vision.

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Craggy and sparse, mostly devoid of any people: the series was taken in the autumn of 2019 on the islands of Lanzarote and Corsica

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Le Fur included a male figure in her work for the first time: a mythological figure making its way through a post-apocalyptic world

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In post-production Le Fur tries to replicate the colours that she saw in her mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eye while taking the pictures. At times they are close; at times, very distant from reality

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When she was a small child, Letizia Le Fur used art to dream herself into alternative worlds that differed from the reality she found too abrasive and colourless. Growing up in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, where the aesthetic look surrounding her was made up of monotone apartment blocks and grey-in-grey, she consequently spent her youth escaping into the work of painters such as Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hammershøi and Richter. Immersing herself in their paintings was her way of surrounding herself with beauty, and it led to her ultimately studying Fine Arts. She quickly discovered however, that painting and drawing were not her calling. “I soon became aware that there was not much that I could contribute to the pantheon of painting,” Le Fur admits. When she encountered the artist-photographer Valérie Belin during her second year, she strengthened her decision to dedicate herself fully to photography. Since then, Le Fur has been working with photography for close to twenty years, first as an assistant to Beat Streuli, then on her own projects. Her personal as much as her commercial work are defined by very unique colour schemes – yes, you could even call it a colour discipline. Le Fur admits that she already has very precise colours in her mind’s eye when she takes a picture: “Sometimes they are quite close to reality, but sometimes they are very far from the real. My postproduction work focusses on reproducing those mental colours, without falling into a surreal or fantastical tone.” Each series lays an emphasis on a specific, chromatic harmony. Today, her colour pallette is predominantly made up of basic shades of pink, ochre and tender green. The title of the series La Richesse des Continents et la Providence des Hommes en Fuite (The Wealth of the Continents and the Providence of Men on the Run) refers to a quote from

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the novel The Sailor from Gibraltar by Marguerite Duras. The author has special meaning for Le Fur: “She writes in the way that I see. No one can describe feelings, emotions, sensuality and a sense of displacement better than she can. So, it was very natural to draw on her writing when I was looking for a title for this series.” Just like in the Duras novel, Le Fur’s theme focusses on running away and travel as a way to find the other: the series reveals a male figure in constant movement. The viewer does not know if he is running away or following something. Far from home, in a somewhat hostile environment, in the absence of any human presence, the protagonist could be reminiscent of Odysseus, who will stop at nothing to get home. Or maybe he is a survivor who has lost everything, caught in the almighty and unsettling grasp of nature. As an ambassador for Leica France, the photographer was one of the first in the world to try out the Leica SL2 and she photographed the whole project with it. The camera very soon became her ally, as she describes: “The pictures have an incredible finesse and offer a fantastic foundation for refining and improving the colours in post-production.” She admits that she has not worked with any other camera ever since. Le Fur is currently putting together a book with the pictures from the series, due to be published this coming autumn. At the same time, the delighted cinemagoer is looking for a gallery to collaborate with and where she can exhibit her work. In the future she hopes to be able to continue dividing her time between commissions and personal projects: “I like this balance, and I would like to do more and more artist residencies and long-term projects.” Nowadays, her work is no longer a form of escape: she has finally been able to choose her own reality and surroundings. Even so, photography remains both a source of fantasy and the possibility to give expression to her dreams. DENISE KLINK

LETIZIA LE FUR Born in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis in 1973, Le Fur studied Fine Arts in Tours from 1993 to 1998. She then worked as an assistant and soon began photographing for international clients herself. Her work is published regularly in magazines. In 2018, Le Fur won the Alpine x Leica photo competition, which gave her carte blanche to produce a project that was presented at the Leica Store and the Galerie Havas in Paris. LE TIZIALE F U R.COM LF I-ON LIN E .DE /B LOG: SLIDESHOW WITH FURTHER IMAGES OF LETIZIA LE FUR EQUIPMENT: Leica SL2 with Apo-Summicron-

SL 35 f/2 Asph and 75 f/2 Asph

F/ S TOP

– LEICA M10 MONOCHROM – LEICA S3 – LEICA SPECIAL EDITIONS –

71 PERCENT MORE RESOLUTION: THE LEICA S3 WITH 64-MEGAPIXEL S E N S O R A N D I M P R OV E D V IDE O C APAB I L I T Y

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B E T T E R W I T H B &W LEICA M10 MONOCHROM

After our initial introduction of the M10 Monochrom in our last issue, we set out to see what results the camera’s new, extremely high-resolution sensor yields out in the field.

Like the M10-P, the M10 Monochrom has been designed without the prominent red dot on the front. The camera is the first M model to feature a 41-megapixel sensor

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For those wishing to go against the mainstream with a camera whose appearance, handling and image results are different from any ‘ordinary’ model, the Leica M is already an excellent match. But if you take that train of thought to the next level, you inevitably arrive at the M10 Monochrom (or one of its predecessors): distinguished by a sensor that exclusively records shadow and light, the M Monochrom is the ultimate in unorthodoxy, and marks a return to the most fundamental roots of photography. No other manufacturer has had the fortitude to produce a dedicated monochrome camera, or even to attempt such a development – Leica, meanwhile, have now released their third black and white M variant. While its predecessors featured essentially the same sensors (minus the colour filter array) as the M9 and M240 on which they were based, the new M Monochrom is equipped with a specially developed sensor with an exceedingly high resolution of 41 megapixels. Despite its increased resolution, the new camera offers a greater dynamic range (encompassing 15 stops) and lower levels of image noise than its predecessor. After briefly testing the camera for our last issue, we have now been able to conduct a more extensive field test: David Rojkowski, LFI editor and experienced photographer, took the camera on a night-time sojourn through the city of Leipzig. As for his choice of lens, he took no half measures and opted for the Apo-Summicron-M 50 f/2 Asph.

SEEING THE LIGHT. David decided to make Available Light photography the core theme of his excursion. This comes as no surprise, seeing as the M10 Monochrom is renowned for its performance capacity in low light, and offers an incredible maximum sensitivity of ISO 100 000. Of course, a black and white rendition is also reminiscent of how the human eye sees an insufficiently lit scene, where it becomes difficult to differentiate every colour. So we naturally associate nighttime with monochrome hues, and are perhaps more prone to craving colour once the sun is up. Having said that, our photographer’s field test was by no means limited to nocturnal impressions – he also put the M10 Monochrom through its paces in the light of day. In fact, the new camera is better equipped for day-time shooting than its predecessor: while the previous monochrome model offered a base ISO of 320, the M10 Monochrom goes one stop lower, to ISO 160. Combined with the shortest shutter speed of 1/4000 seconds, this enables good results even in bright light – though, depending on the conditions, you may have to reduce the aperture by a few stops to achieve correct exposure. This rather stands in contrast to the legendary M lenses, which tend to perform to their full capacity even without stopping down, and offer significantly more creative possibilities when the aperture is wide open. After all, most of us are keen to evolve beyond homogenous-looking →

Photos: Leica Camera (3), David Rojkowski (5), Leica Akademie (1)

Ferris wheel in the dark, recorded at a shutter speed of 1/370s at aperture f/4.8 and ISO 6400

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Even at a sensitivity of ISO 100â&#x20AC;&#x2030;000, the effect of the image noise is not unpleasant, but resembles fairly subtle film grain. Captured at shutter speed 1/180s and aperture f/2.8

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All images on this double page and the previous page were taken with the Apo-Summicron 50 f/2 Asph. This page, clockwise from the left: 1/500s, f/2.8, ISO 6400; 1/750s, f/9.5, ISO 800; and 1/750s, f/9.5, ISO 800

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M10 Monochrom with Summilux-M 35 f/1.4 Asph at 1/180s, f/9.5 and ISO 1250

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images in which every element seems in focus. This is why a typical Monochrom equipment kit will probably continue to include ND filters, which reduce light intake by a few f-stops (although any ND filters used on the M10 Monochrom can now be one stop weaker). Daylight also marks the time for colour filters, which enable photographers to selectively influence how colours are rendered to greyscale. The arrival of the Monochrom actually sparked a revival of this near-forgotten practice – after all, standard digital cameras carry out greyscale conversions based on precise ratio-adjustments of each colour channel. EMBRACE T HE NIGHT.

Yet it was the nocturnal side of Leipzig that particularly captured David’s imagination. “As soon as I picked up the camera, my first impulse was to get creative with available light,” he explains. The M10 Monochrom certainly lends itself to this approach, not least because it covers a far greater sensitivity range than the previous model. Leica have stated that, in spite of its higher resolution, the new sensor delivers lower levels of noise than its predecessor. This is made possible by the improved sensor technology, whose continuing evolution is gradually defying the paradigm that ‘smaller pixels equal more noise’. In our initial article on the M10 Monochrom, we noted that any signs of noise seemed very subtle up to ISO 12 500, and were easy to

remove in post-processing. These findings were purely based on ‘pixel peeping’ – the practice of zooming in on a digital image to a sometimes exaggerated degree. While undoubtedly useful, these minute-level examinations can easily detract from the ‘bigger picture’: after all, you cannot make out individual pixels in a high-resolution photograph viewed at full size. This means that only a magnified

“ THE LEICA M10 MONOCHROM E M P H AS I S E S T H E ST RE N GTH S A N D W EAKN E SS E S OF EACH LENS – BE IT A STATE-O F-T HEA RT M O D E L O R A VINTAGE LENS.”

view of a small image section will actually show the existing noise. Considering the M10 Monochrom’s extremely high resolution, it is therefore good practice to always include full size previews in your image evaluation process. There are, of course, additional reasons why the Monochrom generates lower levels of noise than colour-capable digital cameras. For one, colour filters block out the equivalent of around one f-stop of light – resulting in a higher base ISO. Secondly, a dedicated greyscale camera

only produces luminance noise, whose effect is far less obtrusive than the chrominance noise of a colour camera. After taking a series of trial shots to determine the M10 Monochrom’s noise tendencies, David decided not to hold back when it came to choosing his ISO settings. He quickly found that our initial assessment of ISO 12 500 as the upper limit for problem-free recordings had been correct. In fact, he mostly worked with the relatively high setting of ISO 6400 – a choice that would not go unpunished on the standard M10 or, at the very least, would require some noise reduction in post-processing. The M10 Monochrom’s higher resolution not only serves as something of a natural noise suppressor, but also imbues any arising noise with an entirely different aesthetic quality. The image on page 78 was recorded with the sensitivity set to the maximum value of ISO 100 000. This is extremely unusual, as digital photographers are generally advised to stay

The body of the M10 Monochrom is almost entirely black and white – only the engravings on the lens offer a subtle hint of colour

at least one or two stops below their camera’s highest sensitivity setting. Of course, the M10 Monochrom’s maximum ISO still yields some visible image noise – but when the picture is viewed in its entirety, the effect is by no means unpleasant, but seems reminiscent of quite subtle film grain. “The noise doesn’t worry me in the slightest,” our colleague explained. “In this case it was a question of capturing the image at maximum ISO, or not at all. I used to work with black and white films with much lower sensitivities – so I’m more than happy to accept some low-level noise if it means that I can take pictures in any situation.” It is worth remembering that, if a scene is too dark to capture with ISO 100 000 and a reasonably fast lens, it is also too dark for the photographer to distinguish details, let alone achieve a decent focus. → LFI

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LI M ITLE SS DE TAIL . By combining the M10 Monochrom with the Apo-Summicron-M 50 f/2 Asph, David conducted his field test with possibly the most high-performing lens ever made. And rightly so, seeing as the aim was to push the camera to its maximum capacity. The detail rendition in the resulting images speaks for itself, and would have allowed for much larger-sized prints despite the high sensitivity settings. These test shots clearly illustrate that the M10 Monochrom delivers the most outstanding rendition of details out of all M models. Of course, the Apo-Summicron undoubtedly contributed to the exceptional image quality.

However, our photographer also tried out a variety of other lenses: “The camera highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each lens,” he later recounted. “This is not limited to state-of-theart models – it also emphasises the distinctive aesthetics of older lenses.” The M10 Monochrom also offers a significantly higher dynamic range than its colour-capable counterpart. This allows for extremely high contrast ratios, especially at night. With its dynamic range of 15 stops, the M10 Monochrom’s ability to differ entiate between light and dark tones is arguably unparalleled among 35 mm cameras, and yields performance reserves that

“America’s Premier Leica Specialist”

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prove immensely useful when shooting in challenging light. Consequently, the images featured here required very little editing. Though David subtly finetuned the highlights and shadows in Lightroom, he deliberately kept his adjustments to a minimum – and there genuinely was no need for any major post-processing corrections. The increased and more natural-looking sharpness was also clearly noticeable in every image. T R I E D A ND T E ST E D.

When asked if any aspect of the M10 Monochrom had proved less than ideal in practical application, our colleague only listed two points: “Now that

I know the camera’s highest ISO settings can actually be utilised, it seems a shame that they are not positioned directly on the control dial, but have to be found in the menu. To that end, I would have happily done without a display altogether – I would basically have loved an M10-D Monochrom.” As intriguing as the thought of a display-less Monochrom may be, for many photographers it might well prove too much of a stretch. In any case, the M10 Monochrom is already stiff competition for the colourcapable M10: trading a world of colours for visions in black and white has never been more appealing. HOLGER SPARR

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Leitz have therefore dropped the construction of true telephoto lenses with the development of long-distance lenses of longer focal lengths, such as 400 mm and 560 mm. Notwithstanding their long design these lenses offer decisive advantages which we shall now examine in detail. One of this advantages is without doubt the handiness and the functional arrangement of the controls of the Televit rapid focusing device. A further step forward has now been taken with the introduction of the 400mm f/6.8 Telyt. Whereas the Televit is part of a system that comprises three different lens units of 280, 400, and 560 mm focal length, the new 400 mm f/6.8 lens constitutes an integral unit. This has made a completely new concept of focusing possible, which surpasses everything that has been achieved in this field so far. The lens is used like a rifle. It includes a shoulder stock adjustable in length according to anatomical requirements. It is pressed against the right shoulder. The right hand actuates the shutter release and rapid wind of the camera. The left hand grips the lens from below, supporting its front third. With this method of handling the lens rests on the ball of the thumb with a kind of supporting bar. Thumb and finger grip the lens proper. The thumb thereby automatically comes to lie on the clamping lever button.

O RD ER N OW:

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R E C L A I M I N G T H E C R OW N LEICA S3

With a new image sensor offering an impressive 64-megapixel resolution and significantly improved video capability, the S3 is reclaiming the crown as Leica’s top camera model.

It has often been said that you cannot rush perfection. This sentiment undoubtedly contributed to the delay in the S3’s release date – after all, in the field of medium format photography, perfection really is everything. On the other hand, the time was ripe for Leica to take action: the S (Typ 007) may only have been on the market for five years – an almost negligible age for a medium format camera; however, in that time Leica’s other systems overtook the flagship model with their exceptional sensor resolution. While the previous S (Typ 007) recorded images at 37.5 million pixels, the new Leica S3 is equipped with a 64-megapixel sensor – which offers not just a significantly higher resolution, but also reduced noise, a higher maximum ISO, 84 |

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and greatly improved video capabilities. Remarkably, the S3 accommodates all of these improvements in a virtually unaltered camera body with the exact same operating concept as its predecessor. If the S system was aimed at amateur photographers, this might be interpreted as a lack of progress and Leica would have ensured that the evolutionary leap is also reflected in the camera’s exterior. Professional photographers, by contrast, tend to value the benefits of continuity, combined with the best possible image results. N EW S EN S OR. The Leica

S (Typ 007) already featured a video-capable CMOS sensor, whose 37.5-megapixel resolution (the same as that of the original S2) is still more than respectable.

However, especially more recently, there has been a meteoric rise in sensor resolution across the camera industry. In Leica’s case, this has taken the form of the SL2 and M10 Monochrom with their respective 47 and 41-megapixel sensors. This fact alone would not necessarily have required Leica to take action – especially as the difference, in real terms, is still relatively minor. However, the S3’s 64-megapixel sensor offers all of the benefits of stateof-the-art technology. As a result, the S3 produces lower levels of image noise, despite the 71-percent boost in resolution. This is reflected in the camera’s new ISO ceiling of 50 000, which is two stops higher than that of the predecessor model. Leica also promise a dynamic range of 15 stops – suggest-

ing an exceptionally broad exposure latitude. The sensor’s high sensitivity proves especially useful when it comes to handheld shooting: even without a tripod, the photographer is now able to use slower shutter speeds, or stop down for compositional purposes, without the instant risk of camera shake. This emphasises one of the core strengths of the S system, which is to combine the image quality of the medium format with the handleability and ergonomics of a full-frame camera. →

With its new, ultra-high-performance sensor, the Leica S3 delivers a vastly improved image quality in a virtually identical exterior. In the professional world of the S system, continuity is considered a valuable asset

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M OTI ON CAPT UR E . The

S3’s ability to record moving images is another vital advantage. The Leica S (Typ 007) was the world’s first medium format camera equipped with a video-capable CMOS sensor. The camera used the full width of its sensor to record HD videos, but only a cropped section for the more contemporary 4K format. The Leica S3, by contrast, captures Cine 4K video across the entire sensor area – producing highresolution films that are imbued with the aesthetics of the medium format. These appear to be in high demand: Leica’s sister company, Ernst Leitz Wetzlar (formerly CW Sonderoptik) caused a stir among cin-

ematographers with its ‘Thalia’ lens range, which essentially comprises cinematic versions of the lenses of the Leica S system – the only difference being that their PL, LPL and XPL lens mounts make them compatible with professional cine cameras. Of course, the S3 is primarily a tool for still photography and cannot take the place of a high-end movie camera. However, in carefully managed ambient conditions, it can deliver films characterised by a distinctive aesthetic and cinema-level quality. LIVE VIEW. Naturally the

S3’s CMOS sensor also facilitates Live View which, in sufficient light, is displayed at a frame rate of up to 60

fps. This allows for precise image evaluation, especially as the camera also supports Tethered Shooting with the aid of a plug-in for Adobe Lightroom – an extremely important feature for many of those working with the Leica S system. But there is also much to be said for using the optical mirror reflex viewfinder, a component that seems almost antiquated these days. Most manufacturers increasingly turn their backs on the elaborate, space-consuming mirror mechanism in favour of mirrorless systems – including Leica, with their full-frame SL. However, an approach that works perfectly well in the 35mm format can be somewhat problematic in a larger

format. This is because an electronic viewfinder requires a sensor that operates on a continual basis – which not only uses up energy, but also causes the sensor to heat up. The impact of this is far more noticeable in the medium format than with smaller sensors. The raised temperature leads to increased image noise and a decreased dynamic range – resulting in a lower-quality image. Photographers who are keen to tease out every last ounce of quality will therefore forfeit Live View in favour of the mirror reflex finder. The optical viewfinder offers yet another advantage: the blackout time between two exposures is minimal, and the camera

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immediately regains its readiness to shoot – a convenience many medium format cameras without optical finder are unable to provide. Camera lag can be frustrating: this makes the S3’s fast and fluid operation – which is on par with the almost seamless performance of full-frame systems – all the more welcome. CONCLUSION. Not everyone would have wagered that Leica were going to expand the S system with the S3; some might have expected the medium format system to be made redundant by the slightly smaller and faster Leica SL. However, the S system has a faithful following, and has been a substantial contri-

butor to the company’s revenue. Its target market consists of professionals whose working tools are a longterm investment – and who will welcome the fact that both camera body and operation have remained practically unchanged. With its 30 x 45mm sensor, ergonomics that equal those of a full-frame SLR, and its truly superb lens portfolio, the S system embodies a concept that continues to be extremely attractive. The larger sensor facilitates a wider scope of creative possibilities, without the instant need for enormous amounts of light that is normally associated with even larger recording formats. Most lenses of the S system are available with a central

The new sensor’s 64-megapixel resolution facilitates higher light sensitivity and significantly increased image quality

shutter, allowing for higher flash sync speeds, while the camera’s focal plane shutter is ideal for shooting in natural light. In essence, the Leica S3 represents a welcome upgrade of the S system. Its new sensor offers across-the-board improvements over the previous model, without any drawbacks. From a technical point of view, there is no reason to favour the previous Leica S over the S3 – though economically, the new camera is undoubtedly a major leap. However, for those in search of uncompromising image quality, it is a more than worthwhile investment: as of now, the Leica S3 is the uncontested top model among all Leica cameras. HOLGER SPARR

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MARKS OF DISTINCTION LEICA SPECIAL EDITIONS

New lenses in the “Safari” line, two M10-P special editions in grey and white, and the first design variant of the M10 Monochrom: the past few months in Wetzlar have been a busy time.

In the year 1869, Ernst Leitz I (1843–1920) founded the company that would eventually become Leica Camera AG. Five years prior, Leitz had joined the successor company of the Optical Institute (founded by Carl Kellner in 1849), before taking over its management and rebranding it with the Leitz name in 1869. Kellner had originally specialised in the construction of telescopes, but by the time Ernst Leitz joined the business, production had primarily shifted to microscopes – which would make the small factory in Wetzlar world-famous over the three decades that followed. In November 2019 Leica marked the company’s 150th founding anniversary with the introduction of the M Monochrom (Typ 246) “Leitz Wetzlar”. The camera 88 |

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is distinguished from the serial model by the traditional, white-inlaid “Leitz Wetzlar” engraving on the top plate. As of April, the new M10 Monochrom with 41-megapixel sensor (see page 84) will also be available in a “Leitz Wetzlar” edition, limited to 650 units. Another new addition is the Summilux-M 35 f/1.4 Asph “Leitz Wetzlar”: along with the colour scheme of its engravings, which are inlaid in grey and white, the “Leitz Wetzlar” script on the front of the lens represents a distinguishing feature. This script was customary up until the 1990s (though lenses manufactured at the Canadian production plant in Midland, Ontario, were engraved with either “Leitz Canada” or “Leitz Lens Made in Canada”). The Summilux-M 35 f/1.4 Asph

“Leitz Wetzlar” is limited to 500 pieces worldwide. Leica’s recent releases also include a design variant of the Apo-SummicronM 75 f/2 Asph – one of the most high-performing lenses for the Leica M. While the model was previously only available in a black finish, a silver-anodised version has now been added to the product catalogue. In contrast to its black-finish counterpart, the feet markings and focal length engravings on the new variant are inlaid in red, while all other engravings feature black inlays.

green “Safari” finish, achieved with a specialist enamel paint that has a long-standing tradition at Leica. The first Leica cameras to be treated with this hard-wearing finish were specifically designed for military use. However, it was not long before they became renowned as reliable, robust tools for extreme conditions. What started in the year 1960 with the Leica M1 “Olive” for the German Armed Forces, became a success story that continues to this day. →

SA FA R I LO O K. Leica also

introduced two new lens variants for the M System: the Summicron-M 28 f/2 Asph and the Apo-Summicron-M 90 f/2 Asph are distinguished by an olive

The traditional script is the only feature that distinguishes the M10 Monochrom “Leitz Wetzlar” from the serial model; the engravings on the Summilux-M 35 f/1.4 Asph “Leitz Wetzlar” are inlaid in grey and white

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The ageing process of a vintage divers watch inspired the design of the Leica M10-P “Ghost Edition” for Hodinkee

The Leica M3 and M4 in olive green were still manufactured exclusively for the military. In 1977, however, Leica responded to the growing demand among private customers by debuting a retail version – the Leica R3 “Safari”. This was eventually followed by the M6 TTL “Safari” of 2000, the M8.2 “Safari” of 2008, the M-P (Typ 240) of 2015 and, most recently, the M10-P Edition “Safari” of 2019. Both “Safari” edition lenses feature red-inlaid feet markings on the distance scale and red focal length markings, while all other engravings are inlaid in white – creating a pleasing juxtaposition with the olive green lens body. Aside from the Leica Summicron-M 50 f/2 (see LFI 2/2019, page 90), the Summicron-M 28 f/2 Asph and the Apo-Summicron-M 90 f/2 Asph are currently the only M lenses available in an olive green finish, which perfectly matches the Leica M10-P Edition “Safari”. Both lenses are out now. The Summicron-M 28 f/2 Asph “Safari” is produced in a limited edition of 500, while the Apo-Summicron-M 90 f/2 Asph Edition “Safari” is limited to 250 units worldwide.

gives the Leica M10-P “White” a striking aesthetic that almost makes it seem like a different camera. It is complemented by a specially designed Leica Summilux-M 50 f/1.4 Asph and matching accessories, culminating in a perfectly coordinated set. In contrast to the serial model, the classic red Leica dot has been added to the front of the camera. The top and base plates feature a white lacquer finish, while the trim is made of whitetanned cowhide leather. All control dials and buttons are silver chrome with white inlays. Even the camera’s viewfinder frames are displayed in white. The Leica Summilux-M 50 f/1.4 Asph combines a silver chrome

WITH ITS ALMOST ALL-WHITE EXTERIOR, THE LEICA M10-P “WHITE” REPRESENTS AN E N T I R E LY N E W I N T E R P R E TAT I O N OF T HE RA N G EF IN DER C A M ERA’S ICON IC DE S IGN .

THE M10-P “WHITE”.

There is a captivating beauty to a Leica M camera with an all-white exterior – as the M10-P “White” illustrates

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At the end of 2019, Leica presented another two special editions of the M10-P that we have not, as yet, had a chance to introduce on these pages: the M10-P “White” and the M10-P “Ghost”. The Leica M10-P “White” is a modern take on the iconic design of Leica’s rangefinder camera. Its nearly all-white exterior

lens body with white-inlaid engravings. A white lens quiver and matching carrier strap complete the stunning ensemble, which is limited to 350 sets worldwide. T H E M 1 0 - P “G H OST ” .

There is a strong connection between Leica’s philosophy of creating primarily handcrafted, technologically

and functionally superior products, and the expert manner in which the online and print magazine Hodinkee approaches the subject of mechanical watches and other luxury goods (the publication’s name is based on the Czech and Slovakian term “hodinky”, meaning “wristwatch”). “The Leica M10-P “Ghost” Edition for Hodinkee is the result of a decades-long fascination with how timeless objects age, and almost evolve with time,” says Hodinkee’s founder and CEO, Benjamin Clymer. The specially designed Leica M10-P is characterised by cinerial hues: the top and base plates are lacquered in a warm, matte grey finish,

which is echoed by the concrete tone of the cowhide leather trim. The control buttons and dials combine a silver chrome finish with white-inlaid engravings. The camera is accompanied by a Summilux-M 35 f/1.4 Asph in a matching, matte grey finish, featuring white engravings and a grey-inlaid feet scale. A grey carrier strap completes the set, whose design echoes the character of the vintage diving watch Hodinkee’s CEO, Benjamin Clymer, acquired at the beginning of his career: through time, sun and exposure, its once deeply black dial had faded to grey – imbuing the time piece with what is known as a ‘ghosted’ aesthetic.

Pictured left is the Apo-Summicron-M 75 f/2 in a silver finish. The “Safari” variants of the Apo-Summicron-M 90 f/2 and the Summicron-M 28 f/2 bring the number of “Safari” lenses up to three

Only 250 units of the Leica M10-P “Ghost Edition” for Hodinkee will be available worldwide. All cameras and lenses introduced in this article feature the same technical specifications as their serially produced counterparts. BERND LUXA

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I N S P I RAT I O N L EICA A KAD E M I E IN THEIR REFRESHING NEW BOOK, HEIDI AND ROBERT MERTENS C O M B I N E E N T E RTA I N I N G M U S I N G S O N E I G H T TO P I C S W I T H EXTRAORDINARY IMAGES BY RENOWNED PHOTOGRAPHERS OF T H E GLO BA L LE I CA AKADE MI E S.

Top: Carlo Carletti (Leica Akademie Italy) from All the City’s a Stage Right: Panagiotis Katsos (Leica Akademie Greece) from What’s the Dog Doing in the Picture?

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Nick Rains (Leica Akademie Australia) from From Great Heights

Left column, from the top: Mathias Heng (Leica Akademie Singapore), Norbert Rosing (Leica Akademie Germany), Heidi Mertens, Manuel ThomĂŠ (Leica Akademie Germany) Right column, from the top: Rui Peres (Leica Akademie Portugal), Craig Semetko (Leica Akademie), Jesse Marlow (Leica Akademie Australia), Kirill Simakov (Leica Akademie Russia)

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Nicholas Pinto (Leica Akademie USA) from Another Kind of Reality

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Top: Qin Sibo (Leica Akademie China) from Creative Combinations Left: Kirill Simakov (Leica Akademie Russia) from Early Morning â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Late Evening

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Clockwise from the top: Kostas Koroneos (Leica Akademie Greece), Pavlos Kozalidis (Leica Akademie Greece), Franรงois Rousseau (Leica Akademie France), Maurizio Beucci (Leica Akademie Greece), Oliver Richter (Leica Akademie Germany). Left page: Darren Centofanti (Leica Akademie Australia) from Sources of Inspiration

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Heidi and Robert Mertens have just released their new book, Inspiration Leica Akademie – created in collaboration with the Global Leica Akademie. While it could be categorised as a handbook or photographer’s guide, we take our cue from the title and commend the volume as a wonderful source of inspiration. What sets this publication apart is the way in which the authors have approached their theme. Instead of sermonising about the manifold facets of photography, they spark the reader’s enthusiasm through their own passion. A relatively small amount of text is used to address an abundance of topics – making for an engaging, illuminating and stimulating read. Inspiration Leica Akademie lends itself to browsing, but can equally be studied cover to cover. You might use it to look up a specific topic, or search for inspiration for your next creative pursuit. Heidi and Robert Mertens, both instructors at the Leica Akademie, have worked on this volume for nearly two years. Throughout their careers they have built up a treasure-trove of experience in the fields of photography, graphic design, writing and creativity, which they pass on in the form of workshops and books. Inspiration Leica Akademie opens with a quote by one of the founders of Magnum Photos, Henri CartierBresson: “One eye of the photographer looks through the viewfinder, wide open. The other, the one that is closed, looks into his soul.” This motif runs through the entire volume like a binding thread: Heidi and Robert Mertens clear of technical descriptions and compositional advice; instead, they focus on awakening their readers’ individual gifts, abilities and motivation, encouraging them to train and foster their own way of seeing. “The nature of our perception is a deciding contributor to the quality of the images we create,” Heidi and Robert Mertens explain. “What do we choose to

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capture, why have we chosen it, and why do we photograph at all?” The book’s topics are addressed in 80 short essays, divided into eight categories – Perception, Personality, Creativity, Ideas, Composition, Light, Techniques and Concepts. Their concise nature makes the texts seem like unobtrusive instructions, especially as they are complemented by remarkable visual examples, as well as personal notes by the respective photographers. As members of the Global Leica Akademie network, the authors had access to an exceptional abundance of images created by outstanding photographers from every continent. The list of more than 70 featured artists include famous names such as Fulvio Bugani, Mathias Heng, Akira Kasai, Jesse Marlow, Julien Mignot, Herbert Piel, Craig Semetko and Vineet Vohra. Each represented photographer is a tutor at one of the world’s 16 Leica Akademie locations, all of which were involved in this project. “Our collaboration with the international academies and photographers was marked by a palpable sense of enthusiasm, mutual support and high-quality work. It was a fantastic experience,” the authors recount. “Together we were able to create something that had been no more than an idea two years previously: a book that accompanies the reader on a journey around the globe, visiting an array of different creative impulses, genres and approaches to photography.” This unique, global network allowed Heidi and Robert Mertens to enhance their conceptual ideas with the perspectives of a range of different photographers – which exponentially increased the creative impulses they were able to deliver. The diversity and quality of the selected images is among this publication’s many strengths, and is sure to delight anyone with a passion for photography. Inspiration Leica Akademie was published on March 20, 2020. An accompanying exhibition featuring 36 excerpts from the publication is on display at Leitz-Park Wetzlar until the end of April 2020. DAVID ROJKOWSKI

IN S PIRATION LE IC A AKADE MIE

By Heidi and Robert Mertens; coffeetable format 24 × 28 cm; bi-lingual edition in English and German. 343 pages, bound, in colour. Rheinwerk Fotografie, Bonn 2020.

LEICA CL “EDITION PAUL SMITH” Creativity knows no limits. The classic black Leica CL has been given a design makeover by Paul Smith’s team and now appears in a vibrantly colorful look. With its rich accent colors and unique styling elements, the eye-catching special edition limited to 900 examples is a must-have for connoisseurs who appreciate the bold and sublime. Find more inspiration at cl.leica-camera.com

Watch the video

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 – AWA R D S –

E RW I N W U R M

Photos: © Josef Koudelka/Magnum Photos; © Erwin Wurm; © Paolo Roversi (left for Vogue Italia, right for the Dior Images: Paolo Roversi book and Vogue Australia; © Estate of Vivian Maier, courtesy Maloof Collection and Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Promised Gift of Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee, in celebration of the Museum’s 150th Anniversary, © Andrea Frank FoundationImage, © The Metropolitan Museum of Art, photo by Eugenia Burnett Tinsley and Juan Trujillo

M E P, PA R I S

J O S E F KO U D E L K A E R N ST L E I TZ M U S E U M , W E TZ L A R

Escape, exile, a life in transit: In 1970, Czech photographer Josef Koudelka left his Communist home country as a political refugee. This marked the beginning of an uprooted existence that has profoundly shaped his work ever since. “I found myself outside Czechoslovakia, and decided to do what I had been unable to do whilst living there: see the world,” he once explained. For two decades Koudelka had neither a fixed abode, nor any possessions aside from a few clothes and his camera. He travelled across Europe, capturing places, people and their everyday lives in countries such as Italy, Spain, Portugal and Ireland. The photographs echo his experience as a perpetual traveller – expressing the continuous conflict between transience and timelessness, life and death. At the same time, his powerful, black and white images palpably emanate the innate loneliness and vulnerability of the human condition. Ethnic and social minorities that are at risk of displacement or extinction have always particularly captured the photographer’s attention. By portraying the lives of marginalised groups, he also investigated the nature of his own, stateless existence. Comprised of 68 photographs, the showcase Koudelka – Exiles and Panoramas 1968–2012 explores the artist’s oeuvre by contrasting his Exiles series with environmental panoramas taken from the mid-eighties onwards. With the latter, Koudelka embraces an entirely new visual approach. Despite appearing devoid of people, his expansive landscapes are a mesmerising record of humanity’s impact on the natural world. March 5 — August 23, 2020, Photo: Josef Koudelka, Parc de Sceaux, France, 1987

“Humour is a weapon.” With playful irony, the Austrian artist orchestrates spontaneous sculptures and elevates everyday objects to temporal works of art. These are recorded in photographic form – both as a means of documentation and artworks. Around 200 of his images can now be viewed in the exhibition Photographs. March 4 — June 7, 2020 Photo: Erwin Wurm, Eames (Design Objects and Items), 2005

VIVIAN MAIER FOA M , A M ST E R DA M

The former nanny, whose photographs became a sensational posthumous discovery, is famous for her black and white images. Works in Color focuses on a lesser-known facet of her oeuvre: some 60 images, taken with a Leica from 1956 to 1986, capture life in the streets of Chicago. April 10 — June 28, 2020; Photo: Vivian Maier, location unknown, 1956

PAO L O R OV E R S I M U S E O D ’A R T E , R AV E N N A

He has photographed for Dior, Comme des Garçons and Vogue Italia, and created the 2020 edition of the famous Pirelli Calendar: Studio Luce surveys Roversi’s illustrious career, from his earliest fashion shots and portraits of artists such as Robert Frank, Anton Corbijn and Peter Lindbergh, all the way to his most recent editorials. April 5 — July 5, 2020 Photo: Paolo Roversi, Naomi, Paris 1997 (left); Roos, Paris 2017

P H OTO G RA P H Y ’S L AS T C E N T U RY T H E M E T, N E W Y O R K

Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee are donating more than 60 photographs to the Met, in honour of the museum’s 150th anniversary. The resulting exhibition, which includes works by Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Robert Frank, and Helen Levitt, celebrates the rise of photography over the past hundred years. March 10 — June 28, 2020; Photo: Robert Frank, Trip to Florida with Jack Kerouac, April 1958

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P H I L H I L L : T H E R AC I N G P H OTO G R A P H E R

Two hearts used to beat in his chest: Phil Hill (1927–2008) was both a passionate photographer and racing car driver. He began his career as a mechanic, then moved on successfully to the racing cars themselves. He was the 1961 World Champion driving a Ferrari. Over the following years he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times. In addition to fast cars, Hill loved classical music – Vivaldi, Beethoven, Italian Bel Canto operas – and photography, of course. He took his Leica M3 to virtually every race and produced an incomparable body of work: with an expert eye for fast cars, he was always in the thick of things, capturing intimate moments on the side-lines, as well as the people involved in the sport. Photography was also a means for 106 |

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Phil Hill: Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah 1957 (above); Hill in Windsor Field, Bahamas 1956. Photo: George Tilp, owner of the Ferrari 857S

him to create a distance from the tension and stress of the racetrack itself. The number of people who lost their lives in this sport was not small, and it was often friends he had to say farewell to. Hill’s pictures – taken mostly in

the fifties with a few in the sixties – are in colour, which was unusual for the times. His preferred slide film and the wonderful palette supplied by the legendary Kodachrome film. The exhibition in Vienna is presenting 36 of his images. For lovers of his work who want to see more, there is the book Inside Track: Phil Hill … Ferrari’s American World Champion (phil-hill-book.com), a publication much praised within racing circles, which includes many formerly unpublished photos by the Ferrari driver. Phil Hill’s son Derek will be present at the vernissage, and will give a talk on his father’s life and work. April 10 — May 26, 2020, Leica Gallery Vienna, Walfischgasse 1, 1010 Vienna

L E I CA GA L L E RY V I E N N A

LEICA GALLERIES S ÃO PAU L O

Romina Ressia: The Age of Decadence BRA | 01240–000 São Paulo, Rua Maranhão, 600 Higienópolis April — June 2020 SINGAPORE

Jiro Kochi: Through the Salaryman’s Eye – A view from Tokyo of the 70s and 80s SIN | Singapore, Raffles Hotel Arcade, #01-20/21, 328 North Bridge Rd., 188719 March 19 — May 18, 2020 Shinya Fujiwara: Magnificent Paris; Lisette Model: Reflections, New York, circa 1939–1945 STUTTGART ARENBERG CASTLE

LOS ANGELES

Paolo Burlando: American Icons

Jon Ball: Electric Downtown; Dave Wittig

AUT | 5020 Salzburg, Arenbergstr. 10 November 17, 2019 — end of April 2020 BA N G KO K

Not known at time of publication THA | 10330 Bangkok, 2nd Floor, Gaysorn Village, 999 Ploenchit Road BOSTON

Jeniffer McClure: Still the Body

GER | Calwer Straße 41, 70173 Stuttgart February 7 — April 24, 2020 SUZHOU

Not known at time of publication

CHN | Suzhou, Moonlight Dock, No.1 Guanfeng Street, Suzhou Industrial Park, Jiangsu

ESP | 28006 Madrid, Calle de José Ortega y Gasset 34

TA I P E H

MADRID

Not known at time of publication

USA | Boston, MA 02116, 74 Arlington St. April 30 — June 28, 2020

MELBOURNE

Not known at time of publication

TWN | Taiwan, No. 3, Ln. 6, Qingtian St., Da’an Dist., Taipei City 106

C O N S TA N C E

AUS | Melbourne, VIC 3000, Level 1 St Collins Lane, 260 Collins Street

TO KYO

Klaus Fengler: Expedition Photography

MILAN

Shinya Fujiwara: Magnificent Paris

Lisette Model

JPN | Tokio, 6-4-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku March 6 — May 31, 2020

DÜSSELDORF

ITA | 20121 Milan, Via Mengoni 4 March 16 — May 2, 2020

WA R S AW

Anatol Kotte: Proyecto Habana

NUREMBERG

GER | 78462 Constance, Gerichtsgasse 10 February 29, — May 20, 2020

GER | KÖ Galerie, Königsallee 60, 40212 Düsseldorf March 12 — May 31, 2020 FRANKFURT

René Groebli: Handwerker – Künstler – Visionär GER | 60311 Frankfurt am Main, Großer Hirschgraben 15 February 14 — May 16, 2020 Photos: © Shinya Fujiwara; © Lisette Model

USA | West Hollywood, CA 90048, 8783 Beverly Boulevard April 16 — June 1, 2020

Norbert Rosing: Wilde Arktis – Rocks & Things

KYOTO

Shinya Fujiwara: Magnificent Paris JPN | Kyoto, 570–120 Gionmachi Minamigawa, Higashiyama-ku March 7 — June 4, 2020 LONDON

No Time To Die / The Making Of GBR | London, 64–66 Duke Street W1K 6JD March 27 — April 27, 2020

Norbert Rosing: Verborgen – Naturschätze in der Fränkischen Schweiz GER | 90403 Nuremberg, Obere Wörthstr. 8 April 25 — July 11, 2020 PRAGUE

Milon Novotny: Known and Unknown TCH | 110 00 Prague 1, Školská 28 April 24 — June 14, 2020 PORTO

Intanta’19. Collective POR | 4000-427 Porto, Rua d. Sá da Bandeira, 48/52 April 4 — April 25, 2020

Pawel Sadaj: Medusa Hotel POL | 00–496 Warsaw, Mysia 3 April 17 — June 13, 2020 WETZLAR

Franziska Stünkel: Coexist GER | 35578 Wetzlar, Am Leitz-Park 5 February 6 — April 26, 2020 VIENNA

Phil Hill: The Racing Photographer AUT | 1010 Vienna, Walfischgasse 1 April 10 — May 26, 2020 ZINGST

Nanna Heitmann: Hiding from Baba Yaga GER | 18374 Zingst, Am Bahnhof 1 January 31 — May 8, 2020

SALZBURG

Tina Trumpp: Verführungen AUT | 5020 Salzburg, Gaisbergstr. 12 March 20 — June 27, 2020

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SA RA H M . L E E

P E T E R DA M M A N N DAS W E I S S E P F E R D

This photo book is the result of a crowdfunding campaign. It is a wonderful retrospective of the outstanding legacy of the German photographer who passed away five years ago (1950–2015). Dammann travelled the world, but in his work as a photographer he was never interested in the quick picture. Instead his photoreportage works reveal the gradual and cautious way in which he explored each situation, especially the conditions of underprivileged people. In particular, it was the living environments of children that he placed at the centre of his stories. Whether street children, amateur boxers, student sailors, ballet pupils, psychiatric patients or children making music in the middle of wars and crisis zones; he granted every person he portrayed his full attention with patience and an empathic eye. To this day his engaged, respectful and sometimes humorous images underline his commitment to using the camera as a tool to draw attention to people’s suffering and hardships, as well as to their courage and use of creative opportunities. “If you photograph stories about people, then the most important thing is that you should love them,” is the premise the photographer – who understood how to connect with different groups of people – adopted. This relationship to those he portrayed was always important to him, because “each picture taken of a person is also a self-portrait of the photographer”. The beautifully designed photo book offers the best opportunity to get to know the photographer, his receptiveness and his view of the world. 328 pages, 250 images, 24 × 32 cm, English/German, Dölling und Galitz Verlag

The sun is always shining and everything is right with the world, or is it? Without a doubt, the Leica photographer (born in 1966) did capture the perfect light for her images: Santa Monica and the expansive Pacific Ocean offers a wonderful backdrop for beach-goers. Despite its cheerfulness however, the series also takes a critical look at the state of US society today. 160 pages, 91 colour images, 20.9 × 28.5 cm, English, Unbound

RENÉ BURRI EXPLOSIONS OF SIGHT

There is a whole archive to be explored in this book documenting the legacy of the outstanding Magnum photographer (1933–2014) held under the guardianship of the Musée de l’Elysée. It reveals Burri’s passion for a variety of artistic fields, his sense of humour and the inventiveness that went far beyond the wellknown iconic images. 240 p., 148 images, 21 × 27 cm, English/German, Scheidegger & Spiess

G Ö RA N G N AU D S C H U N A R E YO U H A P PY

The title to this book is a question the German photographer (born in 1971) has never asked. The only direction for the subjects of his intense portraits was: “Please, don’t smile”. Brief encounters gave rise to a multi-layered kaleidoscope that defined the diversity of those living in the eastern part of Rome. Produced during the photographer’s two-year artist-in-residence at the Villa Massimo starting 2017, Gnaudschun was not looking for postcards of Rome, but rather to capture a dismal district defined by

existential poverty. At the same time it is a place of hope, because that part of Rome has long been a place of transit. With outstanding, direct imagery, the photographer manages to capture the atmosphere in the district today. 128 pages, 59 images, 21 × 28 cm, English/German/Italian, Distanz

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Photos: Gabriele Schärer, 2019 (for Peter Dammann); © Sarah Lee, 2019; © René Burri/Magnum Photos, Fondation René Burri, courtesy Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne; © Goran Gnaudschun, 2019

WEST OF WEST

A R N O RA FA E L MINKKINEN MINKKINEN

Surreal and poetic: that’s Minkkinen’s work and the motif shown here on the left is a typical example. It certainly was a challenge to maintain this position under the water, waiting for the surface to become as perfectly still as a mirror, so that the hand holding the pen could produce this circular image. On the whole, the Finnish-American photographer (born 1945) prefers to work on his own. He virtually always appears in the pictures himself: his hands, his legs, his head, or his whole body, blending perfectly into each of his settings. Wherever he is working, Minkkinen documents the balance between his body’s pure, naked form and the natural or – less frequently – urban environment around him. His black and white photographs are often puzzling, yet contain a spiritual and transformative quality. There are also times when they are best read with a sense of humour. Photographed in more than 30 countries, the book can be seen as something of an artistic diary, divided into ten chapters, each with an introductory text written by the photographer. Five decades of Minkkinen with many pieces of work unknown to date: what an experience! 330 pages, 287 images, 27 × 30.5 cm, Kehrer; all Photos: Arno Rafael Minkkinen; clockwise from the top: Fosters Pond, 2000; Coralie, Fort Foucault, Niort, France 2009; Maroon Bells Sunrise, Aspen, Colorado 2012; Halfway Up Mt. Mitchell, Burnsville, North Carolina 2013

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“IN ANY BUSINESS, C H A N G E I S I N E V I TA B L E .” I N T E RV I E W

More than 40 years ago, Margot Klingsporn founded the Focus Agency. Here she talks about the challenges and shifting expectations within the industry, and how photographers can make their mark in today’s publishing world.

LFI: You founded the Focus Agency in November 1979, at a time when the commercial photography market was flourishing. To what do you attribute the industry’s successful evolution? MARGOT KLINGSPORN: The significance of photography steadily increased from the 1920s onwards. With the invention of the Ermanox, photographers became much more mobile than they had been with the unwieldy cameras of the past. This marked the advent of illustrated magazines, with Berlin occupying a global, leading role. After 1945 everything had to be redefined; the 1950s once again saw a vibrant photography scene with diverse publication possibilities. This ‘golden era’ lasted until the early 2000s. Art directors used photography in order to

increase circulation, which of course pleased the publishers. Photographybased themes were given their own formats, whereby the two main driving forces in Germany were Rolf Gillhausen (Stern) and Willi Fleckhaus (Twen and FAZ magazine). LFI: What do you see as a negative development within the industry? KLINGSPORN: In any business, change is inevitable. What is happening now is a shift from purely editorial publications to platforms that are not sales-dependent, such as company reports, corporate magazines and online spaces. Cost pressures can lead publishers to make cutbacks in quality. They might believe that lower costs equal higher profits. But this is a grave mistake, because lower quality will eventually result in a diminished readership. In my opinion, the print media crisis is a crisis of the publishing industry. LFI: What would you say is at the

root of this crisis? I think there are many reasons, from the excess of information to changes in reading habits, all the way to having overestimated the rapid growth of internet →

Top: David Burnett, President George Bush and First Lady Barbara at his Inauguration Ball (Washington, January 1998); left: Heike Ollertz, the Blue Lagoon, Iceland’s most famous geothermal spa (2013); left page: Sebastião Salgado, Kamaz refugee camp for displaced Afghan citizens (Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, 1996)

KLINGSPORN:

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Below: This excerpt from Peter Menzel’s Hungry Planet project shows the groceries the Ottersland-Dahl family consumes in an average week (Gjettum near Oslo, Norway, May 2013)

Above: Heiner Müller-Elsner, former Viking settlement in Jelling, Denmark (2014). Very top: Matt Black, the American-born daughters of undocumented parents playing in the yard of their home in Ocean Park (Washington, 2018)

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Above: Herlinde Koelbl’s portrait of the author Eva Schloss, Holocaust survivor and step-sister of Anne Frank (2019)

Photos: © Matt Black/Magnum Photos/Agentur Focus, © Heiner Müller-Elsner/Agentur Focus, © Peter Menzel/Agentur Focus, © Herlinde Koelbl/Agentur Focus

“ THIS PROFESSION REQUIRES SO MUCH MORE T H A N A ‘G O O D EY E ’ A N D C A M E RA . ”

publications; most of them are currently still free of charge, which has impacted people’s willingness to pay for content. Of course, large publishing houses with their deeply entrenched structures also play a part – as does the fact that some publishers fail to trust in the creativity of their editorial team, so that corporate management is increasingly controlling the choice of topics.

with 70 000 fans every weekend is nothing out of the ordinary.

LFI: What did you experience as the defining turning point? KLINGSPORN: The year 2001 marked the transformation of the industry. 9/11 was the first event to be documented by purely digital means. A few years prior, everyone was still taking analogue pictures; the films were dispatched via airmail – an extremely elaborate process. From the latter half of the year 2000 on, the majority of photographers were working digitally, though a small percentage did not follow suit until 2012; and there are, of course, still those who swear by an exclusively analogue approach to this day.

LFI: Even so, would you agree that exhibitions are an excellent way of introducing audiences to the medium of photography? KLINGSPORN: People who attend exhibitions consciously study the images and assess their quality. Exhibitions can be entertaining as well as thoughtprovoking – they are like windows that show the world from an entirely new perspective. We are facilitating two exhibitions this year, dedicated to two remarkable photographers on our roster: in July 2020, a major exhibition by Magnum photographer Matt Black opens in Hamburg, featuring his explorations of poverty in the USA. We chose the date in line with the American election campaign, which kicks off in August and will inevitably be the subject of intense media coverage. Also in July, Sebastião Salgado’s exhibition Exodus opens in Munich. The showcase focuses on migration, which has been a core theme of the photographer’s work since the 1990s.

LFI: Is it possible to restore a more

LFI: How can photographers earn

widespread appreciation for highquality photography? For us, this is at the centre of our profession, but how might you train the eye of society at large? KLINGSPORN: I’m not sure if this can be done. In fact, I’m not convinced that the demand for high-quality visual art was ever as ingrained in the general public as we would like to imagine. After all, if an exhibition draws 30 000 visitors in four months we consider it an enormous success, while a football stadium filled

money with their craft, particularly in the earlier stages of their careers? KLINGSPORN: These days it is very difficult for photographers, or any freelance creatives for that matter,

to earn a good living. Neither photo books nor prints tend to generate sufficient income, so that many artists take on work they didn’t initially set out to do – event photography, for example. But it’s important to persevere and keep your passion. Companies often like to commission portraits of team members, and there are various grants, though securing this type of funding requires a great deal of dedication. Fortunately, there are still art directors and graphic designers who recognise the value of expressive, high-quality images, and will appreciate an archive such as that of the Magnum Photos agency. One example is the photo book released by Germany’s Green Party to mark its 40th anniversary. LFI: What is your overall feeling

when taking stock of forty years in the business? KLINGSPORN: A deep sense of gratitude for the continuing opportunity to introduce audiences to new and entirely unknown worlds. LFI: What would you say to a young artist wanting to start a career in photography? KLINGSPORN: This profession requires so much more than a ‘good eye’ and camera. You have to know exactly what you are trying to say, be willing to invest an enormous amount of energy – and have the ability to deal with disappointment. INTERVIEW: Carla Susanne Erdmann

MARGOT KLINGSPORN born 1945 in Heidel-

Above: Sebastião Salgado, construction of the Rasuna complex in Kuningan, Jakarta’s financial district (Indonesia, 1996). Left: Susan Meiselas, Nicaraguan farmers in Yamales (Honduras, 1988), who await integration into the anti-Sandinista Contra forces

berg, Germany, studied Economics before working as an assistant in the international department of Stern Magazine. Subsequently she was assistant to the Managing Editor of Zeit Magazine and, subsequently, assistant to the Publishing Director of Die Zeit. EXH IB ITION S : SEBASTIÃO SALGADO ,

Exodus, Kunstfoyer Versicherungskammer Munich; July 23 to October 25, 2020; www.versicherungskammer-kulturstiftung.de MATT BLACK , The Geography of Poverty, Deichtorhallen/Haus der Photographie Hamburg, July 10 to November 8, 2020; www.deichtorhallen.de

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LEICA FOTOGRAFIE I N T E R N AT I O N A L

MEHMET ESEN MY PICTURE

When attending a vernissage at the Leica Gallery in Istanbul, the amateur photographer met a Leica legend. To this day, Esen remains proud of this humorous portrait.

72nd year | Issue 3.2020

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 A RT DIRECTION Brigitte Schaller EDITORIA L OFFICE Katrin Iwanczuk (senior editor), Denise Klink, Bernd Luxa, Danilo Rößger, David Rojkowski PICTURE DESK Carol Körting L AYOUT Thorsten Kirchhoff TR A NSL ATION, SUB-EDITING Robin Appleton, Hope Caton, Anna Sauper, Osanna Vaughn CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE Carla Susanne Erdmann, Katja Hübner, Ulrich Rüter, Holger Sparr, Katrin Ullmann M A NAGEMENT BOA RD Steffen Keil

Thomas Hoepker, Istanbul 2017

I had the opportunity to capture the legendary photographer Thomas Hoepker, who himself portrayed famous people such as Muhammad Ali and Andy Warhol, as well as capturing memorable moments such as 9/11 in New York. This photo I took was completely spontaneous. The Leica Gallery Istanbul was exhibiting Hoepker’s work. The vernissage took place on March 23, 2017, and I went there really early so as to meet the photographer. When I arrived at the Leica Gallery, Hoepker was drinking his coffee, so I asked permission to take a portrait of him. Talking to him was easy. When he saw my camera, a Leica M262 with a 35mm Summicron, he started smiling. He was very kind. While I was taking his picture, he suddenly put the coffee cup on top of his head. It was an epic moment. I am very proud of this photo and I was happy to send him a copy of it as well. Mehmet Esen, was born in Istanbul in 1985. He works as a jewellery designer. Since 2011 street photography is part of his lifestyle. He photographs with a Leica M10-P “Safari” and 35mm Summicron Asph. Esen lives in Istanbul. His Instagram name is Rangefinderx.

L F I 4 / 2 0 2 0 W I L L A P P E A R O N M AY 1 5 , 2 0 2 0

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MEDIA SA LES A ND M A RKETING 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 Valid ad-rate card No. 48, 1 January 2020 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: 80 €; Digital subscription: 49 € 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 All articles and illustrations contained in the magazine are subject to the laws of copyright. Any form of utilization beyond the narrow limits imposed by the laws of copyright and without the expressed permission of the publisher is forbidden and will be prosecuted. LFI prints carbon neutral and supports climate protection projects in Northern Germany. Please find out more at: climatepartner.com

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