The world of Leica: my first impressions

Leica, and rangefinders in general, are so different from what I’ve experienced so far. It really is a world of its own, a million miles away from traditional DSLR photography. Clearly, each serves a different function, and I can say for certain that some people will totally dislike it. Well, I loved it.

It’s been four days since I purchased the Leica M, and I had the opportunity to shoot pretty much every day since then. I’m barely discovering its possibilities, so far, but I have seen enough of it to share a couple of thoughts with you J

​​The experience is what makes all the difference. Yes, it is really awesome to shoot street photography with a Leica, and for very simple reasons. First, it is so light compared to a DSLR. Heavy enough to be stable in my hands, but light enough to carry around everywhere. I wanted a camera that I would not hesitate to bring with me… And I found it. Secondly, it makes you look invisible and / or not very threatening. People look at you with curiosity, and smile at you. Why, in Chicago my friends, where everybody can see you coming from everywhere, this makes a world of difference! I can all of a sudden get so close to people that this is fantastic. Thirdly, the viewfinder that never blacks out is a pretty awesome part of the experience. I am not a “decisive moment” kind of photographer – I generally frame and isolate one subject carefully, and often don’t get it wrong (if autofocus doesn’t screw up that is). But now, I can also, if I want to, extend my photographic subjects to particular expressions, configurations etc. And I feel part of everything J Which is a very nice feeling indeed!

Pictures are beautiful, lens is so so very sharp. Really. I was so impressed with the raw files generated by the camera – so sharp, and the colors are incredible. To be fair, I can’t compare with my Canon lens since I have used it at f 2.8, which is the largest aperture. I didn’t try f6 or 7, which would have, no doubt, resulted in greater sharpness. However, those raw files are still spectacular, and at very large apertures as well. The color files have that unique look, nearly vintage, that really makes me want to do more colors J

Manual focus is hard, but rewarding – when light is good. I realize that the world is made of endless possibilities that I had never seen before. Of course, I screwed many shots – particularly when I wanted to change focus distances in an instant. But I am getting better, and zone focusing is a pretty unique way of doing street photography J I can see some limitations of course. I was not that impressed with Leica in low light conditions. I think that night street photography will be a challenge, as I can’t yet estimate distance very well. Choosing f2 is out of question, the margin of error is inexistent and my subjects will be way too often out of focus. The ISO capabilities, as you probably know, are very limited compared to DSLR, so do not count on it either. Another limitation is the semi-automatic mode. Leica does make pretty strange decisions as far as ISO and speed are concerned. It is especially difficult in an environment where there is a combination of dark and light zones (such as under the tracks of the L train in Chicago). Most often than not, the exposure was totally off, and the speed was too low. You can of course set parameters for Leica to operate: max ISO, max exposure time. We will see if that makes it better, but overall, I do think that Leica is manual in essence. Which for street photography can be a little hard at times.

In conclusion, Leica forces me to change the way I do photography. I usually use a very large aperture in autofocus, with a zoom. I now have to do with 35mm and apertures that do not allow me to isolate that well my subjects. On the other hand, I am discovering the joy of pre-focusing, where the camera never hesitates – where the focus is just as good as you’ve set it. Is there still a place in my heart for my beloved Canon 60D? Yes, of course. I can’t get those awesome bokeh shots on the street with Leica, not without autofocus for now. And I can’t quite do street photography at night either, as far as I have seen (but that may change when I become better J). But the world of rangefinders make everything a lot more worthwhile in a way. It comes back to the essential, and it lets you in, right into the scene, as if you had never left it.

I wanted to go full frame. Leica was the obvious choice for me. And that was a wise, wise decision that I don’t regret at all.

Interview with FOTO4ALL from Romania

The lovely team of FOTO4ALL just released their May-June issue of their free photography magazine, featuring my interview with some of my pictures as well. Have a look, you won't be disappointed: the magazine is very inspiring, with incredible photography in it.

You can access all this great content here: http://www.foto4all.ro/

Urban Dreams: new exhibition at Morpho Gallery

Here we go. In two weeks, we will have the opening reception for Urban Dreams, our new exhibition at the Morpho gallery in Chicago. And I can't wait for it to happen! The exhibition will feature the work of my two dear and so talented friends Mirela Momanu and Yves Vernin. Opening night will be Friday May 9th, starting at 6pm. The show will run from May 9th to June 4th.

Here's the information if you are planning to attend:  Morpho Gallery, 5216 North Damen, 60625 Chicago, Illinois.

A little more about this exhibition:

Exhibition Presentation

Urban Dreams explores the mysterious and invisible relationship connecting people to their urban surroundings. Through the use of unusual perspectives, shadow play and reflections, the cities we’ve known forever take the substance of dreams - ethereal and mysterious, foreign and strange. As a group of artists, we are seeking to question the way we usually experience urban life. By transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary, by casting a new light on the most usual scenes, our intention is to unveil the unconscious emotions that connect us to our cities, and to ourselves.

About the Artists

Marie Laigneau, USA – Marie’s images portray a timeless and overshadowing city, made of silence and whispers. In her work, the constant opposition between light and darkness seems to overpower her subjects, creating tension and unbalance. Her lonely figures evolve in a foreign, yet familiar world, reminiscent of forgotten dreams and memories.

Yves Vernin, France – Yves’ images are stories of shadows and light. Yves expands on this theme by showing how the mundane can easily become extraordinary if one understands the true beauty of light. His images portray a city transformed by the joyful sun, where shadows create rhythmic worlds shattering our common perception of urbanity.

Mirela Momanu, Romania – Mirela’s images take us to a world of silence and introspection. Her lonely figures are fleeting silhouettes evolving into the darkness of highly geometrical settings. Mirela portrays one of the most mysterious aspects of cities, made of steel and concrete, of evasive light and repetitive patterns. Her subjects are faced with themselves, in the silence of their surroundings.

Mindfulness: welcoming the unexpected

While telling another street photographer that, no, I had not been waiting 45 minutes to get that shot, he said to me: “Well, you must be damn lucky then.” I am not, I have to confess. I take thousands of pictures, I process maybe 5% of them. I fail often, I rarely succeed. I try again, I never stop trying.

But by now I have learned one important thing: success will come if you let things happen, not when you try to realize an idea that has already formed in your mind. Because, let’s be honest: if you know what you want, why can’t you stage it? What would be the fun of waiting hours – maybe days – before getting that perfect shot that you’ve imagined in detail? If you know what you want, if you go out with specific expectations, you’re putting yourself in a situation where you are bound to be disappointed. Then you’ll claim to the world that you are not lucky, when in fact, you’ve only made yourself unlucky by desiring something specific.

I am not beaten up if nothing happens in front of a nice background. I just move along, and I let the world surprise me somewhere else. I look everywhere, I am curious about many things. I am not particularly lucky – but I believe in miracles. The beauty of street photography, and candid photography, is our inability to predict how things might turn out. It is the unexpected, the unpredictable that creates a drug for many of us. But in order to make it work, you need to forget yourself, and get rid of your secret desires. You need to focus on the present, and the present only.

This is what we call mindfulness – the art of embracing the present as if no past, and no future, could get any hold on you, even for a moment only. So give it a try: let go of any pre-conceived idea of images and scenes. Don’t think, just shoot. Embrace the world as it shown to you, not as you would like it to be. And more often than not, you’ll be surprised to see how easy it is to be lucky.

Interview with Art Photo Feature

APF was nice enough to interview me in their recent issue of their fantastic magazine. You can access the content of the interview here: Marie Laigneau APF Interview