LFI Magazine 1/2019 E

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

Edouard Caupeil Homer Sykes Charlotte Schmitz Emile Ducke

L e i c a F o t o g r a f i e I n t e r n at i o n a l E n g l i s h E d i t i o n

4 198801 307506

Jürgen Schadeberg

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Lfi 1. 2019

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1 1 0 | L f i . G a ll e r y

9 2 | L e i c a D - Lux 7

Over 23 000 photographers present more than 300 000 images in the LFI Gallery. In this issue: a Romanian dancer, a night sky in Brittany, and an Indian battle of colours

It offers more possibilities than a classic compact camera, while being much more compact than a classic 35mm. It is all about the joys of photography

Ph oto

9 6 | L e i c a El p r o 5 2 The versatile close-up lens opens up the world of macrophotography for many M and L mount lenses, as well as the Leica X and X Vario 100 | Leica M10-D Tomas van Houtryve took photos from the rooftops of Paris with an M10-D. He enjoyed working without a display, as it reminded him of the concentrated approach of analogue photography 106 | Museum Leica The second instalment in our series on remarkable exhibits from the Leica archives is dedicated to the Leica M2, M1 and MD

1 2 2 | Int e r v i e w

Emile Ducke: from The Emperor’s New Clothes series

15 years ago, Josefine Raab launched the newcomer challenge gute aussichten. The concept brought a breath of fresh air to the field. We spoke with her 126 | books

Jürgen Schadeberg 6 | L e i c a H a ll o f Fa m e

The focus of his comprehensive body of work is on South Africa – and has been for decades. Schadeberg is now being honoured with the Leica Hall of Fame

Charlotte Schmitz 30 | Cok Güzelim, Cök Güzel

The Balat district of Istanbul tends towards conservatism. A glimpse behind the scenes reveals a dazzling women’s world full of dreams and stories

Emile Ducke

New publications by Demetris Koilalous, Yan Morvan, Ruth Stoltenberg, and Maria Sewcz, as well as an opulent photo book on China by Magnum Photos 128 | exhibitions Paolo Pellegrin in Rome, Ansel Adams in Boston, 30 under 30 in Lille, and Feast for the Eyes at Foam in Amsterdam 1 2 9 | L e i c a G a ll e r i e s An overview of the program of Leica Galleries around the world, including Thomas Hoepker in Bangkok and Julio Bittencourt in São Paulo

4 6 | T H E E M PEROR ’ S N E W C L O T H ES The new Leica D-Lux 7: now with a higher-resolution sensor and touch display

Reconstruction in East: the photographer travelled to the Chechen capital, tirelessly documenting the rapid transformation of its image

Homer Sykes 6 2 | T h e Way w e W e r e

130 | my picture Fred Mortagne was encouraged when he came in third in a photo competition 1 3 0 | i m p r i nt

With his very honest social studies, the Canadian photographer sees himself as an archivist of everyday life in his adopted homeland of Britain

Edouard Caupeil 78 | o n th e t r a i l o f J a m e s B a ldw i n

Caupeil searched for the legacy of the Afro-American author in the southern states of the US, capturing the atmosphere and state of affairs today

C ove r: Jürgen Schadeberg,

Priscilla Mtimkulu making up

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A n i m p r e ss i v e j u b i l e e T h e 5 0 0 t h i s s u e o f L FI

The covers of the first and second editions of Leica Fotografie

In August 1949, four years after the end of the Second World War and exactly one hundred years after the founding of the Optische Werke in Wetzlar, which Ernst Leitz I joined in 1864, the first German language issue of LFI was published by Frankfurter Umschau Verlag. It was titled Leica Fotografie. Die neue Zeitschrift der Kleinbildfotografie (Leica Photography. The new magazine for small-format photography). The name followed the tradition of the magazine Die Leica (The Leica) that Curt Emmermann published between 1931 and 1942, and KleinfilmFoto. Hefte für Kleinfilm-Photographie und -Projektion (35mm Photography. Magazine for 35mm Photography and Projection). Today, we are delighted to present the 500th issue of Leica Fotografie International. In addition, 2019 is the year that will see us celebrating our 70th birthday, and we will be taking advantage of the opportunity to bring you some real photographic treats. Just wait and see! lfi-online.de

Contributors

The photographer has more than just talent as a visual storyteller. On the occasion of the Leica Hall of Fame Award ceremony, there were many opportunities to learn more about the experiences and stories that have so enriched his life – extremely amusing talks where he spoke about his time as a youth in Berlin in the thirties, switching between speaking in English and in German, where you could also hear a refined touch of a Berlin accent coming to the forefront. 4 |

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h o m e r Sy k e s Homer Sykes is a silent observer, who speaks through his photography: “While I am working, I look closely to see how my fellow human beings are interacting with one another, and then I capture it within a frame so as to create a story,” the British photographer reveals in an interview. This is a practice Sykes has perfected throughout his career. His photo book, The Way We Were, is a chronicle that reflects British society over the last 50 years, in unique black and white images.

C h a r lot t e S c h m i tz

Charlotte Schmitz speaks six languages; and, if you count the language of photography you could even say seven. “I first learnt Turkish from the women in the Balat district of Istanbul. My Turkish friends in the capital always smile and say I speak with a Balat accent. Learning Turkish was very important for my work. At first I spent a lot of time observing, and communicating with the help of the internet – but it was the language that really allowed for deep friendships to develop.”

Photos: © Jürgen Schadeberg; © Emma Drabble; © Johanna-Maria Fritz

jürgen Schadeberg

Tomas van Houtryve with the Leica M10-D

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Attention! L e i c A H all o f Fa m e

JĂźrgen Schadeberg

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Photo left: © Ian Berry/Magnum Photos

He is of invaluable significance as a courageous, passionate photographer with a humanistic eye. He has taken pictures in Germany and Europe, but it is South Africa that has constantly been at the heart of his seven-decade long career. One of the great photojournalists of the 20th century, Jürgen Schadeberg is now being honoured with the Leica Hall of Fame Award.

Ian Berry was there in 1955 when Jürgen Schadeberg was arrested. Curious policeman at the Berlin War, 1961 (right). Spectacular: Hans Prignitz’s handstand on the Michaeliskirche in Hamburg, 1948 (previous page)

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After being expelled from South Africa, Schadeberg lived in London. He produced numerous reportages about everyday life in the metropolis. ltâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in the Bag, London 1978 (above) and Disco, London 1980 (left)

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The photo journalist as a friendly observer of bizarre everyday life in Britain: picnic at Eton College, England 1981

European fashion and rituals photographed in South Africa: a picture taken during the Durban July Race, 1960 (above). The horse race was a high light for white society. Ducktails at the Rand Easter Show, Johannesburg 1960 (left)

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Haircuts everywhere, Sophiatown 1958. As of the mid 1950s, black people were forcibly relocated from their districts

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Street scenes from the Apartheid era: two black men try to avoid the policemen, 1955 (above); the picture of this quartet was taken in Sophiatown 1955 (left)

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Nelson Mandela in his former cell on Robben Island, where he spent 18 of his 27 years of imprisonment, 1994

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Two scenes from Sophiatown, shortly before the district was cleared and demolished: bicycle balancing, 1955 (above); and men playing nine menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s morris, with defiant words of protest on the wall behind them, 1955 (left)

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Township Shuffle, 1952: the scene with the couple dancing in a club in Sophiatown shows a relaxed, light-hearted moment within the restrictive reality of Apartheid, that brutally oppressed the black majority of the population

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Jürgen Schadeberg left Germany for South Africa in 1950, with little more than a suitcase in hand – inside the case however, was an inexpensively purchased Leica III A. Having grown up in Berlin and studied photography in Hamburg, he was now travelling to a completely unknown country, where his mother and stepfather were already awaiting him. With the help of the Leica, he was able to establish himself in Johannesburg as a photojournalist, but not as a representative of the white minority. His riskier choice of path would lead him into the country’s black music scene. Having already known racism in Europe, he was shocked to find South Africa a deeply divided country where the black population was brutally oppressed. In addition to the music scene he also photographed the consequences of Apartheid as a critical witness and committed observer. Not least thanks to Schadeberg’s work as head photographer, photo editor and artistic director of Drum magazine, he was a chronicler of an era, contributing significantly to the emergence of the ‘Drum style’, an authentic mixture of culture and politics cultivated by the magazine, that helped define the assertiveness of many contemporaries. Schadeberg had to leave South Africa in 1964 and spent the following years as a freelancer in Europe and the United States, where he remained faithful to his empathetic approach. He was first able to return to Johannesburg in 1985, where the second chapter of his time there lasted until 2007. Whether the picture of Miriam Makeba singing, or the portrait of Nelson Mandela looking through the bars of his former prison, Schadeberg took numerous pictures in South Africa that are today considered iconic. On 15 November, Jürgen Schadeberg was honoured with the Leica Hall of Fame Award, in recognition of his

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tireless, courageous and outstanding commitment as a photographer. We spoke with him about his experiences and his life’s work. LFI: What does the Leica Hall of Fame Award mean to you? Jürgen Schadeberg: Leica produces the best cameras in the world – cameras I have been privileged to use for over 7 decades. It is a very great and humbling honour for me to be appreciated by such a prestigious company. How did everything begin? I took my first picture at the age of 10 with a very small automatic film camera. The negatives were the size of a postage stamp and the prints were tiny. In Berlin I had a darkroom in a broom cupboard under the stairs. My first picture was of a cat which I dressed up in a scarf and sunglasses and my next was of a dog, a greyhound called Cosima Von Der Windburg, which I dressed up in my pyjamas and sunglasses. Other early pictures were taken in a Berlin air raid shelter and some were post-war landscapes. A family friend was the documentary photographer Erich O. Krueger who inspired me to get involved in photog raphy and eventually I became his trainee and learnt how to develop films, make prints, etc. A few years later, in 1947, I went to Hamburg where I managed to get a job as an unpaid volunteer at the dpa, the German Press Agency. The head of the photo department was the well known Leica photographer Walther Benser who gave me a break in photography. I managed to make some pocket money by taking sports pictures at the weekend, which was quite challenging, especially in winter when my shutter froze! Your decision to emigrate to South Africa was due to family reasons? My first choice was New York City, and a friend and I tried to stowaway on a ship bound for New York, but we were discovered. My mother had already left for South Africa in 1947 and I decided to join her and my step father in 1950. →

Social themes and societal injustices are also the focus of reportages the photographer produced in Europe. He observed daily life and looked for close contact with people. Coming from the tradition of humanistic photography, Schadeberg’s pictures have great intensity and sympathy. Here a scene from the Gorbals, a poor district of Glasgow, Scotland: Sherry Drinkers, 1968. Page 28: Miriam Makeba, 1955

Photos: ÂŠ JĂźrgen Schadeberg

Jürgen Schadeberg was born in Berlin in 1931; School for Optic and Photo Technology as of 1946; from there he went on to work for the Deutsche Presseagentur (dpa) in Hamburg. He moved to South Africa in 1950, where his mother and stepfather, a former captain of the British occupation army had already emigrated to. He worked for Drum magazine, the most important forum for the black majority in South Africa, up until 1959. As of 1964 he worked in London, and then studied painting in Spain from 1969–1972. He taught at various colleges. Schadeberg returned to Johannesburg in 1985. Jürgen and Claudia Schadeberg have been living back in Europe since 2007. Numerous awards, including the German Federal Cross of Merit (2007) and the ICP’s Cornell Capa Lifetime Achievement Award (2014).

jurg e n s c ha d e b e rg .co m Bo o ks : (a selection) JÜRGEN SCHADEBERG, THE WAY I SEE IT: A MEMOIR (Picador Africa, Johannesburg 2017); Witness: 52 YEARS OF POINTING LENSES AT LIFE (Protea Boekh uis, Pretoria 2012); ZU BESUCH IN DEUTSCHLAND (mdv Mitteldeutscher Verlag, Halle 2012); JÜRGEN SCHADEBERG (Hatje Cantz, Berlin 2008)

What were your first impressions when you arrived in South Africa? It was like going from the frying pan into the fire – I was horrified to see such monstrous racism which I had just seen in Germany. I was very much welcomed by the black world in the fifties – but in contrast not by the white world and the white police, where I was seen as a dangerous traitor opposing the status quo and the rigid system of racial divide. In the eyes of the white regime I was crossing dangerous lines. How did you manage to get into the country’s music scene? The black music world was very much linked to the black resistance movement, which I was already covering so there was a natural crossover. Very few white people were interested in black music so when I photographed jazz concerts, musicians, shebeens and blues singers everyone was very accommodating and welcoming. Everyone was delighted that someone was documenting and celebrating their vibrant black music world. Your work for Drum magazine was very important. How would you explain its special spirit? Drum was like an island where Apartheid didn’t exist. Within the confines of Drum, office journalists and photographers of all racial and cultural backgrounds worked in harmony; but the moment one left the building the real world of Apartheid kicked in. You had to leave South Africa and return to Europe in 1964. In South Africa it had become impossible for me to continue my documentary work. I felt very at home in Europe and somehow relieved to be in a free society after repressive South Africa. In London I plunged naturally into social, cultural and political issues such as poverty and homelessness, the flip side of the swinging sixties. Other stories included the building of the Berlin Wall, the neo Nazi movement in Germany, life in East Germany and the Provos in Holland.

In 1985 you returned to South Africa. What were your first experiences after the end of Apartheid? On my return I saw black and white policemen walking together and lighting each others cigarettes, which was a landmark change to when I left. This gave me hope for the future of South Africa and showed me that change was possible. How do you see photojournalism today and what would you like to see? Documentary photography, so essential in these commercial times as a non manipulated reflection of society, needs to be recognized, supported and promoted. Today the focus seems to be on the unnatural – the airbrushed celebrity and fashion images which perpetuate a mythical unrealistic superficial world where fake appearance is normal and celebrated. I would like to see more independent, documentary photo projects that are supported by the media, to counterbalance the extensive amount of spiritless, commercial work. The new generation of curators needs better understanding and knowledge about the history of photography and its historic value. What advice would you have for young photographers? They should understand the long history of photography and film and its evolution before they move into the digital world. They should also understand that images matter, they influence the moral discourse and can be agents of positive change. Young photographers today have a responsibility to document, reflect and record the world around them and expose injustices. Thank you for your time and congratulations for the Leica Hall of Fame Award. Interview: ulrich rüter

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Charlotte Schmitz Çok güzelim, çok güzel

Charlotte Schmitz spent more than two years living in the Balat district of Istanbul. As she wandered through the small alleyways, her interest was piqued by life behind the curtains, where she discovered a world that bordered on a fairy tale.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;I only work with a clip-on flash and use it deliberately to overexpose the pictures. The colours in Balat are bright, and this is emphasised by the flash. I prefer 4:5 format to 3:2, probably because I photograph analogue medium format 4:5 a lot.â&#x20AC;?

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;The assumed conservatism is often not as conservative as we often expect. Of course, I also confirmed with the women which photos I can show and which not. The women know my pictures, take a look at them, or get sent them.â&#x20AC;?

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“I always work in whatever setting I find. My pictures are in part composed, but have arisen from a certain moment – I don’t look for deliberate backgrounds, they are there at any given time.”

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Many of the women dream of an independent life, less patriarchal structures, less conformity. The new generation is in fact different. The solidarity and friendship among the women is very deep, and they visit each other often.â&#x20AC;?

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C h a r l o t t e S c h m i tz Charlotte Schmitz speaks six languages; if you also include the pictorial language of photography, it are seven. This knowledge testifies to a great curiosity about the world. The 30 year-old studied photojournalism and documentary photography at college in Hanover. Her work, which often deals with themes relating to women and migration, is exhibited internationally. Charlotte Schmitz lives in Berlin.

www.c ha r lot te sc h m itz .co m LF I -O nl i n e .D E / B log : behind the scenes of Çok güzelim, çok güzel

Equipment: Leica M9 and Leica M240 with Summilux 35mm f/1.4 Asph

‘Çok güzelim, çok güzel’ was the first sentence Charlotte Schmitz learnt in Turkish and it is also the title of her series. Translated as, ‘I am so beautiful, so beautiful’, they are the lyrics of a song that has a deeper meaning in the Balat district of Istanbul. Adorned with tinkling golden necklaces and countless bracelets, it is a song women dance to. From 2014, Schmitz rented a house in Balat, the historic district on the Golden Horn. Having lived in Berlin, she wanted to experience the country of her friends and neighbours; to discover what life is like in their Turkish homeland. Without a doubt, knowledge of the language opened many doors for the photographer: especially to the world of women, an intimate world, one that normally remains closed to outsiders. Yet even so, it is a world full of glitz and glamour, full of stories and dreams. Balat was once Istanbul’s Jewish quarter, and is now home to mostly traditional Turkish, Kurdish and Roma families. The district is a maze of narrow streets, old houses standing tightly packed together, and washing lines strung across the alleyways, seeming to stop the walls from collapsing in on themselves. Pastel-coloured paint flakes off façades covered with graffiti. Small businesses, cafés and bars, as well as stray cats, hide in Balat. In a sense, it is a forgotten district, making it authentic and hopelessly honest. “I was mostly interested in what was behind the curtains. I began photographing the people, the spirit and cohesion of the neighbourhood,” Schmitz explains. It was only as time went by that the project became a series that speaks exclusively about women. “I only met some of the husbands or fathers after a long time,” she adds. The women generally submit to the patriarchal structures, virtually all of them conform to the system. It is a very conservative district. “Most people in Balat vote for the AKP and are faithful to President Erdogan, though not always as in agreement with his politics as one might suppose,” Schmitz believes.

The private and public spheres here are clearly separated. The worlds of men and women rarely coincide, often even within the same family. The glimpse offered by Schmitz’s images is quite unique; the pictures taken with a 35mm lens on Leica M9 and M bodies. Without head scarves, she photographed women doing crafts or cooking, in sitting rooms, on sofas and on beds; some posed, others sprawled or played, sometimes they smoked or were provocatively dressed; but always just among themselves. Schmitz used a clip-on flash. Deliberate overexposure emphasises the colourful clothes and settings, while enigmatically revealing an invisible, private life. “For me, the pale shrillness underlines the dream world I found there – full of mannerisms of delight, beauty and performance,” she comments. When asked if she has any role models, Schmitz mentions US photographer Nan Goldin. “I like her photographs, her intimacy.” Schmitz’s imagery is also intimate and her pictures are light and empathetic. The perspectives she selects gives those portrayed, as well as the viewer, enough space. Consequently, her work speaks not only of dreams, friendship and solidarity, but also – as a result of the privacy – of something political. With the ideas of ‘privacy is political’ and ‘the personal is political’, women’s movements in western Europe and the USA opened up new areas of action in the 1970s: paternalism was rejected; political action should be initiated by those directly affected. For Turkish women, the path ahead remains a long one. However, “to better fathom how autocratic parties come to power and how difficult the way back is for everyone, it’s necessary to understand the structures of the private sphere,” Schmitz comments. “And, of course, the private sphere in Turkish society is as private as everywhere else.” katrin ullmann

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Emile Ducke

T H E E M P E R O R â&#x20AC;&#x2122;S N E W C LO T H E S

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Onwards and upwards: The Chechen capital city of Grozny is undergoing a dramatic transformation. Financial support from Moscow enables the construction of magnificent buildings and prestige projects, designed to encourage a new, patriotic mindset in the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inhabitants. But what lies behind the dazzling facade?

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A student of the Koranic school in Grozny, praying in a mosque: Ducke’s photographs are quiet and serene; they draw our attention to the individual – in a society where personal lives are often subordinate to the principles of those in power

Previous page, clockwise from top left: The centre of Grozny by night – neon signs display messages such as “Akhmad is Powerful” or “Thank you Ramzan for Grozny”. Wedding guests, awaiting the arrival of the bride in the foyer of a wedding palace. Military and police units commemorate the end of the Second Chechen War

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A group of school children visits the Akhmad Kadyrov Museum on the Day of Mourning. The museum commemorates the former Chechen president; in the background we see a portrait of his son, Ramzan Kadyrov, the current President of Chechnya

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Top: Security officer at a kickboxing competition. Right: Soldiers demonstrate the strength of the military in the centre of Grozny. Opposite page, top: The participants of a military parade carry portraits of veterans. Opposite page, bottom left: Audience at Groznyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 200th anniversary celebrations. Opposite page, bottom right: Recording a programme for the Islamic TV station The Way

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Ramzan Kadyrovâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s elevenyear-old son, Adam, wins a kickboxing championship. The banner in the background commemorates Akhmad Kadyrov, who was assassinated in 2004. In Chechnya, portraits of Akhmad Kadyrov, Ramzan Kadyrov and Vladimir Putin are omnipresent

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Women at a wedding, waiting to be asked to dance the Lezginka. During this traditional Caucasian dance, men and women are not permitted to touch

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Chechnya takes great pride in its progress â&#x20AC;&#x201C; expressed in the form of large-scale building projects

EmilE Ducke Emile Ducke (born 1994 in Munich) began studying documentary photography in Hanover in 2013, subsequently spending one semester in the Russian city of Tomsk in 2016. Post-socialist societies in Eastern Europe have become the primary focus of his work. Since 2017, Ducke has been based in Moscow, working on reportages that have taken him across the Taiga, to Transnistria and to remote corners of Siberia.

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At the beginning of this century, Chechnya’s capital city of Grozny had been almost entirely destroyed by the Second Chechen War. Today, with Chechnya under the authoritarian leadership of Ramzan Kadyrov, Grozny has all the overt hallmarks of a progressive, modern metropolis. Emile Ducke was able to gain profound insight into a region whose intense focus on architectural reconstruction corresponds with a keen desire to forget the wounds of the past.

the Second Chechen War. He demonstrates his loyalty to the Kremlin with elaborate celebrations of events such as Victory Day, Russia Day and Putin’s birthday. These events are subject to extremely tight security measures: armed units patrol the perimeters of the venues, access roads are blocked by armour-plated vehicles. This is not only a precaution against potential assailants, but can also be seen as a show of power directed at the population.

LFI: Chechnya is a part of the world that has not been explored by all that many photographers. What drew you to this region? Emile Ducke: My first associations with Chechnya were based on the media images of the Second Chechen War that were published all over the world. Later I immersed myself in the books of the Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who reported on Chechnya until she was murdered in 2006. Even though the war has been over for quite some time, there are still disturbing reports of kidnappings, torture and arrests carried out by Chechen security personnel. I wanted to find out what everyday life in such an authoritarian society looks like.

What was your perception of the effects of the war on the city of Grozny and its society? The regime has worked hard to remove all visible traces of war from the city. The ruins have completely disappeared, and you won’t even find remnants such as bullet holes. In the same vein, the war is almost absent from the official narrative: in Grozny’s museums, the two independence wars are referenced as mere footnotes. Only talking to the city’s inhabitants reveals that everyone carries within them their own memories of this dark chapter. Almost every family has lost somebody in the war. The ‘old’ Grozny still lives on in the minds of many inhabitants. For example, they remember that the new luxury shopping mall was built on the land where the bombed-out presidential palace once stood – even though there is nothing that would hint at this today.

How long did you stay in Chechnya, and how did you experience your time there? I visited Chechnya five times in the space of one year, travelling from Moscow and staying for one to two weeks at a time. The city of Grozny, with its prestige building projects and the Putin Boulevard as a showcase of splendour, seemed extremely surreal to me. There is an enormous personality cult surrounding Vladimir Putin and the two men he installed as Chechnya’s leaders – the first President Akhmad Kadyrov, and his son Ramzan, who is currently in power. Ramzan Kadyrov is a former rebel whose family switched its allegiance to Moscow during

How do Kadyrov’s politics affect people’s daily lives? Although Kadyrov emphasises his loyalty to Putin, he has essentially created a state within a state. Federal authorities are almost powerless in Chechnya – Kadyrov rules as he sees fit. There has been a strong islamisation under his rule, which has increased the government’s involvement in people’s private lives on not just a political, but also a religious basis. The strict dress code prescribed for women who work in state-run institutions has generally been adopted by women across the board, in order to avoid confrontation.

What are your views on the future of Chechnya? For a large part of the population, the current situation spells stagnation. After all, despite its apparent grandeur Chechnya continues to be one of Russia’s poorest regions. Nevertheless, the majority of people are afraid of an end to Kadyrov’s rule, as it does provide them with relative peace and stability after decades of war. Did you have any objectives in mind before embarking on this project? My aim was to translate my perception of Chechnya’s social reality, with all its contradictions, into photographs. This resulted in expansive architectural shots of Kadyrov’s prestige buildings and grand palaces, which seem designed to dwarf the individual, combined with scenes that portray moments of people’s personal lives. What challenges did you face as a photographer in Chechnya? It was difficult to gain access to many of the locations, and obtaining permits for photography often took a long time. In addition, almost nobody is willing to go on record with a journalist about critical topics – people are too afraid of possible consequences. The 4 × 5 format is found in all of your projects. What led you to this relatively unusual preference? I often shoot with a large-format camera, which is how I came to embrace the 4 x 5 format. I feel it imbues images with a serenity that is important for sober documentary photography. Interview: Danilo RÖssger

em iled u cke.com LF I-Onl ine.DE /B lo g: Slideshow with further images from Grosny Equipment: Leica M10 with Summilux-M 35 mm f/1.4 Asph and Summicron-M 50 mm f/2

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Homer Sykes T h e Way W e W e r e

Sykes has been documenting British social classes and culture for the past fifty years. The pictures found in his new photo book offer comprehensive insight into the pulsing heart of a society that is constantly on the move.

Homer Sykesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s images discover excitement in everyday situations and have made him a chronicle of half a century of British history

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Homer Sykes has photographed countless numbers of people. The social setting, habitat, and above all the clothes, betray much about their status in society. Sykes remains delighted with the possibility of his photography expressing their origins, attitudes, reputation and their particular class in society.

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Above: visitors to the annual Eton v. Harrow cricket match held since 1805 (St Johns Wood, London 1975); below: children playing on the streets (Wandsworth, London 1970); left page: a middle-aged couple enjoy a sunny Saturday afternoon in deck chairs (Southend-on-Sea, Essex 1974) lFI

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Before the horse race begins, a visitor enjoys a cup cake with gin and tonic on the backseat of the Jaguar (Epsom Downs, Surrey 1970). Sykesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s photography creates a profile spanning all levels of society

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Clockwise from the top left: Saturday night at the Byker & St. Peters Working Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Social Club; a nun serves cups of tea to people in need at the doors of a priory; on tap: Newcastle Brown Ale â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a beer associated with the working classes; unemployed women make ends meet by selling second-hand items lFI

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Women taking shelter from the rain during the annual Baptist summer fĂŠte at the Church of St. John (Cirencester, Gloucestershire 1974). Homer Sykes is always looking for motifs that express British identity in each decade

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Above: Catholic youths with glass bottles for petrol bombs (Belfast, Northern Ireland, 1981); right: tartan trousers, leather trench coats and bomber jackets were the distinguishing features of a sub-culture in the seventies

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Life in London in the eighties was in full swing (clockwise from the top left): backstage at the Alternative Miss World Beauty Pageant; basement disco on Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Road; George Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Dowd, later known as Boy George, with a friend at the Blitz Club; guests at the annual Berkeley Square Ball lFI

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H o m e r Sy k e s Born in Canada in 1949 and moving to England five years later, Sykes was already in love with photography at a young age, developing his pictures in his own darkroom. While studying at the London College of Printing and Graphic Arts he developed a serious interest in documenting his fellow human beings. David Hurn, Henri Cartier-Bresson and Bert Hardy were among Sykes’s greatest influences.

Th e way w e w e r e : 1 968 –1 98 3

After Homer Sykes published his first photo book in 1977, it was followed by 15 more. His most recent work, The Way We Were, appeared at the beginning of December, 2018 LF I -O nlin e .D E / B log : Homer Sykes — One Photo, One Story

There are few humanistic photographers who can look back on such a comprehensive and detail-rich body of work as Homer Sykes. Born in 1949, the photographer has been carefully documenting the daily lives of his British contemporaries for fifty years. His theme should be understood as honest, candid social studies; because the way people act, behave and dress, says much about their respective social circumstances. Yet he does not see himself as a street photographer – he is more concerned with the sociological aspect of encounters rather than compositions that happen by chance. His areas of interest range from sporting events and wild parties in underground clubs, all the way to protest demonstrations. Sykes’s images tell stories from the second half of the 20th century: they are stories of ecstasy and friends, of destruction and suffering, of confidence and hope, of banality and of proven value. But this was not always Sykes’s dream: after developing his first pictures in his youth in the dark room, his goal was to become a fashion and commercial photographer – after all, this kind of work offered the chance to meet exciting women, or at least earn plenty of money. His thoughts were guided in another direction however, by British Magnum photographer David Hurn, who regularly visited the London College of Printing and Graphic Arts while Sykes was studying there: fascinated by Hurn’s work and techniques, Sykes got himself a Leica M3 to work on his first project about the different aspects of British society. In this respect, it was personal fashion in particular that proved to be the biggest distinguishing feature and the singular form of expression for each type of lifestyle. Whether punks with their tartan trousers, or the upper classes sporting their top hat and tails, each member of British society has his or her own means to express and present themselves. Even today Sykes is delighted with the possibility of his photography expressing their origins, attitudes and their particular sector of society. However, when pondering

upon more recent changes in British society, the photographer acknowledges the distinguishing hallmarks of former decades are no longer so clearly defined today. Sykes’s photographic techniques changed and modernized when he happily converted to digital back in 2005 because it provides better control over the process. He finds digital photography and image processing on a computer sat at a desk more comfortable than standing for hours in a damp darkroom. Many in the digital age like to believe they are a good photographers, even when they have little to say about the subjects they portray, but digital has not changed how Sykes approaches his work: he still considers himself a silent observer who simply wants to give voice to his particular way of seeing. Sykes manages to achieve this by means of authentic scenarios, and is most clearly expressed by that glimpse inside the private lives of the people he portrays. An observance and an interest that has paid off on many occasions. As Sykes explains: “I make friends quickly in the hope that I will be invited into their homes, to their work places or to clubs, so that I can shoot ever more interesting pictures that reveal deeper aspects of their lives.” It is an attitude has led to considerable success for thim. Sykes’s images tell stories that reflect the zeitgeist of the respective eras, and reveal societal conditions in ways not possible in the reported mainstream news. Even though he has travelled extensively for his work as a documentary photographer, his favourite motifs are back in his homeland. “Great Britain is my home. It’s a country that I love and respect, and where I do my most interesting work,” he says. His new photo book, The Way We Were is an impressive confirmation of this, and certainly marks Sykes as the ultimate seismograph for measuring the composition of British society. Danilo Rössger

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LeicA SL

Edouard Caupeil On the Trail o f Ja m e s Ba l dw i n

James Baldwin wrote from the sensitive depth of his soul and became an icon in the fight against the discrimination of Afro-Americans and homosexuals. With his camera, Edouard Caupeil went to the southern states of the US in search of the authorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legacy.

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Training elite among their own kind: this homogeneous group of ballet students practices in public places â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in Montgomery they seem like aliens (above); hero and saint; the likeness of Martin Luther King on a tapestry in a bar, close to the building where he lived (left)

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Music hot spot: at the Royal Peacock Club in Atlanta where any number of soul groups played in the 50s and 60s. Nowadays the main groove is reggae (above); street groove: this young man reminded Caupeil of the legendary soul musician Isaac Hayes, who created a furore with Shaft (left)

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Laconic remark: James Kimble, hairdresser from Birmingham, Alabama: â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is less violence than before, but the fear is still there.â&#x20AC;? (left); revered place: The Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University of Tallahassee, Florida, has the most African-American students (above)

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Timeless chic: churchgoers in their Sunday best. To Caupeil it seemed like their wardrobe was from the sixties (above); a white mask â&#x20AC;&#x201C; youths paint themselves for a performance at the Baptist Church in Montgomery. They themselves do not even know why (left)

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Male friendship: these two friends enjoy themselves at the Royal Peacock Club (above); Civil Rights Memorial Center, Montgomery: this museum is visited exclusively by Afro Americans or tourists (left)

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The air in the southern United States is humid and the atmosphere saturated by its dark past – a past which many US Americans today still like to sweep under the carpet: racial segregation was a bitter reality defined by law until a good fifty years ago. The Civil Rights Act initiated by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 put an end to racial segregation – at least on paper. The road to change was paved by the leaders of the Afro-American Civil Rights movements: including Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, and James Baldwin (1924–1987). Born in Harlem, New York, the multiaward-winning author who was openly homosexual, became an iconic figure for the equal rights movement. He was the first ever Afro-American to grace the cover of Time magazine, on 17 May 1963. In an oppressive manner, the author documented and revealed the scars left by his journey to becoming human as an Afro-American. At the same time, the appearance of his work (especially his debut piece Go Tell it on the Mountain, in 1966) offered his readers either moral support or raised a mirror to their faces – depending on their point of view. Baldwin’s œuvre continues to be relevant even today, more than thirty years after he died. Raoul Peck placed him at the centre of his cinematic documentary I Am Not Your Negro. Baldwin can still be seen on Human Rights Movement posters; including for Black Lives Matter, which was founded in the USA in 2013. Hip-hop superstars like Jay Z and Beyoncé quote Baldwin in their music videos. Baldwin had also long been making appearances on the edges of Edouard Caupeil’s consciousness. On the occasion of the presidential elections in 2008, the photographer was commissioned by Le Monde for an assignment in the southern states of the USA; to photographically document the mood among Afro-Americans shortly before the election of a Head of State who

shared the same colour of skin. Barack Obama was elected as the 44th President of the United States, and served from 2009 to 2017. Caupeil’s assignment took him to, among other places, Mound Bayou, a small town in the US state of Mississippi that had gained a certain notoriety as a result of being a settlement controlled, populated and administered by Afro-Americans, that was founded in 1887 by a former slave. Caupeil had already looked intensively into Baldwin’s work and realised, “his writings were so close to what I was experiencing in this deep American South. When you read Baldwin, and it makes you feel what reality was like back then, and you realize that nothing has changed all the way to the present day, it’s quite shocking.” Using his SL, Caupeil wanted to give visual expression to the things that can be read and seen between the lines of Baldwin’s books: to show how and if, after fifty years since the end of segregation, the life, atmosphere and mood of the people in the southern states has really changed. In March 2017, Caupeil travelled to locations that appear in Baldwin’s work, and to places that were influenced by activists such as himself or Martin Luther King: Atlanta in the US state of Georgia, Montgomery and Selma in the state of Alabama. Out of habit from earlier times when he worked with a Rolleiflex, and out of love of the format, he works on 6 × 6 for his urban landscapes and portraits, as he explains: “With the SL, I can crop my image directly in the viewfinder.” Working in colour, with only natural light, and applying an ideal cut to the frames, he adopts in part very unusual perspectives to tell the viewer what everyday life for Afro-Americans is really like – a reality that would appear to belong in a parallel universe for everyone else. He concludes, soberly, “nothing has changed since Baldwin’s time. With Barack Obama there was, politically-speaking, an exception. Sadly, since Trump, things have fallen back into the old ways. A white man in power is again normal for them.” Carla Susanne Erdmann

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E d o ua r d C au p e i l The autodidact was born in Paris in 1971. From 1995 to 1997, he travelled with his wife and small son through Africa, Madagascar and India, to catalogue the architecture of school buildings. In Mali, an acquaintance took him to visit Malick Sidibé (1936–2016). The photographer guided Caupeil further in the medium – not least because Caupeil’s wife purchased a Rolleiflex off Sidibé to give to her husband as a present. edouardcau peil.com LFI-On lin e.DE /B log: Slideshow with further Images from the Series

Equipment: Leica SL with APO-Summicron-SL 35mm f/2 Asph and Summilux-SL 50mm f/1.4 Asph

f/ s top – L e i c a D - L u x 7 – L e i c a El p r o 5 2 – L e i c a M 1 0 - D –

T h e n e w L e i c a D - Lux 7: To u c h s c r e e n , i m p r ov e d i m ag e q ua l i t y t h a n k s to h i g h e r - r e s o lu t i o n 2 2 Megapixel Sensor

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Perfect Balance Leica d-lux 7

Cameras such as the Leica D-Lux 7 used to be categorised as ‘luxury’ compacts – a term that implies indulgence beyond necessity. In reality, this camera simply combines superb image quality and creative possibilities with a conveniently small body.

The D-Lux has been in Leica’s product catalogue for four years – an unusually long time for a compact camera. With the D-Lux 7, the company now introduces a new variant which represents a coherent evolution of its predecessor. Aside from the new colour scheme, the exterior is essentially unchanged. In terms of technical enhancements, the improved sensor is the most noteworthy feature. SENs or . The D-Lux has always represented something of a counterpoint to generic compact cameras. At the same time, it has been designed to excel in a world of increasingly advanced smartphone photography. Modern mobiles are able to record comparatively highresolution images; to compensate for the lack of a

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zoom lens (which is impossible to integrate due to spatial limitations), some phone cameras feature several lenses – each with its own small sensor; visual effects are achieved not with optics, but by means of processing power. The D-Lux, by comparison, features a sensor that is considerably larger than is customary for a compact camera, as well as a fast optical zoom lens. Overall and selective focus are generated ‘naturally’ by high-end optics, rather than inside a processor. For the sensor, Leica have retained the Four-Thirds format of the camera’s predecessor. With a surface area equalling around a quarter, and a diagonal equalling around half of that of a full-frame sensor, this remains an unusually large-sized sensor to be fea-

tured in a compact camera. Another welcome feature is a slide switch allowing you to set the aspect ratio to 16:9, 3:2, 4:3 or 1:1 – whereby the diagonal angle of view and, consequently, the full-frameequivalent focal length remain the same (with the exception of the square format). The reason this is possible is that the D-Lux 7 only ever utilises a section of the sensor: out of the almost 22 megapixels available in total, around 17 MP are actually being used. The previous model recorded onto a mere 13 megapixels, which is not much more than the sensor resolution of most modern smartphones. However, it is worth bearing in mind that sensor resolution is a predominantly theoretical value. In fact, the smaller your sensor and your lens, the harder it is

to deduce the actual image quality from the number of megapixels. After all, smartphone photography generally relies on extensive digital image sharpening, which gives the photographs a specific look you are able to spot right away; whereas images recorded with the D-Lux 7 are characterised by a much more naturallooking focus. to u c h sc r e e n. The lens of the D-Lux 7 has essentially stayed the same: the DC Vario Summilux 10.9– 34mm f/1.7–2.8 Asph offers a zoom range equivalent to 24–75mm in full-frame format. Due to its high light sensitivity, selective focus can be applied as a compositional tool – no processing tricks required. Naturally, the D-Lux 7 cannot match the creative scope →

The D-Lux 7â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exterior adheres to a predominantly classic design, though the lens extends considerably when in use. Along with its array of buttons, the rear panel now features a touchscreen to enable a more convenient mode of operation

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The D-Lux 7 is complemented by a comprehensive range of optional accessories: carrier straps, hand loops, cases and protector

provided by a Leica with a full-frame sensor, but it is easily sufficient for capturing a portrait with a slightly blurred, if not entirely hazy, background. Emphasising the main subject is also possible in the wide-angle range. In terms of practical application, the camera’s traits have been retained so that the new D-Lux 7 continues to be an appealing blend of tradition and progress. The classic control elements and characteristic step on the top plate reference classic Leica cameras; the rear panel, on the other hand, features an array of tiny buttons, facilitating anything from auto exposure bracketing to shutter speed effects. While these

are typical functions to be found in compact cameras, not all photographers might consider them particularly vital – especially considering that the D-Lux hardly has to rely on electronic aids. Classic parameters such as shutter speed, aperture, sensitivity, and recording in Raw format are generally all that is needed to achieve excellent results with this camera. Since the aperture and focus ring occupy the limited space around the lens, the focal length can only be set electronically via the ring surrounding the shutter release button. There have also been changes to the display, which now offers a higher resolution than its pre-

for your Tablet L F I A P P F o r i OS a n d A n d r o i d

Read every issue of the magazine on your tablet as well – and soon even on your smart phone. In the app you can also find all the best photos from the LFI.Gallery, the latest blogs, and news from the world of photography.

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decessor. Most notably however, the screen has become touch-enabled: this not only makes it much easier to navigate the seemingly endless menus, but also allows you to select your autofocus point with a simple tap on the screen. This works surprisingly well, even when looking through the electronic viewfinder. While there is no built-in flash, the camera comes with an external flash unit which is powered by the camera’s battery. It fits in any pocket, and is a useful aid in low-light situations. i mage qualit y. When it

comes to image quality, the Leica D-Lux 7 has made an appreciable leap forward. The sensor’s higher reso-

lution is reflected in a sharper overall rendition – characterised by that natural appearance no smartphone camera has ever been able to emulate. Of course, the D-Lux 7 is still a compact camera, meaning that any attempt to emphasise the focal plane will require working with a fairly open aperture. Fortunately, however, the D-Lux 7 need not shy away from high light sensitivities, in contrast to traditional compact cameras. In a pre-staged test run with the camera mounted to the tripod, it was actually challenging to differentiate pictures taken within an ISO range of 200 to 3200. Even images recorded at ISO 12500 (which, in combination with the fast lens,

The D-Lux 7 prov id e s m or e com positional poss ib il it ie s t ha n a traditional compac t c a m era , y et its d im en s ion s a r e m u c h s m a ller than a class ic f u l l- f ra m e c a m era .

is sure to be sufficient for any shooting situation) are still more than acceptable – another point in which the D-Lux 7 supersedes its predecessor. Rather than achie-ving extreme perfor-mances in specific areas of application, the D-Lux 7 inevitably represents something of a compromise – albeit a very good one. It far exceeds the capabilties and creative scope of smartphones and regula compacts alike, yet is much smaller and lighter than most system cameras. This is a piece of equipment you will happily sling over your shoulder on days when you would leave a larger camera at home – making it the perfect compact photography solution. holger sparr

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G e t t i n g c lo s e r elpro 52

The new Elpro 52 is a versatile close-up lens opening the world of macro photography for M and L mount lenses as well as for the lenses of the Leica X and X Vario cameras.

With the Elpro 52, a macro converter screwed to the filter thread of a lens, Leica introduce a widely applicable solution for shortening the focusing distance of many lenses you already own. The 52 figure refers to the diameter of the thread – 52mm is a fairly common size but, as M lenses usually feature even smaller threads, the Elpro 52 comes with two step-up rings for fastening it to lenses with a 49 or 46mm thread. Stepup rings for even smaller diameters are readily available, so, as long as the thread does not exceed 52 millimetres, the Elpro 52 can be fitted mechanically and there is a good chance that closeup lens and main lens will also match optically. The macro converter Elpro 52 is an achromatic doublet – i.e. it comprises 96 |

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two cemented lens elements virtually eliminating chromatic aberrations. It reduces the shortest focusing distance of any lens to around 20 centimetres, give or take a few centimetres. Clos e- u p len s e s i n theory. Apart from getting a dedicated macro lens featuring a short minimum focusing distance, there are various solutions converting existing lenses

The Elpro 52 close-up lens comes with two step-up rings so it fits lenses with 52, 49, or 46mm filter threads

for macro purposes. Extension tubes or bellows are a popular means of extending the focusing range towards shorter distances, but as they have to be fitted between the lens and the camera body they only work with detachable lenses. A close-up lens

like Leica’s Elpro 52 is not similarly limited. There are also optical advantages to a close-up lens. When you set the focus to the distance of your subject, the lens creates a sharp image of that subject in the sensor plane. But there is actually a multitude of images created behind the lens – images in front of the sensor are focused to a longer distance while images that would form behind the sensor (if it was not there) are focused to a shorter distance. Increasing the distance between lens and sensor enables the sensor to capture images of objects that are closer than the nominal limits of the lens allow. The problem with this approach is that the lens now operates in a way never intended by its developers. A lens →

Photos: Leslie Gleim

Leslie Gleim created the dreamy look that is characteristic of her macro work using the Elpro 52 on a Vario-Elmar-TL 1:3.5-5.6/18-56 Asph with the Leica CL. At 56 mm the zoom lens was stopped down to f/5.6 as recommended by Leica

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design is optimised so its minimises any aberrations marring the image quality, ideally for all of the focusing range. When extension tubes or a bellows are used, the position of the focusing ring ceases to correspond to the distance the lens is actually focused on, which compromises the image quality. The sensor does not capture the image the lens designers took great pains to optimise, but a different image at a different position. This is even more of an issue when a lens features floating elements intended to reduce abberations at short focusing distances. A close-up lens works quite differently. It reduces the focal length which incidentally is what our own eyes do when looking at nearby objects. Human eyes neither bulge when reading a newspaper nor recess into the skull to focus on the horizon. Rather the lens itself contracts to adjust its focal length as required, and if this fails, we need spectacles. A close-up lens works just like spectacles compensating for far-sightedness. T h e E l pro 52 i n p rac-

Leicaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Peter Karbe went on to prove that the Elpro 52 is also compatible with the X Vario (above). Leslie Gleim stuck to the CL with the Vario-Elmar TL at 56 mm (below)

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a list of compatible lenses that is available for download from their website. Most of the 19 lenses listed are for the M mount, but there are also a few TL lenses and the fixed lens of the Leica X and its successors. Some of these, like the Summicron-M 1:2/35 Asph, have a thread size of 39 mm and thus require an additional 39mm/52mm stepup ring. This list is by no means exhaustive; in fact many other lenses with

Photos (from the top): Peter Karbe, Leslie Gleim

t i c e . Leica have compiled

a filter thread of 52 mm or less are worth a try with the Elpro 52, although Leica do not vouch for their compatibility. The zoom lens of the X Vario is a case in point – its suitability was proven by Peter Karbe himself, Leica’s head of lens development. For optimum results Leica recommend stopping down each lens by about two to three stops when used with the Elpro 52. But given the shallow depth of field in macro shots this is usually required anyway. One must also keep in mind that the combination of Elpro 52 and a lens is considerably faster than the selected f-stop would suggest. The Elpro both reduces the focal length and enlarges the entrance pupil, and

the combined effect is a much faster lens. When using the Elpro 52, the working distance varies very little when turning the focus ring. It is usually close to 200 millimetres, the extreme cases being 140 millimetres with the Summilux-X 1:1.7/23 Asph and 280 millimetres with the Apo-Telyt-M 1:3.4/135. The latter also provides the highest magnification of 1:1, with the arguably more common Summarit-M 1:2.4/90 a close second at 1:1.1. Basically, the magnification increases with the focal length – as does the working distance, if by a much smaller amount. If you are after a large reproduction ratio from a comfortable

T he E l p ro 52 c lo s e- u p l e n s b ot h r edu c e s the focal length a n d en la rg e s the entrance pup i l , a n d t he com b in ed ef f ec t is a fast er l en s.

working distance, a telephoto lens is your best bet. Because the focusing ring does not make much of a difference, optimum focus is best achieved by varying the subject distance. Obviously with an Leica M you can only focus in live-view mode. Compared to macro solutions involving extension tubes or a bellows, or even a dedicated macro lens, the Elpro 52 is a compact extension opening the world of macro photography for a wide range of cameras and lenses. The results obtained can be excellent, due to the optical design of the Elpro 52 correcting for chromatical aberrations and the multi-layer coating preventing a loss of contrast. michael j. hussmann

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LEICA PRODUCTS, APPAREL, ACCESSORIES & GIFTS ARTE DI MANO I ARTISAN & ARTIST* I OBERWERTH I ONA I PEAK DESIGN I RED DOT WEAR

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Ro o f W i t h A V i e w leica m10-d

For Tomas van Houtryve, the M10-D could not have come at a more fitting time: in a world increasingly mesmerised by omnipresent screens, it promotes a return to the core essence of photography.

Is there such a thing as a digital camera without a display? There is now: the M10-D encourages photographers to embrace a more purist approach

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It seems difficult to imagine that any camera developer other than Leica would have been bold enough to design a digital camera that lacks one of the most defining elements of digital photography. The fact that the release of the M10-D has caused some level of controversy certainly comes as no surprise. However, critics are actually far less concerned with the absence of a display than they are with the claim that the M10-D allows you to recapture an ‘analogue photography experience’. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the camera promotes a mode of practice that has gone out of fashion in the digital era, but which does offer a number of advantages regarding the results you are able to achieve. The Belgian reportage photographer Tomas van Houtryve certainly thinks along those lines, particularly after having spent several weeks working with the Leica M10-D. When he tested the camera, he decided to do so in combination with his great passion: capturing the world from the rooftops of Paris. LFI: Tomas van Houtryve, what ignited the idea to start climbing onto people’s roofs? Tomas van Houtryve: My very first apartment in Paris was a tiny attic space – it was so small that it wasn’t long before I felt compelled to expand out onto the roof. That’s when I discovered a whole new world: a landscape of zinc rooftops, with the tip of the Eiffel Tower in the distance and the scent of fresh bread rising up from a nearby bakery. After that,

I kept going out on the roof whenever the weather allowed it, often taking my camera with me. At that time my work frequently took me to conflict zones, so that these rooftop excursions became a source of respite and reflection after an exhausting assignment. I eventually moved to a better apartment, which was once again located at the top of the building, and had even more amazing views: Saint Sulpice, the Panthéon, the Sacre-Cœur de Montmatre … After a few years of living in Paris, I started to meet other people who had chosen to live in attic apartments for the same reasons I had, and who allowed me to share in their vistas. But it was only recently that I decided to turn the Rooftops of Paris concept into a cohesive photo project. And you decided to shoot this project with the Leica M10-D? Absolutely – it has now become my primary digital camera, while the M240 is going to be my backup camera body. What about the fact that the M10-D lacks some of the digital attributes offered by the M240? When I switched from analogue to digital (mostly because my commissioned work necessitates a digital workflow), I somehow felt that my pictures weren’t as good as they had →

The M10-D does not feature a display, but still offers the full spectrum of digital options found in the M10 – outsourced to the Leica Fotos app

Photos: ÂŠ Tomas van Houtryve; portrait on page 105: Brian Sokol

Looking out over the 6th arrondissement of Paris: Tomas van Houtryve worked with the Summicron-M 35mm f/2 Asph

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“When I first moved to Paris, I lived in a tiny attic space – there was nothing for it but to climb through the window onto the roof,” Tomas van Houtryve remembers. “It was not only relaxing, but also revealed…

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… a whole new world.” Viewed through a landscape of chimneys, the city’s world-famous monuments look different from their familiar postcard image. Top and below left: Notre-Dame

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been before. It took me a little while to figure out what had happened. I think it was something like this: when I was shooting with an analogue camera such as the M6, for example, I could never be entirely sure that I’d captured the exact image I had envisioned. This

sense of uncertainty often prompted me to spend a long time in one place in order to shoot more frames. Once I was working digitally, all of that changed: a quick look at the display told me if the result was okay, and then I was ready to move on. But at some point I realised

that I took my best pictures when I settled into a situation for an extended period of time. From then on I trained myself not to look at the display until I felt that I had got everything out of a specific scene. Of course, with a digital camera the temptation to check the screen is always there. With the M10-D, that option simply isn’t available, and I really like that. In addition, the M10-D was released at a time when I was generally having a lot of thoughts about the sheer amount of screens we have in our everyday lives. Its omnipresence has turned the electronic screen from a convenient aid into an addictive drug. If we’re constantly staring at our mobile

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Does its minimalist exterior contribute to the Leica M10-D’s appeal – in the sense that focusing on the essential parameters of exposure time, aperture and ISO has resulted in a ‘purist’ design that is very unusual for a digital camera? It is indeed easy to fall in love with a camera as an object representing finest

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phones, for example, we’re forever distracted from what’s actually happening around us. I got to the point when I’d simply had enough – I even went back to writing in an actual paper notebook. The M10-D tied in perfectly with this shift in perception, and it helps me keep my work free from digital distractions.

craftsmanship; but, even though this applies to the M10-D, for me it’s not the deciding reason for its appeal. What matters to me is just how perfectly it fits my style of working. For example, when I photograph people in spontaneous, unstaged situations, I simply need a tool that is fast, discreet and reliable. Anything beyond that just gets in the way. Most camera manufacturers tend to lose sight of the fundamental elements of good photography, instead investing their efforts in integrating as many additional features as possible. Leica should really be commended for their courage to go against the tide, and be encouraged to keep cultivating the concept of simplicity.

The Leica M10-D does offer all of the digital options found in the M10 – but they have been outsourced to an app. How do you feel about this solution? The way I use the digital settings is to carry out some thorough tests, adjust the parameters accordingly, and then leave my chosen settings in place. For example, I always have the white balance set to ‘daylight’ – most likely because I used to shoot with reversal film. What I really like about the concept of the Leica Fotos app is that I only need to access it when I’m not involved in taking pictures. For example, I might look over the results of a shoot while travelling on a train – at a time when I’m no longer on

location, focusing on getting good photographs. Or I might use it to send urgent files to a client if I’m working to a tight deadline.

Tomas van Houtryve: The multiaward-winning reportage photographer is also a concept artist and philosopher. tomasvh.com

Is there anything you miss working with the M10-D, or that you think could have been done better? No, there actually really isn’t. I was very pleased to see that the frameline selector lever had been re-introduced – this was something I missed on the M240: it’s very useful if you want to try out a composition without changing lenses right away. Also, the thumb rest was a great design decision – I can’t think of a better way to provide an effortless and steady grip on the camera. interview: olaf stefanus

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M3 Times Three museum leica

In part two of our series on remarkable exhibits at the new Leica Museum in Wetzlar, we take a look at the Leica M2, M1 and MD – three variations of the very first M model, the Leica M3.

When the M3 rangefinder camera was introduced at Photokina 1954, the company then known as Leitz laid the foundations for a product line whose popularity continues to this day. Leica’s current M portfolio encompasses contemporary analogue models along with the digital Leica M Monochrom, M10 and M10-P, and the display-less M10-D. While variations of Barnack’s thread-mount Leica were manufactured for a period of around 35 years, the M mount Leica can look back over a history spanning more than six decades. The initial concept can be traced back even further: patents from the 1930s, based on the designs of Leitz engineer Willi Stein as well as Ludwig Leitz (who was Leitz’s head of research before taking over the company 106 |

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after the death of his father, Ernst Leitz II) already address the following issuess: the integration of viewfinder and rangemetering image in a single window; the projection and masking of different viewfinder framelines depending on the attached lens; the combination of slow and fast shutter speeds in a single mechanism controlled by a central shutter speed dial; and the increased precision of the travel of the shutter curtains by means of a complex system of cams and springs – all without having to make extreme changes to the size of the camera body. Ludwig Leitz even contemplated coupled exposure metering. To achieve this, the shutter speed dial would have to be prevented from rotating (as it did on thread-mount

Leicas when advancing the film), and slow and fast shutter speeds would have to be consolidated – all of which called for the construction of an entirely new shutter. A prototype from 1936 named Leica IV already featured a number of these innovations, including parallax compensation. f ro m t h e M 3 to t h e M 2 .

The M3, whose name combines the M for ‘Messsucher’ (rangefinder) with a reference to its 3 brightline frames for the focal lengths of 50, 90 and 135 mm, differs from earlier prototypes in the form of several subtle details. Particularly noticeable are the raised frames surrounding the three windows on the camera’s front panel (the rangefinder window, frameline illumination window and viewfinder

window), with which Stein wished to create a ‘refined’ appearance. Within three years, 100 000 units of the Leica M had been sold – a truly extraordinary success. Essentially, the sum of the M3’s traits delivered exactly what photographers were looking for: convenience, precision and intuitive ergonomics. The accuracy of the rangefinder, the brightness of the viewfinder with its 0.91x magnification, the quick-release bayonet mount, the ease with which the film could be changed in comparison with thread-mount Leicas, the rapid-wind lever (initially double-stroke), and the single dial featuring all shutter speeds in geometrical sequence – these were the defining properties of a well-thought-out concept conceived entirely with practicality in mind. →

Images from MUSEUM LEICA, courtesy of Lars Netopil Classic Cameras, Wetzlar

Top: The Leica M2 #926007 – the seventh unit in this production run. Left: A Leica MD – only the first ten units featured this hammertone finish

Right: Another perspective of the Leica M2 #926 007. The lens is the prototype of a Summaron 35mm f/3.5 #0 000 121 with M bayonet mount (first built in 1948)

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Shortly before the M3 was introduced on the market, Ludwig Leitz asked Heinrich Janke, who was studying sculpture and design in Hanover, whether he might consider participating in the creation of a camera. Janke agreed, but the plaster model he developed on the basis of existing drafts did not meet with the approval of Leitz engineer Willi Stein. Janke’s time had not yet come – but this was about to change: he joined the company in 1954, staying on as Leitz’s head designer until his retirement in 1989.

Th e le i c a MD was t h e fi rst M whose name featured the suffix ‘D ’ – t h e start o f a se ri e s o f M Leicas without v i e w fi n d e r for spe c i ali st ap p l ic at i o n s.

Fro m t he M2 to t h e M D. One of the main reasons Stein had rejected Janke’s contribution to the M3 was Janke’s suggestion to omit

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A first design for the MD: An M1 #2070 (plant property) without viewfinder, combined with the prototype of a Telyt 400mm f/8

the raised frames surrounding the three front-panel windows. However, by the time Janke was involved in developing the M2 (1958), he was able to assert his vision of a more clear-cut design. There were also differences in terms of technical specifications: the M2’s rangefinder was based on a slightly less complex construction, and offered a magnification of 0.72. This enabled the projection of a 35mm brightline frame in the viewfinder – a focal length widely favoured by press photographers. The 135mm frameline, on the other hand, was now omitted. The M2 became the basis for all M models that followed – including the absence of the raised ‘window frames’ which, as

Heinrich Janke has pointed out, “saved 20 minutes in the production process”. 1959 saw the release of the M1 – a simplified version of the M2 with a built-in, parallax-corrected viewfinder which was not, however, coupled with a rangefinder. The M1 (which could optionally be upgraded to an M2) was primarily intended for scientific use in combination with microscopes and reproduction devices such as the Reprovit IIa. Eventually, the M1 was replaced by the MD, which featured neither a viewfinder nor a rangefinder. It was the last model in the camera series originating with the M3: when the Leica M4 was released in 1967, it was the beginning of a new era. The Leica MD was the first M whose name featured the suffix ‘D’. It marked the start of a series of M Leicas designed without viewfinder for specialist applications. These include the MDa (an M4-derivative released in 1966), and the MD-2 from 1980 (a variant of the M4-2). In 2016, Leica rekindled the tradition of the D-suffix with the Leica M-D (Typ 262), now followed by the new M10-D (see page 100). However, rather than describing an analogue camera without viewfinder, the D-suffix now indicates a digital camera without display – whereby thoughtfully integrated references (such as the ISO dial on the M10-D’s rear panel, or its thumb rest which mimics a film rewind crank) pay tribute to the era of analogue M cameras. ann effes

Mathieu Bitton with the Leica M10-P

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b e s t o f L F I . G a ll e r y

J a pa n e s e new year “I’ve been taking part in the annual New Year’s celebrations at the Shintō Shrine in Ōita Prefecture ever since I was a child; but only as a observer. The older I get the more important these traditions – such as this drum concert played on ancestral instruments – are to me.” Ikuo Inoue Leica M Monochrom with ApoMacro-Elmarit-R 100mm f/2.8

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l ig h t box

THE R I G HT M O M ENT “I was wandering through a district in Seoul that is well-known for its traditional handicrafts, when a parade of dancers appeared. I first photographed them from the side, but when they stopped briefly I quickly took a couple of pictures from behind.” James Kuan Leica M240 with Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f/1.4

EAR LY I N THE M ORN I N G “On this particular day I got down to the Ganges at five o’clock in the morning. I wanted to see how people begin their day. Some were praying, others were bathing in the river. The eyes of this woman caught my attention and I just had to photograph the scene.” Rui Caria Leica X, Summilux 23mm f/1.7 Asph

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N at u r a l b e au t y â&#x20AC;&#x153;The purpose I had behind this picture was to capture the flower, in this case a gerbera, from different perspectives. Among other things, I photographed it within a drop of water. For me, the interplay of light and shadow, as well as the colours, produce a calming effect.â&#x20AC;? Ikuo Inoue Leica M10 with Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 Asph

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B at h e d i n t h e c row d â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was very lucky to be able to spend a year of my life in Tokyo. I return there whenever I have a chance. Like on this occasion, for the Sanja Matsuri Festival. For this picture I used the zone focussing technique, to capture the vibrant parade as it passed by.â&#x20AC;? Jasen Reyes Leica MP with Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 Asph

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Fly i n g colours The Holi Festival is one of the oldest festivities in India. Every year in springtime, the inhabitants of Vrindavan and many tourists celebrate the festival of love and fertility. The particularity of the event is that people sprinkle each other with coloured powder, known as ‘gulal’ in India. Bob Chiu Leica SL with VarioElmarit-SL 24–90mm f/2.8–4 Asph

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ROm a n i a n flair

Breton n ig h t

The young man comes from the village of Leorda in northern Romania. He is wearing the traditional costume of a Calusari dancer, who performs the New Year’s dance with a larger group of youngsters. The young men make their costumes themselves.

“While I was on holiday in the French departement of Finistère, I returned one lovely evening in June to the coast and the small village of Meneham. I was very keen to see how well the Leica SL takes pictures at night. To do so, I simply lay down on the dunes and ‘click’, the picture was in the bag.”

Mioara Chiparus Leica M10 with Noctilux 50mm f/0.95 Asph

Jérôme Meunier Leica SL with Summilux M 24mm f/1.4 Asph

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angels i n t h e s n ow â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fresh snow in the High Tatra Mountains: this picture was taken during a photo shoot that was being done for a charity gala. I very much liked the idea of charitable angels, crossing the untouched snow in the beautiful landscape of my homeland.â&#x20AC;? Martin Krystynek Leica Q, Summilux 28mm f/1.7 Asph

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p h o to – b o o k s – E x h i b i t i o n s – f e s t i va l s – Awa r d s –

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“A c o r n u c o p i a o f p r e s e n tat i o n f o r m at s .” i n t e rv i e w

Fifteen years ago, art historian and curator Josefine Raab launched the newcomer awards challenge gute aussichten – junge deutsche fotografie. We talked with her about the project’s development, and new techniques and concepts.

LFI: The situation for photography, particularly newcomer talent, was very different 15 years ago. Josefine Raab: As an artist and curator, doing quality work is not enough to guarantee success. Another strategy was needed to ensure young art could be drawn to the attention of the general public. It was time for a fresh breeze to blow through the cultural sector.

LFI: You wanted to change things

and launched gute aussichten. What was the idea behind it? Raab: When launching the gute aussichten – junge deutsche fotografie (good prospects – young German photography) newcomer challenge in 2004, my

business partner Stefan Becht, and I wanted to turn the prevailing ‘operating system’ upside down. We wanted to find exhibition venues for barelyestablished photographers and breakdown hierarchies. It was not common – and it still isn’t today – to exhibit unknown artists, because a lot of preparatory work is required. You also need important fellows, which we found right at the beginning, like Andreas Gursky as juror and Ingo Taubhorn, curator of the sacred Deichtorhallen House of Photography in Hamburg, who made a band of non-names available for us at short notice. That was good luck! And our project became a success. Consequently, we created a model template that other venues are gradually considering. We became a non-profit organisation in 2015. LFI: What was your biggest success over the years? Raab: In 15 years of gute aussichten, we have mounted more than 140 exhibitions in 45 locations around the world, laying down the proverbial red carpet for 130 award winners. Another big success is gute aussichten Deluxe (good prospects deluxe) launched in 2017 within the framework of German Year in Mexico City. →

Above: Miia Autio, 2016/17 gute aussichten winner, from her Variation of White series; left: Ute Klein, 2009/10 gute aussichten winner, from her Resonanzgeflechte series; left page: André Hemstedt, 2010/11 gute aussichten winner, from his Konstruktion von Bewegung series

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Bianca Gutberlet (1973–2014), 2004/05 gute aussichten winner, from her Paris series

LFI: Once a year, a jury chooses the best works produced for the gute aussichten competition by college graduates. What are the criteria for photographers to submit their work? Raab: gute aussichten is about photographers working artistically. Once a year, we invite colleges in Germany to submit five of their most promising graduation portfolios to our competition. This means that in the end we will have between 100 and 115 projects, of which on average, seven to ten will be honoured.

Clockwise from the left: Vanessa Jack, 2006/07 gute aussichten winner, from her Reroofing series; Henning Bode, 2012/13 gute aussichten winner, from his Die Kinder des King Cotton series; Kamil Sobolewski, 2015/16 gute aussichten winner, from his Rattenkönig series

In January 2018, we held a huge exhibition at the Deichtorhallen House of Photography in Hamburg with more than 300 new works on display by winners of awards in the years between 2004 and 2015. Close to 5000 guests came to the vernissage and for the Long Night of Photography, and more than 42 000 photography enthusiasts visited in the four months; a record-setting attendance. 124 |

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LFI: The genres for gute aussichten –

junge deutsche fotografie are incredibly diverse. What, in your mind, belongs to the photography genre? Raab: Photography is a dynamic, lively medium, closely linked in its aesthetic development and applications to technological developments, including analogue or digital camera techniques as well as print and production processes. In its, comparatively speaking, young history, photography has repeatedly written really surprising chapters, by questioning and demolishing its own laws, limitations and visual conventions. LFI: Do you have an example for us?

Raab: The current 2018/2019 group is a

wonderful example of this: three out of

“ P h oto g ra p h y h as a lways q u e s t i o n e d a n d d e m o l i s h e d v i s ua l c o n v e n t i o n s . ”

LFI: An award is just one side. How can photographers get good exhibitions? Raab: As always, it is important that photographers have a thorough training that can resist any attempt to optimise studies exclusively towards the imperative of financial success. Students today are expected to network and become international. Commitment, social competence and soft skills are just as important as expertise and professional competence. Their basic knowledge should be as broad as possible, and it does no harm to take a look at other disciplines.

nine photographers are working with novel image production processes. Patrick Knuchel has built a bridge between photography and screen printing; Robert ter Horst produces compositions where he processes film and photographic imagery with mathematical algorithms; Benjamin Kummer operates in the dark room with hand-made models. I very deliberately take a close look at the margins of established photography, and over the years gute aussichten has reflected stylistic and aesthetic diversity in this broad field.

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: Every year the gute aussichten

exhibition goes on tour, and the presentation formats seem to be increasingly demanding. Raab: A development in the presentation of photographic works currently gaining strength is the ‘installation moment’. Photography is increasingly dominating the entire space, incorporating objects, projections, screens and sounds. It lies on the ground; it’s wallpaper, carpet, or banner; it covers whole façades. On the one hand, there are photographers who have returned to analogue, making one of a kind pieces using classic style passe-partouts and frames; and, on the other, are those who develop digital works for smartphone, fishing the internet for digital snippets and generating works with computer software. Seen from this perspective, gute aussichten is a cornucopia of different presentation formats.

Interview: Carla Susanne Erdmann

Jo s e f i n e Raa b majored in Art History and

is a graduated translator. In 1993 she was assistant to Thomas M. Messer, Dir. Emeritus, Guggenheim Museum New York, for the Antoní Tàpies retrospective at the Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt. From 1995 to 2004 she was an active member of the board of the Nassauischer Kunstverein (Art Association) in Wiesbaden. In 2004 she founded gute aussichten with Stefan Becht. g u te aus s i c ht e n 2 0 1 8/ 1 9 : Première exh ibition at Technical Collections Dresden, until 17 March 2019; Deichtorhallen House of Photography Hamburg, 11 July to 29 Sep tember, 2019; further exhibition locations at: www.guteaussichten.org

o rd e r n ow:

l f i- onl ine.com/Sh o p

M a r i a S e wcz T R 3 4 ; I S TA N B U L

B o bb y S an d s , B e l fast 1 9 8 1

The renowned French photojournalist (born 1954) has once more turned a complex reportage from his archives into a fascinating photo book. This time viewers find themselves amidst the street battles in Northern Ireland during the early 1980s. In April 1981 the freelance photographer (who was signed to the major Parisian press agency Sipa) spent three weeks in Londonderry, subsequently returning several times. “I was staying in Derry and Belfast, living with the rioters in the Catholic neighbourhoods,” Yan Morvan remembers. “Photographing the tension, desperation, faith and courage of the Irish, and using the camera as a weapon for their cause, convinced me forever of the validity of the photographic testimony as an instrument of memory, emotion and reflection, as well as a pledge to a free and democratic world.” His photographs are grainy and direct, with a sense of proximity that has a profound effect on viewers to this day. When IRA protagonist Bobby Sands was sentenced to 14 years in prison, he instigated a hunger strike to demand an official distinction between criminal and political prisoners. The protest culminated in Sands’ death on 5 May 1981. The Northern Ireland conflict is in the distant past – but Morvan’s photo essay should not be mistaken for a mere record of history: Brexit, the drive for Catalan independence, and other separatist movements illustrate that the community of European states is not as unified as one might like to think. 236 pages, 135 duotone images, 24 × 30 cm, French/English, Éditions André Frère

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136 pages, 121 images, 30 × 22 cm, German/English, Hartmann Books

R u t h S t o lt e n b e r g schengen

In Luxembourg, near the border between Germany and France, lies the village of Schengen: it was here that the first Schengen Agreement was signed in 1985, abolishing border checks between several European countries. With a charming sense of irony, the German photographer (born 1962) has captured the village as it looks today. 112 p., 71 images, 16.5 × 22.5 cm, German/Engl./French./Luxemb., Kehrer

M AGNU M C h ina

Meteoric change: The magnitude of China’s transformation over the past eight decades is perhaps unmatched by any other country in the world. Time and again, famous members of the Magnum Agency recorded the dramatic upheavals this entailed. In 1947, prior to co-founding Magnum Photos, Robert Capa documented a country in the throws of civil war; when Henri Cartier-Bresson visited China ten years later, it was already under the rule of Mao Zedong. This opulent photo book comprises reportages by forty members of the Magnum agency, including remarkable Leica photographers such

as Patrick Zachmann (top) and René Burri (below). Divided into four chapters, this chronology presents a wide range of perspectives – culminating in a fascinating portrait of China’s political and social history from the pre-revolution years to modern day. 376 p., 364 images, 24.5 × 29.5 cm, English, Thames & Hudson

Ya n M o rva n

‘34’ is the car-registration code for Istanbul. Yet this compelling series features neither licence plates nor, in fact, any of the city’s inhabitants. In the course of two visits, the German photographer (born 1960) created a succinct narrative that goes beyond a tourist’s perspective to show the contradictions within the Turkish metropolis.

As the Mediterranean refugee crisis continues, a number of photo books have been dedicated to highlighting this tragedy. Each in their own way, photographers have sought to make the inconceivable more tangible by showing the individuals behind the numbers. In his publication, Greek photographer Demetris Koilalous (born 1962) combines single portraits with images of landscapes and locations that are part of his subjects’ journey. The sequence is interspersed with simple shots of found objects: a shoe,

D e m e t r i s Ko i l a lo u s Ca e sura . T h e Durati o n o f S i g h

a passport or a bag symbolise the personal stories, hopes and dreams of those who remain anonymous. The Latin term ‘caesura’ refers to the brief silence in the middle of a poetic verse or musical phrase: a moment to take a breath. In the same vein, the viewer is compelled to pause and truly see those who find them-

selves between two worlds, having survived a perilous voyage across the Aegean Sea. The people pictured in Caesura are forced to adopt a temporary identity; the depicted scenes emanate a feeling of transition and uncertainty. While the mass exodus cited in the media conjures up anonymous crowds, this slim book gives a more personal experience that stays with you for a long time. 132 pages, 85 colour images; 22 × 23 cm, English/Greek, Kehrer

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30 under 30 Maison de la Photographie, Lille

F o n d a z i o n e M a x x i , r o mE

The above picture is simply titled Lesbos. However, the accompanying caption offers a deeper explanation: “Due to the long hours of waiting in extreme heat and the general exhaustion, refugees sometimes collapse and faint. In early September 2015 an estimated 15 000 to 20 000 refugees, roughly 70% of whom are Syrians, are waiting to complete their registration … For most, the living conditions are miserable; sleeping on the ground, no access to toilets, extreme temperatures.” The Italian photographer is renowned for his reportages on war and crisis zones around the globe. His images take us into a world we might never truly comprehend, but which has increasingly become part of our reality. For decades, Pellegrin has travelled to countries south and east of the Mediterranean in an effort to convey the plight of the displaced. His work has received numerous prizes, including the World Press Photo Award, the Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography , and the Robert Capa Gold Medal Award. Now his home city of Rome honours the Magnum photographer’s work with an exhibition of more than 150 images. Titled Un’ Antologia, the showcase spans from 1998 to 2017. Devastating black and white images show places and people in crisis situations all over the world – be it in Serbia, Kosovo, Palestine, Afghanistan, Haiti, Indonesia or Albania. Pellegrin’s photographs are disturbing, powerful and direct. At the same time, their cinematic compositions and visual intensity turn them into extraordinary works of art. 7 November 2018 — 10 March 2019 Photo: Paolo Pellegrin, Lesbos, Greece 2015

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13 December 2018 — 6 January 2019 Photo: Katia Repina

A n s e l A da m s i n Our Time Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

f e as t f o r t h e ey e s foa m , a m st e r da m

Food has always been a popular topic: people share recipes, take cookery classes and watch TV shows featuring star chefs and celebrities. More recently, social media has turned food into a muchdiscussed – and frequently photographed – subject. Feast for the Eyes shows the rich history of food photography with a selection of artistic, commercial, scientific and photojournalistic works – which not only look delightfully appealing, but also offer interesting and humorous

Past and present: Landscapes by the legendary photographer (1902–1984) are shown alongside works by contemporary artists whose concerns are centred on the environment, land rights, and the misuse of natural resources. 13 Dec. 2018 — 24 February 2019 Photo: Ansel Adams: The Tetons and Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming 1942

insights into the culinary trends of different eras and parts of the world. 21 Dec. 2018 — 6 March 2019; Photos: Weegee, Phillip J. Stazzone is on WPA and Enjoys His Favorite Food as He’s Heard That the Army Doesn’t Go in Very Strong for Serving Spaghetti, 1940; Joseph Maida: #fishy #donut #divers #thingsarequeer, Dec. 1, 2015

Photos: © Paolo Pellegrin/Magnum Photos; © Katia Repina; © Ansel Adams; © Weegee/International Center of Photography, courtesy of Ira and Suzanne Richer; © Joseph Maida

pao lo p e l l e g r i n

Founded by the organisation Photo Boite in 2010, this project is specifically designed to support the careers of women photographers. Previously, the selected portfolios – ranging from portrait to fashion work – were exclusively presented online. Now a touring exhibition through France is set to draw the attention of an even wider audience.

S MAGAZINE ISSUE 9 20

L e i c a Ga l l e r i e s A r e n b e r g Ca s t l e

Nuremberg

Josef Pausch: Sichtbares und Unsichtbares

Patrick Ludolph: Seafarers

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

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

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PHOTOGRAPHERS PAGES · 9,90

€

Po r to Ba n g k o k

Thomas Hoepker: Wanderlust THA | 10330 Bangkok, 2nd Floor Gaysorn Village, 999 Ploenchit Road 12 December 2018 — 3 February 2019

Robert Nilreed: Code of Silence POR | 4000-427 Porto, Rua d. Sá da Bandeira, 48/52 12 January — 30 March 2019 Prague

Bo s to n

Alan Schaller: Metropolis

Stanislav Tuma: Years numbered by light

USA | Boston, MA 02116, 74 Arlington St. 10 January — 27 January 2019

TCH | 110 00 Prague 1, Školská 28 10 January 2019 — 3 March 2019

Frankfurt

Sa l z b u r g

Michael Friedel: Reportages 1950–1990

Jürgen Wassmuth, Benedict Fernandez: Eternity

GER | 60311 Frankfurt am Main, Großer Hirschgraben 15 2 November 2018 — 12 January 2019

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

O O K B

CUTTING-EDGE PHOTOGRAPHY BY

S ã o Pa u l o 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 — 16 February 2019

Julio Bittencourt: Plethora BRA | 01240–000 São Paulo, Rua Maranhão, 600 Higienópolis 29 November — 26 January 2019

Singapore K y oto

Shoji Ueda: Still Life in Landscape JPN | Kyoto, 570–120 Gionmachi Minamigawa, Higashiyama-ku 6 October 2018 — 21 February 2019

Thomas Hoepker: Wanderlust SIN | Singapur, Raffles Hotel Arcade, #01-20/21, 328 North Bridge Road,188719 7 December 2018 — 5 March 2019 T o k Yo

Lo s A n g e l e s

Shoji Ueda: People on the Seashore

David Darby, Charlie Lieberman, Mandy Walker: Islands

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

USA | West Hollywood, CA 90048, 8783 Beverly Boulevard 6 December 2018 — 13 January 2019

wa r s A W

ME l b o u r n e

POL | 00–496 Warsaw, Mysia 3 14 December 2018 — 9 February 2018

Bruce Gilden: Untitled AUS | Melbourne, VIC 3000, Level 1 St Collins Lane, 260 Collins Street 1 November 201<8 — 31 January 2019

Dominik Tarabański: Roses for mother

Wetzlar

Jürgen Schadeberg: Leica Hall of Fame 2018

Milan

GER | 35578 Wetzlar, Am Leitz-Park 5 15 November 2018 — 17 February 2019

Bruce Davidson: Leica Hall of Fame 2018

Vienna

ITA | 20121 Milan, Via Mengoni 4 3 November 2018 — 26 January 2019

Peter Hetzmannseder: Donaukanal

GER | 59302 Oelde-Stromberg, Mies-van-der-Rohe-Weg 1 6 October 2018 — 30 March 2019

K · 2 0

SPECIAL

AUT | 1010 Vienna, Walfischgasse 1 24 January — 26 March 2019

NR W

Lars Beusker: Maasai Land

Zingst

Norbert Rosing: Blick in die Wildnis

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 GUEST

Ellen von Unwerth

GER | 18374 Zingst, Am Bahnhof 1 4 October 2018 — 28 February 2019

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L e i c a F o t o g r a fi e I n t e r n at i o n a l

F r e d M o rtag n e my picture

This picture earned the French photographer third place in a competition. This gave him a lot of encouragement as none less that René Burri was heading the jury.

71st year | Issue 1. 2019

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 Ann Effes, Carla Susanne Erdmann, Katja Hübner, Ulrich Rüter, Holger Sparr, Olaf Stefanus, Katrin Ullmann M anagement Board Steffen Keil, Frank P. Lohstöter

Ali Boulala. Campus of La Doua. Villeurbanne. France. 2004

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. 47, 1 January 2019 REPRODUcTION: Alphabeta, Hamburg Printer: Optimal Media GmbH, Röbel/Müritz PA PER: Igepa Profimatt

This picture was very important for the development of my photographic style. In 2004, a strong sign told me I was on the right path. I entered a black and white photo competition, where Swiss photographer and Magnum Photos member, René Burri, was heading the jury. My picture placed third, and this recognition was extremely encouraging as it came from such a legendary photographer. The picture came about spontaneously. I had another idea in mind involving the rooftop of this ‘brutalist’ building; but then the windows caught my eye. For most people, climbing up there and performing this jump, with the correct photogenic style, would have been too scary and dangerous. Not for Ali Boulala, a Swede with Algerian and Finish roots, who is a talented and fearless skateboarder. He was a muse for me, and we shot a lot together. Fred Mortagne was a skateboarder before becoming a photographer, having made a name for himself with his videos on the skateboarding scene. Since 2004 he has also been dedicated to other photographic subjects, though primarily street photography.

L F I 2 / 2 0 1 9 w ill a p p e a r o n 2 7 F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 9

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