LFI Magazine 8/2018 E

Ciro Battiloro

Thorsten Klapsch

Joan Alvado

Erich Lessing

8. 2 0 1 8 N ov e m b e r | D e c e m b e r

D 7,50 € NL B L 8,70 € I 8,80 € UK 6,90 £

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96 | winners And Finalists

74 | Q - P, Q “ K h a k i ” Unobtrusive, solid and technically optimised: Leica expand the successful Q series with the Q-P. Also new in the programme: the Q “Khaki”

Over 2500 photographers from 110 countries submitted works to the 2018 Leica Oskar Barnack Award: the main prize went to Max Pinckers, from Belgium, the Newcomer category was won by the Russian photographer Mary Gelman

78 | L e i c a M 1 0 - D You cannot get any closer to analogue photography with a digital camera than with this displayfree version of the M10. The digital control possibilities are stored in the Leica Fotos app

P h o to Ciro Battiloro: from the Sanità series

82 | L Mount The first products from the L-Mount Alliance were on display at Photokina; but few details are available as yet 8 6 | Ava i l a bl e L i g h t Moods and atmospheres: the beginnings of Available Light photography, and how a new philosophy arose as a result of avoiding additional light sources

Marksteen Adamson 6 | C h e lt e n h a m F o lk

Portraits of passersby: something that began as a small, social media project, quickly developed into a comprehensive social study

Joan Alvado 2 0 | Fa d i n g Away

What remains when a population disappears?

A series of mystical, quasi-apocalyptic landscape images loaded with symbolic power

Ciro Battiloro 3 6 | S a n i tà Sober elegance and impressive beauty: the new Leica Q-P

The Sanità district of Naples is a virtually forgotten place: a conversation about humanity, solidarity and dignity

Thorsten Klapsch 5 0 | E xc u s e m e , S i r

Images as a testimony of weapons and violence: taken behind the scenes at the International Aerospace Exhibition in Berlin

112 | exhibitions Martin Parr in Manchester, Stephen Vanfleteren in Rotterdam, Gordon Parks in Washington, and Sally Mann in Los Angeles 1 1 4 | L e i c a G a ll e r i e s An overview of exhibitions at Leica Galleries around the world, including Untitled by Bruce Gilden at the new Leica Gallery in Melbourne 116 | books New publications by Appu Jasu, Stefanie Moshammer, Ada Bligaard Søby, Fritz Block and Henrik Saxgren 1 1 8 | I n t e rv i e w The Italian photographer Mauro d’Agati has set up his own publishing company: 89books. A conversation about visions and a love of haptics 122 | my picture American photographer Nancy Borowick captures a special moment amid Tokyo’s constant hustle and bustle 122 | imprint

Erich Lessing 6 2 | VISIONS O F THE PAST

Austria’s Doyen of Photography has passed away at the age of 95 – a homage to the famous photojournalist

C ove r: from the

Cheltenham Folk series by Marksteen Adamson

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LFI APP

t h e n e w Ve r s i o n f o r i OS L F I o n yo u r i P h o n e

Everything included: the LFI app 3.1 for iPhone and iPad

The new version 3.1 of the LFI app for iOS devices offers numerous function enhancements for iPhone and iPad users. The app’s biggest novelty is the possibility to purchase, download and read the magazine on an iPhone. Because the app now hosts over 300 issues of LFI and special edition issues, the focus has shifted to an improved overview. Consequently, the latest iPad version has a completely redesigned overview of the magazine section, with a new, more reader-friendly navigation system.

In addition, all M and S magazines are integrated into the LFI app, as free downloads. The available LFI archive has also been expanded, so that the new app includes LFI issues from 1970 to 1979. A special-purpose newsletter will offer further details regarding the new LFI app. The next step will be to expand the app for Android devices. The app is now available for free at the Apple App-Store: https://apple.co/1T8O5NS

C o n t r i bu t o r s

The Fading Away project by Spanish photographer Joan Alvado, seems both anachronistic and futuristic, making it hard to classify at a first glance. There is a good reason for this, as Alvado wants to avoid concepts and imagery that have been used too frequently. In this manner he takes a new approach to wellknown subjects, such as life in rural settings. “These kind of places are normally seen with fatalism and nostalgia. I want to contrast this with something new and unusual.”

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M a r k s tee n A dam s o n Before his Cheltenham Folk project, Adamson used a Leica M to photograph The Stations, a series about unaccompanied minors in Calais. The Stations showcases personal human stories of refugees, and aims to provoke a response from those who view the images. It is part of a wider campaign encouraging politicians and public to see beyond the politics of the refugee crisis. Adamson is proud of the fact that the series has led to a British government relocation programme for Syrian families.

C i r o B att i lo r o

Time and again, the photographer explored every corner and alleyway of the Sanità district of Naples for his series of the same name. Even though part of his home turf – Battiloro lives fairly close by – he discovered a world unknown to him before: in addition to the local, Neapolitan dialect, the district inhabitants have their own unique slang. Apart from the dark corners, one of the real highlights for him were the Fiocci di neve (snow flakes) at the famous Popella confectionery.

Photos (from the left): © Joan Cantó, © Prudence Bond, © Amir Hossein Kiarostami

J oa n A lva d o

C h elte n h am F o lk LeicA Q

Marksteen Adamson

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What began as a social media project for British advertiser Marksteen Adamson, soon evolved into a social study set in his hometown of Cheltenham. The Leica Q, with its unique shutter technology, turned out to be an irreplaceable companion for the undertaking.

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Adamson approaches his protagonists with a respectful eye, without judgment or sensationalism

“Even if I can’t look in people’s hearts, I still find an aesthetic element in each face.”

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“This series of street portraits is part of a larger study that I call photographic demography.

It plays with the traditional ideas people have of Cheltenham, and shows a cross-section of society. I’m constantly surprised by the outcome.”

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Adamson’s goal is to capture people as they are: not beautiful, not ugly, but themselves

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The background is chosen so that no writing or advertisement disturbs the viewer when looking at the faces

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M a r kstee n A dam son Adamson grew up on a missionary station in Tanzania.

He has lived in many countries – Denmark, Holland, USA and Great Britain. He speaks four languages, is a keen cyclist and motorcyclist and an avid collector of many things. He also writes music and plays numerous instruments. Adamson works successfully in the advertising industry and lives in Cheltenham with his wife, Louise, his four children, a Patterdale Terrier and two cats. Photography is his hobby.

ma r kstee n.co m LFI -O nl i n e .D E / B lo g : Slideshow with further pictures from the series

Equipment: Leica Q, Summilux 28mm f/1.7 Asph

At a first glance, the close-up street portraits by the self-taught photographer, Marksteen Adamson, could be reminiscent of Bruce Gilden’s wideangled distorted faces, or Martin Parr’s ‘stolen moments’. Adamson acknowledges both Gilden and Parr as sources of inspiration. His approach however, differs from the two icons of sociodocumentary street photography as he explains: “It’s easy to find people who are broken and to photograph them. It’s more dramatic but, I think, less respectful to the subject.” He also knows about the temptation of selecting images where those portrayed are not shown in the best light.

“Sometimes I have to be strong and resist publishing a picture where the person appears somewhat ridiculous.

The image might prove more compelling, but it would be lacking in compassion.” With his Cheltenham Folk portrait series, Adamson’s goal is to produce a balanced reportage of his hometown. Rather like a social study of a city that is primarily known in Great Britain as the place where the Secret Service has its headquarters, the heartland of horse racing, and home to members of the upper classes.

These images do not align however, with Adamson’s impression of the town. “Cheltenham has a massive variety of people. Culturally, economically and socially the city contains the whole spectrum.”

For many years the British advertiser was bored with photography.

Then, a year and a half ago, he bought a Leica Q and challenged himself to do the hardest thing he could imagine – street photography. Soon Adamson wanted to get even closer to his subjects, but without ‘stealing their image’ as some street photographers do. Consequently, he decided to address his fellow citizens directly, with all the risk of rejection that entails.

“You have to be emotionally prepared for them to say no. It’s not easy to be rejected and it sometimes affects me, but I have to remind myself that it’s not because of me, but more about them not wanting to be photographed,” Adamson acknowledges.

It is, of course, natural for people to adjust their expressions if they know they are being photographed; however, Adamson has a technique for getting around this problem. “If I take 15 to 20 pictures of the same person quickly, there will always be one shot where they are not really posing, and then I’m able to capture something unique about them.” After taking the portrait, he asks the person for their first name and uses just that as the title for the portrait: he then posts it on Instagram.

He has made a conscious decision not to write down the person’s story – he is not aiming to produce a project like Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York; rather, he wants to leave room for interpretations and projections.

In this manner, each viewer can ask his or her own questions about the lives of those portrayed.

For his Cheltenham Folk series, Adamson learned how to use a flash in daylight. Because he did not want to rely on the camera’s automatic program settings, he controlled the light with manual settings. “It’s tough to use the flash appropriately, because the proximity and the surrounding light change the impact it has,” he explains.

Adamson spent long hours practicing until he found the right setting. He has even gone so far as to fix the camera with tape, so the setting will not accidently be changed. “Thanks to the Leica Q’s leaf shutter I can shoot a very dark sky. I can only achieve this effect in the day with the Leica Q. It’s not so easy with an M.” Adamson is currently in talks about exhibiting his project. “Of course, my personal ambition would be to have my work exhibited in an art gallery.

However, the people who are in these photographs are not really the kind of people who go to galleries. It just doesn’t fit with the subject. So, I prefer my work to be displayed somewhere in public, in a street exhibition perhaps, to give something back to the people of my hometown.” Denise Klink

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Joan Alvado Fa d i n g away

Lonely, but not desolate; devoid of people, but not lost – except maybe in time.

Joan Alvado’s images spirit us away into the future. They reveal places where nature is taking back what was once hers. The precise location of the places however, is up to the imagination.

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Joan Alvado’s images exude an energy that borders on the metaphysical; their symbolic language leads us to ponder on existentialism, becoming and fading away. Conclusions, however, are unnecessary

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Just fleeting portrayals of the self: people and their individual fates only play a secondary role in the universe of Alvado’s imagery.

They are like movie extras on a planet that is slowly but surely recapturing its territory

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Subject to fugacity: Alvado’s pictures are like visual paths between memory and longing. While the photographs were taken in the Spanish interior, the idea behind them is not fixed to one geographical location

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“Depopulation is an issue world-wide, especially in the industrialised countries. When economic sources disappear gradually, people move away. This is not something hypothetical. It is a fact. And it can never be reversed.�

J oa n A lva d o Born in Altea, Spain, in 1979, Alvado has been pursuing his passion for photography in Barcelona since 2007. His work is primarily dedicated to documentary long-term projects, and is often based on stories from his homeland, or is set in environments that are familiar to him. He gives great importance to the story being original and makes every effort to avoid reproducing concepts and imagery that have already been used before.

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Some things just happen. Sometimes, at the beginning of a project, a concept is unnecessary because the project feels right. So, there are times when a project takes on a life of its own.

This is what happened to Joan Alvado.

When the Spanish photographer first learned about a ‘Lapland of the South’, an extremely depopulated region around the Celtiberian Mountain Range in the middle of his home country, he felt called to tell the world about it.

But what would the story behind it look like? Existing reportages about rural communities with empty villages, located in the middle of nowhere, are as plentiful as grains of sand along the spanish coastline. They speak of traditions slowly disappearing, of people who have moved away, resulting in an ever-increasing average age of those who are left be-hind. Even though he was immediately fascinated by the anachronistic atmosphere of the area, Alvado also knew straight away that he did not want to use a well-worn type of narrative.

The more the photographer began to conduct research into the subjects important to the people living there – economic instability, depopulation, isolation –, the more ideas started to coalesce in his inner creative eye. In his particular approach, he was more interested in the big picture rather than the individual stories: with a current population density of less than eight inhabitants per square kilometre, the people are slowly disappearing.

As a result of his introspection, we see photos of broad landscapes, interrupted briefly by fragmentary traces of civilisation and inhabited by puzzling protagonists. They are the kind of places that urban citizens rarely get to see; the colour scheme is bleak, at once reminiscent of an ‘end of days’ scenario. Are we in fact in the present or have we been taken into some postapocalyptic future, where nature reclaims what was once hers? Alvado manages to create an atmosphere

that is cut off from reality as we know it. The primary motivation for the photographer was the concept of mass extinction which appears symbolically in many of his pictures. He draws us into a fictitious world, which lies somewhere between what we know and the products of our imagination.

There was no plan to start with, as the photographer explains: “Projects always evolve and ideas become increasingly clear while you photograph and get deeper into the topic. Sometimes, the photos themselves can guide me on my search to find the soul of the work.”

The depopulation of Spain’s deep interior is the result of a whole chain of events: whether it is the distance from the coast, the isolation, or the lack of income sources because of the absence of tourism. All these factors are responsible for the reduced economic conditions that force the inhabitants of the area to relocate elsewhere. For sure, these features are not unique to the region. These kinds of developments can be seen all over the world: while the numbers in the big cities pile up, other areas of the planet are becoming increasingly empty of people. This is why Alvado’s imagery is not tied down to a specific geographic location, rather the Lapland of the South simply creates the framework for the narrative. “What might the future of all these rural territories look like if the loss of population continues?” he wonders.

Despite the bitter taste offered at times by this framework, the scenarios Alvado captures convey more than just a sense of desolation. While each image opens up a whole world of interpretation, it is the interplay between humans and nature that dominates – with nature taking the upper hand.

“There is nothing that is more basic as stone, trees or water,” the photographer says, reflecting on the subject.“ A mountain exists alongside countless generations of people who have settled in the surroundings. As a result, from time to time, the elements might offer us a different perspective of time.”

It is this indomitable power that

is emanated by nature in Alvado’s photographs: a power that makes we humans appear at times like ants, degraded to a species searching further afield, hoping to find a safer place to live among our fellows.

From the perspective of this visual time warp, there is no urban hustle and bustle, no masses of people, no digital world. Even so, Alvado is neither idealising nor romanticising the conditions shown in the pictures, though, from a humanistic point of view, he can understand that the images express a positive longing for a return to one’s roots. At the same time, he wants it to be clearly understood that, on the formal level, his photos are not supposed to reflect any kind of reality.

The area he was in is not completely abandoned and empty, as the pictures might suggest. Every day he came across plenty of evidence of life, be it in larger villages or busy communities. Time and again, Alvado found a little piece of himself reflected in the stories of the people he portrayed, because his own family also originated from a rural area – his grandparents lived in a village of a mere 200 souls.

Consequently, his own past flows into most of his work. “I have a tendency to be nostalgic. The weight of the past can be incredibly heavy. It’s a theme that emerges in many of my projects.”

Alvado makes use of visual codes to create feelings, of the kind that everyone has experienced at some point.

They are familiar, existential feelings, but have been given a new context.

Feelings that produce a mental balancing act between an affinity to nature, uncertainty and nostalgia, which each person can bring to life in their own unique way. Danilo Rössger

joan alvado.com LFI -On lin e.DE /B log: Behind the scenes of fading away Equipment: Leica M240 with Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 Asph

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Ciro Battiloro

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The SanitĂ district in Naples is notorious: educational disadvantages, clan structures and unemployment.

Ciro Battiloro is not a photographer of adversity however, but rather reveals facets of humanity in a new light.

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Life in Sanità is defined by traditions and strong family solidarity (above). Young people, for example, remain faithful to the ‘fujenti’ (fugitives) tradition, paying homage to the Madonna dell’Arco, the Virgin Mary (left), by running barefoot

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SanitĂ hosts many different ethnic communities. The Roma is one of the largest of these

People live in very close quarters, often in ‘Vascios’ (above right). Vascios are typical apartments in the old districts, small dark rooms that used to serve as storage rooms. Hardly surprisingly as a result, a lot of life takes place out on the streets, where there are also many processions (middle right). Despite the little space, many people living in Sanità love animals, such as Sabrina and her daughter Myrian, who plays with their rabbit (below)

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A woman from Călărași, Romania, with her son. In Sanità the mixture of Sinti, Roma and Italians works well

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Love and care are the common denominator threading its way through the daily lives of families. Mariarca combs the hair of her younger sister (above left), Giovanni cuddles with his little son (below). A costumed boy at the carnival in Borgo dei Vergini, the district of male virgins, waits for his friends (middle left). Rita (below left) flees from daily life. She often sits in her kitchen caught up in video games

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Rita is mother to two small daughters. She has been dreaming of working as a hairdresser for years; however she has lacked the financial means to train

C i r o B att i l o r o Born in Torre del Greco, Italy, in 1984, Battiloro studied philosophy at the Federico II University of Naples before specialising in documentary photography. His projects have taken him to Senegal, Morocco, Iran, Macedonia, Turkey and Romania. In his work, he analyses human beings, and how relationships in contexts of discomfort and social neglect can reveal unexpected beauty.

His SanitĂ series has earned him the 2018 Helsinki Photo Festival International Prize.

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In the middle of Naples there exists a world unto itself: the Sanità district.

Situated in the heart of the southern Italian metropolis, it is one of Europe’s most densely populated places. The name ‘Sanità’ hails back to better days: once a climatic spa and residence of the House of Bourbon, it is today a troubled hot spot with a chaotic structure. Living in decrepit houses, more than half the inhabitants have no work and few prospects. Even so, there is hope.

The love here can transform desperation into beauty. I wanted to describe the unknown, the dignity of the people.

LFI: How did you come up with the

LFI: Being a young Italian, are you familiar with the old traditions, celebrations, etc. in Naples?

Battiloro: Yes, absolutely. Naples is being touched by globalisation and modernity. Nevertheless, old traditions, celebrations and rituals represent a reason for sharing and unity, especially among the lower classes who still retain a sense of authenticity.

idea of photographing in Sanità – such a unique district in Naples?

Ciro Battiloro: I have known about Sanità for a long time because of the social problems that afflict it: unemployment, school drop-outs, criminal organizations. I was attracted to the idea of understanding the dynamics of such a neighbourhood. It’s located into the heart of the city, yet totally excluded from the city’s life because of historical processes and bad politics.

LFI: What initially intrigued you there?

Battiloro: Soon after I started going

around the alleys and getting to know the inhabitants in 2015, it became clear to me that the place is full of amazing people and energy. There are many different and precious stories, full of dignity. This is where the authentic nature of human beings is found in everyday life. This nature is expressed with intensity in their relationships, in those lived and those lost. This is why my project became a work about love and loneliness, basic human conditions that are also metaphors for the reality of this district.

LFI: Your photography is in a classic humanistic tradition. What was the intention behind the project?

Battiloro: What I like the most about Sanità is that it reveals the sweetness and the power of human relationships.

It’s surprising to find these feelings in such a complicated context.

LFI: Did you know any of the people

or families beforehand?

Battiloro: I didn’t know any people

beforehand. I started to go around in the district and spent lots of time there every week. With time the families started to welcome me and let me enter into their homes and their lives.

LFI: How has the area developed?

In which direction do you think it will develop? What about gentrification?

Battiloro: It has been one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Naples and one of the most degraded areas in the city. The state is non-existent and clans fight against each other. Despite this, there is very little crime, only a few drug dealers. A lot of people have no employment, or are paid for their work under the table. About eight years ago, the priest Don Antonio Loffredo started a program to improve the district.

It has developed over the last four years: all of a sudden there are artistic places, and tourists wandering around to see the catacombs of San Gennaro, with all the skulls in them. Sanità is now famous because of this.

LFI: What has changed in Italy over the last years with regard to the actual political and economic situation?

Battiloro: Over the last years, Italian politics have deteriorated in a major way. The inequality between the various social classes has increased, and now the poorer ones are in serious difficulties. Corruption spreads everywhere and is found at all different levels – from local to national.

I think Italy has suffered a cultural flattening that has favoured the rise of our current government: an extremely racist government of which I am totally ashamed.

LFI: Please describe why you prefer black and white over colour.

Battiloro: I prefer black and white in general for all my work, because I think it’s more incisive and poetic.

It also draws the attention to the subjects, underlining the intensity of their faces and gestures.

LFI: Why did you use natural light rather than artificial? Do you use a flash at all? If so, when?

Battiloro: I use natural light to make the scene as natural and spontaneous as possible. I think that natural light is more impressive than artificial.

Sometimes when I shoot in dark interiors I use an artificial light, because it’s necessary. I use an LED light, as it’s softer than a flash. I don’t like flash because I find it much too strong for my way of photographing.

LFI: You obviously intended to shed

a light on this special setting. What is the message behind Sanità?

Battiloro: I think there is a political message in every form of expression, even if it’s not the primary intent of the artist. Sanità seeks to draw the attention to a neighborhood that has been abandoned by administrative policies for a long time, and it wants to do so by exalting its dignity and its resources rather than underlining any social unease.

Interview: Carla Susanne Erdmann

cirobatt iloro.com LFI -On lin e.DE /B log: Slide show with more Images Equipment: Leica M6 with Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 Asph and Voigtländer Color Skopar 35mm

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Thorsten Klapsch E x c u s e me , S i r

The photographer has been observing life behind the scenes at ILA Berlin, the International Aerospace Exhibition, since 2006. His images are a precise testimony of weaponry and violence.

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At ILA, bombs are presented like in museum showcases. Some of the professional visitors remind Klapsch of American actors in a CIA movie

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There are only a few uniformed women in the male-dominated arms industry.

Colour is a compositional element in the photographer’s images

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Horizontal, vertical, diagonal: the pictures often appear like precise, geometric paintings, with perspectives and excerpts intentionally chosen. At the same time, Klapsch seeks to document, not interpret

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Klapsch uses his camera to peer through the looking glass and see reality; in the process, cinematic scenarios can also emerge

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T h o r s te n K la p s c h has been a passionate photographer for almost thirty years.

He is interested in the forbidden, the hidden, the worlds behind closed doors. He photographed the Palace of the Republic in Berlin when it was empty and before it was demolished, German nuclear power plants, and Berlin as it changes in both East and West. To be able to complete his own, personal projects, he also works for magazines and companies. th o r ste n kla ps c h . d e LFI -O nl i n e .D E / B log : Excuse me, Sir — one Picture one Story

Equipment: Leica S007 with Summarit-S 70mm f/2.5 Asph and ApoMacro-Summarit-S 120 mm f/2.5

Every two years visitors make their way to Brandenburg, where the largest international aerospace trade fair is held on even-numbered years. Located near Berlin’s as-yet-unfinished Willy Brandt airport, the ILA Berlin Air Show is something like a German folk festival. Visitors have one weekend to admire the latest developments in the air and in the heavens. Viewers raise their heads till their necks become stiff, and witness a world of aerial displays, booming fighter jets and double loops that is far beyond their normal, everyday experiences.

What these visitors do not know however, is that three days earlier, experts from the arms industry were meeting at this same location. Until 2006, Thorsten Klapsch himself was a delighted, technology enthusiast at ILA, but this changed when he applied for accreditation to attend a ‘secret meeting’. Since then he takes pictures behind the scenes: weapons, bombs, tanks, sales booths with simulated rocket infernos. “What I expect from art is that it tackle subjects of our times. I want art to clarify and provoke,” Klapsch says, explaining what drives him. “Right from the beginning when I started photography, I’ve looked for projects in places or locations where one doesn’t normally have access. I want to show the things we normally don’t get to see.”

Representatives from 70 countries travel to the trade fair: China, Great Britain, USA, Russia, Germany. As diverse as their backgrounds are, as identical often are their looks: it is a male domain, with buyers and sellers in uniforms and suits. To get the portraits, the photographer approached them with just a few words: “Excuse me, Sir”, which he also decided to use as the title for his long-term project. At the same time, he managed to adopt the right tone of voice: the participants took their place in front of the camera, as though reacting to a military command. Standing firm, back straight, chest out, medals clinging like bright emblems of success. Klapsch says that he mostly only had one ‘shot’ at the high-ranking, military officials.

His colour pictures show booths, posters, visitors, showcases, vehicles and airplanes. They complete the whole spectrum of a trade fair that starts with the installation and often ends up with a lot of waiting. Klapsch had to wait until he found the right moment: the visitor in a yellow rain jacket who creates an angle in relation to the yellow flame from a blasting rocket painted on a wall; or the man on the telephone, in front of a transport vehicle, standing as upright as the weapons it is carrying. The images often appear like graphic compositions, reminiscent of works by the painter Kasimir Maleich. When looking at Klapsch’s pictures, it is possible to recognise the angle from which they were photographed. “I compose my pictures,” he says. “I reduce them to an excerpt that I find really interesting.”

The photographer captured most of his motifs in vertical format. He considers this comes closest to book form; and, just like a book, there could be a story told for each and every image.

Like the one taken in the pouring rain that could be a scene from a movie: visitors and soldiers, moving on foot, on bicycles and in cars, sprayed by water as they rush across the runway in all directions in front of a gigantic military plane. Klapsch was under cover when he captured the scene, making it the only quick snapshot he took in the whole series. Klapsch has been observing the meetings of the arms industry at the ILA for twelve years now. This year, for the first time he photographed with a Leica S007, which he found easy to use despite its size and weight. It was also the first time that he saw things heating up at the fair; a feeling that war was closer than in previous years. He refers to himself as a neutral observer: a documentarist who focusses on a given situation, while also keeping at a distance and taking things lightly. It is up to each viewer to form their own opinion. Katja Hübner

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L e i c A Cl a s s i c

Erich Lessing VISIONS OF T H E PA S T

Renowned journalist, award-winning photog­rapher, author of numerous monographs, member of the Magnum agency: Erich Lessing, the Doyen of Austrian photography, has passed away in Vienna at the age of 95.

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On 15 May 1955, the Austrian State Treaty was announced at Vienna’s Belvedere Palace – marking the withdrawal of all occupying forces (top). Outside the offices of the Secret Police, Köztársaság Square, Budapest 1956 (left). Previous pages: Stalin monument in Prague, 1956. Distribution of the first pro-revolution newspaper, Budapest 1956

A keen eye: Nikita Khrushchev, Tito and his wife Jovanka at the supposedly reconciliatory meeting between Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union; Belgrade, March 1955

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May Day celebrations in West Berlin, 1959: Mayor Willy Brandt holds a speech against the backdrop of the still severely war-damaged Reichstag building

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Discrete observer: Lessing captured this snapshot at Vienna’s State Opera debutante ball of 1958 (top). An extraordinary still life: the caps of the four occupying powers, photographed at a meeting of the Allied Council of Austria, Vienna 1954 (left)

Two musical greats in a powerful composition: Canadian pianist Glenn Gould (left) and Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan during a rehearsal with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, 1957

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This atmospheric picture of the Thyssen steel works, set against the backdrop of the Rhine River, was taken on a reportage trip through Germany’s Ruhr district.

MĂźhlheim 1955

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1951 he travelled to Eastern Bloc countries, to record the restructuring of Europe’s social and political fabric throughout the 1950s. Yet it was his extensive reportage on the Hungarian Revolution in 1956 that truly established Lessing as a world-famous photojournalist. The images document the uprising in all its stages: from the growing tension in the months leading up to the revolt, to its eruption in Budapest, and the invasion and violent victory of the Soviet troops. At the time, Lessing was working for the world’s most renowned magazines; looking back, however, his once hopeful views of a photojournalist’s role had turned more critical. “We believed that you can achieve something with photographs, even effect change.

In Budapest we learned that pictures change nothing. World history has its own laws,” he soberly reflected in an interview with Wina, a Jewish cultural magazine, in 2012.

Lessing was also a gifted portraitist. His studies of artists and politicians, as well as his on-set photographs of iconic films – depicting Gregory Peck in Moby Dick, Anthony Quinn in Zorba the Greek and Julie Andrews in the von Trapp family saga The Sound of Music – still count among the highlights of his oeuvre. From 1960 onwards, he began to focus on art and cultural history – visiting museums, historical locations and archeological sites to record colour photographs of thousands of artworks. Over the years, these projects yielded more than forty book publications.

In 2012, an interviewer for the Viennese newspaper Der Standard asked Lessing what photography means to him. “I was always interested in photography,” he answered, “but it was never the main purpose of my life.

I don’t need to take pictures all the time.” The pictures he did take, however, remain with us as extraordinary documents of history. Their enduring poignancy stands in stark contrast to the fleeting nature of contemporary photography, and – perhaps most vitally – encourages us to critically reflect upon the past. ulrich rüter

Erich Lessing was born in Vienna on 13 July 1923 as the son of a dentist and a concert pianist. His father died when Lessing was 10 years old. In 1939, he was able to escape to Palestine, working in a variety of jobs.

After his return to Vienna in 1947 he met his future wife, the journalist Traudl Wiglitzky, at the American Associated Press news agency. Lessing quickly established himself as a photojournalist, receiving acclaim for his reportage on the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. He became a member of the Magnum agency in 1951.

From the 1960s onwards, he published numerous photo books on art-history, and lectured at Vienna’s University of Applied Arts. In 2011, he bequeathed his archive of more than 60 000 photographs to the Austrian National Library.

Erich Lessing passed away in Vienna on 29 August 2018.

www.le s s in gimage s.com B ooks : The Pulse of Time – Capturing Social Change in Post-War Europe

(Hong Kong University Press, 2015); Revolution in Hungary: The 1956 Budapest Uprising (Thames & Hudson, London 2006); Arresting Time: Erich Lessing, Reportage Photography, 1948–1973 (Quantuck Lane Press 2005); Erich Lessing: Fifty Years of Photography (Austrian Federal Ministry of Foreign Affair, Vienna 1995)

Photography: © Erich Lessing/Magnum Photos

Erich Lessing achieved world-wide recognition for his black-and-white reportages on Europe in the aftermath of World War II. Few Austrian photographers have documented the upheavals of the time as accurately as Lessing. He was a critical witness and astute observer of political and social developments, who stayed active and productive well into old age. In the final years of his life, he not only dedicated himself to overseeing his vast archive, but also continued to publish his photographs in books and exhibitions. In 2012, he opened a gallery in Vienna to present his work.

Lessing’s interest in photography began when he was still a child. At the age of 13, he asked for a camera for his Bar Mitzvah; but it was only after several dramatic life experiences that he turned to photography as a full-time occupation. In December 1939, he escaped Nazi persecution in his home city of Vienna by making his way to Palestine. He was 16 years old. His mother and grandmother were murdered in the concentration camps in Auschwitz and Theresienstadt. For two years, Lessing lived on the Neve Eitan Kibbutz – studying radio engineering in Haifa and working in a radio shop.

He also found his way back to photography – taking pictures as a beach and kindergarten photographer in Netanya, before being recruited as a photographer for the British Army.

In 1947, Lessing returned to Europe with the intention of studying photography in Paris. When his French visa application was denied, he decided to stay in Vienna. It was there he met his first wife – a young journalist working for the American Associated Press agency, who helped Lessing procure a position as a photographer. A restless time began: along with major political events, such as the signing of the Austrian State Treaty, Lessing also documented everyday life in Vienna. After joining the Magnum agency in

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H i d i n g i n p la i n s i g h t Leica q-p And q “Khaki”

Leica have expanded their successful Q series by two additions: the Leica Q “Khaki” variant with a camouflage-inspired finish, and the exceedingly discreet Leica Q-P – an even more understated and technologically improved version of the original Q.

Leica’s popular Q series has been expanded by two new additions: while the Leica Q “Khaki” is simply a colour variation on the standard model, the Leica Q-P is an upgraded version, distinguished by a series of well thought-out improvements. Just like the P variants of the Leica M series, the Q-P is both more solid and discreet than the standard Q – in other words, it is a yet more stringent embodiment of ‘concentrating on the essential’. Some might wonder how anything can exemplify this principle to a greater degree than the Q, considering that this is a camera with a noninterchangeable lens, fixed focal length and no complex rangefinder viewfinder.

We must remember, however, that the P concept also aims to allow photogra74 |

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phers to keep a low profile.

For this reason, the characteristic red dot – which would immediately identify the camera as a Leica – has been omitted from the Q-P’s body, just as it was on the Leica M-P. In doing so, Leica are emulating a longstanding practice among M photographers, which is to cover the red dot with black tape in order to be able to work more unobtrusively.

Subtl e imp rovem e nts.

The Q-P actually lends itself even better to these efforts of concealment than, say, the Leica M-P. After all, many people will still recognise the M-P as a Leica, given that the rangefinder viewfinder is a rather distinctive giveaway. The Q-P, on the other hand, offers no obvious detail to draw the observer’s eye. Without the

red dot, the front view of the camera is decidedly understated: only the relatively prominent lens and, on closer inspection, the characteristic step on the top panel, might reveal that this is a genuine Leica.

When looking at the camera from above, it becomes a lot easier: the top plate shows the cursive Leica script featured on all P models.

It is the first time this homage to the Leica M3 has been introduced to a Leica Q body – and the combination works perfectly. On Leica’s M models, the engraving serves as a fitting enhancement of the camera’s overall appearance; but on the Q-P, its effect is much more transformative: the artful script imbues the soberly designed digital camera with the same sense of heritage and tradition that

has always been inherently associated with the Leica M. But not all of the improvements are purely visual: the shutter release of the Q-P has been redesigned to resemble that of the M – or, perhaps more accurately, the CL. On the standard Leica Q, the ring surrounding the shutter button is relatively narrow, while the pushbutton itself is fairly large and, with its slightly rounded shape, more obtrusive. The M, by comparison, features a broader ring combined with a smaller, flatter shutter button which is surrounded by a distinctive indentation; as a result, positioning the index finger on the shutter feels more intuitive than it does on the standard Q. As for the CL, Leica decided to omit the (very rarely used) cable release port that →

In the absence of the red Leica dot, there is no overt detail on the camera body to draw the eye. The specialist, matte-black paint further contributes to the Leica Q-P’s inconspicuous appearance

Only the top plate gives away the Q-P’s true origin: the classic Leica script beautifully enhances the camera’s overall appearance. The new shutter button is based on that of the Leica CL, and offers a more precise and intuitive handling than the original pushbutton of the Q

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The Q “Khaki” is a special-edition model of the Leica Q, available worldwide.

Its khaki leather trim is complemented by a matching carrier strap

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is still part of the M’s shutter button, and instead opt for a smaller pushbutton and surrounding ring. This, in turn, is the version Leica chose to emulate on the Q-P. Anyone who gets the chance to consecutively handle the above-mentioned cameras will be sure to notice the difference, however minor these alterations might appear. The convex button of the standard Q can mean a slightly tentative search for the correct index-finger position – whereas the new camera’s CL-style pushbutton is more tactile by comparison, leading to a greater feeling of control.

Obviously, we are talking about extremely subtle differences: owners of a standard Leica Q, who

have probably never thought about their shutter release button as posing any kind of issue, certainly need not be concerned. These finer points simply illustrate Leica’s predilection to focus on every detail – the nuances that they feel warrant a technical adjustment when developing a camera such as the Q-P. n ew look. While the

matte finish of the Q-P would probably be classed as a design-based alteration, it could be argued that it also influences the camera’s scope of application: the extremely resilient, scratchresistant lacquer not only helps the camera retain its value, but might also encourage a more adventurous

approach to using the Q-P out in the field. The paint was first introduced on the M Monochrom Stealth Edition (see LFI 4/2018, page 116). Through the combination of the matte-black finish and omitted red dot, the Q-P seems to disappear in the photographer’s hand: despite its size, the camera is exceedingly understated and discreet. After all, inconspicuousness counts among the main prerequisites of the P concept, along with practical application.

The latter forms the basis for the Q-P’s scope of delivery, which is more extensive than that of the standard model: the camera comes with a second battery and a high-quality leather carrier strap. All that is needed

M or e s ol id a n d m or e dis c r eet t ha n t he sta n da r d Q, t he n e w L e ica Q- P is a n even more string e n t emb odiment of ‘concent rat in g on t he e s s e n t ial’ .

is a memory card, before your new Q-P can be taken out for its first spin.

As for the new Leica Q “Khaki”: with its khaki leather trim,colour-coordinated carrier strap and green inlaid Leica script, this special-edition model certainly looks distinctly different from the existing, black or silver-finish versions of the standard Q. In terms of technical specifications, however, all colour variants are completely identical.

Incidentally, the Q “Khaki” – despite its camouflageinspired finish – is actually more eye-catching than the Leica Q-P, which manages to downplay its technical optimisation in an even more covert manner. holger sparr

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Less is More the Leica m10-d

Leica have introduced a variant of the M10 that is distinguished by the omission of a rear display: the M10-D offers all the hallmarks of an analogue photography experience – with optional access to full digital control via the Leica Fotos app.

Releasing a digital camera without display seems almost like a provocation.

But what if such a concept were to offer significant advantages, that are revealed only to those who are willing to embrace it?

When Leica produced the display-less M Edition 60 in 2014 to mark the M system’s 60th anniversary, it was perhaps viewed as a commemorative statement, specifically designed to illustrate the M system’s evolutionary continuity. Two years later, the release of the Leica M-D – a screenfree variant of the M262 – was received with far more mixed reactions: some celebrated Leica’s fortitude in continuing a long line of unconventional decisions; others argued that the company had lost all sense of reason by focusing 78 |

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their efforts on an obscure ‘niche within a niche’ (conveniently forgetting that the M-D was one of several different variants of the digital M available at the time).

Earlier this year, it seemed as though the M-D concept might quietly disappear from Leica’s product portfolio. As it turns out, however, Leica clearly consider the idea worth pursuing – in other words: there are obviously enough M photographers who not only comprehend, but also appreciate the concept. As a result, the company’s catalogue is now set to feature a display-less variant of the Leica M10: the new M10-D. men ta l p ic tu re. It was

at around the time of the M Edition 60 that Leica first began to emphasise their maxim of focusing on ‘the

essential’. Although this principle applies to the overall approach by which Leica develop their cameras, it is especially fitting to describe a concept that revolves around the omission of a digital camera’s most characteristic feature.

The ability to analyse your image immediately after it was taken represents many advantages – not least in terms of improving your skills as a photographer: an LCD screen allows us to determine whether the framing, focus, shutter speed and moment of exposure really did yield the results we had envisioned.

In addition, digital photography generally goes hand-in-hand with selecting settings and adjustment options from various menus on the display. However, it is undeniable that this

instant preoccupation with the resulting image can also pose a hindrance to the photographic process, and interfere with the interaction between photographer and subject.

So if nothing else, a controversial release such as the M-D – and now the M10-D – serves as a valuable reminder of the single-most deciding component of the photographic process: the person behind the camera.

What truly matters is the photographer’s attention and intuition, paired with the ability to transform an observation into the successful execution of a visual concept – be it spontaneously or after meticulous planning.

In many ways, it is irrelevant that back in the days of analogue film – when the inevitable delay →

Although its purpose is purely ergonomic, the lever on the M10-D is a very distinctive reference to the era of analogue M cameras.

However, the WLAN symbol on the rear panel reveals that the M10-D is indeed a digital camera – albeit of a very special kind

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With the Leica Fotos app, M10-D photographers have access to the full spectrum of control options available on the M10 – and even beyond

in viewing your results was simply accepted as par for the course – artists still managed to create the most extraordinary images. Basing the argument for no display on this criteria alone would imply a retrospective attitude that refutes the advantages of digital image production and processing – which is far from what this product aims to achieve.

Instead, the M-D concept simply seeks to emphasise a different set of priorities, beyond the plethora of functions currently found in mainstream photography.

You can of course use any digital camera – be it an SL, CL or M10 – to practice a conscious, purist approach to photography. After all, despite the presence of a dis-

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play, you can still choose to refrain from constantly reviewing each and every new frame. In reality, however, the available technology inevitably draws us in, and has, in fact, been purposely designed to promote a specific mode of practice.

This actually makes Leica’s decision to introduce a ‘moment of reflection’ into the realm of digital photography an all the more impressive contribution to photography culture. t h e M 1 0 - D. Set the shutter

speed, aperture and ISO; select your frame, focus, and press the shutter: what more is really needed to determine the quality of your final image? Despite being far more than a homage

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to analogue photography, the M-D concept inevitably reflects some of its characteristics. On the M10-D, even the exposure compensation can be adjusted via a dial on the rear panel (not unlike the ISO-wheel on the M7). The camera also features a lever – though this is obviously no longer used to advance a roll of film. Its modern-day purpose is purely ergonomic: it now fulfils the secondary function of the traditional film transport lever, which is to act as a thumb rest in order to increase the camera’s stability. A useful addition, considering that the rounded edges of M models produced since the M8, the first digital M, have frequently been criticised for

making the camera body rather slippery. As a result, optional accessories, such as the hot-shoe mounted ‘Thumbs Up’ grip or Leica’s own M10 thumb support solution, have become all the more popular.

However, the most notable difference between the M10-D and its predecessor is its connectivity to the new Leica Fotos app. Thanks to the camera’s integrated WLAN, this feature opens up the exact same settings options as those available on the Leica M10 – including white balance correction, and the ability to record JPEGs in three levels of resolution. In Remote Shooting mode, it is possible to record images via the app whilst benefitting from all Live

T he om is s ion of a display leads to a foc us e d con ce n t rat ion on t he e s s e n t ial eleme n ts of t he p hotog ra p hic p roce s s.

View control options. And of course, should you so desire, the app can also be used to view each image immediately after it is captured.

The great appeal of this concept lies in its duality: on the one hand, the omission of a display leads to a focused concentration on the essential elements of the photographic process; in the same vein, the design of the M10-D’s body is unparalleled in its cohesive, purely relevance-driven aesthetic.

At the same time, however, the photographer has the option of accessing all of the functions you would expect from a digital camera – meaning that even the most dedicated purist can now benefit from the best of both worlds. olaf Stefanus

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w h at t h e f u t u r E h o l d s L EICA L m o u n t

Photokina 2018 provided a glimpse into the future of the L mount and 2019 is bound to bear the fruits of Leica’s recently forged alliance. Details about major new products are still sparse, but what has transpired definitely looks promising.

Not every camera vendor can keep a secret, but this time Leica was quite successful. Even after it had transpired that Panasonic would announce two fullframe cameras at Photokina 2018, few would have gathered that this would imply adopting the Leica L mount.

Sigma had managed to stay under the radar of the usual rumor sites until shortly before the eventual announcement.

Photographers may have come to the world's leading trade fair for imaging to try out the new mirrorless full-frame systems from Canon and Nikon, but were surprised by two competitors entering this market segment. If attempted on their own such a daring move might have been met with scepticism, but bolstered by Leica’s 82 |

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experience with the established SL system, Panasonic and Sigma will be regarded as serious contenders.

T he Pa n as on ic S system. Panasonic has announced the full-frame Lumix S system to complement the G series of cameras and lenses built around the Micro-FourThirds standard. There will be two cameras slated for a release date in the spring of 2019: the S1R and the S1. At Photokina we could handle an early prototype of the Panasonic S1R that gave a good idea of the camera design.

Panasonic’s models are by no means diminutive.

Panasonic has gathered that photographers prefer a body providing a firm grip with easy access to the camera’s controls.

The design is more conventional than that of the Leica SL, CL, or TL, but compares favourably to that of Canon, Nikon, or Sony. The S series cameras share an articulated display and dual slots for XQD and SD cards. They will support dual image stabilisation, i.e. combining an in-body image stabiliser using a movable sensor with an image stabiliser built into the lens, if available.

4K video recordings are to be supported at frame rates of 50p and 60p. The S1R will feature a 47 MP sensor, whereas the S1, which is the more video-centric of the two, will resolve 24 MP. Upon their release, the first S series cameras will be supported by three L mount lenses: a 1:1.4 50mm standard lens, 24–105mm standard zoom lens, and a 70–200mm telephoto zoom lens.

S i g m a . Sigma is the big unknown within the L-Mount Alliance and Photokina 2018 did not provide many clues. A few things are certain: Sigma will abandon their own SA mount, that was originally an SLR mount but was recently used for mirrorless cameras with APS-C and APS-H sensors.

Its long flange distance did not make much sense in a mirrorless context to begin with, so the adoption of the L mount appears sensible.

Sigma’s Art series of lenses is generally well received, as they provide high image quality in a comparatively modest →

Right now the L mount world is exclusively populated by Leica cameras and lenses, but Panasonic and Sigma are poised to introduce products creating a more diverse environment

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In spring 2019 two Panasonic cameras will emerge from the shadows, the 47 MP S1R and the more video-oriented S1 with 24 MP

price range. Nothing specific is known about Sigma’s L mount cameras except that they will be based on a Foveon X3 sensor. This sensor technology is designed to increase the effective resolution, and to do away with moiré and other demosaicing artifacts typical for sensors with an RGB colour filter pattern. An X3 sensor features no filters; rather each sensor pixel captures all of the incident light and differentiates between different colours, based on where a photon gets absorbed by the silicon chip. Red light penetrates deepest into the chip, whereas blue light gets absorbed near the surface, and with three photo diodes at different depths into the sensor it is possible to

discern not just the luminace, but also the colour.

Such a sensor yields an effective resolution that corresponds to the resolution of conventional sensors with twice the number of pixels. However, there is a downside: the separation of some colours leaves something to be desired and there is a lot of chroma noise at high ISO settings.

W h at a b o u t ne w lenses? The L-Mount Alliance is bound to broaden the range of lenses available for L mount cameras. There may be collaborative development efforts in the future but none have been announced so far. To comply with competition law the three partners may not

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more compact alternative to the Summilux-SL 50mm.

More wide-angle Summicrons are going to follow.

T he futu re of A PS -C .

The L mount has started with APS-C cameras; still it encompasses two sensor sizes, APS-C and fullformat. Panasonic’s announcements concerned full-format cameras only, and it is unlikely they would be interested in APS-C. Alongside an established and commercially successful MFT system, the new series of cameras with 4 times the sensor area broadens the audience they can reach without running the risk of cannibalising MFT sales. Sigma, on the other hand, has offered APS-C

Sigma’s X3 sensors crucially differ from conventional CMOS sensors in that all the pixels are sensitive for red, green, and blue, differentiated by their depth of reach

cameras with the SA mount and there are a couple of APS-C lenses that could be adapted to the L mount.

Leica has made it clear that APS-C is here to stay.

The CL and TL are quite different from the SL, in concept even more than with regard to sensor size. Keeping both series in the L mount portfolio makes a lot of sense for Leica. With the Elmarit-TL 1:2.8/18mm Asph pancake lens, the CL or TL fill the niche once created by the fixed-lens X cameras. Even if the new silver version of the CL was the only APS-C-based product introduced at photokina 2018, developments in this area are ongoing and will bear fruit in the future. michael j. hussmann

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coordinate their individual lens roadmaps. Panasonic has already been chastised for going for heavy and bulky lenses to accompany their S1R and S1 cameras, maybe just to prove they do not play second fiddle to Leica.

There seems to be a market for good but not reference lenses that maintain a compact size, but there is a trend towards big, heavy, and extremely well corrected lenses. Sigma is not immune to it either as their Art line of lenses testifies.

At the same time, Leica is steadily working on extending the SL lens portfolio. In the first half of 2019, the Summicron-SL 35mm and 50mm will be become available, with the latter providing a lighter and

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Da n c i n g i n t h e da r k Ava i l a bl e L i g h t P h o t o g r a p h y

Making a virtue of necessity: We take a look at the origins of Available Light photography, and how shooting in ambient light has evolved from a technical requirement into an artistic philosophy.

When the photographers of the early twentieth century first began to venture out of their studios, they embarked on the great adventure that is ambient light photography. Of course, even inside the earliest photo studios, natural daylight was the only source of illumination – however, the artists of the time made the most of it by working under translucent glass roofs, steadying their cameras on tripods and harnessing the light with long exposure times.

The new-found practice of capturing images out in the streets, combined with the introduction of manageable full-frame cameras, meant that shutter speed became a significant issue. As photographers increasingly embraced hand-held shooting, there was also a growing demand for light-sensitive materials and faster lenses – which, in turn, had a profound and enduring effect on the development of cameras, lenses and photo-sensitive materials.

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In 1925, the Leica I was introduced at the Spring Fair in Leipzig, featuring a Leitz Anastigmat 50mm f/3.5 developed by Max Berek. Soon afterwards, an interchangeable version of this comparatively fast lens was released under the name of Elmar 50mm f/3.5; it would go on to become one of the bestknown lenses Leitz ever produced. The early 1930s saw the introduction of the even faster Hektor 50mm f/2.5 and Hektor 73mm f/1.9. They were essentially the first speed lenses made by Leica and would, in fact, still warrant that description today.

The development of light-sensitive lenses with high levels of performance at open aperture became a prestigious pursuit amongst optics manufacturers, and brought out the competitive nature in many of the era’s most accomplished engineers. One of the pivotal milestones in this field was Leica’s aspheric

Noctilux 50mm f/1.2, which astonished the world of photography when it was released in 1966.

A new direction. Film technology, on the other hand, did not progress at quite the same rate, so that utilising the incoming light in the best possible manner remained a vital part of accomplishing a successful photograph. Most black and white films were coated with orthochromatic emulsions, whose light sensitivity was limited to around ISO 12. Colour films, which were treated with panchromatic emulsion, offered a considerably higher speed of ASA 20 (ISO 20/14°), and were able to yield good results when combined with a fine-grain developer.

However, it was not until the 1950s that film speeds started to exceed ISO 100.

Considering that this value is lower than the minimum ISO of most modern digital cameras, this seems almost inconceivable today. On the

other hand, the slow evolutionary pace of film gave photographers several decades in which to perfect their understanding of utilising light in challenging conditions. This not only resulted in many spectacular images, but gave rise to a whole new genre: Available Light photography. One of its first leading representatives was Erich Salomon, whose images – taken with a Leica and a Hektor lens – allowed the viewer to enter into the dimly lit backrooms of global politics, a world the public had previously been barely able to imagine. He was succeeded by a long line of photographers equally willing to confront motion blur, and open the door to a new world of photography. t e c h ni que o r Phi lo so p h y? The term ‘Available

Light photography’ refers to much more than the technical skill of taking pictures in ambient light: it describes the decision to consciously forgo the use of →

Photo: Phil Penman

Black silhouettes: the available light was all that was needed to create this atmospheric image

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Photos (from the top): Dhinaresjwari Waraduhita, Jonshe

Using a flash for either of the two colour pictures would have interfered with the mood of the scene, and may have felt intrusive to the subjects

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Photos (from the top): Christian Schirrmacher, Irakly Shanidze

The subtle lighting is what distinguishes these two black and white compositions – for this reason, adding another source of light would have been counter-productive

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is no longer the extraordinary feat that it once was, it is even clearer that Available Light photography stands for a philosophy, rather than a technique. It should also be pointed out that this approach does not stand in contrast to carefully composed, artificially lit scenes in the manner of Gregory Crewdson, for example. Instead, Available Light photography is simply the antithesis of mindless snapshots. In fact, you could even call it the quintessence of conscious photography: think first, shoot later.

As camera and lens developers, Leica must naturally aim to cater to a broad spectrum of techniques.

However, looking back over Leica’s history shows that the Available Light philosophy has always played a part in the company’s research, and continues to do so – be it in the form of the electronic viewfinder in the SL, the image stabiliser in the Q, or the high ISO performance of the M10. These may be different elements, but they all serve one objective: to provide photographers with the tools to capture stunning images in ambient light. david rojkowski

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Photos (from the top): Jonshe, Morgan Ommer

Available Light photographs are based on the interplay between shadow and light, bright and dark elements.

This restriction can imbue the captured scenes with an intense atmosphere and sense of intimacy

additional sources of light – be it artificial or natural.

The quality of Available Light photographs does not lie in their superficial – albeit stunning – effect on the eye, but in their humanist expression, and the interplay between authenticity and form. Another characteristic of this practice is that the images are the result of hand-held shooting – in fact, this is what distinguishes Available Light photography from slow shutter photography. As a general rule, pictures captured at a shutter speed of more than one second usually fall into the category of long exposures, while equivalent non-tripod shots tend to be classed as Available Light photographs.

What once began as a technique borne out of necessity, has grown into a popular stylistic tool – perfect, for example, for capturing the authentic atmosphere of a specific scene. It can be applied in situations where the use of a flash is not permitted or appropriate, or would not yield the desired results.

In our digitised times, when creating technically perfect images in low light

p h o to k i n a 1 96 8 LFI — 50 years ago

R e d R

T h e c o n t i n u o u s e vo lu t i o n o f t h e i r c a m e r a s y s t e m s wa s L e i t z ’ s p r i m a r y f o c u s at t h e p h o t o t r a d e fa i r .

The Leica System: So great has been the demand for the Leica M4 that it has been decided in future to manufacture only this model. On the Photokina stand the Leica M4 was again revealed as the ideal rangefinder complement to the Leicaflex. Elmarit-R 180mm f/2.8: This very rapid long focus lens attracted as much interest and attention from both professionals and fastidious Leica photographers as did the 21mm Super Angulon-R. For it is not only the longest focus lens with automatic diaphragm in his class, but also one of the fastest. The acceptance angle of the Leicaflex SL exposure meter is 2° when used with this lens. This is just what is needed with this ‘rapid tele’ lens. Its closest focus is 2 metres, at which distance it covers 213 × 320 mm. This permits impressive, format filling portraits from a distance which is extremely convenient for the photojournalist at receptions.

The Leicaflex SL MOT and its electric motor aroused much interest among professionals. It enables 3 to 4 pictures to be taken per second, at any shutter speed from 1 to 1/2000th second. One set of batteries suffices for about 50 films. Film can be changed with the motor attached, and attachment of the motor couples all functions. Likewise with the motor attached the Leicaflex SL MOT can also be operated by hand; a touch on the change-over key is all that is necessary.

L FI 6/ 1 96 8 : Masters of the Leica – Carel Blazer, the Leicaflex with through-the-lens exposure meter, Projection Screens and more for 1.09 euro in the LFI-App for iOS

For a more sensitive and precise release Designed and Made in France

www.taosphoto.fr

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Advertorial

BMW 8 Series Coupé

A pioneer making waves Canals instead of streets: it was in Venice, the car-free city, where the new BMW 8 Series Coupé went on a unique maiden voyage for a TV commercial. Photographer J. Konrad Schmidt had to reinvent classic automotive photography for this job – an adventure between opposites.

Still life on the quarterdeck. While some inside-out driving scenes with the BMW 8 Series were being shot on the transport boat, ­photographer J. Konrad Schmidt took this picture with his Leica. From a boat, of course.

Advertorial

Left: A platform of water and pontoons: Venice provides a worthy stage for the premiere of the BMW 8 Series Coupé.

Above: Courage knows only one direction. The BMW 8 Series Coupé is about to leave its safe harbour.

It ’ s 5 o ’ clo c k i n th e m o r n i n g .

Venice is still asleep. The sun’s rays are slowly climbing up the ornate ­facades of the palazzi. The alleyways are empty, the sea is perfectly still. The city is holding its breath. J. Konrad Schmidt is on his knees in a water taxi on the Grand Canal, camera at the ready. Where gondolas normally pitch and toss, a car suddenly hovers across the water. Focus. Shoot. The irretrievable moment is captured on chip. The automobile photographer is thrilled: “It was magical.” Taking a picture of the BMW 8 Series, driving through the lagoon city on pontoons, was a first for Schmidt. None of the classic camera

angles would work. “Boat or pontoon structure, we were always on the water.” The lagoon is Venice’s lifeblood.

Boats flood the city with tourists and goods, as if on a gigantic marketplace.

And the vast amount of equipment ­required for the film crew also had to be transported on the water. A sports car driving between the buildings of a city where car traffic is physically impossible is a groundbreaking event. Not just one, but several firsts for Venice.

For the first time the military complex at the Arsenale opened its doors for a video shoot; for the first time a drone was being deployed. A premiere with eight cylinders. The water vibrates.

At different points within the city, the BMW 8 Series accelerates along lanes of pontoons. This attraction of opposites was also a great adventure for J. Konrad Schmidt. “Equipment, cameras, computer – everything was rocking with our boat on the waves.”

The most unforgettable moment? For the photographer it was the shoot on the Grand Canal. “That privilege was a sublime experience. Such a moment won’t happen again any time soon.”

The setting sun envelops the lagoon in dancing shadows. Venice is living history. And the events of this day have added another chapter.

9 pm.

Leica

Oskar Barnack Award 2018

Spec i al e d i t i o n L FI: The special edition of LFI

with detailed information about the twelve selected series for the 2018 Leica Oskar Barnack Award, is now available at the LFI Shop ( lfi-online.de/shop).

LOBA Ex hi b i t i o n s : Paris Photo, 8 to 11 November; Leica Store Paris, 13 November to 10 December; Lucca, Photolux, 17 November to 9 December

The criteria for submissions to the Leica Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA) calls for a self-contained picture series focussing on humanity and its interaction with the environment. This theme places no limitations on the professional photographers who feel drawn to participate. After all, what subject could there be that does not, in some way, touch on the issue of humanity and the environment? As a result, since 1980, LOBA has effortlessly drawn a kaleidoscope of current-day issues and perspectives, as well as experimental and artistic influences, from the photography scene. The on-going relevance of LOBA in its 39th year of existence is underlined by jury member Mark Lubell, Executive Director of the ICP New York: “I think an award like the LOBA is extremely important in this world of over-saturated image making. There are millions and millions of image makers, but there are few photographers. There is a big difference between in-depth, long-format storytelling and visual communication on a social feed. As a society, we benefit from the dedication and sacrifice that these photographers have endured to produce this work. Therefore, the LOBA is incredibly valuable to the photographic community as well as to our greater society.”

Five of the 2018 finalists explicitly dedicate their work to the environment: the Peruvian Ernesto Benavides documents illegal gold mining in the Amazon region; Vanja Bucan from Slovenia places human body parts in front of or within photographic settings that show intact nature; the German Daniel Chatard photographs in the brown coal district of North Rhine Westphalia, a region currently making headlines; Elsa Stubbé from Belgium produces poetic impressions of nature; and Kechun Zhang of China presents his own perspective of human beings and their environment. Another five finalists represent the socio-documentary angle: Stephen Dock from France reveals traces of the civil war in Northern Ireland; Mary Gelman from Russia, winner of the Leica Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award, takes pictures in Svetlana, a community for people with disabilities; Frenchman Samuel Gratacap follows the refugee routes around the Mediterranean; the 2018 LOBA award-winner, Max Pinckers from Belgium, travelled to North Korea; and the German, Cristian Werner, offers us insight into daily life in war-ravaged Syria. Finally, the Italian Turi Calafato’s seaside pictures, and the Frenchman Stéphane Lavoué’s images from Brittany also have a documentary character, though their respectively carefree and contemplative natures differ from the existential flavour of the other works.

Around 2500 photographers from 110 countries submitted works for the 2018 Leica Oskar Barnack Award. “The jury was very impressed by the quality of the submissions. It is clear that the great importance of the competition’s on-going theme – the relationship between humanity and the environment – continues to apply as much today as it did back in 1979 when the LOBA was first established,” Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, Art Director Leica Galleries worldwide, explains. In addition to Lubell and Rehn-Kaufmann, the jury this year was made up of Terje Abusdal (2017 LOBA winner), Markus Hartmann (Hartmann Projects) and Christoph Wiesner (Artistic Director Paris Photo). bernd luxa Max Pinckers, Red Ink, 2018 LOBA Winner, see also the next page

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2 0 1 8 L e i c a o s k a r B a r n a c k Awa r d

M ax P i n cke r s In 2017, Max Pinckers was able to spend a few days in North Korea. He reports that all the places he visited had been carefully prepared, but that within the existing parameters he was able to photograph whatever he wanted. He knew, however, that it would be impossible to reveal the reality behind the government faรงade, which is why he chose to adopt an aesthetic style for Red Ink using bright, artificial light that is reminiscent of state propaganda.

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Ste p h e n D o ck 2018 Finalist

Stephen Dock has specialised in photographing latent or already existing conflicts. He feels a need to externally visualise inner conflicts, including his own. His work is closely tied to his life. “The Irish are as afraid of peace as I am of a quiet daily life,” he acknowledges. “For over a hundred years, violence gave a certain rhythm to the day in Northern Ireland. It is difficult to let go of that.” It took eleven trips in six years to work on Architecture of Violence, before Dock reached the point where he felt he could do justice to the subject.

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St é p h a n e L avo u é 2018 Finalist

Three years ago, Stéphane Lavoué moved to Brittany, to a region in the southwest of the Département Finistère. The On the Edge of the World series is a homage to his new home. He met working people who shared insight into their lives without needing to talk: the worker in the ice factory subject to minus 14 degrees Celsius day after day; the woman paid per piece to fillet fish in a draughty hall; the boat builder, who keeps vessels and equipment shipshape. And they all referred to the wind that blows constantly there, and that creates a bond between them.

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K ec h u n Z h a n g 2018 Finalist

Despite its impressionistic appearance, Kechun Zhang’s Between Mountains and Water series focusses on the interplay between people and their environment, the contrast between nature and human artifacts. The images underline the power of a nature that seems to defy human intervention. Even though the pastel-coloured scenes border on the surreal, the small, fading human figures depicted in the pictures always draw the viewer back to reality. Zhang often joined groups of tourist, with the aim of turning them into the protagonists of his compositions.

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Sam u el G r ataca p 2018 Finalist

In 2007, the issue of migration was the cause for heavy debates in France. At the time, Samuel Gratacap decided to get himself his own impression of the situation. He began by going to a camp for refugees in Marseille, before heading to Lampedusa for the first time in 2010. Presence is a compilation of works taken from the resulting series. The outcome is a unique, socio-anthropological study surrounding migration, not just with pictures, but also sounds, texts and reproductions of lost and forgotten items. The people in his photos appear overexposed, while the media underexposes their fate.

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C h r i s t i a n We r n e r 2018 Finalist

The war in Syria has been waging for over seven years. More recently, Christian Werner travelled four times to areas controlled by the Assad regime, documenting the atmosphere in ghost-like towns, where life is slowly beginning to re-emerge. Road to Ruin reveals the degree of the destruction, ruin, and children who have known nothing but war. The series, however, is also witness to how people defy the chaos, to rise above it and master their lives. The images have a quiet feel, defined by the weight of war and leaving a bland aftertaste underling its senselessness.

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T u r i C ala fat o 2018 Finalist

As soon as the weather is nice and warm, people like to head for the seaside. Turi Calafato began his Amuninni ’u mari (Let’s go to the seaside) series on a hot August day in 2013. Since then, he visits the bays and beaches of the Sicilian coastline – which boastes 1152 kilometres – whenever he can, documenting the summer hustle and bustle. Far from any kind of voyeurism and with a fine sense for moods, situations and composition, Calafato manages to create a very friendly portrait of society, showing people in their public, private spaces, without being offensive or destructive.

Va n ja B u ca n 2018 Finalist

For her photographic work, former environmental activist Vanja Bucan has distanced herself from a documentary approach. In her carefully staged Sequences of Truth and Deception series, she places human body parts in front of or within photographic settings that are often very colourful and representative of an intact nature. The images reveal a rudimentary but sufficiently human presence, to emphasise her theme of ‘dominance over nature’.

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Da n i el C h ata r d 2018 Finalist

“As a photographer, it is essential to take a stand,” Daniel Chatard once explained in an interview.

This attitude is evident in each one of the images that make up his No Man’s Land series. The photography student spent the months from May 2017 to January 2018 at the heart of a conflict that is the cause of on-going friction in the Rhenish brown coal district of Germany. Whether quiet portraits or pastel-coloured snapshots, Chatard’s photographs are always defined by a very unique, quasi-unreal feeling, where the soft colours are reminiscent of fading memories of better times.

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E l s a St u bb é 2018 Finalist

Water, forest, clouds, stones, reflections, turtles, a dog and a lizard: nature is revealed in all its diversity in this selection taken from Elsa Stubbé’s – in its totality even more complex – Les extraterrestres ont mangé mon jardin (Extraterrestrials have eaten my garden) series. The scenarios are puzzling and difficult to decipher at a first glance. The photographer sees her series as a “personal and poetic study of an imaginary narrative about nature, and the connection people in western cultures have with it” Stubbé challenges us to reconsider our perceptions of nature.

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E r n e s t o B e n av i d e s 2018 Finalist

The massive obliteration of large areas of forest in the Amazon Basin is threatening a unique ecosystem.

The tropical rain forest is the setting for countless forms of destruction by humanity, among them the poisoning of the soil as a result of illegal gold mining. By taking aerial photographs for his Dredges series, Ernesto Benavides has found a haunting way to visualise the devastation. The muddy brown patches of cleared woodlands eat their way through the rain forest, leaving behind polluted, dead areas. Over 600 square kilometres have been lost in Peru’s Madre de Dios region alone.

2 0 1 8 L e i c a o s k a r B a r n a c k Awa r d n e w c o m e r

M a r y Gelma n Deeply impressed by her first visit to the Svetlana educational initiative 150 kilometres to the east of St. Petersburg, Mary Gelman’s approach to her project of the same name, takes place at a purely interpersonal level: hesitant portraits and cautious expressions, atmospheric situations that, at first, appear strange and apart from everyday life – an everyday life that is celebrated with rituals and feasts reflecting a fascinating normality: “I didn’t want to show the otherness of a person, their disability.

I wanted the viewer to feel something clearly original about the person,” Gelman explains.

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p h oto – b o o k s – E x h i b i t i o n s – f e s t i val s – Awa r d s –

Martin Parr: June Street, Salford, Greater Manchester, England, 1973 – exhibited at the Manchester Art Gallery

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Ste p h a n Va n f lete r e n K u n s t h a l R o t t e r da m

The Belgian photographer spent 18 months travelling around the world to capture members of the international surfer community in serene, black and white images: Surf Tribe is an ode to nature, and to those whose hearts and souls belong to the ocean.

M A R T IN PA RR

Photos: © Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/Rocket Gallery (2); © Stephan Vanfleteren; © Gordon Parks, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., Courtesy of and copyright The Gordon Parks Foundation; © Sally Mann

M a n c h e s t e r A r t G a ll e r y

Manchester: a city brimming with character – a melting pot of industry, football, pubs and cultural diversity.

“I remember so well arriving in Manchester in 1970, having travelled from the safety of suburban Surrey,” Martin Parr recalls. “It was exciting and felt very real.”

His three years spent in Manchester marked the beginning of the Magnum photographer’s career. The series Prestwich Mental Hospital – his first-ever documentary project – was created in 1972, while he was still a student at what is now known as the Manchester Metropolitan University. In the four decades since then, he has returned time and again. Now his aptly named exhibition Return to Manchester is set to open at the Manchester Art Gallery. The showcase brings together a selection of photographs and series created in the Manchester area – spanning from the afore-mentioned Prestwich Mental Hospital, to Yates Wine Lodges (1982), People Shopping in Salford (1986) and Guardian Cities (2008).

“His work shows how the lives of Mancunians have changed, but also how there is continuity in how we live our lives,” the exhibition organisers at the gallery in Manchester explain. In addition to existing works, the photographer also produced a new series specifically for this exhibition, portraying the city and its inhabitants in the year 2018. The images depict Mancunians going about their daily lives – be it at the hairdresser’s, in a Mosque, at work or on a night out. Martin Parr is known for his ability to capture social realities, exposing both the ordinary and peculiar elements of life in a candid and often humorous manner. In short: he simply shows the world the way it is.

16 November 2018 — 22 April 2019, Photo: Martin Parr, BBC Pod, BBC, Media City, Salford, Greater Manchester, England, 2018

14 Oct 2018 — 13 Jan 2019; Photo: Stephan Vanfleteren, Leo Cabral, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil free surfer/airport employee, 2016

G o r d o n Pa r k s N at i o n a l G a ll e r y o f A r t, Wa s h i n g t o n

By the time he became Life’s first Afro-American photographer in 1949, Parks had been dedicated to the medium for ten years. With 150 exhibits, The New Tide, Early Work 1940–1950 focuses on this formative decade in the photographer’s career.

4 Nov 2018 — 16 Feb 2019; Photo: Gordon Parks: Washington, D.C. Deacon’s corner in the Church of God in Christ, November 1942

SA lly ma n n J . Pa ul G e t t y Mu s e u m , Los Angele s

Like a silent witness, the Mississippi has been winding its way through the events of the past: the Southern States of America are marked by a history of conquest, division, rebellion, war and devastation. The effects are palpable to this day, with identity, race and religion remaining volatile issues. For forty years, Sally Mann has been exploring Virginia, Georgia and Louisiana with her camera, examining themes such as memory, mortality, roots and desire. Now the Getty Center dedicates a major showcase to the American photographer’s work. “Sally Mann’s distinctive approach to photographing the South has earned her a special place in the history of a genre that includes many of the greatest names in American photography,” states Timothy Potts, director of the J. Paul Getty Museum.

A Thousand Crossings encompasses 110 photographs in five sections: Family, The Land, Last Measure, Abide with Me, and What Remains. Many of Mann’s images will be exhibited for the first time.

16 Nov 2018 — 10 Feb 2019; Photo: Sally Mann, Bloody Nose, 1991

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B r u ce G i l d e n : U n t i t L e d L e i c a G a ll e r y M e lb o u r n e

At the beginning of November, the first Leica Gallery in Australia will open its doors in Melbourne with a sensational exhibition by the famous Magnum photographer, Bruce Gilden. In 2011, the US photographer spent a week in Australia accompanying the ItalianAmerican businessman and former boxer, Domenic “Mick” Gatto, and his friends. Using severe black and white and his typically direct approach, Gilden captured strong faces, unsettling scenes and unusual moments withhis Leica. Untitled, with pictures from the unpublished till now Australia series, promises unforgettable 114 |

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Gilden moments: always in very close proximity to his protagonists, aiming to decipher their souls for the viewer.

As far as Gatto, whose reputation as a businessman is not the best, and his friends were concerned, the photographer has only positive things to say: “I had a great time with him. Mick was always very polite and smart – a real gentleman, in fact.”

The exhibition runs from 1 November 2018 until 31 January 2019. The official opening ceremony for the gallery and its adjacent store will take place on 22 November. Following Sydney, the Leica Store in Melbourne is the

second one located on the fifth continent. The Leica Gallery Melbourne celebrates the art of photography in a 223 square metre space, and will inspire its visitors with regularlychanging exhibitions by national and international photographers, seven days a week. Danilo Rössger

Photos: Bruce Gilden, Michael speaking with a friend outside a restaurant (left); Amin Fakhri, of United Workforce Australia (right), both from the Australia series, Melbourne 2011 1 Nov 2018 — 31 Jan 2019; Leica Gallery Melbourne, Level 1 St Collins Lane, 260 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

S MAGAZINE ISSUE 9 20

L e i ca Galle r i e s A r e n be r g C a s tle

Porto

Josef Pausch: Sichtbares und Unsichtbares

Mark De Paola: Recent Work

AUT | 5020 Salzburg, Arenbergstr. 10 17 November 2018 — spring 2019

POR | 4000-427 Porto, Rua d. Sá da Bandeira, 48/52 13 October 2018 — 5 January 2019

Ba n g ko k

Prague

Renato D’Agostin: Metropolis

Street is not a Studio (Israeli Street Photography)

THA | 10330 Bangkok, 2nd Floor Gaysorn Village, 999 Ploenchit Road 9 November — 10 December 2018

TCH | 110 00 Prague 1, Školská 28 1 November 2018 — 6 January 2019

Boston

Salzb u r g

Richard Young: Rebels USA | Boston, MA 02116, 74 Arlington St. 15 November 2018 — 6 January 2019

Jürgen Wassmuth, Benedict Fernandez: Eternity, zum 50. Todestag Martin Luther Kings

Frankfurt

AUT | 5020 Salzburg, Gaisbergstr. 12 18 October 2018 — 13 January 2019

Michael Friedel: Reportages 1950–1990 GER | 60311 Frankfurt am Main, Großer Hirschgraben 15 2 November 2018 — 12 January 2019 i s ta n b u l

Ali Taptik: 5–7–9 TUR | 34381 Şişli/İstanbul, Bomontiada – Merkez, A Birahane Sk. No:1 6 December 2018 — January 2019 Kyoto

Julio Bittencourt: Plethora BRA | 01240–000 São Paulo, Rua Maranhão, 600 Higienópolis 27 September — December 2018 Singapore

Jesse Marlow: Taking My Chances – 15 Years of Colour SIN | Singapore, The Fullerton Hotel, 1 Fullerton Square, #01–07 30 November 2018 — 1 February 2019 T o kY o

JPN | Kyoto, 570–120 Gionmachi Minamigawa, Higashiyama-ku 6 October 2018 — 21 February 2019

Shoji Ueda: People on the Seashore

Norman Seeff: Collected Works USA | West Hollywood, CA 90048, 8783 Bever­ly Boulevard 3 November — 4 December 2018 M i la n

Bruce Davidson: Leica Hall of Fame 2018 ITA | 20121 Milan, Via Mengoni 4 3 November 2018 — 26 January 2019

Lars Beusker: Maasai Land GER | 59302 Oelde-Stromberg, Mies-van-der-Rohe-Weg 1 6 October — 21 December 2018 N u r embe r g

Patrick Ludolph: Seafarers

€

L O O K

JPN | Tokyo, 6-4-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku 3 October 2018 — 3 February 2019 wa r s AW

B O O K

8. Leica Street Photo POL | 00–496 Warsaw, Mysia 3 29 November — 8 December 2018

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Wetzla r

Jürgen Schadeberg: Leica Hall of Fame 2018 GER | 35578 Wetzlar, Am Leitz-Park 5 15 November — 17 February 2019

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Vienna NRW

PAGES · 9,90

S ã o Pa u l o

Shoji Ueda: Still Life in Landscape

L o s A n g ele s

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PHOTOGRAPHERS

Florian Czech AUT | 1010 Vienna, Walfischgasse 1 December 2018 — January 2019

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CUTTING-EDGE PHOTOGRAPHY BY

Enrique Badulescu Joachim Baldauf Brix & Maas Bil Brown Arved Colvin-Smith Anna Daki Rui Faria Christian Geisselmann Esther Haase Marie Hochhaus Benjamin Kaufmann James Meakin Monica Menez Hector Perez Elizaveta Porodina René & Radka Christian Rinke Tristan Rösler Takahito Sasaki SPECIAL

Norbert Rosing: Blick in die Wildnis GER | 18374 Zingst, Am Bahnhof 1 4 October 2018 — 28 February 2019

GUEST

Ellen von Unwerth

Zingst

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GER | 90403 Nuremberg, O. Wörthstr. 8 23 November 2018 — 9 March 2019

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LFI-ONLINE.COM/SHOP

A da B l i g aa r d S ø by The best is yet to come

N o t J u s t Y o u r Fa c e H o n e y

A strange experience became the basis for this monograph: in 2014, the Austrian photographer (born 1988) was visiting the U.S. to work on her series Las Vegas and She, when an encounter with a man named Troy inspired another project altogether.

Despite having exchanged no more than a few pleasantries, Troy followed up on their incidental meeting with a type-written, 35-line love letter in which he invited ‘the Austrian girl’ to share his life. His unnervingly forward proposition became the basis for this visual narrative, which conveys both the invisible presence of a stalker, and the surreality of the desert landscape surrounding Las Vegas. Fictional imaginings are juxtaposed with scenes of a reality which, owing to Nevada’s culturally inherent artifice, seems almost as illusory. The associative sequence of images explores topics such as love, illusion, surveillance and control.

Closeness and alienation, unease and attraction, reality and fiction are condensed into an unusual emotional journey. The project earned Moshammer the C/O Berlin Talent Award 2018, followed by a solo exhibition at the prestigious exhibition venue. In her equally captivating photo book, the artist blends fictional and narrative moments, alludes to archetypes of American photography, utilises modern imaging resources such as Google Earth, and finally invents a reality of her very own. Intensely mesmerising.

144 pages, 62 colour and 11 b/w images, 22 × 28.5 cm, German/English, Spector Books

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164 pages, 160 colour and b/w images, English, 19 × 24 cm, Kehrer

A p p u Jas u The poetics of a line

Everything is interconnected – yet the eye continuously structures the apparent chaos.

In this exquisite book, the Finnish photographer (born 1987) expresses his poetic vision: using free association, he creates an abstract framework of images and text to illustrate how objects relate to one another.

144 pages, 59 colour images, 12.5 × 19.5 cm, English, Kerber

He n r i k Saxg r e n U lt i m a T h ul e

Expansive, dazzlingly clear landscapes of blinding white ice, sky and cloud formations of blue and grey, and powerful images of those who live in the northern-most part of the world: for his stunning documentary, the Danish photographer Henrik Saxgren (born 1953) became closely involved with the people of Greenland – accompanying them on hunts and travelling hundreds of miles by dog sled, in order to capture a traditional way of life in the Arctic

ice, which is gradually being eroded by global warming.

His closeness to his subjects allows Saxgren to convey an evocative impression of the mythical place that inspired the book’s title.

184 pages, 94 colour images, 27 × 33 cm, English, Hatje Cantz

Photos: © Stefanie Moshammer; © Ada Bligaard Søby; © Appu Jasu; © Henrik Saxgren; © Fritz Block Estate Archive, Stockholm/Hamburg

Ste fa n i e M o s h amme r

It started with a box filled with analogue photographs, from the good old days when people still had keepsakes.

In this visual diary, the Danish artist (born 1975) invites us to retrace the love story of Ada and Louis – even introducing the reader to their families.

The result is a collage of memories in which each viewer will recognise reflections of their own youth.

F r i tz B lo ck New Photography M o d e r n C o l o r Sl i d e s

A true discovery: the architect Fritz Block (1889–1955) was one of the most dedicated proponents of Germany’s New Building movement. At the same time, he also captured the impulses of modernism through the medium of photography. This meticulously researched monograph allows us to discover his remarkable legacy. In 1921, Block and Ernst Hochfeld established an architectural firm in Hamburg that was entirely dedicated to functional, modernist designs. Block also decided to document their most important commissions with his Leica. Among them was the Deutschlandhaus, a commercial complex started in Hamburg’s city centre in 1928: the architect recorded his creation from ever new perspectives – today, the striking building is under threat of demolition. Block also lent his talents to capturing other architectural works, always adhering to the principles of the New Objectivity movement in photography.

In 1938, the architect left Nazi Germany to settle in Los Angeles, where he pursued photography full-time.

His Kodachrome colour slide series, in which he detailed California’s architectural modernism for educational purposes, are among the many gems introduced in this longoverdue tribute.

336 pages, 146 colour and 355 duotone images, 23.5 × 30 cm, English, Scheidegger & Spiess

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“ We n ee d b o o k s t h at w e a r e able to to u c h a n d s mell .” i n t e rv i e w

The Gerhard Steidl Verlag has published a number of works by reportage photographer Mauro D’Agati. Now he is moving ahead with his own publishing company. We talked about haptics in the digital age, and about personal visions.

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LFI: Why do we still need books?

Mauro D’Agati: Thanks to the internet

and social media, photography is quite dead; it only remains alive and interesting in the practice of a few authors who, despite an uncontrolled flow of images, still produce solid, thrilling stories and books. We need books that we are able to touch and smell, so that we can enjoy an interaction with a material object in a virtually digital world.

D’Agati: Because my publisher couldn’t accommodate all my book projects, and I was impatient to print more and on my own terms. Moreover, I really like the process of making a book by myself.

At the beginning the intention was to self-publish; now I want to publish other people’s work as well.

LFI: How do you see being an editor

and publisher?

This role gives me freedom as far as my own books are concerned; and it is a privilege to work with independent photo artists, such as Midge Wattles and Emanuele Lo Cascio, among others. In addition to printing books, we will do residency programs, we are planning to engage artists to come and work with us, to give lectures and run workshops. In this way there can be an interaction with the city.

D’Agati:

Photos: © Mauro D’Agati (2)

LFI: What makes a good photo book?

D’Agati: The substance, the content of the book. It has to be personal, original and appealing. And then there are the cover, paper, and binding – the material qualities that undeniably make each book distinctive.

LFI: How did you come up with the idea of being a publisher of photo books?

Mauro D’Agati, taken from his longterm project Marzia’s Family 2007–2017 where he documents ten years in the life of an underprivileged family in Palermo. “The series is a chronicle of one particular family that, in my opinion, speaks for many.”

D’Agati: At Steidlville... But I’m not

a printer, so we will print most of the limited edition books digitally, not offset. However, the quality of the paper, binding and layout will be superb.

LFI: How did you come up with the name ‘89books’, and what is behind it?

D’Agati: It’s a curious coincidence of numbers: first, there were 89 photos selected for the new Vucciria book; then I found 89 old postcards at a flea market, which will end up in the Saluti da Palermo book; and finally, I was in front of the bus #89 when the →

LFI: And where did you gain your technical knowledge about printing?

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Mauro D’Agati, from Palermo Panorama, a collection of works where he focusses on his hometown in twelve different series (left) Midge Wattles, from her Passages series, a search for surreal, colourless landscapes in Sicily. Here: Scala dei Turchi (right)

Mauro D’Agati, from Saluti da Palermo; a series made up of old postcards found in flea markets, and current-day city portraits (right) Emanuele Lo Cascio, from a series that has yet to be titled. The artist also works with sculpture, drawing, and video (left)

Mauro D’Agati, taken from his La Vucciria project, where he portrays one of the oldest market districts in Palermo. The formerly, flourishing Vucciria is now an area of misery and degradation, victim of the physical and economical collapse of the historical heart of Palermo (left)

idea of an independent publishing house crossed my mind. Following the logic of numbers, each edition will only have 89 copies. Artistic books are an exception: they will be produced as collector’s items.

LFI: How do you raise money to get

the business going, how do you pay your expenses?

D’Agati: At the moment we have started with a small group of likeminded professionals, who are very passionate about what they do.

For instance, the Art Director is Italian contemporary artist Emanuele Lo Cascio, who works with various mediums and has a special affection for books. For each particular project we’ll develop a specific strategy, including funding, promotion and

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distribution. At the end of the day it’s not about making money, it’s all about passion. However, there are some cases like Marzia’s Family 2007–2017, a book that has resulted from 10 years I spent following around one girl and her family. Hopefully, this one is going to be published thanks to a kick starter campaign, in an edition of 500 offset copies; but we don’t intend to resort to crowd funding for every book.

LFI: What is your main goal with the

publishing house 89books?

D’Agati: The goal is to enjoy the process, produce high quality books much faster than big publishing houses can, and to work with interesting authors.

LFI: You are about to launch 89books.

How do you plan to promote it?

D’Agati: We’re currently working on the first catalogue, which will include around 8 or 9 books. The plan is to

make a big party before Christmas to present 89books and its first catalogue. Further on we’ll be sending it out to bookshops in Europe. For promotion there is a website and social media, of course; but we are also relying on word of mouth.

LFI: What is important about a book

in terms of layout?

D’Agati: In my opinion, the form has

to correspond to the content; so the layout of each book needs a unique solution. In general, however, I prefer clean, simple, minimalistic layouts: less text, more images, as they can speak for themselves.

LFI: Yes, I think the editing and sequencing is one of the most important steps in the process.

D’Agati: This is probably the most interesting part of the process and we usually do it together with the art director, artist and photo editor, on the ping pong table that we have in the studio.

Also, to be able to carry it out in the best possible way, we came up with a short residency program so that an artist can come and work with us directly.

LFI: What is your strategy for your 89books publishing program?

What kind of photographers would you particularly like to work with?

D’Agati: Of course they have to be of a high quality and be part of a homogeneous body of work; but there are no thematic or formalistic restrictions.

It’s about instinct; and in every book there should be a storyline.

Leica Rope Straps Anything made for mountaineering must be durable and robust. Leica and COOPH have once again teamed up, this time to create a selection of hard-wearing camera straps made of genuine mountaineering rope. The result is a characterful accessory to carry your camera safely, comfortably and in rugged style.

LFI: When considering photojournalism and photographic art, what do you think the next step might be?

D’Agati: I don’t like to make predictions… Yes, the profession has changed a lot since I started over 20 years ago, but I don’t see it necessarily as a bad thing. Clearly, the system is the same: a journalist and a photographer get an assignment and make a story together; but these days there are fewer and fewer assignments.

Photos: © Mauro D’Agati (3), © Midge Wattles (1), © Emanuele Lo Cascio (1)

LFI: What would you like to see happen on the photography scene, nationally and wordwide?

D’Agati: I wish for a new Boris Andriyovych Mykhailov to be born.

LFI: Thank you Mauro, we wish you

success with 89books.

Interview: Carla Susanne Erdmann

mau ro D ’Agat i was born in Palermo, Italy, in 1968. He holds a Law degree from the University of Palermo. He is a self-taught photographer and began working professionally in 1995. His work has appeared in numerous Italian and international publications, including Geo, Das Magazin, Vision China, El Pais Semanal, Le Monde, GQ and Internazionale.

89 b o o ks : The website is currently under

construction; the first catalogue will be appearing in the coming weeks. Further information is available on Facebook.

o rd e r n ow:

lf i- online.com/Sh o p

Leica Fotografie I n t e r n at i o n a l

Na n cy B o r ow i ck my picture

On the streets of Tokyo: flashing lights, illuminated billboards, the hustle and bustle of the crowd. All of a sudden, a magical moment and the world appears to stand still.

70th year | Issue 8. 2018

LFI PHOTOGR A PHIE GMBH Springeltwiete 4, 20095 Hamburg, Germany Phone: +49 / 40 / 2 26 21 12 80 Fax: +49 / 40 / 2 26 21 12 70 ISSN: 0937-3977 www.lfi-online.com, mail@lfi-online.com Editor-in-Chief Inas Fayed, Frank P. Lohstöter (V.i.S.d.P.) A rt Direction Brigitte Schaller EDITORIA L OFFICE Michael J. Hußmann, Denise Klink, Bernd Luxa, Edyta Pokrywka, Danilo Rößger, David Rojkowski picture desk Carol Körting layout Thorsten Kirchhoff Translation, Sub-Editing Robin Appleton, Hope Caton, Anna Sauper, Osanna Vaughn CONTRIBUTORS to this issue Carla Susanne Erdmann, Katja Hübner, Ulrich Rüter, Holger Sparr, Olaf Stefanus, Katrin Ullmann M anagement Board Steffen Keil, Frank P. Lohstöter

Sidewalk in the Akihabara neighbourhood, Tokyo, February 2017

Media SA LES A nd M arketing Kirstin Ahrndt-Buchholz, Samira Holtorf Phone: +49 / 40 / 2 26 21 12 72 Fax: +49 / 40 / 2 26 21 12 70 E-Mail: buchholz@lfi-online.de holtorf@lfi-online.de Valid ad-rate card No. 46, 1 January 2018 REPRODUcTION: Alphabeta, Hamburg Printer: Optimal Media GmbH, Röbel/Müritz PA PER: Igepa Profimatt

I was wandering through the streets of the Japanese capital, Tokyo, trying to find calm amid what felt like a bombardment of chaos, with billboards flashing promotions, and advertisements shouting and singing on the buildings. Holding the camera up to my face, I remember feeling like I could stop, take a breath and observe the whirling movement around me from the safety of my own little world. I took this photograph on a very busy sidewalk in the Akihabara neighbourhood in the east of Tokyo: it is famous for its many electronic shops, Japanese manga comics, Japanese hand-drawn or computer animations (animé), and multi-level video gaming centres. It was one of those moments where the stars seemed to be aligned, with sunbeams peeking through, creating what felt like a frozen moment amid the madness.

Nancy Borowick, born in 1985, studied Documentary Photography at ICP New York.

Her work and her book The Family Imprint has received many awards. She is published in Time and National Geographic, among others. Borowick lives on Guam and in NYC.

L F I 1 / 2 0 1 9 w i ll a pp e a r o n 1 9 d e c e m b e r 2 0 1 8

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Distribution LFI (USPS no 0017912) is published 8 times per annum.

Subscription price per annum (including shipping) worldwide: 69 € LFI is also available as an app at the Apple iTunes store and at Google Play LFI Subscription Service P. O. Box 13 31, D-53335 Meckenheim Phone: +49 / 22 25 / 70 85-3 70 Fax: +49 / 22 25 / 70 85-3 99 E-Mail: lfi@aboteam.de 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. This applies particularly to reproduction, translation, microfilming or the storage and processing in electronic systems. Enquiries or material for publication are welcome. We accept no responsibility for unsolicited material.

Printed in Germany

THE 8

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Mathieu Bitton with the Leica M10-P

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