3. 2018
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ENGLISH EDITION
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Yan Morvan James Meakin Ciril Jazbec Frank Lübke
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L E I C A F O T O G R A F I E I N T E R N AT I O N A L
Fred Mortagne
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Lfi 3. 2018
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1 0 4 | L f i . Ga l l e ry
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Over 23 000 photographers present more than 300 000 images at the LFI Gallery. In this issue: a student looking for meaning, a pedestrian in Paris, and a pink Cadillac
Compositional ingenuity, intentional blur, romantic aesthetics, or disruptive, restless textures? We endeavour to clarify an ambiguous term
P h oto
9 4 | T e c h Ta l k From the M8 to the M9 and the M (Typ 240), the sensor of the digital Leica M has been the subject of continual development. A conversation about the evolution of the M sensor
98 | Leica SL Always on the lookout for new creative possibilities: We tried out three vintage lenses made by other manufacturers on the Leica SL
114 | exhibitions
Blousons Noirs by Yan Morvan – it’s all about the pose
Fred Mortagne 6 | Stranger things
Surrealist and humorous moments in the concrete jungles of Brutalism
Frank Lübke 26 | me, Myself and I
Who do I want to be and who am I really? Stunning double portraits offer some answers The Leica M10: As slender as an analogue M, thanks to its optimised sensor
James Meakin 3 8 | o f f- R oa d
Somewhere between fashion and reportage – a photo narrative with the grandiose backdrop of Cape Town
Yan Morvan 50 | Blousons Noirs
Leather jackets, cowboy boots and motorbikes: how wild were youngsters in Paris in the seventies?
Ciril Jazbec
Brassaï, Arbus and Goldin at the MOCA, Susan Meiselas at the Jeu de Paume in Paris, Lisette Model in Florida and The Shape of Light at the Tate, London 116 | books New publications by André Lützen, Andy Richter and Mario Marino, as well as the War Is only Half The Story photo book, documenting the work of the Aftermath Project 117 | Leica Galleries An overview of the programme of Leica Galleries around the world, including Elliott Erwitt, Tina Trumpp and Maggie Steber 1 1 8 | I n t e rv i e w Speaking with curators Jóhanna Guðrún Árnadóttir and Kristín Hauksdóttir of the Reykjavík City Museum of Photography 122 | my picture Unsuspecting, Emeric Lhuisset approaches an empty swimming pool in Kabul only to realise that it had been used for executions 122 | imprint
6 2 | B HUTAN
In search of a way to wind down, the Slovenian photographer travelled to the ‘Kingdom of Happiness’
Sabine Weiss 76 | P h o t o g r a p h i e h u m a n i s t e
Sabine Weiss is considered the Grande Dame of humanist photography: a homage celebrating her 93rd birthday
Cover Photo: Superkilen Public Park, Copenhagen 2017, © Fred Mortagne
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Gold Fever i f d e s i g n awa r d 2 0 1 8
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9,90 € · 12 Us$ · 8 £ · 1.400 ¥ · 12 ChF
EllEn von UnwErth
01·2016
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Ellen von Unwerth presents her vision of the Wild West
On 9 March 2018, a celebration took place in Munich during which the winners of this year’s iF Design Awards were announced. The eighth edition of the Leica S magazine received the iF Gold Award 2018 in the Communications Design category. The 200 pages of the S magazine No. 8 present a firework display of wild, sensuous and colourful photographs – a story told in the inimitable style of German fashion photographer Ellen von Unwerth. With four chapters, the tale shares the adventures of a girl gang searching for happiness in the Wild West. The iF Design Award has been granted since 1953, and is today considered one of the world’s most important design competitions. Following the Prize for Good Design from the German Designer Club, and the Good Design Award, this is now the third important recognition received for S magazine No. 8. Make sure to get yourself one of the few remaining English copies at: lfi-online.de/shop
Contributors
“I don’t follow my own rules. In Milan, I kept going back to the Piazza del Duomo, the main tourist attraction. In a way, it has everything I hate. It’s filled with thousands of people all doing the same thing: having their picture taken holding filthy pigeons. But a strange attraction made me return – and I captured the lady and pigeon stepping in time (page 23). To me it’s like a time capsule, it takes us back to when mass tourism didn’t exist yet and focusses on the essence of the location.” 4 |
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Sa b i n e W e i ss Sabine Weiss was first introduced as a ‘Leica Master’ back in the sixth issue of LFI produced in 1956. Titled Von morgens bis Mitternacht (From Morning to Midnight), author Robert d’Hooghe reported on the amazing activities of the young artist, who by then had already established herself as a very successful photographer. Originally from Switzerland and now 93 years-old, Weiss lives in Paris, her adopted home, and continues to be very active. A visit to her home was long overdue.
Ya n M o rva n
He began his career as a freelance photographer for the French newspaper, Liberation. At that time, in the seventies, Morvan was an embedded journalist – long before the US Military adopted the expression shortly before the 2003 Iraq war – with various youth gangs in Paris, teenagers, Teddy boys and rockers. This was good survival practice for the many times he has photographed in crisis areas – including Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Rwanda, Mozambique, Afghanistan and Libya.
Photos (from the left): © Bruno Machado; © Lily Franey; © Yan Morvan
F r e d M o rtag n e
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LeicA M | SL
Fred Mortagne
S t ra n g e r
Things
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At times accused of creating concrete jungles, at others celebrated as an expression of modernism, the architectural style known as Brutalism polarises like no other. Even so it has established a heritage all over the world. Fred Mortagne manages to capture surreal moments involving this architecture and urbanity itself.
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F r e d M o r ta g n e He came to photography through skateboarding. Fred Mortagne, aka French Fred, is known for his skateboarding videos and photographs. He got a great boost when he finished third at a photography competition where the jury chair was none other than René Burri. Since then, and in addition to skateboarding, he is focussing more attention on other photographic themes.
fre n c hfr e d.co m LFI -O nl i n e .DE/ B log : INTERVIEW with FRENCH FRED UND further Pictures
Equipment: Leica M Monochrom (first generation and Typ 246) and Leica SL with Summicron-M 28 and 35mm f/2 Asph and Apo-Summicron-M 90mm f/2 Asph
PHOTOS: P. 6: Custom-made designer lamp
(1940) by Mario Cavallè at Cinema Istria, Milano 2017; P. 8: Hamburg 2017; P. 9: Marseille 2016; P. 10: Lisbon 2013; P. 12: Exit parking garage, Hamburg 2017; P. 13: Brussels 2016; P. 14: Frankfurt 2016; P. 15: St. Maximilian Kolbe Church, Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg 2017; P. 16: Milan 2016; P. 17: Maxxi Museum by Architect Zaha Hadid, Rome 2017; P. 18: Gate, San Francisco 2017; P. 19: National Museum, Brasília 2017; P. 20: Chimneys, Cadaqués 2017; P. 22: Milan 2017; P. 23: Piazza del Duomo, Milan 2017; P. 24: Maxxi Museum (interior), Architect Zaha Hadid, Rome 2017
It may seem otherwise, but the term ‘Brutalism’ was not conceived with the idea of criticising a certain style. It derives from the French expression ‘béton brut’ – raw concrete – and refers to exposed concrete. In addition to the aesthetic, there is pride in the technology that permits the construction of arches, domes and halls, where anything at risk of collapsing is secured by invisible bracing elements. Instead of hiding their raw materials, architects such as Le Corbusier – to mention the most important – construct their buildings out of mighty, unpolished concrete, helping give name to an architectural style that has conquered the world since the fifties. It was never meant to be beautiful in the conventional sense, but rather was designed to be new and applicable in a diversity of ways. Brutalism has become an established part of cultural life, but the constructions have long been considered dubious – even today, people either love them or hate them. Fred Mortagne is one of those in a love-hate relationship with these impressive structures. No décor, stucco, protrusions, or disturbing irritations – these façades are unadorned, surfaces are clear with defined contours. “They are visually relaxing,” the French photographer enthuses. With expressive constructions built of raw materials, modern architecture gives birth to a seemingly uncompromising language of form. Mortagne’s approach is equally uncompromising. Using a Leica SL, but mostly an M Monochrom (Typ 246), he portrays a playful and often surreal side of concrete, achieved through surprising perspectives: defining situations that oppose the weighty stone with a seemingly naive levity, capturing the mundane in order to satirise the rigid surroundings, and documenting perfectly normal human activity. Despite their detachment, his photographs are never too cool, but are rather ironic in an easygoing manner. It is easy to make an association to the film Playtime, by French director Jacques Tati: this classic 1967 satire presents a futuristic-looking Paris consisting
of a world of uniform, interchangeable high-rises, where the main character, Monsieur Hulot, loses his way. In Mortagne’s cleverly-composed black and white pictures, people are often so small they seem at risk of disappearing between the massive corners and edges; yet, at the same time, they are just large enough to act as silent extras calling critical attention to the misanthropic architecture. Wherever Mortagne is he likes to go with the flow, exploring the cities he visits at his own pace. Rising early, he searches for interesting places, on foot and preferably unprepared. He acknowledges that during these forays he often finds himself in the right place at the right time, which he sees as a ‘somewhat controlled magnetism’. It is clear that, in the process, he is able to capture a totally new perspective on things, and on life in the urban world. While artful constructions have great aesthetic value, he would not like to live in such places. “Cities are not designed for people to play within them,” he says, happy that as a passionate skateboarder, he is able to defy this verdict every day. “Cities can be fun, and skateboarders take and make the best out of them.” The fact that Mortagne knows and can sniff out these kinds of places is, undoubtedly, based on his passion for skateboarding. He explains that the necessary movement within urban spaces, always looking for good spots – whether in socially-tough districts or in well-todo neighbourhoods –, his skateboarder eyes ‘constantly scanning around’, the adaptability required, the resourcefulness and the openness, have all subconsciously sharpened his photographic senses. Consequently, it is hardly surprising he feels that “being a photographer is just a natural extension of being a skateboarder”. And, of course, it is surely no coincidence that raw concrete is the perfect surface for skateboarding. Katrin Ullmann
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Frank Lübke M e , M ys e l f a n d I
For a number of years now, Frank Lübke has been working on a project where he portrays celebrities next to their alter egos. He has been dealing with the subject of self-acceptance for a long time, and tries to give this unusual work the highest level of honesty possible.
Marius Müller-Westernhagen, artist
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Jennifer Weist, musician
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Justus von Dohnรกnyi, actor
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Clockwise from the top left: Andreas Bourani, musician; Jeanette Hain, actress; Rolf Sachs, artist and Marianne Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, photographer lFI
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Helmut Berger, actor
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Till BrĂśnner, musician
Frank LĂźbke After finishing his studies with an emphasis on photography, Frank LĂźbke began his professional career in advertising, working for many years as a creative director and a managing director. In 2010, he returned to his passion for photography and has been working ever since as a photographer for international magazines, advertising agencies and private individuals.
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Frank Lübke had already been working on his Me, Myself and I photo project for over six years, before a German magazine started publishing the pictures in 2017 in a weekly photo column titled My Beloved Self. LFI: You refer to portraiture as the main focus of your work. How did this come about? Frank Lübke: Over time, I came to realise that I was more interested in people themselves than in actual photography. It is a great gift to be able to get to know people such as Christine Kaufmann or Helmut Berger, and not have to photograph washed-out concrete walls. How do you get the people in front of your camera to open up to you? I spend a lot of time talking with them before the actual photo shoot and we often sit together afterwards as well. When I photograph certain people, I meet up with them four times before taking the portrait. It is particularly important to get to know the people before working on a project such as Me, Myself and I. With this in mind, I like to quote the American photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt, who said, “It’s more important to click with people than to click the shutter.” Would you mind describing the philosophical background to the Me, Myself and I project in a bit more detail? About seven years ago I was going through a personal life crisis. At the time, I read a lot of books about the fact that love for oneself – in the positive sense of the term – is the key to leading a satisfied life. As a result of this, I developed a photo project with images where people had the chance to give themselves a kiss, or to embrace themselves. Suddenly some of the protagonists wanted to sing a duet with themselves, others wanted to express the duality that exists
within their personality. To summarise, each picture is a declaration of love for oneself. How do you find the personalities for the series? I look in the different media and get in touch with people I find interesting. The amazing thing is that most of the people I contact are willing to be part of the project. It seems as though there is a deep need to meet oneself. I also do private, commissioned assignments for certain people. How do the ideas for the specific motifs emerge? I have two or three telephone conversations with the person in question, where I try to find out what their particular theme is, and what is the best way for me to capture that. Ideas for motifs often come from the protagonists themselves, but also from me. Can you describe the process of a typical photo shoot? When we go into the studio, we only have the basic idea in mind. Once we’re in the studio, it’s all about finding the right facial expression, the body language and the appropriate mimicry. The actual picture itself emerges when the two characters are brought together. A lot happens at that moment, and I myself am always surprised at what comes out. Do you produce various versions of a picture for your customers? No. I only ever deliver one picture. As you can imagine, after taking twenty portraits of the person on the left and twenty of the person on the right, there are any number of possible combinations. The choice is my artistic contribution and, when all is said and done, the creative performance of the photographer.
photo hurts a little, then there is a little piece of truth in it. If it just gets a nod and doesn’t provoke something, then it isn’t a good photo. Don’t you find it difficult to portray celebrities who often have to fit a certain image, in a truthful way? Yes, it is difficult. Even so, I think it’s important to be able to coax out something real from them. Can you tell us something about your technical approach? Obviously, I use photoshop to composite the two pictures, but the main thing is to join the images together in such a way that it really looks like the selves were photographed together. That isn’t quite banal. I always use a very movable, nearly two-metre tall mannequin with wooden limbs as a stand-in for the other self, which takes care of the physical pose. I need it for purposes of creating shadows and for the lighting. There’s nothing else to give away. Except for the fact that, even though you know how, you don’t always manage to get it. (laughter) In the studio, you work with the medium format Leica S006... Yes, I work with the S006. As far as the noise behaviour, the sharpness and modulations, and also the dark tones are concerned, the camera has me totally convinced. I can see this when I enlarge the pictures. I sell the prints with a height of two metres. In that case the quality is really important. Using the Leica S in combination with the S system’s 120mm telephoto is simply the best. interview: denise klink
f ran k-lu e b ke-ph otograp hy.com LFI-On lin e .DE /Blog: Behind the Scenes with further pictures
Were all the protagonists satisfied with the outcome so far? Satisfied is the wrong word. They were all moved. I am trying to capture a little piece of truthfulness. It has been my experience that, when such a
Equipment: Leica S006 with Apo-MacroSummarit-S 120mm f/2.5
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L e i c A sL
James Meakin o f f- R oa d
A model, a car and a grandiose backdrop – a British photographer explores Cape Town and its surroundings by day and night. He captured his journey of discovery with an SL, producing something between classic reportage and a fashion series.
Cape Town is a city full of contrasts, and James Meakin knows how to take advantage of them. The model walks along a neat sidewalk under a highway bridge
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Meakin and his crew were out and about at all hours of the day and night. The soft, golden light of South Africa creates the perfect framework for the model
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A number of train tracks head off from Cape Town into the apparently endless back country. Many of them only see a train once a day
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James Meakin Born in Plymouth, UK, in 1976, Meakin taught himself photography after leaving the Royal Air Force. “I realised that I could take pictures, I met a girl, and dedicated the rest of my life to both of them.” In addition to campaigns for fashion companies, James Meakin also works for the likes of Vogue China, Vogue Russia, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, The Times, The Telegraph and The Financial Times.
ja m e s -m ea ki n .co m Equipment: Leica SL with Vario-Elmarit-SL 24–90mm f/2.8–4 Asph STYLING: Lorna McGee/A&R photographic, HAir & MAKE-UP: Josephin Martins/ Bigoudi, MODEL: Chane Husselmann/Fanjam Model Management, PRODUcTION: North South Productions Cape Town
Bathed by two oceans, blessed with 3700 annual hours of sunshine, home to a diversity of cultures, Cape Town is a favourite destination for tourists and fashion photographers, attracted by the extraordinary light and the breathtaking backdrop between the beach and Table Mountain. This is exactly where British fashion photographer James Meakin spent a couple of months last year, working on commercial campaigns before indulging his artistic side with his Leica SL. The photographer is delighted by the full-format capability of the camera. “The camera you use defines the style of the image you capture: the SL is an incredible tool and the image quality is sublime,” he enthuses. “The camera always lies,” Meakin says with an impish expression. He is inspired by nature and unusual landscapes, “Instagram helps a lot these days for finding unique places and inspiring ideas,” he says. In his photographic narrative, Off-Road, Meakin sets the stage for a blonde, natural beauty, playing the role of a polyglot vagabond moving around urban landscapes and exploring savannas surrounding the South African city. With his visual road trip, he wants to distance himself from fashion spreads normally made up of a series of individual pictures. The aspects he takes from film and from reportage are a deliberate part of the production. Furthermore, it was the photographer’s intention to capture special moments reflected in the model’s expression, and to avoid images in Off-Road looking staged. For this, the city needed something distinctive. The model also needed to be distinctive. South African, Chane Husselmann, a rising star in the world of fashion, was discovered on Instagram and suggested to Meakin by one of the agencies he works closely with. The 17 year-old model took to the runway for the first time for Versace in Milan last summer. Off-Road is one of her first appearances outside the hallowed halls of fashion. By chance, Meakin discovered the dark green Chevrolet that played
the second lead next to his female protagonist. “We were blown away when we saw this car in a side street and decided to investigate,” he says. “It turned out to be a gangsta car, but we managed to convince the owner – naturally with cash – to get it on set!” Meakin and his crew spent days and nights driving around in the Chevrolet, in the up-and-coming, hip neighbourhoods of Woodstock and Salt River, always in search of the perfect settings. “The car was a full on, low rider with bouncing air suspension, and the owner’s input added a lot to the experience. It was so much fun cruising around in the car; but it certainly wasn’t environmentally friendly!” Meakin admits. The places where he ended up photographing were supposed to have a certain universality that would encourage the viewer to reflect. “I wanted you to not really know where you were. Was it a night out, or a morning after? Had the girl gone off the rails, was she lost or in control?” These were the types of questions Meakin hid in the subtext. Naturalness is one of Meakin’s top priorities. On the whole, he is no friend of excessive mechanisation. He explains, “Keep the technical stuff to one side; it’s often such a bore to the creatives on set. It takes over a shoot and disturbs the creative process. Too often advertising images are too technical, over-planned, and have no soul.” Lighting is a key factor in the photographer’s work: “It’s everything to me. I went through a more hyper-real stage earlier in my life, but recent trends have inspired me to seek the natural and reinvigorate my work. There’s a real art and skill to using natural light: ultimately it’s incredibly liberating. I’ve always chased the light and I love the spontaneity it evokes.” Meakin consistently creates new worlds: “I hate the real, I love fantasy, I guess I live in an alternative dimension when I have a camera in my hand!” Carla Susanne Erdmann
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LeicA M
Yan Morvan
B lo u s o n s Noirs 50 |
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During the 1970s, Yan Morvan spent time with several youth gangs, while working as a freelance photographer for the daily newspaper Liberation in Paris. Last year, he was finally able to publish a selection of these remarkable images.
Top: members of the Fifties, also known as Teddy Boys. Their style was inspired by the racist, white-supremacy lifestyle of the southern US states in the 1950s. Meticulously refurbished vintage cars were their preferred rides. Left: Any rocker worth his salt despises Japanese bikes – it’s Harley-Davidson or bust
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Appearance is everything: from the Perfecto motorbike jacket made famous by Marlon Brando and pirate-style skull and crossbones, all the way to German Iron Crosses and Nazi emblems. The effect of these provocative adornments was especially inflammatory within France
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Youthful vanity and awakening machismo amidst a petit bourgeois setting – complete with budgie cage. An altogether disconcerting image, from the floral wall paper to the Adolf Hitler portrait and propaganda poster of the Wehrmacht, the armed forces of Nazi Germany
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Weekend fun: going out for a spin on the Champs-Élysées or around La Bastille. In the rearview mirror, you can see Yan Morvan taking pictures
Ya n M o rva n Morvan (born 1954) has worked as a reporter in more than twenty conflict zones, surviving numerous gunshot wounds. He was sentenced to death on two occasions in Lebanon. In 1995 two criminals, who went on to be convicted of murder, held Morvan in an ‘open’ kidnapping by threatening his family. He has been honoured for his work with two World Press Photo awards and the Robert Capa prize.
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In the 1970s, the University of Paris VIII was akin to a socialist paradise. At that time, the institution had not yet been moved from the Parisian suburb of Vincennes to Saint Denis. Its lecturers included leading figures such as Gilles Deleuze, Roland Barthes, Pierre Bourdieu and Michel Foucault; and, of course, professor Gérard Girad – known not least for his propensity to roam the campus grounds at night, wearing his underpants as a headdress. This was the atmosphere in which Yan Morvan wished to study film sciences. Alas, it never came to be, because the university’s only cine camera had been requisitioned by pro-Chinese Maoists, in order to help the working class throw off the shackles of capitalism. “Why not become a photographer?” Morvan remembers thinking, arguing that “it seems less complicated than shooting 25 frames a second, and the rule of three – shutter speed, aperture and sensitivity – seems straightforward enough.” It was none other than the abovementioned Professor Girad who paved Morvan’s way to this new career, by recommending him to the newspaper Liberation. Soon he was sent out to photograph left-wing political activities, strikes and demonstrations. “At that time, Photo and Zoom were the two leading photography magazines. Their stars were Hamilton, Bourdin, McCullin, Cartier-Bresson, Burrows and Lartigue – and I could really picture myself becoming one of these great photojournalists,” Morvan recalls. “Then I discovered the book The Bikeriders by Magnum photographer Danny Lyon, published in 1968. He was following a group of bikers known as the Chicago Outlaws. That’s when I realised that this type of social essay was much more up my street.” The first time Morvan met a ‘Blouson Noir’ (Black Jacket) was in 1975, when he had just started working for Liberation. Their outfit included a (usually fake) Perfecto – a leather
motorcycle jacket manufactured by Schott NYC since 1928. When Marlon Brando wore it in the movie The Wild One, released in 1953, this piece of clothing turned into an iconic symbol of the era’s evolving popular culture. Despite his long hair, Morvan quickly gained the Black Jackets’ acceptance. “Most of them were sons of immigrants,” he says, explaining their social background. “Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish; some were the children of North-Africans who concealed their origins, or people who had come from the French colonies in search of better-paid work. They lived with their parents in the suburbs of Paris, or in the cities along the periphery. On Saturday nights, they would get together and drive up the Champs-Elysées or around La Bastille. Their weekend activities boiled down to drinking litres of booze, shaking their hips to the distorted guitar sound of rock bands, and chasing ‘the longhaired ones’ to relieve them of their cowboy boots or leather jackets – this was an initiation test you had to pass in order to be accepted into the gang.” His involvement with the workingclass Black Jackets also introduced Morvan to their middle-class rivals: the Fifties, also known as Teddy Boys – though the name was not a reference to the Teddy Boy subculture in 1950s Britain. Instead, they were inspired by the lifestyle that had characterised the American South at that time. “They drove around in refurbished vintage cars, and had a preference for cowboy clothes. To them, the mindset of a white, male-dominated, racist America was the be-all and end-all.” The political stance of the Black Jackets was equally disturbing: “All the swastikas I photographed, the portraits of Adolf Hitler on the walls of those who posed for the camera… their Saturday-night parties was a chance for them to give free rein to their contempt for others and themselves; to glorify monstrosity and violence, while the martial music of a German WaffenSS orchestra blared out from an old Teppaz record player. These aspiring Hells Angels combined rock music,
motorbikes, swastikas, xenophobia and antisemitism into a dismal mess of caricatural poses, whose deeper meaning they had mostly no idea about.” Morvan, who at the time rode a British Norton 850 Commando, also fostered connections with a biker gang, the Hell’s de Répu(blique). His bike was his ticket to gaining their acceptance – allowing him to document the group from the vantage point of an ‘embedded journalist’ – even though the term itself was only coined 30 years later. The Hell’s de Répu had adopted the name and insignia of California’s Hells Angels – not only appropriating a label that was not theirs, but also spelling it with the apostrophe their Californian counterparts had deliberately disregarded. Morvan was there when representatives of the Hells Angels came to France to establish an official French chapter of the club. However, instead of choosing the Hell’s de Répu, they bestowed the honour on a rival gang, the Crimée – resulting in bloody altercations between the two groups as they fought each other for their territories. In 1977, the book Le cuir et le baston (The Leather and the Brawl) by Maurice Lemoine was published, featuring images by Morvan. The meagre 16 pages of photographs could hardly be classed as his Bikeriders equivalent – an ambition he has now fulfilled with the publication of Blousons Noirs. However, Le cuir et le baston did make some waves: “When the book came out, leaders of the Hell’s de Répu came to pay me a visit at my old address. So I had done well to move to a new place beforehand.” bernd luxa
h an slu cas.com/ym orvan/p hoto Yan Morvan : Blouson s NOIRs
176 pages, 123 B/W illustrations, 32,5 × 22 cm, French, Manufacture de Livres Equipment: Leica M3/M5 with Summicron-M 50mm f/2 and Super-Elmar-M 21mm f/3.4
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LeicA M
Ciril Jazbec
BHUTAN
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Far from modern civilisation, the Slovenian photographer went looking for a slower pace of life. He found it in Laya – a small community in Bhutan, where the locals live according to centuries-old traditions. Yet even there, technical progress and climate change are clearly perceptible.
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The community of Laya lies at the feet of the Himalaya, in one of the most sparsely populated areas of Bhutan. Agriculture and, above all, yak husbandry serve as the people’s livelihood lFI
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Donkey driver Sonam takes visitors to places of interest. Right: Laya’s closest neighbouring village is a two day march away. The inhabitants use donkeys, horses and yaks for transport and trade
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The Bhutanese government keeps a strict eye on the preservation of traditional values. However, nothing can stop progress: smart phones and electricity are now part of everyday life in Laya lFI
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Children spend time playing the Indian board game, Carom, at the only shop in the village. Not all of them still want to follow in their parents’ footsteps
Ciril Jazbec Born in Kranj, Slovenia in 1987, Ciril Jazbec was a commercial photographer before changing to photo journalism. Most of his pictures are taken in isolated places around the globe, and focus on the interplay of people and nature. Jazbec won the 2013 Leica Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award for his Waiting to Move series about climate refugees in Alaska.
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An icy wind blows over sparse highlands in northern Bhutan. Here, at the gateway to the mighty Himalayan mountains, harsh conditions mean a part-nomadic life for the 3000 inhabitants of Laya: the highest and most remote community in the country. The closest village is a two day march away. Despite – or maybe because of – this isolation, Laya attracts increasing numbers of people wanting to escape the fast pace of modern civilisation, at least for a while. Ciril Jazbec is one of them. “I began looking into Bhutan in more depth after a conference where I heard a fascinating talk by Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay,” the Slovenian explains. The small kingdom, inconspicuously hidden between its enormous neighbours, India and China, is unique in a variety of ways. One of Bhutan’s political goals is to foster ‘gross national happiness’. This principle allows commercial interests to slip into the background in favour of human factors. Gross national happiness is based on four pillars: social justice, environmental protection, good political leadership, and the preservation of religious and cultural values. Ever since this principle was anchored into the Constitution in 2008, the population has been regularly consulted. The idea is more than political rhetoric. Even though Bhutan is one of the world’s poorest countries, this approach is bearing fruit, particularly in the development of nature. According to the law, at least 60% of the country must be covered with trees. Now more than half of Bhutan is made up of national parks and nature reserves linked together to create a biological corridor, which has increased the wellbeing of the animals, and also the people. Most of Laya is located within the Jigme Dorji National Park along the northern border, barely 20 kilometres from the Tibet Autonomous Region in the
People’s republic of China. Located at an altitude of 3800 metres, Laya is cold even in summer. The surrounding mountains are considered holy and it is expressly forbidden to climb them. Only a few dedicated travellers stumble across this part of the world. Visiting Bhutan is expensive: to put a damper on mass tourism, every tourist is obliged to pay a daily fee of 200 dollars. Jazbec did not let this scare him off – on the contrary, Laya promised everything that also makes Bhutan so unique: isolation, happiness, love of nature. The photographer took three full days to reach the village. When he arrived in Laya, it felt like he had landed on another planet. He was deeply thankful to be able to experience the place. The villagers, also called Laya, lead a peaceful and unhurried life, far from the hectic pace of a modern city. In addition to agriculture, the Laya’s livelihood is yak breeding. The animals have been a mode of transport and have provided food and clothing for generations. Every month the breeders trickle salt down the yaks’ throats to increase the animals’ physical strength – one of many customs in the area that the Laya are very proud of. With the passage of time, locals have adapted exceptionally well to the adverse weather conditions. Each summer, the herders move to locations at 4500 metres, where they live in tents made out of yak hides. Despite gross national happiness, change does worm its way into Bhutan. The country makes efforts towards worldwide climate protection, yet is endangered at the same time. As a result of global warming, there is a constant danger of glaciers melting, rivers flooding and land subsiding. This would have been unthinkable 25 years ago. The inhabitants speak of striking changes not caused by anything they have done. Jazbec comments on these schizophrenic conditions: “Bhutan should, in fact, serve as a role model; but instead the country may become a victim.” Despite all the adaptability, fear and uncertainty
are omnipresent. No one dares to predict when the glaciers will melt completely. In addition to global warming there are other changes: smart phones were introduced into Laya in recent years, and during Jazbec’s visit he witnessed the last houses being connected to electricity. These are small revolutions in the lives of the locals. Until a few months before, most of the houses were dependent on solar energy that only produced a couple of hours of electricity each day. The government is currently trying to connect the village by means of a road – a sure guarantee to bring tourists. Still, it will be some time before this happens. Surrounded by mountains and gorges, building a road to Laya is a real challenge. Even so, new circumstances are already bringing about change in the way the children and young people think. Many of them no longer want to follow in their parents’ footsteps; they dream of jobs in the capital, Thimphu, which suddenly feels more likely than a few years ago. The village elders look at all these developments with skepticism. They are concerned that the centuries-old, traditional practices of community will slowly, but definitely, disappear. Life in Laya becomes more comfortable – but is it better? Jazbec is convinced that sooner or later, the ‘hidden land’, as the Laya call their homeland, will change; yet he is also convinced that his first stay in the country of gross national happiness will not be his last. “Bhutan and Laya have shown me a completely new dimension to how people can relate to each other, and the way to deal with nature.” danilo rössger
ciriljazb e c.com LFI-On lin e .DE /Blog: ONE PHOTO — one story Equipment: Leica M240 with Summilux-M 35 and 50mm f/1.4 Asph
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L e i c A C l a ss i C
Sabine Weiss PHOTOGRAPHIE HU M ANI S TE
Capturing life in all its facets: Sabine Weiss has long been considered the Grande Dame of humanist photography – yet the 93 yearold photographer’s work continues to be rediscovered around the word.
It was not only in Paris, but also on her many travels that Sabine Weiss found her distinctive subjects: Boy at play, New York City 1955 (top) and Pennsylvania Station, New York City 1962 (right)
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Weiss’s main interest was to portray her contemporaries and capture the fleeting moments of everyday life: Children fetching water, Paris 1954 (top); Couples in love, Place de la République, Paris 1954 (top right); Lady in a lobby, Philadelphia, USA 1962 (right); Young miner, Lens 1955 (right page) “I take photographs to hold on to the ephemeral, capture chance, keep an image of something that will disappear: gestures, attitudes, objects that are reminders of our brief lives,” is one of the photographer’s credos
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Men watching a race, hoping for a better view (Larchant 1950). Precise compositions are among the hallmarks of the photographer’s work: her chosen angle imbues an ordinary scene with an element of absurdity and humour
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Weiss has an exceptional ability to capture chance encounters in perfect, mesmerising compositions — exemplified by her image Little girl, small tree (top), a horse at the Porte de Vanves in Paris, 1952 (top right), observation of a jumping cat at the Nga Phe Kyaung monastery in Burma, 1996 (right) A sensitive portrait study of the artist Alberto Giacometti, taken in his studio in Paris, 1954 (opposite page)
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subject matter,” photography historian Peter Hamilton wrote in his essay for the 100 Years of Leica catalogue. “It is inclusionary and universalistic, stressing equality and the primacy of the fundamental institutions of liberal society, and in particular their solidaristic connotations. It celebrates the ordinary, the everyday, the unremarkable. While promoting the importance of simple, unretouched, realist representations, it also places particular value specifically on their poetic construction.” Sabine Weiss particularly exemplifies these elements within her work. Her photographs are characterised by brilliant compositions and condensed depictions of everyday life. A deeply sensitive storyteller and close observer, she is exceptionally skilled at identifying the remarkable within the everyday. It is unsurprising that Weiss’s subjects included many of the era’s most notable figures: the photographer and her husband, the American painter Hugh Weiss, moved within the creative circles of post-war Paris, mixing with writers, actors and musicians, as well as artists such as Georges Braque, Joan Miró, Alberto Giacometti, André Breton and Ossip Zadkine. Her true calling, however, was street photography. Working autonomously, she captured her subjects with great empathy and rapport. “A good picture arises of its own accord,” is how she describes her seemingly straightforward approach. Despite the great diversity of subjects, all of her images bear their author’s distinctive mark: they are dynamic, sincere, and never mundane. Weiss’s career continues to be extremely active to this day. Following last year’s exhibitions in various cities including Chicago and Berlin, another three showcases are scheduled in Orléans and Olivet for the coming year. This summer, her work will also be displayed in a major presentation at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. It is certainly heartening to know that this extraordinary body of work continues to reach an ever-wider audience. Ulrich Rüter
S a b i n e W e i ss Sabine Weber was born in Saint-Gingolph on Lake Geneva, on 23 July, 1924. After her three-year apprenticeship at the renowned Atelier Boissonnas in Geneva, she moved to Paris in 1946, working as an assistant for fashion photographer Willy Maywald before going freelance in 1950. In the same year, she married the US artist Hugh Weiss (1925–2007). In 1952, she joined the Rapho photo agency, subsequently working for numerous French and international magazines. Her early black and white oeuvre has been increasingly rediscovered since the 1970s, accompanied by new works created on her many travels around the world. Last year the photographer, who has long since become a French citizen, was honoured by the Swiss Photo Academy for her life’s work.
sab in e we issph otograph e .com gale rie h ilan e h von korie s.de Books: (selection) SABINE WEISS (Jeu de Paume; Coédition La Martinière, Paris 2016); SABINE WEISS – L’OEIL INTIME (Escourbiac, Paris 2014); SABINE WEISS (Éditions de la Martinière, Paris 2003)
Photos: © Sabine Weiss; courtesy Galerie Hilaneh von Kories, Berlin
Visiting Sabine Weiss in her secluded home in Paris is an unforgettable experience. As you enter the peaceful courtyard in the city’s Auteuil quarter, the noise of the boulevard falls away; concealed within is a small house — safeguarding the life’s work of a great artist. From the moment you step through the door, you are fully immersed in your hostess’s world: piles of books, walls and shelves filled with paintings, mementos, objets trouvés, small votive offerings — and, of course, countless photo books. The photographer’s own archive has been neatly organised on the upper floor. Only her assistant (and the cat) have unrestricted access to that treasure. In the almost seventy years Weiss has been living in this house, countless famous visitors have passed through its doors. Among her many stories is a memory of Edward Steichen, who visited her studio in 1955 – when this was still a single-storey building with no heating or running water. “You are way too young!” the American curator exclaimed – but he took his time to go through her portfolio, and ended up selecting three prints for his legendary Family of Man exhibition in New York. The reason Steichen was aware of the young photographer’s work was that Weiss had, even at this early stage in her career, established connections in the US – including frequent publications in major American magazines. Born in Switzerland, Weiss completed her photography training in Geneva before moving to Paris in 1946. At that time, Europe’s leading-edge metropolis was home to a flourishing new movement in photography: the ‘école humaniste’ made waves not only in Europe, but also in the USA. It was not long before Weiss counted among its best-known representatives, along with Robert Doisneau, Willy Ronis, Édouard Boubat, Brassaï and Izis. “Humanist photography has both a moral purpose and a distinctive
f/ s top – b o k e h – t e c h Ta l k – T h i r d - Pa r t y l e n s e s –
P e r p e t ua l e vo lu t i o n : the M sensor continues to b e o p t i m i s e d f o r t h e p e r f e c t sy n e r gy b e t w e e n c a m e ra a n d l e n s
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C atc h T h e B o k e h optics
The image quality of a lens is determined by physics and the materials used. If this is true, does it also apply to bokeh – an aesthetic effect that is largely a question of subjective preference and taste? An attempt to demystify an ambiguous term.
Detail and contrast rendition, level of distortion, vignetting: When evaluating the imaging performance of a lens, these are the aspects that can be clearly measured. They represent an objective reality – hard facts. These are the qualities optics designers continuously seek to improve, and which are consequently used as selling points in the marketing process. And then there is the bokeh: derived from a Japanese word meaning ‘blurred’ or ‘hazy’, the term gradually became part of the global photographers’ jargon during the mid-nineties – apparently mostly owing to a series of articles in the US magazine PhotoTechniques. What it describes is the manner in which outof-focus areas are rendered in a photographic image. 86 |
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Considering that blur is not usually something photographers consciously set out to achieve, bokeh could easily be deemed a negligible, arbitrary factor. And yet, who can help but be drawn to a portrait in which the subject’s face is emphasised, in luminous clarity, against a softened, flatteringly creamy background; in which the eyelashes are perfectly defined, while maybe the hairline is already less distinctive? Perhaps it is only in correlation to blur that a sharp focus truly comes into its own. The greater the variety of blur circle diameters within an image, the more pronounced the impression of the subject’s real-life physicality; when in-focus and progressively less sharp areas are blended into a compositional whole, it allows
for a sense of three-dimensional space to be conveyed within a two-dimensional photograph. ‘G o o d’ a nd ‘ba d’ b o k e h . Bokeh is a purely photographic tool to generate an extraordinary impression of the world. After all, the human eye with its naturally built-in autofocus would never be able to focus on an object whilst simultaneously taking in the entirety of its surroundings. Many classic paintings reference the nature of human vision by drawing an equal degree of attention to details on all levels of the image plane – rather as though the scene had been photographed with a stopped-down lens. In photography, the interplay between sharpness and blur creates
a distinction between the important and unimportant aspects of what an image is intended to convey. What makes composing with bokeh so distinct is that these supposedly unimportant elements actually become a significant part of the image’s overall character. A popular example are background highlights that have been inflated into circular spots of varying intensity (though this technique is often overused to the point of appearing garish) – while the creamy, diffused rendering of outof-focus objects creates a pleasing, romantic look. However, bokeh can also potentially be perceived as a distraction, in which case it has failed to fulfil its purpose, which is to draw the viewer’s attention to the sharply rendered →
Leica M Monochrom with Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 Asph; f/0.95, 1/250 s, ISO 160; Photo: Jan Hartmann
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Leica M240 with Summilux-R 80mm f/ 1:1.4, Macro-Adapter-M; f/1.4, 1/1400 s, ISO 200; Photo: Zinovi Seniak Leica M9-P with Noctilux-M 50mm f/1; f/1.7, 1/125 s, ISO 640; Photo: Mick Yates
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Leica M-P with Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 Asph; f/1.4, 1/4000 s, ISO 250; Photo: Max Malatesta Leica M8 with Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 Asph; f/1.4, 1/250 s, ISO 160; Photo: John Lou Miles
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Leica M9 with Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 Asph; f/1.4, 1/250 s, ISO 320; Photo: John Lou Miles
main subject. Out-of-focus areas that are depicted with double contours are generally considered undesirable, as they can appear quite harsh: a hard-edged rendition of the afore-mentioned highlights, known as a soapbubble bokeh, tends to fall into this category. These considerations are usually seen as the distinguishing factors between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bokeh – although in essence, evaluating bokeh is very much a question of subjective preference and taste. When composing with sharpness and blur, two elements come into play: the nature of the depicted scene, and the imaging characteristics of a specific lens. For example, the reason a bokeh 90 |
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effect may seem disappointing is that the background of a scene contained so many small, contrast-rich details, that rendering them outof-focus transformed them into a diffuse, but nonetheless obtrusive, texture. This goes to show that even if you are working with a lens setting designed to generate a separation effect, you should always pay attention to the entire image plane, not merely the main subject: composing an image with bokeh requires the same degree of care as working with a large depth-of-field. T he len s equatio n.
Achieving a desirable bokeh is not just a question of the photographer’s compo-
sitional skills, but also depends on the optical calculations of the applied lens, and its specific attributes of image-correction. After all, what is blur? Essentially, it is the exaggerated appearance of circles of confusion, which arise when light rays originating from the single points of objects pass through an optical system and fall onto the image plane. The refraction processes happening inside the glass are so complex that no lens is ever able to render these rays as perfect image points. As a result, some degree of optical aberration is inevitable. The great challenge for optics designers is to configure a well-balanced combination of lens
elements made of various glass types and featuring different shapes, diameters and refractive attributes – and to space them in such a way as to facilitate the best possible convergence of rays (allowing for different wavelengths, distances to the optical axis, and angles of incidence) on the focal plane. In other words: to come as close as possible to an exact, punctiform representation of a real-life object point. There is a certain scope of tolerance within which the human eye still perceives circles of confusion (which is what image points really are) as in-focus. This scope is what defines the depth-of-field. It is
expanded by closing the aperture blades in order to block out peripheral rays – however, when creating a composition involving bokeh, the aim is to keep the depth of field as shallow as possible. What sets Leica apart.
For decades, Leica have been investing considerable effort in their ambition to engineer lenses which, however fast they may be, reach their maximum potential even when fully open – so that the aperture no longer needs to serve as a qualitycorrective tool. Initially, Leica developed high-aperture lenses in order to enable flexible, hand-held shooting in low light. This was exemplified by the Noc-
tilux and Summilux, both of which were optimised for infinity; the fact that shooting at lesser distances resulted in some degree of blur was simply accepted as an inevitable drawback. Gradually, however, a style of photography emerged in which the wide-open aperture served as a compositional tool in its own right – allowing photographers to create an impression of three-dimensionality by melting the background into blur. And so it was that bokeh developed into a relevant photographic term. Today Leica are unique in producing lenses that combine a wide maximum aperture (high speed) with the utmost level of optical correction. Anyone working
with a Summilux or, even more so, a Noctilux will doubtlessly want to take advantage of their potential by shooting with an open aperture. Which means that blur will feature as a significant element of the resulting pictures. One of the characteristics the photographer may notice in due course is Leica’s ingenious and delicate treatment of a principal monochromatic flaw: spherical aberration. When rays of light originating from the point of an object pass through a curved lens surface, they intersect at different focal points, depending on how close to the optical axis they each entered the lens. This means that rather than converging in one single point, they
form a more or less untidy bundle in the film or sensor plane, the so-called caustic. As a result, details are depicted with a sharp centre and a progressively low-contrast surround – giving the image an overall lacklustre appearance. Spherical aberration can, of course, be corrected. The more excessive way of doing this is to direct the convergence of peripheral rays behind the image plane, so that the diameter of the bundle of intersecting rays is minimised. In the focal plane, this leads to a circle of confusion with a generally low-energy centre and high-energy edges; areas in front of the focal plane will feature blur circles with a pronounced centre, →
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while areas behind the focal plane will have blur circles with emphasised edges (the afore-mentioned soap-bubble effect). Leica, on the other hand, generally prefer to under-correct spherical aberration – giving rise to brightly-centred, soft-edged blur circles in the background of the image. Seeing as an unfocused background tends to be more appealing than a blurred foreground, this method of optical correction leads to an intrinsically more harmonious bokeh. In addition, Leica’s current optical calculations also generate a pronounced distinction between the focal plane and the out-offocus areas, while in older lens designs, the transition from sharpness to blur was more gradual. This is particularly apparent in the Apo-Summicron-M 50mm f/2 Asph, a newer lens introduced in 2012. However, it is also worth noting that its bokeh can potentially come across as somewhat irregular, depending on the specifics of the background scene. The reason is the small lens body with its E39 filter diameter, which causes the
exit pupil to take on the shape of a cat’s eye when the aperture is fully open – consequently giving the bokeh a swirly appearance. An easy way to picture this effect is to photograph your subject against the backdrop of a leafy tree. This type of bokeh is, however, not to be confused with an initially quite similar-looking phenomenon created by the 50mm Summilux from the 1960s, which was actually a coma that was very difficult to correct. In this case, the spherical aberration caused by diagonally incoming bundles of light gives rise to circles of confusion that diffuse into the shape of a comet tail (hence the term ‘coma’) – an effect that becomes progressively more pronounced towards the edges of the picture. Many photographers still have a nostalgic appreciation for this particular aesthetic, which can also be found in lenses such as the Noctilux 50mm f/1 and the Summilux 75mm f/1.4. However, the idea that this overall creamy design can be equated to a well-executed bokeh, and that contemporary lenses with their
hyper-corrected calculations have been stripped of this kind of magic, is simply a misconception. All you have to do is study the Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 Asph of 2004, the Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 Asph of 2008, the 75mm Noctilux of 2017, or even the Summilux-TL 35mm f/1.4 Asph, to realise: even if bokeh is not an explicit criteria in Leica’s lens designs, their style of optical correction still treats blur as a significant element of the overall composition – and this, in itself, can be seen as a sign of great quality. Achieving a smooth passage of beams with the minimum number of lens elements is a principle Leitz established in their microscope production, and Leica took to ultimate levels of perfection in their photographic lens designs. Leica accomplish this reduction of lens elements through the application of aspheres. This method requires the lens construction to be extremely elaborate, in order to reach the desired level of correction. If the aspheric elements – whose deviation from the spherical shape is a matter of nano-
metres – were polished with any less precision, our soft-edged circles of confusion would turn into what is known as an onion-ring bokeh. There is a reason why Leica lenses are priced the way that they are – whereby the MTF chart alone does not do justice to the full compositional potential that they truly hold. Distinctive aesthetics.
As a compositional tool, Bokeh is deeply compelling, but it is also easy to take too far. For example, you might allow so much blur into the image that it no longer serves to emphasise the main subject. So it is rather fortunate that the M system provides us with lenses such as the Summilux 21mm or 24mm f/1.4 Asph, which are able to offer both: abundant image content, and a considerable potential for subject separation. And then, of course, there is the high-quality rendition of out-of-focus areas – and which reflects a tradition of well-balanced optical correction, and which only becomes truly tangible when you experience it in your own photography. ann effes
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I n LFI 2 / 1 96 8 , J o s e f M ac ov e c c o n t e m p l at e d t h e to p i c o f sp o rt s p h oto g ra p h y with the Leicaflex.
Now for a subject which is just as controversial as the tiresome argument “rangefinder or Leicaflex”: sports photography with the single lens reflex. In this we must deliberately restrict ourselves to the Leicaflex. It might be said, among other things, that a single lens reflex camera is as good as its mirror movement is rapid, quiet, and free from vibration. Here the Leicaflex has something special to offer. The Leicaflex mirror moves at lightning speed, coming to a smooth, vibrationless stop immediately before the focal plane shutter is released. An interesting design, which utilizes a gear train to absorb the momentum of the mirror. The Leicaflex swinging mirror, like the automatic lens diaphragm, is coupled to the focal plane shutter. The mechanism operates with the highest precision, reliability and speed, but so smoothly, that all the forces of the mirror motion which might cause vibration are damped practically to zero at the instant that the shutter is released. The Leicaflex, therefore, like the Leica, is an exceptionally quiet, rapid camera. Anyone with experience can feel the difference. The Leicaflex mirror returns so rapidly that this fraction of a second interruption of vision at fast shutter speeds is practically imperceptible, while simultaneously the diaphragm, too, reopens to full aperture.
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The M Sensor T e c h Ta l k
We discussed the evolution of the M sensor with Jesko von Oeynhausen, product manager for the M system, along with Digital Imaging experts Dr. Volker Zimmer and Wanja Szypura.
The sensor of the M10 has been specifically designed to deliver excellent results with M lenses of any focal length, whilst performing equally well with optics such as Leica’s R lenses
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Rangefinder lenses deliver their best performance on the camera for which they were developed, and vice versa – meaning that the M10 (and especially its sensor) have been primed to achieve optimal results when paired with M lenses. We were able to speak with Jesko von Oeynhausen, Dr. Volker Zimmer and Wanja Szypura about the key considerations this involves. LFI: Developing a digital Leica M is a considerable technological challenge, whereby the sensor is the deciding component. This was as true for the M8, which was launched 12 years ago, as it is for the current M10. Owning a digital M model is no longer the only way to shoot with Leica’s M lenses – indeed, M lenses can now even be adapted to Sony mirrorless system cameras. Does the fact that a sensor has been calibrated to a specific family of lenses still make a difference to the image quality, or do all modern sensors deliver similar results? Jesko von Oeynhausen: Generally speaking, you can say that the smaller the angle of incidence of the incoming light, the more vital the calibration of sensor and lens. Having said that, the sensor of the M10 is already well-equipped to meet this challenge. The issue is not so much the M system’s short flange focal distance, but rather the distance from the lens’s exit pupil to the sensor – that’s really the deciding factor. The exit pupil – the image of the aperture stop as seen through the back of the
lens system – acts as the apparent source of incoming light; when the exit pupil is positioned a long way back, the light strikes the peripheral areas of the sensor at a shallow angle. The sensor is not just the silicon chip, but also includes the layers of filters and microlenses that are stacked on top – and they greatly influence the way in which the sensor reacts to various angles of incidence. While the primary focus was to ensure that the sensor delivers optimal results in conjunction with M lenses, we also wanted the M10 to be able to deal with a broad spectrum of incidence angles – so that R lenses, for example, can be successfully adapted to the camera. What optical problems can result from a sensor stack that is several millimetres deep, which is what you will find in most contemporary camera models? Dr. Volker Zimmer: That very much depends on the optical design of the lens. Lenses made before 2006 were still calculated for analogue cameras – the possibility of multi-layer sensor stacks was not taken into account. However, in some cameras, the sensor stack (i.e. the layers of filters placed on top of the image sensor) has a thickness of three millimetres and more. When paired with a pre-2006 lens, the contrast rendition along the edges of the image can go down to zero. For example, the Summicron-M 28mm f/2 delivers great results in combination with the thin sensor stack of a Leica M, but bad results with a sensor stack measuring several millimetres.
The plane glass layers of the filters refract the light, and – in contrast to an analogue camera where a bundle of rays would converge in one point – these additional refractive layers cause the beams to fan out. Also, with multiple filter layers there is always the risk of beams being internally reflected by the boundary filters, resulting in visual echoes: sources of light, in particular, can end up being multiplied into a chain along the edges of the image. Leica addressed this issue very early on, by adding anti-reflective coating to both sides of the cover glass. So just how thin is the sensor stack of the M10? Dr. Volker Zimmer: The sensor of the M10 features only a single filter layer – consisting of a cover glass with a thickness of just 0.8 mm, which simultaneously serves as an infrared filter. Many other manufacturers use a multi-layered construction, comprising an IR-barrier filter, low-pass filter and cover glass. We already customarily omit the resolution-limiting, lowpass filter, and have now also made it our aim to fulfil all other requirements with one single filter layer. Does the IR-barrier filter work on the basis of absorption, or is it an interference filter? Dr. Volker Zimmer: As previously with the M8 and M9, the filter works by absorbing undesired infrared light. Which lenses pose particular challenges that have to be catered for by a corresponding sensor?
With a thick sensor stack, the light is refracted by multiple layers of filters. Leica solve this problem with their single-filter design (below)
When microlenses are a long way from the sensor, the incoming light can stray into the territories of neighbouring pixels (top). In the M10, the microlenses are positioned close to the sensor (below)
Jesko von Oeynhausen: Out of all the M lenses, the Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 has the lowest angles of incidence. The afore-mentioned Summicron-M 28mm f/2 and Super-Elmar-M 21mm f/3.4 also place high demands on the sensor. Overall, wide-angle lenses are more challenging than tele lenses. Ultimately, however, it is not really a question of the focal length, but the optical calculation, seeing as the angle of incidence is determined by the position of the exit pupil. This is not a specification that is listed in the technical data; but if you look into the rear face of the lens and see that the limiting aperture appears to be positioned closely behind the bayonet, you can assume that the incoming rays of light will strike the outer edges of the sensor at a shallow angle. In this particular case, however, this is actually immaterial, because we have designed the M10’s sensor to be so robust that it accepts a broad spectrum of incidence angles. With a camera such as the M10, any M lens – as well as, in fact, any adapted lens from the R system – is sure to deliver excellent results. The sensor of the M8, Leica’s first digital rangefinder camera, was extremely sensitive to infrared light owing to its exceptionally thin filter layer. How did Leica address this issue without forfeiting the benefits of a thin filter? Wanja Szypura: The M9 is equipped with a marginally thicker filter – 0.8 instead of 0.5 mm. The most vital adjustment, however, → lFI
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was the use of a different material, a material which absorbs a great deal more infrared light.
The thin M10 sensor stack ensures sharpness even in the edges of the image (top version). Multiple filters on top of the sensor of the Sony Alpha 7 can create both unsharpness and echo effects (below)
For the M (Typ 240), Leica used a sensor with an entirely new type of microlens array. Does the sensor of the Leica M10 follow a similar design? Wanja Szypura: The basic construction has remained the same. However, the sensor of the M9 still relied on microlens shifting; this means that microlenses that are positioned at the edges of the sensor are slightly offset towards the centre, allowing rays of light coming in at a shallow angle to be bundled more efficiently. With the sensor of the M (Typ 240), this method
was no longer applied – instead, its microlenses have a reduced focal length. The space between the microlenses and the photodiodes is shorter, so that the incidence angle of the incoming light becomes less of a determining factor: over such a short distance, even lowangle light cannot land too far from its ultimate aim, which is the light-sensi-
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tive surface of the sensor pixel. This is why all M models made since the M (Typ 240) can facilitate challenging M lenses, as well as adapted R lenses with their steeper angles of incidence. In part, the reason we were able to reduce the space between the microlenses and the light-sensitive photodiodes was that we used copper, rather than aluminium, for the wiring of the sensor. Copper has a higher electrical conductivity, so that the metal layers can be thinner whilst delivering the same degree of resistivity. With the M10 sensor, we have further optimised this principle, in order to largely eliminate what is known as the ‘Italian Flag syndrome’ – a colour shift at the edges
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of the image that can occur as a result of low angles of incidence. The underlying cause is the asymmetry of the sensor pixels: even though they are arranged in a square grid, their light-sensitive surface is not square, but rectangular. Also, the beam path is restricted by the conducting paths. As a result, incoming light from one side has a different appearance to rays coming in from the opposite direction. The new sensor enables higher ISO settings, and offers the advantage of noticeably reduced noise. How were these improvements implemented? Wanja Szypura: The image noise is suppressed directly in the sensor, and we have
made further improvements to the readout electronics in order to reduce the readout noise. The dark current noise has also been decreased. Every sensor is individually calibrated in a time-consuming process. What does this entail, and why is it so important? Dr. Volker Zimmer: What we do is ascertain the attributes of each sensor and its pixels. Ideally, all sensors ought to display identical traits, and all pixels should operate in the same manner. In reality, however, there will always be some minute deviations – not least due to engineering tolerances – that have to be compensated for within the camera. The
calibration process allows us to identify defective pixels – especially pixels that are permanently either ‘on’ or ‘off’ – as well as to detect minimal deviations in the pixels’ sensitivity and the transmission of the colour filters. A white-point calibration of the sensor is vital for the camera’s automatic white balance, while the exposure control can only deliver precise and reproduceable results once the sensor’s exact ISO sensitivity has been determined. Sensors are generally subject to an ageing process, and some photographers are concerned that the image quality might change over the years. Is this a valid consideration?
Dr. Volker Zimmer: In theory it is possible that, if a sensor were to be exposed to strong UV light for an extensive period of time, the red, green and blue colour filters might fade – thereby causing changes to the sensor’s colour characteristics. In practice, however, this is not an issue, as there won’t be any changes within the realistic lifespan of a camera that would impact the photographer. Over the years, the number of defective pixels may slightly increase, but they will be automatically compensated for by the internal calculations of the camera. There really is no need to be concerned – the sensor is not a component you would ever wear out. Interview: michael hussmann
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retro fit T h i r d - Pa r t y l e n s e s o N t h e S L
Some see it as sacrilege, others as a godsend: the use of non-native lenses on the Leica SL. An exploration of compatibility and the expansion of creative possibilities.
An unfamiliar sight: State-of-the-art camera technology meets vintage lens design. The Leica SL with a Biotar 75mm f/1.5 from the 1950s
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More than 100 Leica M, R and S lenses can currently be used on the Leica SL in addition to the mirrorless camera’s present portfolio of five native lenses. We have previously offered an initial overview of the early SL adapters in LFI 8/2016. Since then, however, the spectrum of available adapter types has grown considerably, so that at this point, virtually anything comprising lens elements and a bayonet mount can be attached to the Leica SL. We decided to take a closer look at three vintage lenses from the 1950s and 1960s. They may no longer live up to the high performance standards of modern-day optics, but they do still offer a host of exciting creative possibilities – and each of them can be bought second-hand without having to break the bank. Of course, the aim of this exercise was not to find alternatives to modern Leica lenses, but simply to expand our creative options by discovering new compositional possibilities. When it comes to adapter-based photography, there are two lens categories to consider: those that have been designed to communicate with the camera, and those that have not. In the first group are Leica’s 6-bit encoded M, ROM-R and S lenses, for which the company offers dedicated SL adapters. Canon’s and Nikon’s EF, E and Nikkor lenses also fall into this category – they can be mounted to the SL with adapters sold by thirdparty manufacturers. These adapters support several functions (for example, AFS), but do not enable AF-C mode, aperture prior-
ity or EXIF data transfer. Unsurprisingly, electronic lens adapters are in a different price bracket than those that facilitate a purely mechanical lens-to-bayonet pairing. The second category includes all nonencoded M and R lenses (these can be attached to the SL with the Leica M Adapter-L and R AdapterM), as well as the majority of 35mm-format lenses with modern mounts, such as the manual Nikon, Canon and Minolta lenses, and lenses from older systems such as Contax or the Leica M42 (all of which can be mounted to the SL with adapters by third-party companies). t h r e e v i ntag e le n se s.
For our experiment, we chose three lenses from the second category which enjoy something of a following in the photography community: the Jupiter-3 50mm f/1.5 by ZOMZ (featuring an M39 thread mount); the Biotar 75mm f/1.5 by Carl Zeiss Jena, and the Trioplan 100mm f/2.8 by Meyer Optik Görlitz (both with M42 thread mounts). We attached the M39 mount lens with a small conversion ring that served as an adapter during Leica’s changeover period from thread-mount to M bayonet. For the other two lenses, we combined the Leica M Adapter-L with an M42 Adapter-M. However, Novoflex now also offer an adapter that attaches M42 bayonet lenses directly to the Leica SL. Point-and-shoot enthusiasts, and indeed anyone for whom the speedy and straightforward operation of their camera is of →
L e ica S L
B i ota r 75 mm F/ 1 . 5
With its six lens elements divided into four groups, the Biotar 75mm f/1.5 by Carl Zeiss Jena follows the principles of a classic double-Gauss lens design
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L e ica S L
j u p i t e r -3 5 cm f/ 1 . 5
L e ica S L
T r i o p l a n 1 0 0 mm f/2 . 8
The aperture of the Trioplan 100mm f/2.8 by Meyer Optik GÜrlitz features 15 lamellae. It is a Cooke triplet construction – a classic, simple lens design comprising three elements
The Jupiter-3 5cm f/1.5 by ZOMS comprises seven elements in three groups. This lens is a Soviet replica of the Sonnar 5cm f/1.5 by Carl Zeiss Jena from 1933
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primary importance, will see little appeal in our endeavour. For photographers who are both willing and able to spend a little longer on an image, however, these are exciting times – because shooting with vintage optics has never been more fun. This is largely due to the SL’s electronic viewfinder with EyeRes technology, which really does give the photographer a ‘new experience of seeing’. With its flexible magnification and Focus Peaking function, the EVF offers a considerable advantage over built-in optical viewfinders. The display image is continually updated, so that any changes caused by altering the aperture or focusing distance become immediately
apparent – enabling the photographer to compensate for any inherent shortcomings of their chosen lens. Should you decide to work with a tripod, the SL app can be another useful aid, essentially turning your phone or tablet into a convenient alternative for a tiltable display. in p rac tice. So how did our three lenses fare when combined with the SL? The Jupiter-3 was manufactured in 1957. It was a Soviet replica of the Sonnar 5cm f/1.5 by Carl Zeiss Jena, which counted as one of the sharpest and brightest 35mm lenses on the market throughout the 1930s and 1940s. With a weight of just 160g and a length of 55mm,
the Jupiter-3 is a manageable, light-weight lens that cuts a fine figure on the SL. When mounting the Jupiter-3 to the SL, we soon noticed that, while it was firmly fixed in place, it was not perfectly positioned: instead of aligning at 12 o’clock, the settings scale on the lens body was shifted slightly to the right. Incidentally, this happened with all three of our thread-mount lenses. However, we soon got used to it, and it posed no actual problems. As with the other two lenses we selected, the Jupiter-3 comes into its own at wide apertures, when the subject is close and in a central position: this is when the combination of SL and Jupiter-3 yields a soft
bokeh with strong contrasts. When we changed the aspect ratio from 3:2 to 16:9 in the camera’s menu, we were rewarded with poetic, beautifully cinematic widescreen images. However, the combination was not entirely without flaws: an error message (‘unknown lens detected’) kept popping up in the display during focusing, and had to be removed anew each time. Perhaps a future SL firmware update might address this small detail. The second lens we applied was a Biotar 75mm f/1.5 – produced from 1939 to 1960 by Carl Zeiss Jena for use on cine and still photography cameras. Despite its aluminium body, the model we used (which was →
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In order to present an undistorted view of the overall results, none of the featured images have been cropped. Contrast, depth and highlights have been minimally adjusted in the DNG files
J upi ta r -3 5 cm F/ 1 . 5
photo: Terje Abusdal
built in the 1950s) weighs an impressive 525g. However, on the SL it looks fairly well-balanced, and the lens-camera combination sits comfortably in your hand. What was immediately noticeable was the long adjustment path when focusing: with the aid of the SL’s electronic viewfinder, the Biotar can be focused with great precision and sensitivity – but you do need
B i ota r 75 mm f/ 1 . 5
patience, and preferably a subject that is not going anywhere. The Biotar is best-known for its ability to generate a dramatic, swirly background bokeh that is reminiscent of the legendary Petzval 85mm f/2.2 portrait lens from the year 1840. While this distinctive trait adds a great aesthetic appeal, it inevitably limits the Biotar’s range of application. There are
T r i o p la n 1 0 0 mm f/2 .8
also some concessions to be made in terms of functionality: with our chosen combination of adapters, we were unable to focus the Biotar to infinity. At fully open aperture, it could only focus to a distance of two or three meters. Having said that, when working with this particular lens, long distances are a very low priority – so we quickly learnt to accom-
modate this minor drawback. In theory, it is possible to modify the lens if you have the necessary skills. Alternatively, there is always the recently released, direct M42-Adapter-SL, which is designed to allow for focusing to infinity. Our third lens was a Trioplan 100mm f/2.8 by Meyer Optik Görlitz, also with an aluminium body. It is fairly light-weight
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(275 g), but unusually long (115 mm). Combined with our two adapters and a small lens hood, we ended up with a length of 135 mm. Despite its 100mm focal length, the Trioplan is not a genuine tele lens. This would require it to feature a convex front lens, complemented by a concave lens to extend the focal length, while the Trioplan comprises only a concave lens group. Focusing the Trioplan on the SL is fairly straightforward. In terms of sharpness and contrast, the Trioplan’s performance is not quite as dazzling as its rendition of highlights but, like the Biotar, it generates exciting results at open aperture – not least the so-called soap bubble bokeh which this
lens is particularly known for. Its iris diaphragm, made up of 15 lamellae, forms a perfectly circular opening – ideal for experimenting with blur as a creative compositional tool, which can even take your images into the realm of visual abstraction. Vintage quality. Older
lenses currently enjoy great popularity amongst photography enthusiasts, with a strong trend towards authentic images and characterful lenses. In 2013, Lomography launched a kickstarter campaign to revive the legendary Petzval 85mm f/2.2. Since then, the company has issued new editions of numerous Soviet optics and classic lenses from the 19th century.
Last summer, a kickstarter campaign for the re-release of the Biotar 75mm f/1.5 received overwhelming levels of support. Leica have responded to this movement with the launch of their Classics Range, marked by re-editions of the Summaron 28mm f/5.6 and the Thambar 90mm f/2.2 with M bayonet mount. Without a doubt, there will be those who wonder what all the fuss is about – and, specifically, why anyone would go to the trouble of using vintage optics on a fast, state-of-the-art camera such as the Leica SL. Of course, there are a great many Leica lenses that are sharper, with better contrast and colour rendition and far more advanced levels
of optical correction. On the other hand, its extraordinary versatility is one of the characteristics that set the SL apart. Many photographers chose it for this very reason, and may now find themselves rediscovering their existing collection of lenses. For others, the SL serves as an introduction to the world of Leica. However multi-faceted their attitudes, what all owners of a Leica SL have in common is the freedom to expand their camera’s scope of application with simple means and very little effort: with nothing but the appropriate adapters, the SL transforms into a Swiss army knife of virtually endless photographic possibilities. david rojkowski
www.leica-store-nuernberg.de www.leica-store-nuernberg.de
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b e s t o f LFI . G a l l e r y
B i g i n J a pa n “I want to introduce Oita to the world. The town on the island of Kyushu in Beppu Bay used to depend on agriculture, but now it is an industrial centre. The building complex you can see in the background is an oil refinery. As one can see by the smoke, it is still functioning today.“ Ikuo Inoue Leica SL with Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90mm f/2.8–4 Asph
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l ig h t box
Ta x i D r i v e r “I went to Iran for the first time to photograph the consequences of an earthquake. I was driving in a taxi for three hours. The driver didn’t even notice that I took a picture of him. In the past, people tended to be afraid of my large cameras. With the Leica Q that is never a problem.” Barbaros Kayan Leica Q, Summilux 28mm f/1.7 Asph
T i l e d wa l l Stuttgart “I saw this scene during one of my photo outings. There was no woman in the first shot I took: it was only with her in the picture that it acquired dimension. When I took it, I had only had my M240 for a few weeks – after this image we became friends for life.” Sven Baum Leica M240 with Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f/1.4
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THE S EAR C H FOR M EANING “There is a hole in Todaiji Temple in Nara, a city which was the capital of Japan during the 8th century AD. According to legend, whoever manages to get through the hole will receive enlightenment. A student got stuck while trying to do this. I consider it a very symbolic image.� Daniele Zullino Leica M Monochrom246 with Summicron-M 35mm f/1:2 Asph
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C a l da s da R a i n h a “After discovering the perfect lighting conditions at this spot, I had to wait for weeks for an interesting character to appear. When it finally happened I was very happy – it’s one of the reasons I take photographs every day.” Vasco Trancoso Leica Q, Summilux 28mm f/1.7 Asph
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o n e & o n ly
R o c k a b i l ly
“The only reason I visited the Art and Architecture Museum was to photograph the geometric shapes of the building. I took this picture the moment I saw the shadow of the fence. Afterwards I took some other photographs, but this one still remains my favourite.”
“The Cadillac belonged to a group of Rockabilly dancers in Tokyo’s Yo-yogi Park, who were using it as a kind of prop from that era. Because I grew up with vintage cars, I can’t resist cars with tails fins. I particularly like the beautiful range of rich blacks in the picture.”
Eduardo Marques Leica CL with Summicron-M 35mm f/2 Asph
Jonathan Adams Leicaflex SL2 with SummiluxR 50mm f/1.4
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Lost in G e o m e t ry “The photo was taken at the Samaritaine department store building site in Paris. My attention was caught by the different shapes and signs in lively colours. They all point in the direction of the pedestrian, whose movement seems to be imitated by the shadow above him.� Lu Wenpeng Leica Q, Summilux 28mm f/1.7 Asph
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Photo: © Lisette Model/Gift of the Estate of Lisette Model, 1990, by direction of Joseph G. Blum, New York, through the American Friends of Canada
p h oto – b o o k s – e x h i b i t i o n s – f e s t i va l s – Awa r d s –
Lisette Model: Café Metropole, New York City 1946
Susan Meiselas
Photos: © Lisette Model/National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Gift of the Estate of Lisette Model, 1990, by direction of Joseph G. Blum, New York, through the American Friends of Canada/NGC; © Nan Goldin/courtesy of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, The Nimoy Family Foundation; © Susan Meiselas/Magnum Photos; © El Lissitzky
J e u d e Pa u m e , Pa r i s
r e a l wo r l d s m o c a , lo s a n g e l e s
What is the real world? Is it a glimpse behind scenes of nightlife in Paris? Is it nudists and suburbanites? Or is it artists in search of their true selves? All these and so much more are elements that make up the real world, which has one thing in common: humanity. Consequently, it is hardly surprising that MOCA has brought together three of the world’s most influential photographers in this genre. Real Worlds: Brassaï, Arbus, Goldin is an exhibition presenting one hundred pieces of work by Brassaï, Diane Arbus and Nan Goldin, taken from their respective photo books: The Secret Paris of the 30’s (Brassaï), An Aperture Monograph (Arbus) and The Ballad of Sexual Dependency (Goldin). According to information from the MOCA, “Real Worlds: Brassaï, Arbus, Goldin provides an extraordinary opportunity to explore nearly a century of enduring and influential photographs – works which continue to resonate with intimacy and immediacy in today’s image-filled world.” In addition to offering insight into the cosmos of life, the selection takes the viewer on a stroll through different generations of photographic perception. Brassaï was born in 1899, Arbus in 1923, and Goldin in 1953 – the decades between the years of each of their births were also decades of photographic progressiveness. The transformation that took place also encompassed changes in society: things that were considered provocative in the past were gradually incorporated into an understanding of the real world, overcoming reactions of shock and disgust. What remains is the acknowledgement that humanity remains caught up in its own desires. Elegant, brutal and tender. 4 March — 3 September 2018, Photo: Nan Goldin, Greer and Robert on the bed, New York City 1982
From striptease and genocide, to revolution and domestic violence, Magnum photographer Susan Meiselas’s range is very broad. The retrospective Meditations brings together pictures she took from the seventies up until today. It also questions photography’s role as a witness to injustice, violence and suffering. 6 February — 20 May 2016; Photo: Susan Meiselas, Lena after the show, Essex Junction, Vermont 1973
lisette model B o c a R at o n M u s e u m , F lo r i da
She was introduced to expressionism early on, learning piano from Arnold Schoenberg. Later on she photographed: courageous, crazy, unconventional. Photographs from the Canadian Photographic Institute of the National Gallery of Canada presents special people by a special photographer. 23 April — 21 Oct. 2018; Photo: Lisette Model, Coney Island Bather, New York City, c. 1939–July 1941
Shape of Light tat e , l o n d o n
It was photography itself that essentially contributed towards the emergence of abstract art. Thanks to the development of the medium in the early 20th century and its claim to be able to replicate reality, art was now able to distance itself from the task of representation. With The Shape of Light: 100 years of Photography and Abstract Art exhibition, the Tate London explores for the first time the relationship between photography and the evolution of abstract art from its beginning in 1910 into the 21st century. It presents 300 works by over 100 artists, placing the photographs side by side with iconic paintings and sculptures. In juxtaposition to cubist or expressionist paintings, pictures by André Kertész, László Moholy-Nagy and Man Ray appear to reflect precise observation, but in fact, they are so much more and transcend any imagined boundaries. 2 May — 14 Oct. 2018 Photo: El Lissitzky, Proun in Material (Proun 83), 1924
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André Lützen up-river book
TEN YEAR S OF THE AFTERMATH P RO J ECT
This retrospective volume offers a compelling insight into the work of the Aftermath Project, which has evolved over the past ten years into one of the world’s leading documentary photography programmes. The non-profit venture and annual grant scheme aims to help change the way the media covers conflicts – and to educate the public about the true cost of war. “The end of war does not mean peace. It is simply the end of death and destruction. Every story of war includes a chapter that almost always remains untold – the story of the aftermath, which day by day becomes the prologue of the future,” says documentary photographer and film maker Sara Terry, who established the project while working on her photo series Aftermath: Bosnia’s Long Road to Peace. Her intention was to encourage fellow documentary photographers to concentrate on post-conflict storytelling. This publication now presents the work of the 53 winners and finalists of the Aftermath Grant – compiled into a multi-faceted selection of deeply poignant images. Among the photographers featured in the book are Jim Goldberg, Jessica Hines, Kathryn Cook, Justyna Mielnikiewicz, Danny Wilcox Frazier, Adam Patterson, Rodrigo Abd, Donald Weber, Simon Brann Thorpe, Monika Bulaj, Luca Locatelli, Isabel Kiesewetter, Bruno Boudjelal, Louie Palu, Juan Arredondo, Davide Monteleone and Stanley Greene (above a photo taken by him in 2013 in the village of Bamut, Chechnya, after it had been completely destroyed by the Russian military). 268 pages, 121 images, 27 × 21 cm, English, Dewi Lewis Publishing
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124 pages, 58 images, 19.3 × 27 cm, English, Peperoni Books
A n dy R i c h t e r
Mario Marino T h e M ag i c o f t h e m o m e n t
With this large-format volume, the Austrian photographer (b. 1967) concludes a long-term project he has been pursuing over the course of several years. From 2013 to 2016, he repeatedly travelled throughout India for weeks at a time – portraying the people he encountered in spontaneously improvised scenes. His aim, Marino explains, was “to empathise with and capture the personalities of those por-
S e r p e n t i n t h e w i l d e r n e ss
For his very ambitious quest – to identify the true essence of yoga – the US-American photographer (b. 1977) travelled all around the world: his explorations of the vast variety of manifestations and interpretations of this ancient practice took him all the way from Ashrams in India to living rooms across America. 104 pages, 55 images, 22 × 24 cm, English, Kehrer
trayed; to immerse myself and become one with the situation; these are the reasons for my travels.” His mostly fullpage images are characterised by a direct style and precise compositions. A deeply compelling visual journey. 336 pages, 40 colour and 125 black and white images, 28.5 × 36 cm, German, English, Kerber
Photos: © Stanley Greene/Noor Images; © André Lützen; © Andy Richter; © Mario Marino
WAR I S ONLY HALF THE S TORY
Darkness, deep shadows, dense jungle, shimmering heat, steel cold nights and a feeling of latent violence permeate these dramatic images. For his book, the German photographer (b. 1963) embarked on two trips up the River Congo on a UN patrol boat – into the ‘Heart of Darkness’ that references both the route and the atmosphere of Joseph Conrad’s seminal novel.
S MAGAZINE ISSUE 9 20
Leica Galleries Arenberg castle
Porto
Jesse Diamond
Tina Trumpp: Shades of Sensuality
AUT | 5020 Salzburg, Arenbergstr. 10 15 April — 2 June 2018
POR | 4000-427 Porto, Rua d. Sá da Bandeira, 48/52 10 March — 16 May 2018
Ba n g ko k
Ralph Gibson: Nude and Muses THA | 10330 Bangkok, 2nd Floor Gaysorn Village, 999 Ploenchit Road 8 May — 26 June 2018
Prague
Robert Vano: Seventy
Salzburg
Manfred Baumann: My world of photography
USA | Boston, MA 02116, 74 Arlington St. 3 May — 8 July 2018
AUT | 5020 Salzburg, Gaisbergstr. 12 16 March — 19 May 2018
Frankfurt
S ão Pau l o
Kurt Hutton
Alain Laboile
GER | 60311 Frankfurt am Main, Großer Hirschgraben 15 12 April — 2 June 2018
BRA | 01240–000 São Paulo, Rua Maranhão, 600 Higienópolis 5 April — 2 June 2018
i s ta n b u l
Singapore
Meltem Isik, Tahmineh Monzavi, Charlotte Schmitz, Cansu Yildiran
Nikos Economopoulos SIN | Singapore, The Fullerton Hotel, 1 Fullerton Square, #01–07 February — May 2018 To kYo
NIGO: Metropolis JPN | Kyoto, 570–120 Gionmachi Minamigawa, Higashiyama-ku 7 April — 28 June 2018 Los Angeles
William Allard + Yasuhisa Ishi USA | West Hollywood, CA 90048, 8783 Beverly Boulevard 5 April — 13 May 2018 Milan
Carlo Carletti: Framing Stories ITA | 20121 Mailand, Via Mengoni 4 27 March — End of May 2018 NR W
Elliott Erwitt: Personal Best for Leica GER | 59302 Oelde-Stromberg, Mies-van-der-Rohe-Weg 1 20 January — 28 April 2018 nuremberg
Norbert Rosing
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TCH | 110 00 Prague 1, Školská 28
Maggie Steber: The Secret Garden of Lily LaPalma
Ky o t o
PAGES · 9,90
12 April — 17 June 2018
Boston
TUR | 34381 Şişli/İstanbul, Bomontiada – Merkez, A Birahane Sk. No:1 22 March — 5 May 2018
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Kenichi Kakimoto: Knock
O K B O O
JPN | Tokyo, 6-4-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku 13 April — 1 July 2018 wa r s aw
Tomasz Wysocki: The Taste of Cherry POL | 00–496 Warsaw, Mysia 3 20 April — 27 May 2018 Wetzlar
K ·
Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2017 GER | 35578 Wetzlar, Am Leitz-Park 5 2 March — 27 May 2018
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vienna
Ellen von Unwerth: Wild, Wild West AUT | 1010 Vienna, Walfischgasse 1 End of January — mid May 2018
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY
Enrique Badulescu Joachim Baldauf Brix & Maas Bil Brown Arved Colvin-Smith Anna Daki Rui Faria Christian Geisselmann Esther Haase Marie Hochhaus Benjamin Kaufmann James Meakin Monica Menez Hector Perez Elizaveta Porodina René & Radka Christian Rinke Tristan Rösler Takahito Sasaki SPECIAL
Zingst
GUEST
Ellen von Unwerth
Simon Puschmann: Free Projects GER | 18374 Zingst, Am Bahnhof 1 25 February — 16 May 2018
CUTTING-EDGE
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GER | 90403 Nuremberg, Ob. Wörthstr. 8 24 March — 23 June 2018
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Photos: © Andrés Kolbeinsson/Reykjavík Museum of Photography, © Magnús Ólafsson/Reykjavík Museum of Photography, © Kristín Sigurðardóttir, © Stuart Richardson
Clockwise from the very top: Andrés Kolbeinsson (1919–2009): Austurbar, 1957; Magnús Ólafsson (1862-1937): 1 December, 1918, Iceland’s independence celebration; Kristín Sigurðardóttir: G-3/Quadrant Alpha 1, 30205, 2017; Stuart Richardson: from his series Undercurrent, 2017
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“ W i d e s pac e s i n f lu e n c e t h e p h oto g ra p h e r ’ s v i e w. “ i n t e rv i e w
In Reykjavík, Jóhanna Guðrún Árnadóttir and Kristín Hauksdóttir take care of a treasure trove of lesser known Icelandic photography. They spoke about family connections and other peculiarities in Europe’s northern reaches.
What do you think is specific about Icelandic photographers and their work? Kristín Hauksdóttir: The nature and landscape, the ever-changing light and weather conditions. LFI:
Jóhanna Guðrún Árnadóttir:
The wide open spaces of the landscape influence the photographer’s view.
Árnadóttir: The population of
Iceland numbers only 330 000, so the market is small. Due to this, a lot of photographers tend to work in a number of fields. Hauksdóttir: The market for art photography is very limited but currently showing some positive signs. Please tell us something about your museum and the collection. What is it known for? Hauksdóttir: The museum was founded in 1981 as a private enterprise – a photo agency: it has been owned by the City of Reykjavík since 1987. It operated as a separate body until 2014, at which point several museums merged to form the Reykjavík City Museum. The Reykjavík Museum of Photography collection now comprises about six million photographs of many sizes and types, dating from 1860 to 2014. LFI:
What role does photography play in Icelandic culture? Árnadóttir: It is most strongly connected to showing and promoting the nature of Iceland. Hauksdóttir: Photography played a strong role in our fight for independence. Handpainted landscape photographs were practically in every second household. Photographs were more common than paintings. LFI:
Please tell us something general about photography in Iceland. Is there a big scene of photographers?
LFI:
How is the collection structured? What was the starting point, where did the works come from?
Hauksdóttir: The collection is
mainly an archive. The subjects of the photographs are diverse – including studio portraits and press, industrial and commercial photographs by professionals, as well as landscapes and family photos by amateur photographers. A large part of the collection is made up of press photographs from ca. 1965–2000. The collection was mostly acquired through donations from photographers and their families.
What are the highlights of the museum’s collection? Hauksdóttir: Jón Chr. Stephánsson was one of Iceland’s first portrait photographers. Only a few of his photographs have been preserved. Árnadóttir: Magnús Ólafsson was a great pioneer of Icelandic photography. His works form the basis of the Reykjavík Museum of Photography’s collection and shed light on the period from 1900 until the middle → LFI:
LFI:
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Thomsen were active during the sixties – a period of rapid development in Iceland, and that is reflected in their photography. Gunnar V. Andrésson is one of our main photo journalists. Árnadóttir: Andrés Kolbeinsson was a self taught photographer who was in circles with avant garde artists in Iceland, such as Dieter Roth in his time. Please tell us something about female photographers such as Ingibjörg Ólafsdóttir. Hauksdóttir: When photography started in Iceland, which was quite early compared to many other things, there were relatively many women practising photography. However, after 1900 they weren’t as apparent as men, so the museum doesn’t hold many collections by women. It is only in recent years that women are becoming a more important part of the photography scene in Iceland. It has taken a long time for women to make themselves a space in the field. One of our largest portrait collections came from the Asis portrait studio, run by women, ca. 1947–1981. Ingibjörg Ólafsdóttir was an amateur photographer who worked in a photography store. She was in a society of amateur photographers and was very active. Her landscape photographs are of great quality.
“ P h o to g ra p h y p l ay e d a s t r o n g r o l e i n our fight for independence.“
Who are the important contemporary protagonists? Hauksdóttir: Guðmundur Ingólfsson documents changes in Reykjavík, Spessi brought in a fresh breath of contemporary art photography in the 1990s, photojournalist Ragnar Axelsson documents the vanishing cultures of Greenland, Iceland, Siberia and Canada. Páll Stefánsson brought in a fresh new view in the 1980s and is one of our main landscape photographers. Pétur Thomsen is a good example of how photography can take a stand for controversial issues of society as he did in 2003 when he started with his Important Landscapes series. LFI:
Top: Olaf Otto Becker, from his next exhibition at the Reykjavík Museum of Photography: Ice and Land – Photographs from Iceland and Greenland 1999–2017
Above: the oldest photograph in the collection: Jón Chr. Stephánsson (1829–1910): Unknown Couple, ca. 1860 Very top: Magnús Ólafsson (1862–1937): Gymnastics in Reykjavík, ca. 1911
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of the twentieth century. They offer glimpses from a period characterised by technological progress, and also by social change and the development of urban communities in Iceland. Who were the protagonists in former times? Hauksdóttir: Gunnar Rúnar Ólafsson, Sigurhans Vignir, and Pétur LFI:
Photos: © Magnús Ólafsson/Reykjavík Museum of Photography, © Jón Chr. Stephánsson/Reykjavík Museum of Photography, © Olaf Otto Becker
LFI:
Of course there are many more Icelandic photographers who are important in our photography scene. Please tell us something about your latest exhibition This Island Earth. Why was it so special? Árnadóttir: Katrín Elvarsdóttir is the curator of This Island Earth which addresses Icelandic nature in contemporary photographic art. Stuart Richardson is among the photographers. With Undercurrent, he has produced a series of photographs and a video of a narrow fjord in eastern Iceland. Kristín Sigurðardóttir shows a serie of landscape photographs, G-3/ Quadrant Alpha 1, 30205. Her images are close to abstraction which she achieves by cutting up and reconstructing the form – not very common in Icelandic photography. LFI:
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.
Can you tell us what would be helpful to make Icelandic photographers better known? Hauksdóttir: Establishing international contacts through the Icelandic Photography Festival and portfolio reviews are a good example of how international interest can grow. Árnadóttir: This is something that has to be promoted and nurtured. LFI:
Thank you for your time and we wish you every success.
LFI:
Interview: Carla Susanne Erdmann
Jóhanna Guðrún Árnadóttir , born Rey-
kjavík, 1974. Exhibitions and Education Specialist. She has a BA in Art History from the Albert Ludwigs Universität, Freiburg, Germany and an MA in Gallery Studies from the University of Essex, Colchester, U.K. K r i st í n H au ks d ót t ir , born Reykjavík,
1966. Project Manager of Collection and Service. She graduated with a MFA degree from Pratt Institute in New York 1995. Hauksdóttir is an active photographer herself. Jóhanna Guðrún Árnadóttir and Kristín Hauksdóttir have project managed and curated various photo exhibitions together. U pco m i n g Ex h ib it io n : Olaf Otto Becker: Ice and Land – Photographs from Iceland and Greenland 1999–2017; 12 May – 16 September 2018; www.reykjavikcitymuseum.is
o rd e r n ow:
l f i- onl ine.com/Sh o p
Leica Fotografie I n t e r n at i o n a l
Em e r i c L h u i ss e t
70th year | Issue 3.2018
my picture
When taking this picture, the photographer was reminded of a poem by Arthur Rimbaud, a poem that suggests an idyll, but that in fact deals with a soldier who has been shot.
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8 o 1 0 b 2 o E t N o U F J . 3 10 — Y A 31 M
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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
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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
, ström g n E ge, JH a s s o G … oMreanagement John m , s, n y nBoard e n s a ioAnja t er Frank P. Lohstöter, C. Ulm m t a t e d n P n e LES A nd M arketing a s s r e n e r i l d p Media SA e s An artist Kirstin eu As elas, i h s tAhrndt-Buchholz, t h i i eSamira t e a k w r Holtorf M s M a r n , rno usa ok m Phone: +49 / 40 / 2 26 21 12 72 isito S o v o t , b t s t t o e a p , la Fax: +49 / 40 / 2 26 21 12 70 elcom rlos S vents Goldb w a e E-Mail: buchholz@lfi-online.de C d L i g , E v n g S i er Da holtorf@lfi-online.de L KAS l even xenb i A a Meet i L V rty! c I Valid ad-rate card No. 46, 1 January 2018 a a e T n p p S Kabul, Afghanistan 2004 s a E y F D s, ar REPRODUcTION: Alphabeta, Hamburg view BOOK ivers e n O r T n k a O o g Printer: Optimal Media GmbH, Röbel/Müritz o i hF b b t , 0 e s 1 h PA PER: Igepa Profimatt ition The and t exhib Docu
I was just about twenty one and it was my first trip to Afghanistan. I was walking in the streets with a friend when he said, “Go to see the swimming pool”. From the top of a hill overhanging the city, we could see the Hindu Kush’s mountains in the distance, drawn across the blue sky. Three large, concrete structures rose under that sky. As I drew closer, I could see that they were the diving platforms of a swimming pool, a swimming pool without any water. When I stepped inside, I saw the impact of bullets on the walls… and I understood that we were in a place used for executions. As I took the picture, I thought about this incredible poem by Arthur Rimbaud, Le dormeur du val (The Sleeper in the Valley). This poem rocked my childhood, I built my entire approach around this poem, a poem in which aestheticism becomes a trap. Emeric Lhuisset, born 1983, grew up living on the outskirts of Paris, and studied Art and Geopolitics. His photographic work has received a number of awards. His books, Maydan – Hundred Portraits and Last Water War, were published in 2014 and 2016 respectively.
LFI 4 / 2 0 1 8 w i l l a pp e a r o n 1 8 M ay 2 0 1 8
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CONTRIBUTORS to this issue Carla S. Erdmann, Ann Effes, Katja Hübner, Ulrich Rüter, Katrin Ullmann
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Photo shot on Leica SL from the series “Parkour Motion”, © Ben Franke lFI |
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An exploration on Trust By Jess Bonham and Anna Lomax
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