Mark Murrmann is not just a guy with a camera. In addition to his commercial work for clients such as Jim Bean, Levi’s and Samsung, Mark is regular contributor to Hamburger Eyes and curated the Maximum Rocknroll photo issue (and accompanying exhibit) in 2010. Did we mention that he also works on the other side of the desk as Photo Editor at Mother Jones magazine? Mark turned to photography when he began to tire of writing about music. Now he photographs punk music live shows; music and photography have become inextricably linked for him. Mark also dabbles in street photography, fitting it into his schedule by going shooting on his lunch breaks. Blog contributor Peter Earl McCollough interviewed Mark about his passion for punk music, photography and zines (that’s right, we said zines).

Q: Hi Mark – tell me a little bit about yourself. What’s your background? Where are you from? What do you do now and what would you like to be doing in the future?

A: I am 37, grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. I went to Indiana University, studied journalism and US History. I wanted to be a magazine editor or a music journalist. Right after finishing school I worked as coordinator (editor) at the longtime punk magazine Maximum Rocknroll. That was immediately following founder Tim Yohannan’s death. I then worked for Rhapsody music service, writing 30 reviews of bands, everyday. It crushed any desire I had to ever write about music again. So I went back to school, UC Berkeley’s Grad School of Journalism, to pursue photography more seriously. I went to London on a scholarship from the Alexia Foundation and while there I covered the Orange Revolution in Kiev. I was hoping it’d be a big step toward establishing myself as an international photojournalist. I was naive; it’s never that easy. Aside from not really being able to sell any photos while in Kiev, the day after returning to London, my flat got broken into — my computer and backup hard drive with all my digital photos from Kiev was stolen. Luckily, I still had my film. Back in the States, I covered Congress for a little while then moved back to the Bay Area. I heard about an opening for a photo intern at Mother Jones. I applied and got it. Since there wasn’t a photo editor at the time, once the internship was up, I slid into the photo editor position. That was about four and a half years ago. I’ve been here ever since. I still shoot. Not as much as I’d like, but I do a lot of street shooting on my lunch breaks. I shoot a little for Mother Jones and get occasional outside assignments. And anytime I go see a band, I take pictures. As for the future, I like working as a photo editor. I’d be happy to keep doing that. But I would definitely like to shoot more and just get more focused in what I’m shooting.

Q: I’m curious about how you started with photography. How did taking pictures become a part of your life?

A: I started taking pictures regularly in college. Bands would play in the basement of the house I lived in. I took pictures at those shows. I had access to the darkroom at the school of journalism at Indiana University and spent so much time there that I got offered a job helping out in the lab. That was a real education, where I learned about documentary photography. My boss, Rich Remsberg, would bring in books, like Eugene Richards’ “The Knife and Gun Club” and Gilles Peress’ “Farewell to Bosnia.” Books like that, were just laying around the darkroom. They totally blew my mind. Up to then, I mostly thought of photography in terms of what a newspaper photographer would do: sports, some music, spot news, light features, an occasional feature story and sure, geographic photographers too. But digging into a subject like that, like those books did, having an impact and the looseness of the shooting! Amazing black and white work like that made a huge impact. So, a few years later, when I totally burnt out on writing, that’s where my mind was. And the whole time I was writing, I was constantly taking pictures of bands, doing a lot of music photography and dabbling in street photography.

Q: Can you talk about your relationship to punk music and what the music means to you? How has punk intersected with your passion for photography?

A: Punk music is directly responsible for me being into photography. Taking pictures of punk bands performing and going on tour with them is how I got started taking pictures. I am constantly listening to music, constantly digging for more. I’m an avid record collector, but I also like going to see bands. Now it’s almost impossible for me to just go see a band without being able to take pictures. Music and photography are so interconnected for me. Those are my two main passions and they overlap nicely.

Q: What is it that initially made you interested in street photography and what keeps you doing it?

A: I kind of stumbled on street photography when I was living in Washington, D.C. in the mid-90s. I carried my camera everywhere and snapped some photos while walking to work. It just never occurred to me to do that. And then, looking at the negatives, it of course all made sense. I vaguely knew of photographers like Cartier-Bresson and Brassai. I was working at the Washington City Paper and their photographer, Darrow Montgomery, did a lot of street photography. It was all right in front of me, but it took me a bit to figure it out. From there I discovered the whole world of street photography, going back a century. I keep doing it partially out of compulsion or habit and partially because, well, I don’t know. Being inspired by Gary Winogrand, Walker Evans, Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Frank – the usuals, but also Trent Parke and Daido Moriyama. It gets me out, keeps me shooting. I keep doing it because it’s one of the few, regular ways I am able to get out and shoot. I try to go out at least a few times a week on my lunch break. Of course, now I have hundreds and hundreds of photos that I need to pare down and piece together.

Q: From what I know of punk music, it seems similar to the more common strands of street photography. It’s loose, chaotic, high energy, gritty and in your face. It’s about doing your own thing, your own way. If I were to guess, I’d say they also share a fascination with the unsentimental aspects of life. Is there a similar ethos between punk music and street photography for you or is it more a case of you falling in love with two things at once and now they’re forever connected?

A: I’ve never deconstructed it like that, but yeah, that makes sense to me. There’s an element of trying to capture a realness, a kind of spontaneity to both that’s appealing. But of course in punk, like just about anything else, there’s definitely an element of performance, controlled chaos and building off of what’s come before. To that end, covering music, especially larger bands, reminds me of when I was covering Congress. It’s funny, when I’ve shown my portfolio to editors, I’ve been knocked on more than one occasion for including music photography. I was told that work is “just capturing a performance.” Hell, outside of spot news or street photography, just about everything a photojournalist shoots is “just a performance.” Sports? No doubt. Politics? Hell yes. Especially today, in the reality show soaked world we’re living in, you pull out a camera and people perform. That’s even becoming true for street photography. People see a camera and expect that you want them to act or look a certain way (or they’re pissed that you’re taking their picture).

Q: You recently released a zine of photographs called Sweat (Stains). It looks to be about eight years worth of photographing punk bands, mosh pits and tours. Can you talk about how that all came together for you? Did you learn anything from the zine publishing process and is this a precursor to publishing something larger down the road?

A: I’ve been putting together and publishing zines since 1992. I published my own zine, Sty Zine, for about eight years and as I got more into photography, I did a little photo zine that went with that called ACTION! photozine. This particular zine, Sweat (Stains), was put out by Hamburger Eyes. The idea came from a group show that a friend Erik Farseth put together in Minneapolis called “Sweat Stains, Beer and Cigarettes.” I built off the edit of 12 or so photos I sent him for that. Mike McQuade, a designer in Chicago who worked on some Jim Beam ads I shot, got in touch with the idea of collaborating on something. I sent him an edit of photos, Mike laid it out and Hamburger Eyes printed it. I’ve been trying to come up with an edit of this body of work for a while. Once you’ve been shooting something that long, you get the urge to try and figure out what’s there. I made a Blurb book of some of the photos, a different edit, but I think the zine format fits the photos and subject matter perfectly. It’s not at all precious, rather it’s somewhat loose and rough around the edges. It works.

Since doing Sweat (Stains), I did another zine. Again, it was sparked by a group show by Erik Farseth called Benign Neglect. I borrowed the title, built off the core edit of photos for that show, sent images to Mike McQuade and Hamburger Eyes put it out. Benign Neglect is more street photography oriented, though there’s some stuff from being on tour with bands, covering Haiti, Kiev, New Orleans. All this, these zines and working on different edits is all part of figuring out how the stuff I shoot fits together. I feel like I’m drawn to taking certain pictures, but am pretty unfocused about it. It’s subconscious. The Gary Winogrand quote, “No one moment is most important, any moment can be something,” rattles around in my head a lot. But I feel like somehow these moments that I’m capturing all fit together, but I don’t know how yet. Editing them together is like working a big puzzle. Maybe that’s why I have such a hard time editing my own work, because I’m trying to take on too much.

Q: The analog process appears to be an important aspect of the medium to you. Do you envision your routine or perspective changing if/when film no longer becomes an option?

A: I think film will be available as long as I will be alive and shooting. I do shoot digital sometimes, but honestly, part of what I love as much as the analog process is just shooting with the M6 (or M4-P), the Leica. All the hokey, borderline-religious fanaticism crap some people spout has a bit of truth to it. When I grab my M6, it’s like an extension of my hand. I don’t have to think about using it, at all. I don’t like shooting street stuff nearly as much with my other cameras, whether they’re film or digital. Other situations, like shooting bands in tricky lighting situations, make shooting with faster cameras more optimal, but in general if I can only bring one camera, it’s my M6.

I do prefer the analog process. I prefer spending time in the darkroom to sitting in front of a computer – especially since I sit at a computer all day at work. Looking at a sheet of negatives is infinitely more enjoyable than sifting through digital files. That’s a personal preference though. I’m comfortable with digital, have no qualms with digital photography. And right now, my analog process stops after I develop the negatives. I scan my negs and work from digital files. You have to today. But what I love that digital cameras are starting to really dig into is high ISO possibilities. I love shooting in available light, so that’s a real bonus in digital photography for me.

This touches a bit on the aspect of doing zines too. I love a printed end product, but it doesn’t have to be some special thing. It’s harder for me to connect to photos on a screen, even my own photos. I love prints; I like making and looking at zines and photo books and stuff like that. I am a very analog kind of person. I prefer shooting film and listening to vinyl and looking at printed books, newspapers and magazines, but not a purist about it. It’s my preference.

-Leica Internet Team

You can see more of Mark’s work on his website, markmurrmann.com.

This photo essay, part of our collaboration with Magnum Photos, documents Alex Webb’s exploration of Chicago and the Loop. Inspired in part by one of his early influences, Ray Metzker’s “My Camera and I in the Loop,” he explores the streets of the US’s “Second City.” Though unlike the street photographers of the so-called Chicago School (Callahan, Metzger, Sturr, Sterling), Alex Webb has chosen to photograph the city’s multitudinous character in color. Having spent most of his 30 year long career shooting outside of the US, Alex Webb turns his lens to his home nation during this very important election year. We had the chance to pose some questions about his images and the city that inspired them.

Q: What was your goal with the photograph featuring an Obama t-shirt where the wearer’s face is in the shadows aside from the glaring lens of his sunglasses? It’s a very striking photograph that reminds me of a graphic novel with the sunglasses.

A: I did not have a goal in mind. In fact, I do not have goals in mind when I photograph. I respond to what I see before me. The creation of the image happens in a split second, before I am fully rationally conscious of what it is that I am photographing. The act is intuitive, instinctive and non-rational.

Q: I love the photograph of the girl on the bicycle — her colorful attire and bike pop out with how the light is cast and shadows in the rest of the photograph. When you mention cinematic close-ups, this seems to illustrate that. How did you approach capturing this cinematic feel with your street photography?

A: At certain days in the year a crisp, clear light pervades Chicago, enveloping the Loop in dramatic criss-crossing shafts of light. Capturing this sense of the Loop is no different than other street photography. It involves patience, anticipation, luck and persistence because, as we all know, the special images do not come easily; 99% of street photography, if not more, is about failure. It’s a bit like gambling — you try to get the odds in your favor, you work when the light is interesting, when there are intriguing things going on in the street and you keep hoping, against all odds, that something will work.

Q: The photograph featuring a painting of a man in a button down shirt with the passerby in the same blue button down and a statue of a man in a suit against a white marble backdrop is great. What message did you want to convey with this photograph? You mention cultural reflections and this seems to point out a corporate culture very different from the contrasts found near the Loop.

A: As I suggest above, I am not trying to convey messages. I take photographs to affirm reality, not explain reality and that reality often has a high level of ambiguity to it, which is subject to interpretation. So what one viewer discovers in a given image may be very different from what another viewer discovers. This particular photograph seems to suggest to you something about corporate culture, but another viewer might simply be amused by the similarity of be-suited figures and another viewer might find something else. I believe in photographs that have a level of ambiguity, images that work on suggestion, that ask questions rather than provide answers.

Q: From the Loop to street festivals — the rhythm seems to slow in the photographs of the festivals, but it also seems like you’re pointing out something else about Chicago. By taking a closer look into pockets of the cultural diversity found juxtaposed in the Loop, what were you hoping to capture?

A: I’m intrigued by the ethnic variety of Chicago, the simultaneous coexistence of many different cultures in what seems like a quintessentially American city. But then this poses the question of just what is quintessentially American these days. For the American city is an ever-changing entity. That’s part of what was exciting to me about photographing Chicago.

Q: Why did you choose to shoot this series in color?

A: Since 1979 I have worked predominantly in color. While I was initially inspired to work in color by my experiences in the tropics, I now respond to color everywhere. For me, right now, black and white just isn’t an option. I see in color and I feel in color, so I have to work in color. Also, working in color allows me to pay homage to some of my early photographic influences (one of the first series of photographs I remember seeing as a teenager was Ray Metzker’s “My Camera and I in the Loop” in an issue of Aperture magazine), who photographed Chicago in black and white.

Q: You posed the question, “Could a series of photographs from these urban streets begin to suggest a kind of state of the union for the U.S. today?” Is it a coincidence or purposefully chosen that you selected Obama’s hometown and campaign headquarters for this project?

A: There were a multitude of reasons why I chose Chicago, but one of them was that it is Obama’s hometown.

Q: There is one photo you took of a caballero on a white horse, which appears to be in stark contrast to what looks like a field growing around some old train tracks and the concrete wall behind him. Can you tell us more about what’s happening in this seemingly contradictory scene?

A: This picture was taken at a Mexican Independence Day celebration. I loved the notion of this most Mexican of celebrations taking place in this drab, run-down area of a North American city.

Q: I have often been told that Chicago is almost a hybrid of New York City and Boston. Do you agree and what do you think makes Chicago unique?

A: I’m not sure I agree that Chicago seems like a hybrid of Boston and New York. It is Midwestern, whereas the other two cities are distinctly Eastern. What I find particularly unique about Chicago is its architectural muscularity. Chicago’s particular ethnic mix is a key to the city’s uniqueness: a large Polish and Eastern European population, a historically powerful African-American community and one of the largest Mexican communities in the United States.

Q: What is your next big project?

A: Over the past 30 years, I’ve photographed extensively outside the United States. I want to see what happens if I return to photographing more in my own country. I have been making some trips around the US, sometimes accompanied by my wife and creative partner, the photographer Rebecca Norris Webb, with whom I created the book on Cuba, “Violet Isle: A Duet of Photographs from Cuba.” Though it is at this point very much in a state of infancy, we are exploring the notion of creating another joint project.

-Leica Internet Team

You can see more of Alex’s work in his Magnum Photos portfolio and on his website, www.webbnorriswebb.com.

Thomas Brichta was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. After studying marketing and having a brief stint in the retail furniture business, he discovered his passion for photography in the late ‘70s. Having relocated to California, Tom worked as a rep for Argraph Photo Distributors and Tokina Optical before joining Leica Camera in 1992. This year Tom celebrates 20 years of working with Leica Camera. Tom serves as a Leica Camera Representative for Northern California and instructor for several Leica Akademie workshops, which he describes as his dream job. Here is the concluding part of our interview with Tom about his photography, his teaching methods and his favorite Leica equipment.

Q: Your portfolio shows that you are very adept at using brilliant color as a graphic element in your images, but you’ve also included some masterful black-and-white images that have a classic photojournalistic feel. Can you say something about the bifurcated nature of your creative process, and what kind of subject you feel suits each medium?

A: This is where elements and principles of design come into play. In my landscape photography, I like to use color to take the viewer through the photograph, or to what I would call points of interest. I also feel that we see landscapes in color, unless they have strong shapes and lines, then I would convert it to black and white. When I’m on the streets photographing people, I like to convert those images into black and white. Most of the time when I’m photographing people I want the viewer to feel the emotion of the relationship the subject has with their surroundings or of other people. Here I believe color becomes distracting.

Q: Your portrait of a woman reading a newspaper in a café has a timeless quality reminiscent of the street photography of decades past, but the tonal range and shadow detail are impressive. How did you capture this image and was the performance of the camera a factor?

A: Teaching street photography, there are two points I emphasize: be patient and get to know your locations. This picture is a great example of this. This cafe has great lighting and attracts great characters. The M9 is so small that I can sit here taking pictures all day and not be noticed.

This image was taken with the M9 and 75mm Summilux. I shoot the M9 mostly in manual mode. With the 75, I was able to meter the highlight area and shadows, and come up with my exposure. I have the camera in DNG and JPEG. I set the JPEGs to vintage black and white, which helps me to see the image and then make any adjustments to the exposure to get the look I want.

Q: You mention that you are a big fan of the Leica S2, but also shoot with a Leica M9 and other Leicas. Do you find that you prefer the S2 for landscapes and the M9 for street photography or is it more complicated than that?

A: I look at cameras as tools. What I’m shooting determines which camera I’ll use. The S2 is a great camera if I need large images or I’m using studio lighting. When shooting landscapes, it performs like a SLR with a 50% larger sensor in basically the same footprint. The M9 works great out on the streets. It’s small, discrete and I can get close to the action and be part of it. People also act more natural around it because of its size. I use the X1 when I can’t carry the M9 with me. I call it my mini-9. The CMOS sensor is the same size used in many of the current DSLRs and because of this, I can get images almost as good as the M9 and control DOF. The shutter speed and aperture dial on the top cover make it easy to use.

I like having a camera with me at all times. This is where the D-Lux 5 comes in handy. It’s small and has a medium telephoto lens, making it the perfect pocket camera and my go to travel camera. Another important point is that all the cameras pretty much have the same menus, which makes it easy to go from camera to camera.

Q: Which lenses do you favor when shooting with the Leica S2? Which lenses do you tend to use when you’re shooting with the M9?

A: I like to travel light, but be prepared for what I’m photographing. When I’m shooting landscapes with the S2, I carry the 70mm and the 180mm lenses. These lenses pretty much cover everything for me. However, I can’t wait to use the 30mm lens. Most of my M9 work is done with the 35mm f/2 and the 75mm f/1.4. I’ll keep the 35 on the camera and use the 75 for longer shots.

Q: Do you believe, as many have asserted, that Leica lenses capture a definable “Leica look” in the way they render the subject, and their bokeh? If so, can you say something about it?

A: Ahhh…”The Leica Look” Yes there is a difference. Looking at an image taken with a Leica lens will have a more three-dimensional look. There’s more contrast, neutral colors and sharp corners. The bokeh of these lenses is just in a class of their own. They way I describe it is that it’s just “creamy.” When you use a Leica lens wide open, the subject is just separated from the background so beautifully.

Q: Your dynamic image of an old prop plane has a decidedly nostalgic quality and makes a strong graphic statement reminiscent of classic travel ads and industrial images of the ‘30s & ‘40s. Was this retro feel a conscious decision on your part and what are your thoughts on this image?

A: This photo started out as a test shot for the S2ʼs resolving power. I wanted to show the rivets on the skin of the plane. After I downloaded it, I had the same thought you mentioned here. I was thinking Casablanca for some reason. I converted it to black and white and started playing with it. I just felt the power of this plane, from the angle I photographed it from.

Q: The sheer technical quality of some of your color images is very impressive. Is this attributable to the performance of the cameras you used? Do you use a tripod? Can you give us some of the tech data?

A: All my landscape photographs are taken with the camera on a tripod. When trying to get as much depth of field as possible, I’m usually shooting at slow shutter speeds and need to be on a tripod. This is another example where Leica shines. I don’t have to dig deep into any menus to change my settings. Everything is either on the top plate or in one of the quick menus. I see a lot of people with other cameras digging through their menus for changes that they sometimes can’t even find.

Q: There is a lovely monochromatic quality to your picture of a pair of old spectacles perched on what looks like an old library book. How and why did you take this shot, and what does it mean to you?

A: This is from one of my Bodie Ghost Town W.S. Bodie is located in the Eastern Sierra of California at an elevation of about 8500 feet. In its heydays, around 1850, the population was around 10,000. Most people left Bodie around the 1930s. The last few left in the ‘60s. When the last people left, they went without taking anything with them. Today, most things are left where they were as the town emptied. The glasses have been sitting on that ledger for years. I’ve been one of a few people that have been able to enter these buildings. When I photograph inside them or around the town, I want people to feel the spirit of those that were there.

Q: Aside from landscape, seascape, travel and street photography are there any other genres you plan to explore in the future such as sports, wildlife, architectural photography, etc.?

A: The photography that I do now is my passion, and I feel I’m the luckiest person in the world to do it. I love being on the water. A couple of years ago I was able to photograph a schooner that had been rebuilt over the past twenty years. I enjoyed that and I am trying to get more involved with the sailing world. I also enjoy photographing families. The pleasure there for me is the happiness it brings to all its members.

Q: How has your work teaching workshops at the Leica Akademie influenced your own photography and helped you to grow as a photographer. As an instructor what are some of the most meaningful concepts and methods that you have been able to impart to your students?

A: It doesn’t let you get complacent. I’m always thinking of what I’ll say in the next class or workshop. I like to keep the classes fresh, so I’m out shooting or looking for new ideas for the participants. Also, I learn some new ideas from some of them. What I try to instill in the people that attend these classes is to slow down and enjoy photography. So many times, I’ll see someone show up in an area and within seconds have 20 images. I tell everyone to get a black 8 X 10 matt board with a 5 X 7 cut out. Just walk around with it everywhere you go and keep looking through it. This is how I trained my eye. Also, I’ll say it again, “learn the principles and elements of design” and watch the light.

Q: How do you see your photography evolving over the next 3-5 years and do you have any personal projects or venues planned for the immediate future?

Q: I’m really looking forward to working with the Leica Akademie. I enjoy putting workshops together. I don’t want them to feel like all work or like you have to be an experienced photographer. I want people to experience the locations we visit and enjoy being with other photographers. My mission statement for these workshops is, “Great Locations, Great Accommodations, Fine Food and Fun”.

-Leica Internet Team

You can see more of Tom’s work on Flickr and on his website, thomasbrichta.com. If you’d like to learn more about the upcoming workshops that Tom is leading, visit leicaakademie.com.

This year, Tom, as he’s known to friends and colleagues, celebrates his 20th anniversary of working at Leica Camera. Tom has built a reputation as a gentleman, a grand photographer and a bit of a prankster. As the Leica Camera representative for Northern California, Tom was also recently appointed as an instructor for the North American Leica Akademie and this upcoming April he’ll be leading a Leica Destination workshop in Monterey and Big Sur.

Thomas Brichta was born on December 25 in Cleveland, Ohio and grew up in the area. He went on to attend Cleveland State University where he majored in marketing. After college, Tom worked in the retail furniture business moving to California in 1977 where he worked as an independent furniture representative for about a year. Around this time Tom began to get serious about photography and soon he was able to quit his day job and start a photography business. From there he worked for Argraph Photo Distributors as a rep then moved to Southern California to be National Sales Manager for Tokina Optical. In 1992, Tom moved back to the San Francisco area to work for Leica Camera as part of the sales team. In this first part of our interview, we talk with Tom about his history with Leica, his photography and his infamous birthday pranks.

Q: Your position at Leica is Sales Manager, can you tell us a bit about what that entails?

A: The position of Territory Sales Manager at Leica is a bit different than most camera companies. We are left to manage our own territories pretty much on our own. Like myself, most of the sales representatives for Leica have been with the company for many years. I have been with them for 20 years. Leica management feels we know the needs of our dealers better than anyone else; however, management is there to help when we need them. My everyday duties include making sure the dealers’ employees are trained on our products, trying to keep stock on order for our dealers and helping dealers and consumers if there are any problems. I have been recently appointed to the Leica Akademie. My duties there include teaching seminars and workshops, along with planning the locations for workshops. I will be hosting a Leica Destination workshop in April with Leica Akademie along the California coast from Monterey to Big Sur.

Q: Can you also tell us a bit about your history working at Leica?

A: I started working for Leica in 1992 as an Independent Representative and within six months I was asked to join the company full-time. Since then it has been a dream come true for me. I get to work with what I feel is one of the best companies in the world, making some of the best products out there. I really enjoy working with my dealers and the consumers we sell to. I did not think I would have as much contact with the consumer as I do, but I feel that with the money they pay for our product, I should be there to help them. I really do enjoy working with them; I’ve made many friends over the years. I have also conducted my own seminars and workshops to give people the opportunity to learn how our products work and just to have fun with other photographers.

Q: We hear that there’s a prank you like to play at sales/staff meetings? Can you tell us about that?

A: Ahhh, you heard. Yes, I am the class clown. After a long day at a meeting or training seminar, I feel it’s good to lighten up a bit. At the evening dinner, I’ll tell the wait staff that it’s someone’s birthday and ask if there is something we can do for them. It’s always fun just to see the look on that unsuspecting person’s face when their surprise shows up and the laughter from the others. It makes a nice ending to the day. I think one of our colleagues is about 142 years old by now. I tried it on a plane one time when myself and another rep. were flying back for meeting. The flight attendant actually brought us a bottle of champagne to enjoy cross-country!

Q: You take amazing landscape photos, but you also dabble in street photography. Are there any other genres you currently or previously have worked in? Is there a specific genre or type of photography you consider to be your specialty?

A: Thank you! I love landscape photography. I always have enjoyed photographing people. I started my career as a wedding and portrait photographer. I enjoy taking candid photos of people, which lends itself to street photography. I like to capture the relationship between people and the environment they are in. As you can see from some of my photos, I also like the viewer to feel the emotion of my photography. I just love connecting with the environment with my landscape photography. Because of that, I appreciate the world we live in so much more.

Q: Conveying an expansive feeling of spaciousness in a vertical landscape is often challenging, yet you succeeded very well in doing so in your serene picture of what looks like farmland in rolling hills somewhere in Europe. Where was the picture taken, and why did you compose it in this way?

A: This was taken in Greve, Italy, which is the in Chianti part of Tuscany. The reason I shot this image vertically is because I wanted to show the rolling hills throughout this region. I just could not relate it on a two-dimensional plane horizontally. Using the “Elements of Design,” (a line in this case), your eye travels from the trees at the bottom through the rolling hills on top.

Q: Many of the photos you’ve shared are taken with the Leica S2. What other Leica cameras do you regularly shoot with? Do you have a favorite?

A: There is a use for all our cameras. The S2 is my favorite. I like having the larger format for my landscape images when I enlarge them. Having all that information in the file is great for huge wall images. I use the M9 for my street photography because it is so discrete and quick to operate. When I don’t want to carry a large or heavy camera, I like to take the X1 or D-Lux 5 for my street photography or the V-Lux cameras for landscape and just point-and-shoot.

Q: When did you first discover your interest in photography?

A: I purchased my first SLR in the early ‘70s. I really got serious in the late ‘70s when I moved to California. I met one of my mentors at an art and wine festival. He is a great landscape photographer. After him, I met two wedding photographers that got me interested in wedding and portrait photography. My last mentor was the Director of Education at Leica when I first started and he was a master of light. These four people were my education in photography. The landscape photographer gave me a black 5 X 7 matt board with a 3.5 X 5 cut out and said, “Look through this.” That changed the way I looked at the world. Randy said, “Photography is capturing light.” The wedding photographers would say, “Capture the emotion.” Seeing the work of these four people made me realize that I could express my vision of our world through photography. My artist statement reads, “Capturing the Beauty of our World One Moment at a Time.”

Thanks Tom!

-Leica Internet Team

You can see more of Tom’s work on Flickr and on his website, thomasbrichta.com. If you’d like to learn more about the Leica Destination workshop that Tom is leading, visit leicaakademie.com.

Marc Shoul is a South African photographer, born in 1975 in Port Elizabeth. Interested in exploring social issues, four years ago he began photographing the city of Brakpan, which is a 45-minute drive from Johannesburg. Street scenes and more intimate portraits compose a personal portrayal of a place that is “anchored in time, the same, but its own” — as the photographer characterized it in the following interview — stumbling between a heavy past and an uncertain present. Though he has intensively worked on documenting Johannesburg’s energies and transformations and on informal settlements surrounding Cape Town, this interview focuses principally on “Brakpan”, his latest body of work, which recently received the first prize at the 2011 Winephoto award, as well as a special mention for his series, “Flatlands”.

While developing personal works, Marc Shoul’s photographs have been published in international magazines such as The New York Times, Time, Colors, Dazed and Confused, Mail & Guardian, Stern, the Financial Times and The Telegraph. His works have been exhibited in South Africa, Italy, Switzerland and soon in Australia. Marian Nur Goni had the opportunity to talk with Marc about his life, his process and Brakpan.

Q: First, I’d like to ask you how photography arrived in your life and what are your principal concerns in photography (while working with photography and looking at photography).

A: When I was still in school, I had a good deal going with the librarian. She would let me take National Geographic magazines home for the weekend, which I would devour together with my mom’s home and fashion magazines and my dad’s Time magazines. Images told me way more than the words did and this still holds true.

As a kid I had a little Minolta Autopak 400. I’d shoot friends at school, summer camp and parties. I spent one year in Israel after leaving school. I shot a lot, rolls and rolls. I wasn’t thinking too much about what I was doing or getting myself into. I only had the film processed and developed when I got back to South Africa and only regarded the medium as an aid for memory. I continued to shoot when I moved to Cape Town, where I was studying marketing at the time. There was a photo lab in my area that would give a new spool of film every time I did my processing and jumbo prints with them. The processing and prints were bad, full of hairs and scratches, but it got me interested in taking my own images. I would stick them up or cut parts of them up and combine them with images from magazines, rave, live music or party flyers and it sort of hooked me. Little did I know that I was sort of playing with visual literacy, which I knew nothing about. Anyway, I shot and played a lot with pictures as an escape from the marketing course I was doing at the time.

I ended up doing marketing at night and started studying photography full-time, which lasted four years. Up to now, the themes that I like to work with are all people and situation related — social issues, alternative ways of living and survival in South Africa as the base for them all. South Africa and people in general fascinate me to no end; they move me. Looking at photography… Composition makes my mouth water, as well as the unusual or unexpected, be it gesture, actions, rhythm, place, subject.

It’s all — really all and only — about the image.

Q: Recently, your work “Brakpan” won the first prize of the 2011 Winephoto award. The contest’s theme was “Renaissance. Stories that could not have been”. Looking at your photographs, something quite imperceptible though strongly persistent, a feeling of strangeness and loneliness seems to float over most of the different situations captured by your camera. In which ways, do you think that your work responds to the question posed by the Italian award? In other terms, do you see some signs of revival in the complex life of this city, whose mines, I imagine, fulfil once an important part of the local economy? And, on the other hand, in “Brakpan”, what could be these stories (that could not have been)?

A: The “Rainbow Nation” was and still is encouraged to embrace, believe in and work towards “the African Renaissance”. Brakpan continues to live in the same narrative it always has, the Renaissance has not extended itself to Brakpan yet. Leaving it to its own devices.

Brakpan is unconscious of and comfortable with its rhythm, which is living for today, the now. Almost like a free fall with no safety net, no medical aid, no insurance, no commitments or contracts of any sort. The buildings and streets have remained the same for decades. Visually the town seems to have been dropped in a vessel filled with formaldehyde. Although Brakpan is a mere 45-minute drive from Johannesburg, it is worlds apart. People are given the benefit of the doubt, if the lenient line is crossed, well, anything could go down, which I presume is the same as it would anywhere in the world.

Q: What is your personal story in these stories? I mean, how did you come across this place? And how did you work with people there? In this series, street scenes are next to more intimate sights.

A: Ok, let me tell you… There was a girl in my class at school who we teased about going to Brakpan on holiday. We would roll the “r” in Brakpan, like that of a motorbike without an exhaust pipe. “Brak” has a few meanings in Afrikaans and one of them is an unpedigreed dog. Brakpan is sort of an unfortunate sounding name that is used as a punch line for many of our local jokes. The jokes are usually demeaning or point at how backward the place appears to be.

Fast-forward about ten years… I landed up there when working on “Beyond Walmer”. A few years later, I pitched a story to a magazine to cover the last two weeks of performances of the well-known Boswell Wilkie Circus. This trip took me back to Brakpan again. When I look through my “Beyond Walmer” contact prints, I recognize some of the places that I photographed all those years ago. The buildings are still recognizable and the people look pretty much the same as when I was there in 1999. When I completed “Flatlands”, I went back to Brakpan to find that the two main roads that cut through it were filled with pawn shops, loan sharks, road houses and mechanics; people had old school hair cuts and drove Ford Cortinas. This really appealed to me. Its rhythm, people and structures made me go back and learn more about what this place is all about.

What is important is that their freedoms and realities are not the same as in other places that I know of in South Africa or in Africa. Brakpan possesses a freedom I did not know of living in Johannesburg. Kids walk around the streets unattended. There are very few electric fences securing property and no security guards outside homes. It felt like a small country town with a devil-may-care attitude. It doesn’t care about becoming the next design, art, political or anything capital. It’s a meat and potatoes sort of place and that appealed to me in its simplicity, as it is unashamedly transparent and true to itself.

The method I use is very simple, similar to how I’ve always done it. The same method Bruce Davidson used when working on East 100th street. I approach people that I have a gut feeling about and introduce myself to them. Explain what I’m doing and hang out a bit. I’m able to strike up a conversation with most people. I look for the interesting differences and similarities they may have to me. It’s a bit like fishing: you got to catch the small bait to get the big fish, at times.

Anyone could possibly lead me to something interesting, so it’s a long process in hooking that big fish. I get their contact details; if it seems fit, I revisit them with prints and hope to develop a relationship. It’s critical for me to give in order to get. I do this over and over again. This develops trust and friendship, which leads to access. And without that, I have nothing.

I have become very close to a few families in Brakpan. In particular the Muller family. I met Derrick at the Brakpan dam whilst fishing for barbel, four years ago. He is the only one in his household who works and he works seven days a week to support his wife, Meisie, Meisies’s niece, Evona, and his children who both have a child each. I spend a lot of time with them and discovered that they are some of the most hospitable and generous people I have ever met. In turn, they have become the backbone of this essay. I am most grateful to all the people and families that have graciously let me enter into their lives.

Q: Besides the quality of this series and of your approach, what is also interesting in this work is that your camera here focuses principally on some fragments of life of white people, which is unlike most photographic reportages taken in disadvantaged places in South Africa that are often focused on black people and their distress. In a way, your work contributes to lifting the veil on an aspect that can be visually unrecognized outside South Africa.

A: From as early as the 1880s until the 1940s, there has been “poor white problem” in South Africa. I hate the term “poor… anything”, but for lack of a better description that will have to suffice. This part of South African society has been documented by Constance Stuart Larrabee and countless others since then.

Interestingly, the white miners went on strike in 1922 because of the low pay they were receiving and that black unskilled labour was favoured as a cheaper option for unskilled labour. Between 1943 and 1948, Brapkan was one of a few towns in South Africa used by the past government to perfect apartheid, before implementing it to the whole country. The mines reached their peak in the late 1960s. The mostly black township named Brakpan Location was rased to the ground in the 1970s and its people moved out to Tsekane or Quatemba, both lay well away from Brakpan central.

The economy spiralled, the rich fled and town folk remained. In recent years, a casino and mall complex has been developed just outside of the town. Now all the anchor shops and chain stores have moved to the more modern Carnival City Mall and Casino. So it has quite a past and the present is the product of a post-pubescent teenaged democracy. Unjust prejudice does come into play, as colour blindness becomes the new “black”. It’s a place anchored in time, the same, but its own.

Q: South African photography is now very well known and renown in the world photographic scene, especially for documentary photography. Among the photographers who currently work or have worked in South Africa, is there someone who, in some ways, guides your personal approach to photography? Are there any photographers from other parts of the world that have influenced your work?

A: While studying, I was moved by the images by local photographers: David Goldblatt, Graeme Williams, Santu Mofokeng, Obie Oberholzer, Jürgen Schadeberg, Bob Gosani, Peter Magubane, Roger Ballen and Guy Tillim. The richness of their work and commitment to images made me want to create my own.

Images by Richard Avedon, Larry Fink, William Klein, Weegee, Lucas Samaras, Richard Bellingham, to mention a few, still rock my world. Their works lead me to want to be able to read into images. Their work helps me to see the layers that a flat surface can possess.

“Raised by Wolves” by Jim Goldberg is at the top of my list of influences. Mind-blowing images mixed with haunting text. His proximity, access and love for his subject was deep and I admire that greatly. He got into the veins of his subjects as they did to his.

I recently saw the Diane Arbus show in Paris. It was like the first meeting between good long-distance or old pen pal friends who have never met face-to-face. I wanted to kiss the images as one would of friends after not seeing them for years. I’m attached to difficult and complex images, images that can transport me.

Q: What would be a typical working day of a freelance photographer based in Johannesburg?

Well I can only speak for myself!

Coffee, email, phone, shoot, or if not shooting then research, run arounds, boxing, drinking, smoking, trying to fit more into the day, chill…

And do it again.

Q: To end, what are your next projects?

A: Firstly, I need to finish shooting and do a serious edit of “Brakpan”.

Next projects: I got a few ideas swimming in my head, but all I can think about now is to put “Brakpan” to bed.

-Leica Internet Team

You can see more of Marc’s work on his website, www.marcshoul.com.

We are excited to introduce another member of the Leica Internet Team. No it’s not her birthday, but Barbara Wojtyla plays an important role in one of the premiere events of the year: the Leica Oskar Barnack Award. Barbara worked tirelessly behind the scenes to put together the competition’s newly redesigned website. As entries have already started pouring in from around the world, we got Barbara to give us the inside scoop on the award.

Q: Barbara, what’s your role at Leica Camera and specifically with the Oskar Barnack Award site redesign?

A: I work as part of the Leica Internet Team and I’m responsible for the development and realisation of some of Leica’s online activities such as the communication measures for the Oskar Barnack Award. The focus is the new website, which was completely redesigned this year.

Q: The redesigned website for the awards looks great! What was the goal behind the makeover?

A: The most important aspect of the Oskar Barnack Award are the images submitted by the candidates so we focused the redesign on showcasing them. You can see the first image of every submitted series directly on the starting page now. This photo mosaic keeps growing and growing (scroll down to see the stream of entries!). The website is more dynamic and lively. It will never look the same because it constantly changes with each submission. After clicking on an image you can follow the whole story that the photographer tells through his/her 12 images.

Additionally, it serves as the hub of news and updates about the award. We will provide information about the latest developments, including movie teasers about the upcoming events such as the jury session in April and the winner ceremony in Arles, France, among others.

Furthermore, it was important to us that the website work on every device. It’s optimised for smartphones and tablet computers like the iPad.

Q: In 2009 the competition was moved online. How has the online submission process evolved over that time?

A: Since we moved the competition online the number of entries has increased every year. In the first year (2009) the number of entries increased threefold, then 2010, it increased once more to a total number of 1,700 entries from 79 different countries. In 2011 the total number was over 2,000 entries from 89 different countries.

Q: What do you attribute last year’s record-breaking results to? Do you think that the number of entries will surpass last year’s number?

A: We shall see. I think the new website will contribute to this year’s number of submissions. Our hope is that more photographers will feel inspired by the good work of other photographers whose images are shown in the online gallery.

It’s also great to see that the images of the Leica Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award participants are on a very high level. The Newcomer Award Category is still very young, having been introduced only three years ago. We have contacted a diverse group of photo universities and schools, as well as photo agencies, to make the newcomer award more public.

Besides that, we feature the Oskar Barnack Award through all our media channels like the blog, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Vimeo as well as the Leica Newsletter and the corporate website.

Q: What are the image requirements when people submit their photos?

A: Photographers should submit a series of 12 photos that capture and express the relationship between man and the environment with acute vision and contemporary visual style – creative, groundbreaking and unintrusive. It can be a very wide field of subjects, from traditional reportage photography to very emotional, sensitive, fine art subjects. At least one of the submitted pictures in each series has to have been taken in 2011.

From the image editing point of view, all images must be stored with 72dpi in JPG format in the RGB color space for viewing on the web. They must be 1200 pixels high and have the maximum file size of 3 MB. Detailed instructions are available on the website in English, German, French and Spanish.

Q: Being behind-the-scenes of the award, what makes it so special to you?

A: Seeing that so many different professional photographers and newcomers from all over the world are participating is amazing. Last year we had participants from 89 countries and visitors to the website from 111 countries.

It’s great to be able to contribute to an international highly regarded award like this. Above all, I’m happy not to be on the jury and have to choose the best series from over 2,000 entries.

A very emotional and special moment is when we call the winner to inform him/her of winning the award. I will recommend that we should record this and show it on the website too.

Q: Last year the eight finalists were featured in a special edition of LFI which was new. Can the finalists expect something similar this year?

A: Yes, we will once again publish a special edition together with LFI and it will present the work of the winners and finalists.

Q: There is a quite an interesting jury that has been assembled this year. Who is on it?

We are very happy to have this group of international jury members for this year’s competition and are grateful for their support.

The members of this year’s jury include: Bruce Gilden, Magnum photographer, Stephan Erfurt, Director of C/O Berlin, Valérie Fougeirol, Creative Director of the Magnum Gallery in Paris, Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, Artistic Director of the Leica Galerie in Salzburg and Brigitte Schaller, Art Director of Leica Fotografie International magazine.

Q: What advice do you have for potential entrants?

A: The focus should be on a good editing of the entry. That means there should be a consistent quality starting with image #1 and ending with the last image.

Q: There is one contest rule that seems to cause confusion, “the photos I am entering are neither photomontage nor have been manipulated or digitally altered in its essence.” Can you please clarify and explain the spirit of this rule?

A: Simply put this means “replacing or placing of an object/person/thing that originally was not in the image” is not allowed. Typical darkroom effects (e.g. color corrections) are allowed.

Q: Is there anything else about the 2012 Oskar Barnack Award or its redesigned website that you’d like to share?

A: Yes, I would just like to say a special thanks to my colleagues who were involved in different parts (IT, Marketing, etc.) concerning the new website and also the agency SiteSeeing that has developed it.

Thank you Barbara!

-Leica Internet Team

See the redesigned website to view recent entries and submit yours at www.leica-oskar-barnack-award.com. The terms and conditions are available here: www.leica-oskar-barnack-preis.com.

I love old movies. And now that I’m interested in photography, those movies have become fertile ground for inspiration. That’s especially true with my architectural shots. When I shoot with a 24mm Summilux or 18mm Super-Elmar, those images already have a larger-than-life perspective due to the wide-angle focal lengths. But it’s when I edit those images that the movie influence really starts to kick in. I’ve begun to process some of the architectural shots to take on a moody or expressive tone. And that has reflected back on how I prefer to photograph the architecture — with a strong preference for cloudy skies or intermittent rain.

Certain movies circulate through my brain as I edit the images, much like a catchy tune or advertising jingle that becomes stuck in your head. Some of the most expressive architecture can be seen in the German UFA studio films from the 1920s, including Dr. Mabuse (1924), The Last Laugh (1924), Metropolis (1926), and Faust (1926). Those films sometimes used forced perspective to simulate an extended deep focus. This darkly lit visual style returned in the mid-1940s with the Hollywood film noirs. And you can see it in more recent sci-fi and comic book inspired movies, such as Blade Runner (1982), Dark City (1998), The Matrix (1999), and The Dark Knight (2008). Those films often have shadowy, dreamlike buildings that seem to have a life (and history) all their own.

My interest in photographing architecture has been gradual. I didn’t want to overstay my welcome by overdoing it and thus become bored with the subject. If I’m visiting a city, and the weather is right, I’ll search for interesting buildings with the hope that I’ll be able to do something creative with the images later on. I’ll also return to the same locations when I revisit a city, with the idea that I might get a better shot or have a better understanding of what I’m trying to achieve.

The time of day makes a big difference. Midday light (direct and overhead) doesn’t work well for creating a provocative mood. Late afternoon seems to work best. Intermittent rainy days are especially good, because you’ll see reflections coming from the wet glass or polished marble. Be prepared to duck in and out of shelters as the rain comes and goes. I always have a lightweight parka in my bag, as well as a plastic wrap to cover the bag itself.

Overcast days will give me a chance to frame a building against clouds, and I’ll often choose a preset or setting in Lightroom or Silver Efex Pro that accentuates the clouds. I’ll use that as a starting point and then work to bring out the building (or certain elements of the building). I’ll often process the image several different ways. One version might be unusually dark. Another might take an infrared approach. Another might emphasize a particular element to help balance the composition. I almost never crop. The theory is that I should be getting it right during the shooting, because I’m there and in the moment.

The photo titled Manhattan Building had ideal lighting conditions with varying light and dark areas reflected off the building. The irregular shaped structure and oblique angles help to keep the rectangular forms from seeming too boxlike. Much of the streaming light effect is accentuated by the black-and-white processing, in this case using Silver Efex Pro 2.0. The original photo has to provide a strong foundation, but it’s remarkable how much you can transform a photo when processing it, just by experimenting with the sliders and settings, if you have a rough idea of where you want to go.

I used clouds to heighten the drama in the photo titled Tokyo Building. The framing works especially well here. I had similar shots that were aimed slightly higher or lower, but with this one, the vanishing point is just outside the frame. It gives the impression that the converging lines might go on forever. I didn’t notice this optical illusion until the image reached the processing stage. I might consciously use it again if the structure has this same kind of uniformity.

Expressive architecture doesn’t have to be dominant within a composition. The photo titled La Lunchonette has three main spatial layers: the statue and menu just beyond the glass, the wire grid within the glass, and the buildings reflected by the glass. The unlikely combination of a religious statue and menu pages already gives the photo a surreal quality. The dark buildings then act to intensity the overall strangeness of the image. The wire grid sets up a diagonal that contrasts the buildings, but parallels the outstretched arms. Without the wire grid and reflected buildings, the image wouldn’t be nearly as interesting.

For some unknown reason, I’m drawn to architecture that has a reflective surface. The ultimate take on this is when you can find a reflective building located across the street from another reflective building. If the light is right, you get a visual echo chamber that sets up complex contrapuntal rhythms, much like a Bach fugue. The photo titled Reflected Buildings shows the IAC building with the 100 11th Avenue building being reflected back into it. The two buildings are located in Manhattan and were designed by Frank Gehry and Jean Nouvel, respectively.

I’ve been shooting almost exclusively with an M9 for more than two years. Its small size has allowed me to take it with me on business trips and comfortably walk for hours searching for unusual subjects to photograph. If you had told me several years ago that some of my better photos would be of moody, expressive architecture, I would have wondered how in the world that could happen. That it did happen—and so unexpectedly—speaks well of the creative potential locked into the M9 and Leica M-mount lenses. And it doesn’t take much to unlock that potential, even for someone relatively new to serious photography.

-David English

This is a guest post by David English, who has a day job as a technology writer. He has written articles for CNET, Film & Video, PC Magazine, Sky and other publications. David started shooting with a Leica camera in March 2009 using an M8.2 and moved to an M9 in November 2009. You can see his photos at www.protozoid.com. His main website is www.davidenglish.com, and his classic film blog is www.classicfilmpreview.com.

As a fine art photographer by profession, and having spent decades participating in the transition of photography from analog to digital, what I find myself concerned about today is how the imaging software industry has created the illusion to photographers that technology is the path to great image-making. Particularly in the use of High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging, photographers have produced images based on a failed premise — that there is even a need for the technology. The resulting HDR images often look no better than what is printed on place mats — flat, dull, and lifeless.

HDR imaging was born out of the belief that creating a series of high-speed bracketed exposures of a scene could be blended to extend the dynamic range of the final image. The first non-photographic premise was in the belief that each of the high-speed exposures would be exactly the same scene as the previous exposure, which is nonsense. Any natural scene is going to vary greatly from frame-to-frame due to wind, clouds, water movement and the like. It is simply ugly to blend images that morph into some type of woozy disjointed collage. Photography really is about making one singular, meaningful exposure to capture the essence of the subject.

The second non-photographic premise is that the dynamic range of the modern digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera is simply not up to the task of rigorously photographing the full light throw of the original scene. This is simply hogwash. The dynamic range of a modern DSLR is adept at high contrast scenes. What is surprising is in how poorly most RAW conversion programs are in faithfully using the dynamics of the imaged scene. Fortunately, a new RAW conversion program will be on the market in early 2012, which I have beta tested and used in the creation of all the images shown in this article. The new RAW conversion software will help bring out every nuance from the RAW image to the point that the person taking the picture feels that he or she has an entirely new camera.

The third premise of HDR is that some blending of these various frames in a precision manner can open up the image with unseen beauty. The result is, more often than not, the creation of images that look as fake as a cheap oil painting at a garage sale: oversaturated colors, creepy illumination in the shadows that shows no respect for the light, and clouds that look as if they have been synthesized for a bad science fiction film.

Photography is not a technical exercise. Many people are drawn to the media because of the whiz-bang nature of cameras, lenses, software and printers, but a great photograph is about feeling. It is about the feeling that the photographer had through the lens at the time the image was made and subtly outlined to the viewer in the final print. It is not about shock. It is not about X-ray vision. It is not about technical trickery and technique that draw attention to the photographer, not to the photographic subject.

Technology can be fun. Technology is fun. The gizmos in the field of photography are among the best. I am a sucker for a beautiful new photographic toy. But at the end of the day, for me, it is one camera body, one lens, one monopod and a heck of a lot of work in the field to get the image right. The toys are for my entertainment at home.

Today, camera technology is so integrated into fundamental electronic design that only a handful of companies are capable of being competitive in their production. Cameras are created in vast companies, with extremely expensive development facilities and armies of workers.

Here in the United States, we do not compete any more in this arena — and I would say much to our shame. Our high-tech industries mostly hinge on software development, which still can be accomplished with a rather limited team of skilled programmers.

While basic image-processing issues remain unaddressed (ever try to get floating point to work correctly in Photoshop?), many of these companies are creating what I call “exotica-ware” in the attempt to fool photographers into believing that they can build the almighty “Ansel Adams Button,” which will automatically make your images as good as the best of the best.

You know what makes an image great? Hard work. Giving your life to the media. Giving your life to the art form. That is what makes a great image. It does not get poured out of a box into your computer and at the press of a button make all the hard work disappear before your very eyes.

There is no such thing as a straight photograph. All photographs are a metaphor for what is in front of the lens. A photograph takes a three-dimensional world and converts it down into a planar image. That very act makes it a lie. But the skilled photographer can create a feeling for the viewer that mimics what the photographer felt at the scene at the time the photograph was taken.

Over many decades, the fine art world has sunk to new lows as more and more people have attended university art schools. The fine arts have become a popular subject of study for many students not wanting to fit into the traditional mold. The dire consequence of this has been the emphasis of technique over all else in the students’ education towards the arts. Technique is easy to see, talk about and instruct—but feeling is not. To feel through one’s work requires a degree of maturity that is not easy to obtain and certainly difficult to transfer from one person to another by education alone.

My wife loves endurance riding her horse. Two summers ago, she and her horse, Blue, completed the Tevis Cup out in California on their first try. This is a 100-mile ride through some of the toughest terrain in the west, completed within 24 hours — including 11 mandatory vet checks and holds. Rated by Time Magazine as one of the top ten endurance events in the world, about as many people have completed it as have summited Mt. Everest. It took Kathy and Blue a decade of training together, with over 2,000 miles of successful competition together, to get them ready for this pinnacle moment. There is no substitute for doing the work. And so it is with creating fine art.

Over the years, Kathy and I have been exposed to a number of top horse trainers as a result of her interests. Those of you who have seen the movie, “Buck,” this past year, may have a notion that there is more to horse training than meets the eye. And indeed the quality of horse trainers varies tremendously from person-to-person. The top trainers whom we have seen can work with horses in ways that most of us would view with astonishment, but few of us can understand how. And despite the willingness and openness of many of these trainers, understanding the feeling that they are able to convey to the horse is abstract for most of us.

Horse training can be taught as a technique; and for some of the work, it is just that. But when it gets scary-good between horse and trainer, that is much more of a feeling that is carefully learned by decades of practice, practice and practice.

For me, fine art photography is my profession, and has been so for decades. Most photographers do not have that amount of time in their lives to devote to the art form. That is ok. But do yourself and your work a favor by not being caught up in the trappings of the software companies’ promises to turn you into a master photographer by the use of technological gimmickry. Their gimmickry makes your work look as cheap as a “cocktail waitress in a Dolly Parton wig,” as the band, Confederate Railroad, hinted at in its 1992 hit song, “Trashy Women.”

Digital imaging has come a long way in the past two decades. I remember not long ago when we were all making IRIS prints with dye inks that would fade as fast as they were squirted onto the paper. For more than a decade, digital camera technology changed so rapidly that we would change cameras as fast as light bulbs during a power surge.

Today we are blessed with amazing cameras. I would guess that we are close to having “decade cameras”—camera bodies that can be used reliably and competitively for a decade or more. Good equipment is still expensive. Great lenses even more so. But you need only one of each to have the tools that are capable of fantastic results.

To me, HDR is going to be gone at fast as the pictorialists were in vogue. Amazing photographic works have a fine, crystalline structure that is created out of the illumination of the natural light resonating the scene. But above all, they are made from the imagination of the photographers, and how they feel in their hearts, as they see through their eyes.

-Pete Myers

You can see more of Pete’s work on his website, www.petemyers.com.

Answer to “Where am I?”: Grand Cayman

Congratulations to everyone who answered correctly on the blog, Facebook and Twitter: Roger, Chris, Michael S., Machu, Juergen, Mark, Rick, Michael B., Jasmine and Fran. 

Well, I am back on the road armed — once again with my trusty D-Lux 5, but also with a new addition — the new V-Lux 3.

Before I tell you about my latest filming trip, I’d like to share just a few words about the cameras I am using this year. My D-Lux 5 has taken around 40,000 photographs in the last twelve months. Most of the white paint has flaked off the dials and the body is peppered with small dents and scratches. Wherever I go, this Leica goes with me. It does have its limitations — vast wides and at night for instance — but as my workhorse, it’s second to none. The V-Lux 3 is quite different to last year’s V-Lux 2. If the latter was the Aston Martin DB8, the former is the DB9 … It feels sleeker, more powerful and the (zoom) ride is much, much smoother. At night, the V-Lux 3 excels, with or without flash, and I am getting better quality photographs with much less grain.

This year, I have a full schedule as we are filming for “Inside Luxury Travel” and our new series “Culinary Travels”. It looks like 2012 will be packed full of adventures on nearly every continent. I am also planning to run the New York Marathon in November and a private winter trip to the Artic to capture the Aurora Borealis and polar bears on camera.

My visit to the Caribbean was primarily to film food segments. I knew very little about Grand Cayman except as a major banking financial centre and I figured that these rich bankers, lawyers and accountants all need to be fed in the way that they are accustomed. The island is small and the soil inhospitable. Apart from a new hydroponics venture and the odd mango, papaya and sugar cane farm, Grand Cayman imports all its produce from abroad – mainly the United States.

I stayed at the Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman — located on Seven Mile Beach (which is actually only 5.5 miles!). It boasts superb restaurants and its signature, Blue, is of Michelin standard. Dotted around the island, you will find many superb restaurants offering the likes of burgers and fries right up to steak with foie gras. I was quite impressed with the seafood. Tuna, wahoo, lobster, lionfish and conch are found in abundance in the sea. These are caught daily (either by fishermen or you) and are turned into colourful, tasty and healthy meals.

There is also a rum distillery on the island that produces a couple of fabulous brands that are much sought-after by aficionados from around the world. There’s a local pepper jelly producer who uses the hottest peppers in the world (Scotch Bonnet) to create a mouth-watering and mouth-burning jam.

The prices at the duty free shops at the airport are the cheapest in the world too, including authentic Cuban cigars. Every moment on Grand Cayman was a sunshine-filled pleasure!

-Varun Sharma

Varun Sharma is the host of Inside Luxury Travel – a television show that focuses on high-end travel. The show airs in over 169 countries, in 21 languages and is beamed into 1 billion homes worldwide. He has now stayed in nearly 700 luxury hotels & resorts … and has in the past couple of  years has flown in a fighter jet, gone diving – without a cage – in Tiger Shark infested-waters, had dinner with a dingo and has cooked with over 75 Michelin-starred chefs! His new venture Culinary Travels starts airing later this year. He likes nothing better than playing a round of golf with his pooch Gemima by his side, cigar in mouth and flask of single malt Scottish whisky to hand!

Here is your one clue:

“He is on the largest island of three that makes up one of the smallest countries in the world. Located in the Caribbean Sea, it’s famed for its ‘Seven Mile Beach’ and having around 600 banks or trusts registered there. Where is Varun?”

Check back tomorrow for the correct answer.

-Varun Sharma

Varun Sharma is the host of Inside Luxury Travel – a television show that focuses on high-end travel. The show airs in over 160 countries, in 21 languages and is beamed into 600 million homes worldwide. He has now stayed in nearly 700 luxury hotels & resorts … and has in the past couple of  years has flown in a fighter jet, gone diving – without a cage – in Tiger Shark infested-waters, had dinner with a dingo and has cooked with over 75 Michelin-starred chefs! He likes nothing better than playing a round of golf with his pooch Gemima by his side, cigar in mouth and flask of single malt Scottish whisky to hand!

Preedee Ponchevin was born in Bangkok, Thailand in 1979 and he still resides in his home city. He graduated from Kasetsart University in 2001 with degree in electrical engineering and went to work designing software systems. In 2009 he became interested in photography and began studying the medium. He has been shooting ever since and doesn’t think he will ever stop, but he does make time for other interests such as listening to old music and viewing other mediums of art like painting. Earlier this week we took a look at Preedee’s street photography work in part one of our interview with him and here we delve deeper into his Thai Flood series taken in the aftermath of the 2011 flooding that submerged Thailand for months.

Q: How would you describe your photography?

A: The photos in my Thai Flood series, intend to offer a point of view in the style of street photography — focusing on people’s emotions, symbolic meaning, and some fine art elements such as lines and colors.

Q: Can you tell us a bit about what it was like to experience the flooding in Thailand, both from a personal perspective and as a photographer trying to document what was happening?

A: The flooding that took place in 2011 was the worst flood that the Thai people have ever experienced. It has had a great effect on the country’s economy. Many production plants were submerged for several months and the rate of unemployment increased significantly. Living with water at 0.5 to 3 meters high (even more in some places) is not easy for urbanites, who have never experienced such a thing before. In many places conventional vehicles can no longer be used. If it normally takes you one hour to travel back home from work, now it can take three or more hours. At this point in time, most of the area of the city of Bangkok is dry and life is starting to get back to normalcy, but the damage is more extensive than the government has admitted. There are many volunteers who are helping clean up their home city. As a photographer, it is just another opportunity to document different aspects of everyday life. You can’t always choose the situation you want to photograph, but you can make the best out of the worst situation by searching for the perfect moment for yourself.

Q: Many of your images appear as though you and your camera are right at water level. How did you accomplish those shots?

A: In this series of photography, I spent a lot of time on my knee or I just laid down on the flooded street with water right up to my neck. Whatever it takes to get the job done.

Q: Your image of a young man on a makeshift raft floating along a river that is actually a major highway is both horrifying and amusing because of his closed eyes and almost blissful expression. How did you manage to take this picture without destroying your Leica M6 and what meaning does it have for you?

A: The Leica M6 being such a small camera with only a few electronic parts made it easier to get really low to the water level without having to worry too much about the camera getting wet. Also since most of the camera’s operating system is mechanical, even if the electrical components are wet and unable to function, the camera can still work without too many problems. This photo of the boy who’s playing in the surf generated by a passing bus represents the spirit and strength of mankind. Even in the face of danger we can still find a way to make the best of the worst situation and be happy.

Q: The picture showing a mother holding a young child on the left side, and other random people on the right, all standing in waist-deep water with electric poles in the background is a masterful composition that tells a story very effectively. It is a sad picture, but it seems to convey resignation to one’s fate rather than desperation. Can you comment on this image and what motivated you to capture it?

A: My motivation is the love and strength of a mother. To walk in the deep water requires significant effort and tenacity. I also wanted to point out the impotent part of the communication. The broken telephone pole by the flood is the symbol of failed communication and being without communication is equal to disaster.

Q: Your picture of an overturned bicycle in a bike rack partially submerged in brown water with passersby in the background certainly conveys the feeling of the flood disaster very effectively. Can you tell us what your thoughts were when you pressed the shutter release?

A: The only though in my head was, “How long has it been underwater?”

Q: The image you captured of Buddha statues partially submerged in a sea of golden light reflections on the water has a surreal and abstract quality, but also documents a scene of total destruction, and seems to convey the spiritual dimension of the tragedy. Do you agree, and how have other people reacted to this image?

A: Thailand is a Buddhist country and of course the Buddha image is a symbol of the country as well. To me the image represent the knowledge (the golden light) that we can or may learn from this watery disaster. And for those who view the image I will leave them to their own imagination.

Q: Many have said that Leica lenses render subjects in a distinctive and identifiable way — the so-called Leica look. Do you agree that there is some kind of qualitative difference in the images you’ve captured with the 35mm f/2 Summicron lens on your Leica M6 versus pictures you’ve taken with SLRs?

A: I personally never used film with an SLR before, but I did used the Leica R lenses on my DSLR. And yes, when I compare the images to those taken with other lenses I’ve shot it surely has that Leica look.

Q: What is your view on the difference between film and digital image capture, and have you ever considered acquiring or shooting with a Leica M9, essentially a digital version of your M6?

A: I’m starting to become interested in the world of photography after the digital revolution when everything is so easy compared to the film era. Shooting 0 and 1 sometime makes us forget the real craft of photography. In the digital world, when your shot doesn’t come out as you want, all you have to do is press the delete button and reshoot it. But in the film world you really need to practice your light reading skills; you really have to know and understand your camera, the limit, what rules you can bend and get away with to get good photos. Shooting film is a good way to practice the art of photography, especially for someone who came into the world of photography after the digital revolution such as myself. Do I ever want to shoot with an M9? Yes I do. It is my dream camera and I’m saving money for it right now. I hope it will be in my hands soon.

Q: Have you ever considered shooting with a wider-angle lens than the classic 35mm, such as a 28mm or 24mm? Do you prefer shooting with prime (single focal length) lenses and if so what are the advantages of this method for your own style of shooting?

A: I personally love to shoot with the focal length lens similar to human eyes. But 28mm and 24mm is also a good tool to use when you are in tight spaces and it also lets you talk to your subjects. You can learn who they are, not just a face, so you can enjoy the experience of photography even more.

-Leica Internet Team

You can see more of Preedee’s images on Flickriver.

When I first began photographing, I benefited from the advice of teachers of photography and also seeing photographs that resonated for me. I liked taking “pretty pictures” as Cornell Capa called them and I started photographing because of the beauty of my own children. It wasn’t until Capa asked me what I wanted to say with my photographs that I was able to direct my concerns about society and also to photograph those photographers whose work I admired.

It was intimidating and unsettling to approach a photographer whose work was published or appeared in museums and was well known for his or her talent and art. Once I summoned the courage to ask if I could take their photograph, I discovered the more famous they were, the nicer they were to me and tried to put me at ease. The photographers were also instructive. When I was photographing Gordon Parks, he sat down in a chair and I was standing in front of him.

He asked, “Why are you always looking down?” and suggested a lower vantage point, which is the picture you see above.

I was able to photograph Henri Cartier-Bresson because of the graciousness of Martine Franck. As I rang the bell to their apartment, overlooking the Tuileries, to say that I was nervous would be a complete understatement. The door opened for me and there was Martine — beautiful, warm and welcoming. She talked with me first and said no way should I use flash.

She then introduced me to Cartier-Bresson who was sitting at a table in their apartment. I was surprised there were no photographs of his or Martine’s on the walls, but there was the Leica camera next to him on the table. I asked if I could photograph them together and they graciously agreed. I  witnessed the love and closeness they shared with one another.

They went on their terrace and when he was tired and had enough of me, he smiled and waved me away. He was tired when I was leaving and I took this photograph of him as he was rubbing his eyes.

I began the Master Series of Photographers when I became a photographer, 45 years ago.  The early series included Gene Smith, Barbara Morgan, Lisette Model, Andres Kertez and Alfred Eisenstadt, who couldn’t have been nicer. After Eisenstadt died, I returned to his office and it was just as he had left it, but he was no longer there. His presence remained for me in the boxes of photographs and photographs on the walls and the photograph I had because he allowed me to take his portrait.

My camera has permitted me to enter many worlds. The masters of photography have let me enter their world. The black-and-white photographs were taken with film with my two M6s — one with a 50mm lens and the other with 35mm. My most recent photographs, taken in Paris in June, were taken with the M9 digital camera. These are in color. Until I started using the digital M9, all of my work was black-and-white, except when I was working for the New York Times. Then I used Fuji 800 color, which could be converted to black-and-white.

I am very pleased with my M9 digital images in color. It was a very hot day in Paris when Rene Burri appeared in a beautiful white suit with his red scarf draped around his neck and his Leica (dapper and beautiful, smiling and energetic). There he was, photographing me as I photographed him! It is an honor and a privilege to meet and photograph the icons in the world of photography. I hope my ongoing project of portraits of the masters will remind photographers and others of the contribution and legacy these photographers have made to the world of photography.

-Claire Yaffa

You can also see more of Claire’s work on her website, www.claireyaffa.com.

Kike Calvo is an outstanding photographer with a diverse body of work. After spending five years studying Economics in his home city of Zaragoza, Spain and then acquiring a B.S in Journalism and Mass Communication, he went on to devote his 21-year-long career to photography. Kike has traveled to 75 different countries covering stories for National Geographic, but he also has an extensive portfolio of editorial and commercial work, as well as personal projects. He also teaches extensively on the subject and has been a guest speaker at several Leica Akademie workshops. We had the chance to speak with Kike about his recent trip to Panama to document the Indigenous Embera communities.

Q: What is it that motivated you to tell the story of the Embera communities along the Chagres River in Panama? Why were you attracted to this group and this region in particular, and what did you hope to achieve?

A: The Republic of Panama is divided in several provinces and its indigenous population is formed by seven distinct groups, which are the Kuna, Embera, Waounan, Ngobe, Bugle, Nassau, and Terribe people. The first Comarca Indigena, official indigenous territory in Panama was created in 1938 in the San Blas archipelago by the Kuna people.

The outside world thinks of the country as the home of the Panama Canal and a paradise for investments, but don’t stop to think about the indigenous communities living within its borders. Indigenous peoples, especially in Central America and not only in Panama,  have always struggled with modernization and concepts of capitalism and market economy. The Embera are no different.

They are forced to adapt to deforestation, migrations and development pressure. Younger generations need to go off to school to the city to live and work. Their lives have inextricably changed. Indigenous people realize that to fight for their political and human rights, they need a modern education. Costly modern medicine has replaced shamanism and natural healing practices in some places. There are now villages that have their own generators for electricity, but villagers need to pay for the gasoline necessary to run them. Most communities have no land titles and no authorization to exploit the land commercially. Many villages lose their young people who go work in the city. They are almost always underpaid.

Q: We assume that you shot the compelling black-and-white images in your recent Panama portfolio with Leica M9. Why did you choose to output the images in black-and-white and which lens or lenses did you find were most useful for this project?

A: On a regular basis I see the world around me in color. But since I started working with the M8, and later the M9, my attention to storytelling has acquired a new perspective. Some issues need to be told, but do not demand colorful splashes to capture the essence of the story.

Q: Was there any physical or operational characteristic of the Leica M9 camera and the prime (single focal length) lenses you used that you found especially useful in allowing you to articulate your vision?

A: My vision has evolved since Leica cameras became a unique part of my shooting style. I evolved from Nikon cameras, which I still use for my nature and underwater shooting. But my M9 has become an extension of myself while on the field seeking stories. I realized that I like its simplicity. The fact that for those who don’t know, it’s just an old camera, still fascinates me. It allows my subjects to relax in front of my lenses and  gives me the freedom to wander in areas or neighborhoods that otherwise will be quite dangerous.

The 28mm f/2.8 and 50 f/1.4 are always in my camera bag. My recent trip around Cuba with National Geographic Expeditions, included only those focal lengths for the ten days of the trip in Havana, Cienfuegos and Trinidad.

Q: One of your images shows a male youth with most of his head cut off by the framing. Only the bottom of his face is partially visible and that is in shadow, yet you can see what looks like traditional geometric designs tattooed on his prominent left arm and water droplets on his smooth skin. It is certainly a picture that effectively breaks the rules. Can you say something about it and what it means to you?

A: Rules are to be learned and then broken to achieve our creative goals. While it is true that beginners need to be guided into the rule of thirds and similar approaches, these are only the beginning of our way. It all changed from me when Gerd Ludwig reviewed my work, after having met at the Geographic Annual meeting in DC. He suggested my compositions should become more loose, not trying to constrain the reality around me within perfectly framed images. His words made a strong impact.

Q: Your fascinating picture of a group of people with their backs toward the camera assembled under a large thatched-roof structure has a timeless quality, as though it could have been shot yesterday or 100 years ago. Was this intentional and what do you think it communicates to the viewer?

A: I believe all photographers work hard to obtain timeless photographs. Sometimes people think of photography, as something simple that almost anyone can do. In a way I agree, but the more you deepen into yourself, the more intricate the relation between the photographer and his/her work it becomes. As I always begin my photography workshops explaining, I believe I have thought more in developing my photo career, than having studied five years of Macro and Micro Economics, Accounting and Statistics for my Economics degree. Photography freezes time, yet our creative decisions are taken within a second, even less. Variables around us change constantly, yet our heart and souls dream of capturing such moments. Photography is about self introspection. A trip to within, similar to yoga, where instead of competing with the world, we should grow internally.

Q: The lovely group shot showing three women in traditional dress and a pretty young girl in the middle, similarly attired, all looking directly at the camera, has a serene and peaceful quality. Do you think it says something about the character and disposition of the Embera people, and if so can you elaborate on that?

A: I feel that our world is still full of warm-hearted people. Many of those who fight daily to achieve their dreams and goals or simply try to survive. The Embera, like many of those pressured indigenous communities, are still connected to our natural world. While hard to approach on an initial phase, when they choose to open up their world, they present themselves as serene and peaceful, like a river flowing in the mountains.

Q: The compelling close-up of a smiling young boy holding a plant stalk that places a large leaf over his head seems to say “happy in nature.” Would you agree and can you comment on this?

A: I particularly like this moment. I traveled with a group of kids to a close by waterfall in Soberania National Park. On the canoe ride, the children lively played, competing to see who was the one that caught more leafs from the moving water surface. The photos captures the essence of life in this humid areas — the bond between human and nature.

Q: Your remarkable image of a swimmer surrounded and totally obscured by rings of splashing water also conveys that humans and the natural world are one, and there is hardly any distinction between them. Is this something that the Embera people still possess that we in the industrial West have lost, and do you think they have something to teach us?

A: Certainly. On my expeditions around the world, from the high Arctic to the Amazonian jungles, I have been constantly inspired by that bond. When people in developed countries decide to swim, they head to the gym or the pool. The Embera, when they feel they should do so, walk 25 meters and deep into the Chagres River in front of their villages. This moment happened at the end of the day, after I had been swimming with the children and teens of the community in the muddy rivers, trying to capture some underwater moments with my housing.

Q: The image of a man and woman (perhaps husband and wife) with the seated man weaving a traditional design while the standing woman looks down with her hand on the man’s shoulder has a certain timeless and tender quality. Also the woman in her finery and the man working says there is something about this society that transcends the usual stereotypes. Can you comment on this?

A: For some of these communities, tourism is becoming a way of surviving. Pressured by development and daily difficulties, they struggle to sell their arts and crafts in local markets or to the occasional visitors. As my recent incorporation to the United Nations UNITE project as a Support Artist against gender violence, I have started to pay close attention to gender roles and interactions in Latin America.

Q: Do you think you have, by and large, achieved your goals in your overall coverage of the Embera indigenous communities? Do you plan to return to the Chagres River region to deepen your visual impressions, or have your experiences there inspired you to cover other indigenous people or other cultures in Panama or elsewhere?

A: I would say that these group of images its just a scratching on the surface of the tales to be told. Soft strokes on a unique canvas, that with time, I hope to complete, or at least, perfect slowly. I have already started photographing other indigenous groups, such as the Ngobe’s coffee collectors.

Q: What do you think your next project will be, and do you plan to cover it with your Leica M9 and display the images in black-and-white?

A: Like all of us who breathe photography, there are always new projects in the pipeline. I have an ongoing series with ballerinas from all around Latin America, which I would love to share with Leica readers in the future. This is a color project, and most of it is being incorporated to the National Geographic Image Collection. In a parallel way, as an expert of the National Geographic Expeditions Team in Cuba, I have been portraying the reality of this Caribbean country for many years. I started during the special period after the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union’s support to Cuba, and continue today.

-Leica Internet Team

If you’d like to see more of Kike’s work, you can visit his website www.kikecalvo.com, Facebook Page and Twitter.

The Leica Oskar Barnack Award, named for the inventor of the Leica, will be presented for the 33rd time this year. Leica Camera AG hands out two awards as part of this competition. The Leica Oskar Barnack Award is given to a current professional photographer who will receive a Leica M9-P camera with lens worth approximately €10,000 in addition to a cash prize of €5,000. A second honour in the course of the competition will be awarded in the category ‘Leica Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award’, for (prospective) professional photographers aged 25 and under. The winner of the Newcomer Award will also be awarded a Leica M9-P complete with lens.

After a record-breaking year in 2011 with over 2,000 submissions from 89 countries, the 2012 Leica Oskar Barnack Award has begun, and application forms for entrants are now available online. Photographers interested in taking part can submit their applications and photographic projects online until 1 March 2012. The completely new-designed Oskar Barnack Award website will showcases submissions after they are uploaded on the homepage. Entries have begun pouring in from around the world including China, Lebanon, Martinique and Guatemala to name a few.

An international jury awards the Leica Oskar Barnack Award/Leica Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award to photographers whose unerring powers of observation capture and express the relationship between people and their environment in graphic form in a portfolio of up to 12 images. Submissions must be a self-contained series of images in which the photographer perceives and documents the interaction between people and their environment with acute vision and contemporary visual style – creative, unobtrusive and groundbreaking. The members of this year’s jury include: Bruce Gilden, Magnum photographer, Stephan Erfurt, Director of C/O Berlin, Valérie Fougeirol, Creative Director of the Magnum Gallery in Paris, Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, Artistic Director of the Leica Galerie in Salzburg and Brigitte Schaller, Art Director of Leica Fotografie International magazine. The awards will be presented in the course of the Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie photography festival to be held in Arles, France from 2 to 8 July 2012. We will also be featuring interviews with the winners here on the Leica Camera Blog.

Best of luck to all entrants!

- Leica Internet Team

You can see recent entries and read the terms and conditions of entry at www.leica-oskar-barnack-preis.com and www.leica-oskar-barnack-award.com.

An aspiring Bangkok native tells the unforgettable story of his passion for photography and how he used his newfound skills and a Leica M6 to document a national disaster.

“My name is Preedee Ponchevin, but you can call me Dave. I was born in Bangkok, Thailand, I have a graduate degree in electrical engineering and I’m presently working as a software engineer. I spend every spare moment of my free time pursuing my love for photography and I recently completed a documentary project on the flooding that engulfed large sections of Thailand in 2011, including the human struggle and its aftermath. The initial questions and answers below should give you a clear picture of how photography became my abiding passion and how I came to record a momentous event in the life of my country. In part two I will get into the specifics of the images and the shooting techniques I used to achieve them.”

Q: What camera and equipment do you use?

A: I own a Leica M6 TTL and a 35mm f/2 Summicron-M. I also have a 50mm f/1.4 Summilux-R and a 90mm f/2 Summicron-R that I use with a Leica SLR. For my Thailand flood project, I used the M6 paired with 35mm Summicron as my main outfit. I chose this setup because of its small size, lightweight, and easy handling under extreme conditions, and also the superb color rendition, sharpness and contrast of the Leica 35mm Summicron-M lens.

Q: When did you develop an interest in photography?

A: I took my first step into the world of photography in early 2009. I had never thought about the possibility of taking real pictures before that. My first inspiration came when I saw a picture of a whale in the ocean taken by a friend of mine. I was shocked that someone who was not a professional photographer could shoot such an exciting photo. That’s how I was hooked into the amazing world of photography. As for my own work, I feel really happy when people see my pictures and are inspired ask me questions about them or specific elements in them.

Q: Are you a full-time photographer or would you describe yourself as a serious enthusiast?

A: For the moment, I’m not a full-time photographer professional or otherwise, but I’m trying to a build a portfolio. My areas of concentration are documentaries, photojournalism, street photography, portraits and fine art. I plan to use these genres as reference points for stepping into the world of professional photography. I would love to become a full-time photographer and I’m looking forward to working on documentaries around the world.

Q: Did you have any formal education in photography or were you self-taught. Who inspires you and your work?

A: It has been three years since I took up photography seriously and for the first two years I immersed myself in self-study, mostly via books and photography websites in my country (Thailand). Most of the websites I’ve visited do not offer very much about the art and art applications of photography. However, about a year ago I discovered a small website that goes by the name of shutter-j.com. It’s a gathering place for the new generation of photographers who want to develop their skills in photography in order to become professional photographers. We chat about a variety of subjects such as how to convey mood in pictures and how the elements of fine art apply to photography. Discussions like this give me more of a knowledge, love and appreciation of photography. I also get inspiration from seeing the work of local and foreign photographers. For locals, the contact is Mr. Yuttana Arschariyawinyoo, a staff member of the shutter-j.com. He was a former photographer and a photo editor for National Geographic, Thai Edition.

As for foreign photographers that inspire me, personally I’m in love with the street and fine art images shot by Alex Webb, David Alan Harvey and the portrait style of Steve McCurry. My favorite quote on art is by Pablo Picasso:

“Art is not the application of a rule of beauty but what the instinct and the brain can understand beyond any rule. When we love a woman we don’t start measuring her limbs.”

Q: Do you consider yourself more of a fine art photographer or would you describe yourself as a photojournalist, a portrait or street photographer, etc.?

A: I would like to call myself a street photographer, but I’m also trying to be more diverse and to branch out into all kinds of photography. For the Thai flood project most of the photos are essentially street photography, if you can call it street photography when the streets no longer exist.

Q: How did you first become interested in Leica?

A: It started when I wanted to buy a prime lens to use with my DSLR cameras. I saw some pictures on the Internet that were taken with the 35mm Leica R, and I appreciated the color, the contrast and the exquisite sharpness captured by the lenses. I decided then and there to buy myself a used Leica SLR. Before long I started to become more interested in photography of the film era and in the great photographers such as Rene Burri and Henri Cartier-Bresson. It was deeply impressed with the consistent accuracy and creativity expressed throughout their work. As I was digging into the history, I discovered that most photographers chose 35mm or 50mm Leica M lenses and Leica M system cameras as their primary cameras. I soon developed a fascination for the charm of Leica rangefinder cameras and I decided to buy myself a Leica M6 TTL paired with a 35mm f/2 Summicron-M lens. I found it to be amazingly small, light in weight and virtually unnoticeable compared to my DSLR system.

Q: There is something matter-of-fact, something amusing and something a little scary about your dynamic picture of rifle shooters at a carnival shooting gallery. Why did you take this picture, what does it mean to you, and what do you think it communicates to viewers?

A: This photo was taken at Wat Saket Tempe. It is part of the festival that happens every year around Loy Kra Thong Day in November. In this photo I wanted to show the falsity of the stereotype that girls and women can only play with dolls. I also like the feeling of the man in the orange shirt trying so hard to get the prize.

Q: Your slightly out-of-focus image of a young man with what looks like a chest tattoo or paint is very powerful and enigmatic and the body language of the subject and the bicycle in the background add to the sense of mystery. What, if anything, is this picture about and where did you take it?

A: At first glance it looks like this young man is painting himself, but if you look carefully you can see the strange proportion of the painting arm to his body. It is funny and beautiful at the same time. I shot this photo at Kao San Road, which is like another world to me. Many foreigners visit the bar, with lots of special events going on to promote the street — a target rich environment. What more can you ask for?

Q: Several of your street images were shot in very low light and the environment or setting is really the main subject and the human figures are in shadow or silhouette. Were you consciously trying to create a sense of mystery? What were you trying to convey about the place or the life of the people shown?

A: Feeling in the photograph is sometimes more important than seeing a photograph. In some photos by not seeing everything it can make you feel more. For example, in this photo you can see the angel in the back and just a little bit of a smile on the bride’s face. You can’t see them clearly enough to say who they are, but somehow the feeling of happiness and blessing are still shining trough.

Q: The black-and-white picture of a couple dancing, while a set of disembodied arms, one holding paper money bill, emerges mysteriously from the left, certainly captures a feeling of being in that place. Where was it and what was going on?

Q: Are there any genres of photography other than street photography and photojournalism that you plan to explore, or any new places you would like to document?

A: For now I want to improve my skills in the street and documentary photography. In terms of places that I want to go, there are many, but India, Pakistan, Myanmar and China are the top of my list.

Q. What approach do you take with your photography or what does photography mean to you?

A. For some people photography may mean just pressing the shutter button, but I came into the world of photography with a different attitude. Photography gives me the opportunity to enter into other people’s lives. I would never dream of talking to a stranger and looking directly into their eyes were it not for my love of photography. It brings me out of myself. It is like a magical key unlocking the door to a wide and wonderful world.

-Leica Internet Team

You can see more of Preedee’s images on Flickriver.