26 death valley: panorama heaven by Dr. Albert Knapp & Dr. Ruth Oratz 34 seafarers by Patrick Zudolph
46 book review: seafarers by Bill Rosauer
48 book review: barnack's 1st leica by Ed Schwartzreich
50 cap type vf mask for 13.5cm by Jim Lager
51 bfoox by another name by Jim Lager
Inquries about membership, upcoming events, replacement Viewfinder issues, and special orders should be directed to:
Richard Rejino, LHSA Executive Director 14070 Proton Road, Dallas, TX 75244 info@lhsa.org, (972) 233-9107
Viewfinder is the official publication of the LHSA, The International Leica Society, a nonprofit organization incorporated in the state of Delaware. Copyright 2014. Reproduction or use of any material contained herein without permission of the Sociey if forbidden.
Leica is a registered trademark. It and other trademarks pertaining to the Leica System are the property of LEICA CAMERA, USA, INC.
ISSN 1543-8732
www.lhsa.org
PRESIDENT Gary Hough gary.hough@lhsa.org (425) 485-7865
VICE PRESIDENT Alan Weinschel alan.weinschel@lhsa.org
SECRETARY/TREASURER
Thomas Campbell leicar7@aol.com (843) 345-1213
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Stephen Clowery clowerys@aol.com (215) 283-1799
PRESIDENT EMERITUS
James L. Lager
Rolf Fricke Bill Rosauer
APPOINTED OFFICERS
Viewfinder Editor
Bill Rosauer P.O. Box 5916 Buffalo Grove, IL 60089 lhsaeditor@yahoo.com (847) 634-9211
Associate Viewfinder Editor
Ed Schwartzreich ed.schwartzreich@imagere.com (802) 244-4925
ELECTED DIRECTORS
Class of 2018
Nicholas Pinto npphotog@gmail.com
David Farkas david@leicastoremiami.com (954) 920-3648
David Spielman david@davidspielman.com (504) 899-7670
Class of 2019
Andrew Godlewski harley772@yahoo.com (973) 459-9533
Bill Royce wfroyce@gmail.com
Peter Dooling peter@leicastoremiami.com
Class of 2020
Douglas Drumheller dougdrum@comcast.net (412) 366-5871
Jay Paxton jaypax@mlhs.net (713) 966-7200
Dan Tamarkin dan@tamarkin.com (312) 642-2255
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
S.R. Gilcreast, Jr. Peterborough, NH 03458 (603) 381-8293
James L. Lager
jlager@bellatlantic.net (201) 768-9347
S. Willis Wright beoon@aol.com (516) 381-8418
(Front Cover) From Patrick Ludolph' article, Seafarers (pp. 34-44)
A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
by GARY HOUGH
LHSA’S
TRANSFORMATION: THAT’S THE WAY IT WAS TO THIS IS THE PLACE FOR ALL THINGS LEICA
ago, my parents used to gather around the old cathode ray tube (CRT) TV, tune it to CBS, and at 6PM every weekday evening, passively watch Walter Cronkite give his one-way transmission of the evening news (1962-1981). At the end of every broadcast, he would end with what became the most famous sign-off, “And that’s the way it is”. Afterwards, my parents would retire with a bourbon and soda, and maybe a Chesterfield or two and contemplate the day. This is a prime example of one-way broadcast messaging, whereby a single media source broadcasts a mass-based message to millions of passive viewers. With the advent of technology, it is also the perfect illustration of how much “that’s the way it is” has turned into “that’s the way it was.”
This new, disruptive marketing model has caused a paradigm shift in strategy and execution, and any enterprise in the business of providing products or services to consumers has had to drastically alter their methods of reaching their audience to survive. Today’s frequently shifting sands also require an enterprise to project vigilant, constant, and consistent messaging. Without these efforts they risk being swept away in the tsunami of information that bombards us every day.
What does all of this have to do with our Society?
In spring of 2016, we committed to a transformation of our Society by making it more engaging, utilizing social media, becoming more educational, while remembering our historical roots. We jumped in feet first with the introduction of a new web site; we communicated through several social media platforms – all designed to reach out to the Leica community with meaningful interactive content that contributes to our Leica journeys.
This spring will bring about a revision to our website such that targeted members and non-members can more quickly find what they need. We will also continue to forge new and stronger alliances within the Leica community and with Leica USA and Leica AG. We will pursue this Transformation, utilizing our social media marketing firm, our management team, our Directors, and our members.
That broadcast platform is still in use today, but it has been drastically usurped by the rise of the Internet and by portable technologies. The web has opened a tremendous opportunity to reach niche viewers with targeted information. Instead of one-way transmissions, web marketing is about delivering the right content at just the precise moment a viewer needs it. Now, it’s about interaction, information, education, and choice. In this Internet model the viewer is not passive, but active, having many choices to choose from and at any time. A good example of this kind of marketing is today’s consumer. They are extremely well educated by their peer groups and their web-based research and may even know more about a specific product than a store salesperson. More and more they bypass traditional brick and mortar retailers for their education and purchasing decisions altogether, using online sources with quicker delivery and more affordable prices instead
This is the new LHSA model, designed to communicate and engage our audience so that our member and the nonmember viewers get the information they want, fulfill the experiences they seek, hear what they want to hear, and spread their new knowledge and enthusiasm for LHSA to others. This is how we are building our brand and setting a foundation for the future of LHSA.
For LHSA, these efforts have already produced positive results. Here are a few examples:
• Membership is up and attrition is down. We have increased our paid membership from spring 2016 to December 2017 by 20%, and our ability to retain members has improved significantly.
• In 2017 we gained approximately 500 new trial members, the goal is to convert as many as possible to paying members.
• We are becoming joined at the hip with Leica USA and Leica AG in our communiques, in planning and sharing events, fundraising, and workshops.
• We successfully launched our first LHSA Sweepstakes, raising needed funds, with an M10 as the prize.
• With the help of our Ambassadors Peter Turnley, Craig Semetko and Maggie Steber, we awarded our first-ever $5,000 LHSA Photography Grant
• We are well on the way to funding for our 2018 grant recipient, thanks to Stefan Immes of Oberwerth Bags.
• Our semi-annual event attendance is setting record attendance and is self-sustaining.
• We have produced an English translation of the German book Oskar Barnack: From the Idea to the Leica by Ulf Richter.
A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
by BILL ROSAUER
issue of Viewfinder features some incredible photography from some very talented Leica photographers. First up, we feature some of the images of the winner of the first ever LHSA Leica Society Grant, Ksenia Kuleshova. She is an up and coming young photographer in the field of photojournalism and documentary photography. Ksenia was awarded the grant at the LHSA annual meeting banquet in Chicago last October. Richard Rejino presents a very interesting interview with Ksenia to introduce our grant winner to the membership. We also feature the work of Albert Knapp, who is a regular contributor to the pages of Viewfinder along with his partner Ruth Oratz. In this issue, we travel along with them to Death Valley, where Albert has captured the incredible sweeping
• We are planning a great meeting in Wetzlar in October 2018, at the urging of and cooperation with Leica AG.
As you can see, a lot has been accomplished in these short 24 months, and the thanks goes to our members who are supporting our; website; events, our Sweepstakes; and our fundraisers.
And, as you have heard me say before, a lot of hard work is ahead of us. So, please support our efforts, our fundraisers, and our programs. Take advantage of our website lhsa.org as often as you can.
Together we can create a stronger Society, a Society that can provide what our members want, what new, younger, non-members want, and together we can make LHSA “The to go place for all things LEICA.”
Happy Shooting! - Gary, LHSA President
panoramas with his Leica S (Typ 007) through the use of multiple exposures and post processing with Lightroom CC. As Albert describes it, the newest software makes high quality panoramas an almost painless and straightforward process.
We also have Patrick Ludolph’s article and images of life on board a container ship in this issue. Patrick had reached out to me last summer asking about the upcoming LHSA annual meeting to be held in Chicago in the fall. In our email correspondence, Patrick told me about his soon to be released book Seafarers (Seefahrer) and about his unique camera straps he had designed. After seeing some of Patrick’s images, I was so impressed with his work, I asked him to do a feature article for Viewfinder. Patrick’s images came close to home for me, as my grandfather had stevedoring operations in Chicago at Navy
Pier, Milwaukee and Duluth/Superior, and this was part of my family’s business from the 40’s up until the 80’s. I remember as a kid accompanying my dad many times to Navy Pier to see ships from as far as Japan being unloaded there. The Geisha dolls I used in the Bokeh Kings article were a gift to my family from one of the Japanese shipping lines. Back in those days, before the container revolution, this was done manually by longshoreman with cargo nets and dollies. Imagine the classic film with Marlon Brando “On the Waterfront” to visualize the process. I also remember going with my dad in the mid60’s to the port of San Juan while on vacation there to see one of the first container port operations. It was a very rough business, but that all changed with containerization in the 60’s and 70’s. The Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway were no longer economically viable for ocean freight, and the logistics hubs shifted permanently to the more accessible West and East coast ports. Patrick’s images give a real feel for what it is like to live on these massive vessels each transporting thousands of container units across the sea lanes. I also have a review of Patrick’s book and strap accompanying his article.
With Leica’s recent re-issue of the iconic soft focus lens, the Thambar, there has been a lot of interest in this lens on the Leica forums. I have an original SM Thambar in my collection, and it is the one lens that I can truly say I have never come close to mastering. I like to say it is the Leica lens I love to hate, or should I say, it hates me! I have been following a thread on the Leica User’s Forum on this topic for several months with some interest, with many members showing their results with the original Thambar and the 2018 version for the Leica M once deliveries began. Milan Swolfs soon emerged as one who had truly mastered this difficult and challenging lens. He is a professional photographer from Belgium and does glamour photography as a hobby. I contacted Milan and asked if he would like to write about the Thambar for Viewfinder. In our discussions, I suggested he do a comparison between the original and new versions of the lens. Milan enthusiastically agreed to do so and Leica Wetzlar graciously agreed to supply a loaner lens for the comparison test. I think you will be most interested to read Milan’s article on how the two lenses compare and his tips on how to get the best from the legendary Thambar, old or new.
Jim Lager has two articles, the first on the very rare Cap Mask for the 13.5 cm Elmar lens. This was one of the earliest accessories for the Leica, allowing framing for the 135 mm lens using the standard 50 mm viewer on the first interchangeable Leicas. Jim also presents the equally rare BFOOX positive or negative table top film viewer and also an ad for its super-rare French version.
Dick Gilcreast’s Leica Tips and Techniques article is on the Leitz accessory Fixed Focus Auxiliary Reproduction Device, code named BOOWU. This was in the Leitz accessory catalog from as early as 1931 with the first device code named BEVOR. The device Dick describes came along later (first listed in 1952) for use with screw mount Leicas and the standard 50mm Elmar lens, and then with the Leica M mount cameras, the BOOWU-M which was listed as late as 1976. A survey of eBay shows multiple listings ranging anywhere from $ 25 to $ 50 and up for a complete set with the three lens mounts and four legs. I have several BOOWU and BOOWU-M devices in my collection, as it’s just one of those things you seem to acquire over the years and then forget about them. After reading Dick’s article, I was curious if the BOOWU would work on the latest Leica M, the M10. I pulled out a BOOWU-M and sure enough, it works perfectly with the M10. You don’t even need to confirm focus, as the BOOWU takes care of that automatically. Live View does allow for more accurate framing and you can check for exposure accuracy as well with the M10.
Ed Schwartzreich reviews the new English language translation of Hans-Günther Kisselbach’s book, Barnack’s First Leica, which is welcomed by non-German speakers. The original in German appeared several years ago, which Ed reviewed then in an earlier issue of Viewfinder. Where the new translated edition is really shines is with the technical analysis of the camera by Ottmar Michaely, which can be slow going with the original book if you are not a native German speaker. The book also contains many contemporary images taken with the camera and insights on what it is like to use this camera taking photographs. The English edition of the book is only available in a Kindle edition.
Bis nächste zeit! - Bill
A LETTER FROM THE VICE PRESIDENT
by ALAN WEINSCHEL
ANNUAL MEETING IN WETZLAR, OCTOBER 2018
very happy to tell you that the 2018 LHSA annual meeting will take place in Wetzlar, Germany, the home of Leica AG. Preparations are already well under way, and Leica AG and LHSA are collaborating to make this meeting an exciting and meaningful experience for Leica enthusiasts.
The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 4 through Sunday, October 7, 2018 and will be a truly international meeting. We already have preregistered members from nineteen countries. Our current planning includes factory tours of the Leica facility in Leitz Park, meetings with Leica executives, local walking tours, an optional trip to nearby Marburg, a reception, and, of course, a banquet. We have lined up a number of great speakers, including Thorsten Overgaard and Jono Slack. Last year’s photography grant winner, Ksenia Kuleshova will show us some of her work, and our keynote speaker will be Leica CEO Matthias Harsch.
Our good friend Lars Netopil, who runs Lars Netopil Classic Cameras in Wetzlar has invited us to stop in on our Wetzlar walking tour. We are also planning an optional river cruise on Sunday, October 7.
Most, if not all, of the meetings in Wetzlar will be at Leica AG, who has been extremely gracious about setting aside space
and helping with the planning. The headquarters hotel will be the brand new arcona Living Ernst Leitz hotel across the plaza from Leica’s offices. An additional hotel in downtown Wetzlar, the Michel, will also available, and we will be running a shuttle between the hotels on a regular schedule.
Once you are there, you may want to take advantage of the great travel opportunities both before and after our meeting, as Wetzlar is only about 40 minutes away from Frankfurt and connections to elsewhere in Europe; and, of course, there are also opportunities for road trips on the great Autobahn system.
Like all LHSA meetings, there will be plenty of opportunity for Leica enthusiasts to interact with each other, but this one promises to be special. This meeting will be open to members of LHSA and their family members only. We have already almost reached capacity with preregistrations so if you want to join this meeting it is a good idea to act quickly to preregister and reserve a spot. Registration for those preregistered will begin in June, and there will be more information in regular emails to the attendees.
It’s an exciting time to be a part of the LHSA. I hope to see you in Leitz Park in October as we bring our 50th anniversary, our Jubilee year, to a fitting and memorable close.
Alan Weinschel, LHSA Vice President
Leitz Park in Wetzlar, Germany. Image by LHSA member Kirsten Vignes
by DICK GILCREAST
LEICA AUXILIARY REPRODUCTION DEVICE BOOWU
the many years I was able to do restoration and rebuilding of historic aircraft one day a week at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks CT, a number of situations arose where visitors had actually had some long ago contact with the aircraft I was working on. Sometimes they had snapshots to show, and I needed a method of obtaining a quick copies for the museum's files rather than a studio setup. Today any cell phone might do the job instantly, but back then the solution was an old BOOWU. That solved the problem at the museum as well as on other research trips.
The snapshots with the handwriting underneath shown on the following pages came from someone who had access to the pits during the Thompson Trophy Race at Cleveland in 1938, and got photos of one of the leading contenders in the race -- the Marcoux-Bromberg Special -- as well as its pilot Earl Ortman. The small prints of Ortman and his airplane could be quickly and easily copied with the BOOWU at the 4x6 inch A6 setting.
This yellow and black aircraft was famous at the time, having placed second in the two previous years. It would have won in 1937 except for a miscue given to the pilot on the newly installed radio. And in its 1936 version it was featured in the film "Test Pilot" with Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy. The Marcoux placed second in 1938 and again in 1939, and ever since has been known as "The Bridesmaid". The New England Air Museum was able to retrieve the disassembled parts of the airplane from storage in a leaky garage in Michigan, and the restoration began on the wooden wings which were in very poor condition from water damage. This picture of the airplane in its final 1939 race version was made on roll-out after restoration with a contemporary Leica IIIa and 50mm f/2 Summar, to be properly in keeping with its date.
The BOOWU was originally designed for screw-mount cameras (1952 to 1962 -- dates from Collectors Guide, Laney), and and several M versions followed (1956 to 1976). The units can be pre-set for three standardized paper sizes:
A4 -- 8.25x11.5 in. -- approx. 8x10 or 8x11
A5 -- 5.75x 8.25 in. -- approx. 5x7 or 5x8
A6 -- 4.25x5.80 in. -- approx. 4x5 or 4x6
There are three extension tubes to be mounted on the camera, each one the proper thickness for accurate focus at its specified setting, with the lens focus set at infinity. Into the tubes are screwed the four extendible legs. The legs are adjustable to three marked clickstop extension settings for use with the proper extension tube, and are then clamped tight to prevent slipping.
The assembled setup is quite rigid, and can be easily set up for desktop copying. Back in the day I picked the screwmount BOOWU and have seen no reason to update it. Besides all the older screw-mount cameras, it can work with any bayonet mount M camera with the simple addition of a bayonet adapter to the camera, eliminating any problems with mounting as reported by Will Wright a few years ago when he found a newer M camera with thicker front levers would not mount on an older M-type extension tube designed for the earlier M3 and M2.
TIPS ON USING THE BOOWU
I found it convenient to dedicate a specific camera and lens to use with the BOOWU, making the unit self-contained and transportable. It uses screw-mount lenses, but even very old and inexpensive SM lenses will perform well at the smaller apertures, the instructions recommending an aperture of f/8 or f/11. And a dedicated camera will not need a neck strap attached, making it easier to work with on the stand. A hand-held light meter can be used quite conveniently on a gray card, or something similar, and the thin extension tubes do not require any added exposure factor. (Or, of course, a reading can be made through any metered M camera). With a SM camera, after taking the meter reading, set the fast and/ or slow speed dial on the camera -- here a IIIc -- by picking up the unit and looking down at the two dials from the top of the camera. That gives best visibility to the slow speed dial. Once the speed is set, then put the unit down into position to make the photograph. The four-legged setup permits very slow shutter speeds to be used steadily with a cable release.
If the prevailing lighting casts a shadow of one of the legs into the frame, that particular leg can be removed to provide more even illumination. The stand will stay upright, but I found it wise to keep a hand on the camera during exposure to make sure there is no shake. In fact, with all four legs in use, a steady hand on the camera will make sure an exposure as long as a full second can be made steadily even without a cable release. Just be sure that while under pressure the ends of the legs aren't making dents in any photos or papers beneath them. Otherwise use a cable release and no pressure.
the space of less than seven years, Russianborn Ksenia Kuleshova has become one of her generation’s most up and coming young photographers in the field of photojournalism and documentary photography. Her work has been published in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times Lens Blog, and DIE ZEIT, a German national weekly newspaper, among others, and she has received numerous scholarships and awards – not the least of which was the first-ever LHSA Photography Grant in 2017. Amid the accolades and accomplishments, what is equally extraordinary is the journey that has brought Ksenia to this juncture in her young career. Her story embodies the very soul and self-determination of an artist who is resolute in her aspirations.
Ksenia was born next to the Oka River in the small merchant town of Kaluga, approximately 120 miles southwest of Moscow. Her father, a lawyer, was in the military and her mother, a chemical engineer, was a stay-at-home wife. After high school, she graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute with a degree in public relations. She worked on the agency side during and after college, but came to the realization that a career in public relations was not for her.
In a bold decision, and without any prior knowledge or experience, Ksenia decided to completely change course and become a photographer. To make things even more interesting, she set her eyes on studying at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Hanover, Germany. Any good friend might have suggested that her aspirations were a bit too lofty, but sitting alone in a bar in Moscow one evening, she mapped out a plan to apply to the University, learn an entirely new language, and set out to work on her dreams.
Entering her chosen university had its inevitable roadblocks. After emailing two of the professors to meet with them, they said it would be impossible for her to enter their photojournalism program. Her portfolio was weak and she couldn’t speak a word of German. They encouraged her to take a few years to develop her work and try again.
For Ksenia, this was like fanning the fire in her belly. “I was thankful for this honest assessment,” she said, “but at the same time it made me angry and motivated me. I started an intensive German course in August 2010. At the same time, I wrote to photographers who had graduated from the program in Hanover and asked them for advice on my portfolio. One of them, Mitya Kushelevich, responded to my request. He was very honest. Sometimes, I cried because his critiques could be really tough, but I knew that they would help me.”
Mitya Kushelevich, a noted photographer and art director in Russia and Germany, became an important mentor and was immediately impressed with her. “What made Ksenia different from the others was not the quality of her pictures, but the sheer determination to listen to advice and become better. She improved at a dazzling pace,” he said.
Kushelevich encouraged Ksenia to take on projects that challenged her to learn about herself and to understand what a photographer’s career path was like. Shortly after their initial meeting, Ksenia photographed two projects in a matter of months. One was at a remote rehabilitation center for drug and alcohol addicts under extremely difficult conditions. Her hubris astounded him. “I was completely blown away by the amount of courage Ksenia had to take on such a topic, not only as a young photographer, but also as a young woman barely past her teenage years.”
of ksenia the soul kuleshova
by RICHARD REJINO
(above) Photographs of Ksenia Kuleshova by Alexey Shlyk (left) and Inna Kuleshova (right) .
While she was learning German, Ksenia was also finishing her diploma in Moscow. She quit her PR job to work as a waitress at the Moscow Airport to help save money for her first year in Germany. Then in 2011, she moved to Germany, though she had not taken the required language proficiency test and was not completely sure that she could start the program in Hanover. As fate would have it, or more precisely, as Ksenia would have it, she passed the test and was accepted into the photojournalism school.
Rolf Nobel, founder of the photojournalism school in Hanover and Ksenia’s professor, was equally impressed with her commitment and passion. “She is equipped with a fundamental talent to win people for her stories and having a huge creative competence. Once Ksenia chooses a path she will not give up. It doesn’t matter if it gets difficult.” With Nobel as her professor, she has since completed her bachelor’s degree at the University and is currently working on a master’s degree in photojournalism at the University of Applies Sciences and Arts Dortmund.
The purity of burning desire that is part of Ksenia’s DNA is perhaps the perfect example that talent isn’t everything, and that doing the work is as, or even more, important. Her
ability to transform her life into a profession that has garnered such recent recognition as winner of the PDN Photo Annual Prize 2017 (student category) the 2017 Tokyo Photo competition and most recently, acceptance into the 2018 New York Portfolio Review, is a testament to her work ethic and talent. Kushelevich best describes why Ksenia is special. “Her relentless work on herself and the will to listen and learn have made her the young aspiring professional she is now. But her photography is not only about work ethic, it’s about the way she sees people. She has a gift of not judging people, but accepting them the way they are. Her pictures don’t choose sides or follow an agenda; they are never condescending. Her camera is not above the people, but always with them. There is also a slight touch of Russian-esque nostalgia throughout her pictures that make them stand out, a certain warmth and humble humanity.”
Today, Ksenia continues to push boundaries in an unyielding pursuit to improve her work and herself as an artist. There is no doubt that she has a bright and promising future, if for no other reason than she has the sheer force of will to make it happen. The LHSA looks forward to her development and is proud to have a hand in her remarkable story.
( right ) Children playing in the village Pskhu. The majority of the inhabitants of Pskhu are Russians.
( below, left ) “New District” in Sukhumi. 2015.
( below, right ) The road to the village Pskhu. In the summer of 1942, Wehrmacht occupied the village.
RECENTLY, I SAT DOWN WITH KSENIA
(by way of an email exchange) to learn more about her and the Abkhazia Project that won her the LHSA Photography Grant.
RR: You grew up in a small town in Russia. Tell me about your childhood.
KSENIA: I was a very naughty and curious child, obstinate and resilient, and I couldn’t just sit still. My mother used to cry sometimes when I was little because I took all her energy. But I’m grateful that my parents knew this was how I discovered the world. I was passionate about trying everything.
I was always very responsible, determined and hard working. Maybe because I’m from a military family and the worst thing for me was to let down my parents or my own expectations. It was important to me that my parents were proud of me. I never wanted to give up my goals and learned that I could do things that I found important to me.
Not much has changed. I’m still a responsible, hardworking dreamer, who tries to save this curious and crazy child inside. Sometimes, I suffer from my perfectionism, but I’m working on it and struggling against my fears. Fears are just in our mind; the soul doesn’t know fear.
RR: You are currently working on a master’s in photography. How does your background inform your work?
KSENIA: It’s been six years since I moved to Germany, and these years have been an important chapter of my life. My experience in Europe, all of the difficulties I had to go through and all the talented and outstanding people who I had the chance to meet have influenced me. I’ve learned a lot, first as a human, a person. Now my vision combines different cultures and I’m so thankful for it. This diversity is very inspirational.
The fact that I speak Russian and understand what makes Russians tick gives me a huge opportunity to access this world and to document it. It isn’t just about knowing the language; it’s about having the same cultural background.
RR: It seems that one day you simply decided to become a photographer without having any prior experience. What led you to choose photography?
KSENIA: After I realized that a career in public relations wasn’t for me, I wanted to change my life. I was always interested in photography, but I thought of it as a hobby and not a profession or lifework. So, it was my curiosity to try something new. I bought my first camera at the age of 21 when I was studying and working in Moscow. While I was working on my portfolio, the first story I did was about students from Malaysia, who lived in the same building as I did. The second story was about a slaughterhouse. The third story was about drug and alcohol addicts.
RR: If you had to describe your photography at this point in your career, what is it that you want to express through your images? What inspires you?
KSENIA: I like to describe myself as a lyrical documentary photographer. I’m drawn to the strength of people’s character. Their passion for life and love inspires me. I’m looking for real feelings, sincere and pure emotions. I want my stories to express adventure and discovery. Something that is beyond words, something metaphorical. I can describe my philosophy about life and photography as a way of discovering, developing my personality, always searching for new horizons. I am always open to my protagonists and they are open to me. That is very important for me. I learn a lot while working on a story and I want to share this. Brutal and cruel facts are so often discussed. There should be more beautiful stories about happiness and harmony. It’s a paradox. It’s very difficult for people to value good things.”
RR: You are the winner of the first-ever Leica Society Grant for $5000! What was that like for you?
KSENIA: It’s difficult to put into words my first reaction when I got this incredible news. When I received your email and read the first sentence, I started to cry. I can be quite emotional and this was a moment when I was so happy and couldn’t believe that I had won. So, when I replied that I would accept the award, it was with many exclamation marks.
RR: You were chosen on the merits of the work you submitted on your Abkhazia Project. How did the project come to you?
( above ) May 2016, Abkhazia, Sukhumi. Aditsa Tsikytania, a socialite, fashion blogger, and lawyer in her living room.
KSENIA: I wanted to start a long-term project, which is connected with Russia and the Russian language. I heard about Abkhazia from my parents, who vacationed there before the terrible Georgian-Abkhazian war. It was once one of the most beloved tourist regions of the Russian Empire and later of the Soviet Union. It’s now a lost place on the world map. The people there live in a bubble, trying to exist within the uncertainty, within a system that doesn’t have a future and doesn’t seek one. I found all these political and social issues interesting and decided to begin the project.
I began photographing there in 2015 as an undergraduate and have returned three times since then. Abkhazia means “land of the soul.” My aim was not to concentrate on the war or the ruined buildings. I wanted to find its soul. I followed my intuition and trusted the people there because they trusted me. I asked people to show me their favorite places and to take me with them to events that were important to them. Building the relationships and trust before taking pictures was the only thing that guided me.
RR: How do you plan to use the money from the grant to further the Abkhazia Project?
KSENIA: In order to focus on and finish this project, I need help covering my expenses on the next trip and production of the project into a book. While working on the Abkhazia project, I discovered an ability of people to enjoy the moment, value the happiness and joy of everyday life despite their ongoing conflict, harsh economic situation and political isolation. I think it is important to distribute a publication widely to share this feeling, to let more people know about this beautiful, exotic, confusing and encapsulated country.
I’m planning a visit to Abkhazia again in the Spring of 2018 and produce the first photo book drafts by summer 2018. I want to see this photo book in a wide distribution and will work for it. The grant money will help me to fund production expenses and I’m very happy that the LHSA is supporting my project.
RR: You made a short video to thank the LHSA for the photography grant, and in it you mentioned that you believe in the power of strong wishes and working on your dreams. What does that mean for you?
KSENIA: I love to set goals and achieve them. I believe strongly that we have to try all avenues and if that doesn’t work, then we know that we did all we could. Dreams come true, I know this for sure. You dream, you set the goal, and work on that dream. It’s clear that life has its own plan for us; however, life’s challenges are so inspiring, so it’s a great opportunity to learn and grow! Maybe I’m just trying to see all of life’s difficulties in a positive light. It’s not so easy to do all the time, but it’s worth trying.
( below )
May 2016, Abkhazia, Sukhumi. The National Dance Ensemble "Caucasus" before a performance.
RR: As a talented and upcoming young photographer, you have already won several impressive and notable awards. What advice do you have for other young photographers?
KSENIA: It might sound like a cliché, but you have to believe in yourself and your projects. Who else, if not you? You have to stand up for your story, give your heart to your heroes and your pictures will show your dedication and message.
Don’t hesitate to ask for advice or help. The question doesn’t cost you anything but can make you better. I do believe in the power of experience, exchange, and helping each other. In my mind, I believe that a photographer needs to be influenced by totally different fields and people of other professions. But it’s also necessary not to forget to spend time alone with yourself, trying to find the balance between your social life and personal growth.
Make things happen for yourself! Build your community, build relationships, and show your best work! Less is more!
( right ) Hegumen Ignatiy, at St. John Chrysostom’s Monastery in Kamani village.
( below ) Abkhazia, Eshera, 2017. Potatoes are stored on a floor in order for them to stay dry.
opposite page
( right ) Abkhazia, Eshera, 30/06/2017. In accordance with traditional rituals after a person passes away, his relatives put clothes and his overturned portrait on a bed. The bed sheets aren’t be changed for a whole year.
( left ) Sadya Sabekiya, 7 at the time, in her room holding a popular Russian Cheburashka toy in her hands. Sukhumi, 2016.
Ksenia’s
Five
Tips for Finding, Beginning & Finishing a Project
1. Find a topic you care about. If the story touches your heart and you are really passionate about showing it, the story will touch other people, too.
2. Research the topic, but be open and ready to change your plan. Be spontaneous. Be brave. Follow your intuition.
3. Build relationships and be honest with your heroes (subjects).
4. Edit. Don’t show everything, think about how you want to present yourself and your work.
5. Share your work and participate in the photo competitions. Be ready to continue the story, even if you think the project is finished.
GOING OLD HOLLYWOOD
by MILAN SWOLFS
in the leica thambar-m 90mm f/2.2
2016 Leica started reissuing their old legendary lenses with the first one of this series being the Summaron-M 28mm f/5.6 and later followed with this new version of the Thambar, the Leica Thambar-M 90mm f/2.2 on October 17th 2017.
The original 90mm Thambar f/2.2 is one of the true Leica cult lenses, one of the legendary lenses which people tend to love or hate. I belong to the first category who loves the Thambar, but I feel it’s often misunderstood or not used in the right way.
Just as the original, the new Thambar-M 90 f/2.2 is a soft focus lens which creates dreamily romantic photos with a unique bokeh, which is created by undercorrected spherical aberrations. Shooting wide open at f/2.2 or f/2.4 increases the soft focus effect. Using the included center spot filter results in an even more intense soft focus glow.
The original lens dates from 1935 and is sought after by many Leica collectors. I am fortunate to own an original Thambar in
LTM mount. Mine comes with the original center spot filter, lens cap and hood. Unfortunately mine didn’t come with the original leather pouch.
I feel that for what I do, Fine Art photography with a vintage twist and retro vibe, the Thambar is the right tool and that’s why I purchased it. I do not keep the old Thambar in a safe but use it very frequently.
So what is the difference between the old and the new Thambar?
Well not a lot and that’s the good thing. The lenses behave the same and show almost the same results. The new version has a lot of benefits over the old one. Firstly, the old Thambar is considered a collector’s item, so the availability of examples in good, clean condition are very scarce. Secondly, the new Thambar has lens coating which the original Thambar did not, which means deeper contrast and it is much easier to handle which results in sharper photos, better calibration on a rangefinder camera and there is 6-bit coding of course. (Note: Leica just released a new firmware 3.1 for the Leica SL which will recognise the new Thambar. I did this shoot prior to the release of the new firmware.)
The new Thambar comes in a luxurious presentation box, like the Noctilux. The lens comes in a shiny black paint finish, with the lens cap and hood in the same finish, the center spot filter and a gorgeous leather lens pouch.
Unfortunately, the new center spot filter and hood do not fit the old Thambar LTM lens.
Models love the Thambar.
When Bill Rosauer from the LHSA offered to provide me a loaner version of the new Thambar from Leica AG to compare it with the old version, I was very enthusiastic and I wanted to do a special photoshoot.
I wanted to show how the Thambar can be used to take photos like those in the 1920's or 30's but using a modern camera like the Leica Monochrom (CCD) or the Leica SL. I shoot a lot of burlesque events and portraits and I meet a lot of great artists and models who love the old Hollywood era. When I brought my Thambar in LTM mount to one of the events, all the female artist were interested in this lens and when I showed them the photos they all reacted very enthusiastically. This made my decision to do a photoshoot in the old Hollywood glamour style with three different models. I wanted keep it very simple, with a neutral background, and
not too many accessories, I would use a maximum of two strobes: one main light with a deep octa softbox and one hair light with a honeycomb. I used the Thambar closed down just a little bit around f/3.4 to f/4.0 and always used it with the center spot filter. Combined with the right light this resulted in a buttery smooth skin texture, with enough detail to show the accessories of the model and the right amount of glow.
Best practices on using the Thambar for portraits.
The Thambar can be used for many of types of photography, but it truly shines as a portrait lens.
Some best practices for how to use the Thambar for portraits:
• The lens is wonderful wide open at f/2.2, but in my opinion the best results can be achieved when you stop
it down to f/3.2 to f/4.0. Don’t close it down too much because then the magic will disappear and the Thambar merely becomes a very sharp lens portrait lens.
• Always use the center spot filter. This is how to create the buttery soft skin tones and you will make George Hurrell jealous! Using the CS filter will also save you a lot of time editing skin and blemishes in PhotoShop or Lightroom. Women will thank you for this result!
• Use a neutral background. This can be in studio on an even white or dark background or outside using the sky or similar. Place your model further away from the background; you want your model to be in the center of the attention, not the background!
• Use soft lightning. This can be natural diffused window light or studio lights with a big soft box like the 120mm deep Octa I used as a main light.
• Play with the light. I used a hair light which the Thambar throws beautifully and makes the hair of the models pop even more. This can also be done by placing the model right before the sun rays. This a technique which George Hurrell also used for his old Hollywood glamour portraits.
• Take a lot of photos, it’s not always easy to get the focus right with the Thambar because of the small DOF.
I used most of this shots with the Leica Monochrom CCD (without Liveview) but I agree that using the new Monochrom M246 or the Leica SL will be easier when you use Liveview on a tripod for focusing. I always had my Leica SL as backup for the photoshoots but I never needed to use it because the Leica Monochrom did a wonderful job with the kind of result I wanted to achieve.
I processed these images in Lightroom 6 and added a contrast, vignetting and bit of grain to achieve the right result. If neccessary I removed some blemishes on the models faces.
The product shots were taken with the Leica S and Summarit-S 70mm f/2.5 ASPH CS and the Leica SL with Thambar 90mm f/2.2 in LTM.
Just as painters have a specific brush to create a mood or a certain style, as a photographer you can use the Thambar to differentiate yourself from other photographers and to create a unique signature and style of your own. The Thambar has become an essential tool in my kit.
I rave about this lens so much so I decided to create a dedicated Thambar group on Facebook and I would love to invite you all to share you photos taken with the old and the new Thambar lens.
You can see more work on my website: www.milanswolfs.com or follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/milanswolfsphotography
DEATH
Sandstorm at the racetrack. Death Valley, California. Leica S (Typ 007) & Vario-Elmar-S 30-90mm at 30mm.
Shot at f/19, 1/180 sec, ISO 400. 6 files.
VALLEY
PANORAMA HEAVEN
by RUTH ORATZ MD & ALBERT B. KNAPP MD
DEATH
Valley National Park was dedicated in 1933 by President Herbert Hoover and at 3.3 million acres (13,300 km2) is one of the largest in the Park Service. Straddling eastern California and western Nevada, Death Valley is home to a congeries of phantasmagoric sites: sandstone whipped into peaks by the wind, unearthly expanses of dry cracked salt pans, mineral enriched hillsides that glow eerie neon colors, deep craters as if bombed out of the surface and soft undulating white dunes. Major sites including Zabriskie Point, Artist's Palette, Dante's Peak, Ubehebe Crater and the Racetrack draw exotic and eclectic crowds of tourists, geologists, meteorologists, photographers, painters, and movie makers – look around and you will find yourself not only on the set of innumerable Westerns but Star Wars as well.
Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the central axis of the Park. It boasts the lowest point on the North American continent, 282 feet (86 m) below sea level. Summer temperatures regularly exceed 120 F, with the world record hitting 134 degrees F on June 10, 1913 at the aptly named town of Furnace Creek. Ruth and I visited in November 2017, when daytime temperature hovered at 70 degrees and at night time cooled down to the 40’s F. The air can vary from deathly still to violent gusts up to 80 mph.
Death Valley challenges the photographer: The park itself is enormous, the vistas expansive, the seemingly interminable valley is ringed by glorious mountains. Everything is rough and rugged. I found that the best way to capture both the essence and grandeur of the Park was with panorama photography.
I have used panorama photography over the past few years as an adjunct mode and found it most useful in grand landscape situations where the conventional one shot approach does not suffice. Death Valley is the perfect setting for panorama shooting.
Digital post processing has now made panorama photography an advanced form of photo-stitching in either Photoshop CC or Lightroom CC. Over the past decade it has rapidly evolved along with the technology, from a time consuming and error prone discipline to a relatively painless task. There are many didactic papers populating the Internet opining on related topics such as nodal points, manual versus auto-exposure and the advantages of tripods. These issues were important in the past when the photo-stitching technology was less developed and less forgiving, but with recent progress in the software, careful hand holding may be adequate, with the caveat that the tripod is mandatory in low light.
(top) Zabriskie Point, Death Valley, California.
Leica S (Typ 007) & Vario-Elmar-S 30-90mm at 54mm.
Shot at f/5.6, 1/750 sec, ISO 400. 23 files.
(bottom) Zabriskie Point, Death Valley, California.
Leica S (Typ 007) & Super-Elmar-S 24mm.
Shot at f/3.5, 1/125 sec, ISO 800. 10 files.
(below) Artist's Palette, Death Valley, California.
Leica S (Typ 007) & Vario-Elmar-S 30-90mm at 30mm.
Shot at f/8, 1/125 sec, ISO 800. 14 files.
(left, top) Ubehebe Crater, Death Valley, California.
Leica S (Typ 007) & Vario-Elmar-S 30-90mm at 30mm.
Shot at f/6.8, 1/25 sec, ISO 800. 14 files & tripod.
(left, bottom) Zabriskie Point, Death Valley, California.
Leica S (Typ 007) & Vario-Elmar-S 30-90mm at 30mm.
Shot at f/8, 1/500 sec, ISO 400. 8 files.
"DEATH VALLEY CHALLENGES THE PHOTOGRAPHER: THE PARK ITSELF IS ENORMOUS, THE VISTAS EXPANSIVE, THE SEEMINGLY INTERMINABLE VALLEY IS RINGED BY GLORIOUS MOUNTAINS. EVERYTHING IS ROUGH & RUGGED."
During a weeklong workshop in Death Valley I honed my skills at panoramas: First, I visualize the picture in my mind. Then, I plant my feet firmly and using any lens from wide angle to medium telephoto, I shoot holding the camera in the vertical position, carefully rotating my torso in a smooth circular fashion and I produce one exposure for every 15 degrees or so of rotation. The vertical position obviates excessive distortion and takes in more sky and foreground. I use either manual exposure, if the landscape in question is unevenly lit, or aperture control otherwise. I never use a polarizer, not even in balanced light, because it wreaks havoc on the sky. Most importantly, I always center the target carefully leaving ample border room, as the eventual photostitching is disastrous with tightly cropped images. Finally, I take at least two or three full passes, sequential photo shoots in the exact same spot, as I have discovered that even the slightest shift in position or change in technique results in significant alterations of the final panorama photograph. Hedge your bets and get extra shots!
For processing, I have used the various iterations of both Photoshop CC and Lightroom CC since the inception of panoramas and have concluded that Lightroom CC is presently equivalent to Photoshop CC. Hence, for simplicity, I only use Lightroom CC: The pictures are batched and CTRL-M starts the process. There are three possible previews: spherical,
cylindrical and perspective. For most panorama photographs, spherical or cylindrical are fine. However, I activate Auto Select Projection allowing Lightroom to select the best option. Nonetheless, I usually check the other two potential previews before committing to the final process and have sometimes been surprised by the beauty of other views. As the software and technology have improved the surprises have been fewer.
I never select auto-crop, as I will finish the panorama in Lightroom CC with Transform or in Photoshop with Cloning, Free Transform, Content Aware Fill or Content Aware Scale. Finally, for the second or third iterations of the photograph, I speed up the processing by starting with SHIFT+CTRL+M thus bypassing the preview stage. A nice shortcut and time-saver!
I then review the various versions of the panorama image, select my favorite and finish processing. Again, I cannot stress how varied the final panorama files can be from essentially the same baseline shots and ascribe this to the inherent quirks of the proprietary Photoshop CC and Lightroom CC algorithms. The panorama files emanating from my Leica S (Typ 007) are monstrous and require a powerful computer: the latest Mac Pro laptops are up to the task!
Finally, I stack my panorama TIF file on top of all the stitched files and save them in my archives knowing that they can be reworked in the future as the algorithms improve in time.
Panorama photography can be readily mastered but requires planning, diligent practice and, at first infinite patience. Once perfected, it becomes another potent arrow in your photographic quiver. It transported me out of Death Valley into Panorama Heaven!
"ONCE PERFECTED, [PANORMA PHOTOGRAPHY] BECOMES ANOTHER POTENT ARROW IN YOUR PHOTOGRAPHIC QUIVER."
Dante's Peak, Death Valley, California. Leica S (Typ 007) & Vario-Elmar-S 30-90mm at 30mm. Shot at f/8, 1/160 sec, ISO 400. 14 files & tripod.
SEAFARERS
by PATRICK LUDOLPH
on Hapag-Lloyd container ships for six weeks to document the work and the life that takes places on board.
Coming from Hamburg, I’m often down by the Elbe River and watch the giant ships entering and leaving the port. It’s always been my dream to ride along on a container ship, to go ashore with the sailors at the next port and see what they see on their travels. In my imagination, I’d be sitting all night with the sailors in a bar by the port in the Caribbean, and we’d leave it around dusk to sail out of the port as the sun rises.
Reality was very different. The time spent in the port is becoming shorter and shorter. The ships are often in port less than a day before heading out again. There’s hardly any time to go on shore.
We all have so many products that were brought to us by ship. Electronics, food, clothing – a lot of things are transported in container ships. 90% of international trade is shipped by sea. It doesn’t take a lot of people to sail a container ship. At Hapag-Lloyd, a crew is made up of 22 men and women. The seafarers are on board for up to eight months and can only contact their friends and family via the internet while in port. With this project, I wanted to give a human face to the seafarers who go without so much on their travels so that we don’t have to go without anything and can buy products from around the world at the store around the corner from our homes.
This project was not commissioned. It was a very personal report. I wanted to tell this story. Which is why it was met with considerable skepticism from the ship management department at Hapag-Lloyd. Initially, no one was interested in giving a photographer a look at life on board. And why should they? It took about a year and a half of convincing before I finally got the green light. In the end, a major corporation decided to set aside its concerns and saw it for what it was: an opportunity to tell the stories of the people on board, away from the “big business” focused on freight rates, efficiency and growth. Without these people, the ships wouldn’t sail.
I flew to Singapore in September 2016. From there, I was going to be traveling with the “Leverkusen Express” (13,200 TEU) via Taiwan and South Korea to China. I put a lot of thought before the trip into which equipment I was going to use to take the photos for my report. I decided pretty quickly to take the Leica, since that is the smallest system on the market that features a full-frame sensor. I had already been on board a container ship once before in 2013. At the time, I had photographed everything using an Olympus OM-D. That worked really well, since I had all the important things with me in a little bag when I was moving around the ship. Size
and weight aren’t an issue on the ship. Theoretically I could take along equipment of any size, but I wanted to have the important pieces with me at all times so that I wouldn’t have to run back to my cabin if something interesting was happening somewhere. It’s also very narrow in a lot of places, so a big DSLR wasn’t an option for that reason. But I still wanted to have the big sensor combined with fixed focal lengths that handle different types of lighting well. In addition to that, I really like the look of the pictures that come out of a Leica M and it seemed really well suited for the report.
At the time, I had an M240 and a Q. My biggest problem was having a backup. What would happen if my camera broke while I was at sea? If the M were to break, I’d only have the Q. As far as I know, Leica doesn’t currently offer high-seas repair services. So I borrowed a second M240 body. The Leica headquarters in Wetzlar, Germany, were nice enough to loan me a replacement body for the project. And that was really good. When I arrived in Singapore, I realized that my M wasn’t focusing properly anymore. The pictures weren’t quite coming out sharp. The alignment of the rangefinder was obviously off. It probably happened during transport in my carry-on luggage. I might have knocked into something with the camera. Luckily, I had the backup, which I used for the entire trip.
There’s something I like to call the “Leica factor.” Once we were on board, it took a few days for the crew to warm up to me. At first, I was an outsider and the crew treated me skeptically. Slowly but surely, though, the seafarers eased up. I told them exactly what I was doing and what the idea behind the project was – that I wanted to tell their stories. At some point, they became pretty proud to be part of this report. The “Leica factor” always kicks in when you go up to other people holding an M. For people who don’t keep up with photography, the camera kind of looks different, maybe a little old-fashioned. Some even think it’s an analog camera. They’re curious about what kind of a camera it is and why someone who claims to be a professional photographer is working with a little thing like that. That was often a conversation starter on board. The pilots in Korea and Hong Kong were particularly interested in the project and the photo tech.
I try not to ascribe too much importance to the gear, but the red dot does have a certain allure. My second trip was from Valparaiso in Chile, through the Panama Canal, to Cartagena in Colombia. The ship was the brand new “Valparaiso Express,” which was also christened in Valparaiso. I was supposed to take a few photos for Hapag-Lloyd to document the christening ceremony. For the official press photo, I was standing there with my little M between about ten other photographers with huge DSLRs. There wasn’t a lot of time, so I called called out “Everyone look at the photographer with
"THERE’S SOMETHING I LIKE TO CALL THE “LEICA FACTOR.” ...THE CAMERA KIND OF LOOKS DIFFERENT, MAYBE A LITTLE OLD-FASHIONED. SOME EVEN THINK IT’S AN ANALOG CAMERA."
"I DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT STARS, BUT THE NIGHT SKY OVER THE OCEAN IS ABSOLUTELY ASTONISHING."
the little camera!” and looked out over the camera as I laughed. That got their attention immediately and I got my picture –with everybody actually looking at the camera. That’s what I call the “Leica factor.”
It was clear to me from the beginning that I wouldn’t be able to do very much with a tripod on a moving ship. I’m not really the type for tripods anyway – I find they usually get in my way. That’s why I opted for fast lenses that can handle low light. In addition to the Q with the 28 mm Summilux, I had a 21, 35 and 50 mm Summilux with f/1.4 for the M, as well as the 75 mm f/2.0 Summicron. I didn’t have the 21 yet on the first trip, just a borrowed 24mm Summilux. That’s what I used to take the photo of the ship below the Milky Way. To be honest, I don’t know anything about star photography. It was clear to me, though, that the moving ship could be a problem. Instead of a tripod, I had a clip with me that I could use to fasten the camera to the railing. The sea was really calm that night, and we were going very slow because there were a lot of fishing boats around us that were trying to attract squid with their bright lights. That was my chance to try and get a photo of the night sky, which can really be breathtaking out at sea. There’s absolutely no light pollution from the cities. I had to experiment a little with the exposure time, ISO and aperture settings. In the end, it worked out at 8 seconds at f/4.0 and ISO 800, despite the moving ship. I only found out later from
someone else that it was the Milky Way that could be seen in my photo. I don’t know anything about stars, but the night sky over the ocean is absolutely astonishing.
I also thought a lot about ISO before the trip. It gets really dark on board, especially on the bridge at night. Then there’s only a bit of dim red light so that the officers on duty can see out into the dark night. I didn’t want to put the M240 up to anything more than ISO 1600. But the Q usually worked out really well for me, since it produces good shots even at up to ISO 6400. On my last trip with the Callao Express from Hamburg to Le Havre, I also had the M10 to work with, which was brand new at the time. I have to say, that really changed a lot of things. All my concerns about high ISO settings were history after that. In the end, though, there weren’t all that many photos taken at high ISOs. There are only five photos in the book that were taken at higher than ISO 1600. You always worry so much about all the possible situations you need to be prepared for. In reality, those extreme situations don’t occur very often.
As I mentioned, I had a 24 mm Summilux with me for the first trip, which I had to return afterwards. I thought I would be well-equipped with 24 mm, but a ship is big and you usually can’t back up a few more steps. On the second trip, I had the 21 mm, which gave me a few precious millimeters more. But
even with the 21 mm, there’s no way to get anything near the entire cargo space in one photo. In order to give viewers an idea of how big one of these ships is, I needed photos that show size comparisons. Like a sailor alone in the cargo hold. I used a 15 mm Voigtländer on my last trip for that.
You need sturdy equipment out at sea. Wind, rain, salt water and high humidity can’t be a problem for it. Container ships are also really dirty. If you’re moving around on deck or in the engine room, your hands get dirty immediately. The camera needs to be able to handle that, because I didn’t want to have to constantly be worrying about dirt getting on the equipment. Then there was the same issue again every morning: As soon as I left the air-conditioned cabin, the lens would fog up. It would take almost 15 minutes before I could finally take the first picture. My camera was constantly getting knocked around as I climbed around in the cargo holds, on the foremast or in the funnel. My lenses all have quite a few little quirks at this point and probably don’t have much resale value, but they haven’t failed me yet and still work without any problems. Besides, I think cameras and lenses should show that they’ve been used. You should be able to tell the difference between a photographer’s camera and a collector’s camera. ;-) I’ve never had to remove so many sensor spots from my photos because I was often changing lenses outside on deck in all sorts of weather. Of course you think about whether the equipment could get
damaged – but then you do it anyway because you want to take the photo and that’s all that really matters.
The only photos I didn’t take with a Leica are the ones using the drone. I thought about putting a Leica Q on a drone, but opted against it because the Q doesn’t transmit live images via HDMI, so I wouldn’t have been able to see what was happening from the ground.
In order to get Hapag-Lloyd’s approval for my project idea, I really had to talk things up and I promised them stunning aerial photos of their ships. In the past, that was usually done from a helicopter. But container ships are a day or two late sometimes and it can get really expensive if you have to pay to have a chopper on stand-by.
The chance came in the South China Sea, about 280 nautical miles off the coast – I wanted to do the first drone flight. The problem was that the ship was moving. That would make the homecoming feature a dangerous option. If the signal were to get disrupted and the drone were to fly to its launch spot, it would land in the water. We were going about 17 knots and had about 15 knots of headwind. The captain held the drone high in the air to launch it so that there wouldn’t be any obstacles. And right away, the tiny little thing disappeared towards the funnel. My heart was racing and I was really tense. It was
"OF COURSE YOU THINK ABOUT WHETHER THE EQUIPMENT COULD GET DAMAGED –BUT THEN YOU DO IT ANYWAY BECAUSE YOU WANT TO TAKE THE PHOTO AND THAT’S ALL THAT REALLY MATTERS."
incredibly bright out and I could hardly look into the sky. I had to rely entirely on the screen and was trying to get the drone under control. I had underestimated the speed of the ship and had to switch to sport mode. The drone flies a lot faster then, but a lot of the helper systems are deactivated. Bit by bit, the drone made its way back to where I was standing on the bridge wing (the outer area on the starboard and port sides of the bridge). It was impossible to land, so the captain had to catch the drone from the air. The first flight had been completed, and I was more than a little proud. Too bad I’d forgotten, in all the excitement, to turn the camera on. Shoot Half the crew was huddled around me and wanted to see pictures. Okay, beer was on me that evening. For the next flights, the captain was kind enough to slow the ship down a little and I was able to get some great aerial shots that really went over well with Hapag-Lloyd.
I was thrown into the pool. Of course this ceremony wasn’t unpleasant or anything – a traditional bit of fun that I was glad to participate in. After the ceremony, we roasted a suckling pig on the outer deck and sat together well into the night. This sort of thing really helps people bond, and afterwards I felt like I had been accepted into the crew. That made it easier to stick my nose in every area of the ship. It was very important to me for this report that the crew didn’t act differently around me and that the photos were as honest as possible.
"FOR ME, SEAFARERS ARE THE UNSEEN HEROES OF GLOBAL TRADE WHO BRING US THE THINGS WE TAKE FOR GRANTED."
On the trip from Chile, we stopped in Callao in Peru before continuing towards the Panama Canal. It had always been a dream of mine to sail through the Panama Canal and now that dream was going to come true. The “Valparaiso Express” was the largest ship ever to pass through the canal at the time. The new locks were opened in 2016, allowing ships with up to 14,000 containers to pass through. The “Valparaiso Express” has a capacity of 10,500 containers, is 333 m long and 48 m wide. That doesn’t leave a lot of space in the lock. Each lock is made up of three chambers. In all, a difference in altitude of about 28 m between the Atlantic and the Pacific has to be overcome. The process takes almost an hour for each lock chamber. Definitely precision work. Once you make it through the locks, you’re rewarded with an incredible trip through the jungles of Panama. You can even see crocodiles on the river banks sometimes. I was not at all prepared for that, though, with the focal lengths I had with me.
We crossed the Equator before we reached the Panama Canal. It was Sunday and if the ship isn’t in port, most of the crew has the day off. This Sunday, there was a barbecue and a baptism on the agenda. Hang on – a baptism? This is a ritual among sailors in which all sailors who are crossing the equator for the first time are baptized. The chief mate took on the role of Neptune and the ship mechanic, decked out in fake breasts made of coconut shells, played his wife. After the baptismal motto, I had to kiss the feet of Neptune’s wife, which were painted with a disgusting and incredibly spicy mixture, before
In between, of course, I had loads of time to review and edit the photos. You can’t take pictures all day long, after all. I had my Macbook and three external hard drives with me so the pictures could be backed up to multiple places and sorted right away. Most of the work was finished by the time I returned to shore. Sometimes I would wake up in the mornings and think: “What’s left for me to take pictures of today?” I would get the feeling sometimes that I had already taken pictures of everything. Then I had to pull myself together and think of the results. What story did I want to tell? Which questions did I want to answer? I had taken a lot of visually stunning photos. How many sunrises and sunsets do you need in one book, though? Not really more than one or two. But people who aren’t familiar with shipping have very simple questions. How are containers fixed in place? Who does the laundry? Where do the seafarers live? What do they do in their free time? My goal was to make a book that would draw readers in, offer them something new and answer a lot of questions. That’s why there are a lot of detailed views in the book, which aren’t exactly challenging from a photography point of view, but are important for the story. As I was going through and selecting the photos to use, I had to leave out a lot of good photos that were really nice, but they didn’t tell the story of the seafarers.
A forty-foot container can hold about 12,000 shoe boxes or 650 barrels of beer. The ships sometimes transport goods worth a billion dollars. There are about 1.5 million seafarers around the world. Of them, about 2% are women. For me, seafarers are the unseen heroes of global trade who bring us the things we take for granted. “Seafarers” puts a human face on these people and tells the story of their everyday life and work.
BOOK & GEAR REVIEW
by BILL ROSAUER
My review of Patrick’s book, Seafarers , accompanies his story and images of his travels on three container ships of the
Hapag-Lloyd line. Seafarers is the result of the images and experiences Patrick had experienced while on these voyages. Patrick lives in Hamburg, Germany’s largest port. According to Wikipedia, Hamburg is the second busiest port in Europe after Rotterdam, and handles over 9.73 million TEUs per year. TEU stands for 20 foot Standard Container Equivalent, the most typical standard container sizes being 20 foot and 40 foot. Wow, that’s a lot of freight, almost 10 million containers per year!
Growing up, Patrick was always aware of these leviathans coming and going on the Elbe River to the port of Hamburg. It had always been a dream of his to ride along on a containership, to see what the sailors see on their travels to ports around the world. Patrick pitched his concept to the Hapag-Lloyd Line and in 2016, got the green light to document life aboard a container ship. His first trip was aboard the Leverkusen
SEAFARERS by PATRICK LUDOLPH
REVIEWED by BILL
ROSAUER
Express which has a capacity of 13,200 TEU. Remember, that is over 13,000 container units! In terms of sheer size, the Leverkusen Express is 366 meters in length with a width of 48 meters. That is one big boat! Patrick also sailed on two other Hapag-Lloyd Line container ships while documenting life on board for his book. The immense size of these vessels presents quite a challenge to the photographer trying to document life aboard.
Of course, of interest to LHSA members is Patrick’s use of Leica cameras and lenses to document his travels for Seafarers . He used the M240 with another M240 as backup, as well as the Leica Q to back up the M cameras! On his last trip, he had the new M10 along as well. For lenses, he used the 21,35 and 50mm Summiluxes and the 75/2 Summicron-M. He later added a 15mm Voightlander lens as even the 21 was not wide enough while on ship. Patrick likes to use the Leica M for its full frame format, superior image quality and the fact that the cameras look a bit old fashioned and less intimidating to the crew member he is photographing.
Patrick’s book is beautifully illustrated. The book is 233 pages, with color photographs on nearly every page. The book is hardbound in cloth with a dust jacket in a 33 x 33 cm large coffee table format (12 x 12 inches). The text is in both German and English, which makes the subject matter very approachable and informative for most readers. Patrick does a fantastic job conveying what life is like while living and working on a container ship, with both his images and wonderful text. Patrick has done a wonderful job with this interesting and little known subject. It is amazing when one considers that almost every product which comes from overseas, which we see on an everyday basis and take for granted, travels across the vast oceans on these mighty ships. Not only does Patrick give us a sense of what these ships are like to live and work on, but gives us a wonderful portrait of the men and women who are the seafarers.
Seafarers is available for international orders through the LFI shop. They will ship signed copies of the book: lfi-online.de/ceemes/en/shop/seafarers-seefahrer-1005040.html
CHIEF MATE STRAPS REVIEW
Patrick also sent me a sample of his Chief Mate strap to review along with the book. In Patrick’s own words, “I wanted a camera strap that I could attach and detach quickly. I like having my camera on a strap while I am traveling or shooting reports, but it gets in the way during photo shoots. Besides working easily, I also really wanted it to look good. I wanted a leather strap with a classic design.”
The straps are beautifully made in Hamburg, Germany, with great attention to detail, and as Patrick points out, they smell great, too! The strap Patrick sent was black with a gray Nubuck leather backing, with red stitching all around. Quite stunning! What sets these straps apart from all others is the method of attaching the strap to the camera. First, you attach a standard stainless split ring to the camera’s lugs, and then the split ring is threaded through the strap, and then a quick release carabiner is attached to the split ring. This makes for an incredibly strong and secure attachment of camera and strap. Yet, one can detach the camera in seconds from the strap for ease of shooting. It’s quite an ingenious system.
The straps are available in three colors: black, dark brown and a light cognac brown. It is also available in two lengths: 125 cm and 138 cm for those who prefer a cross-chest carry.
Patrick’s straps are available directly from his website http://shop. neunzehn72.de/ or from selected retailers
BOOK REVIEW
by ED SCHWARZTREICH
In 2008 Dr. Kisselbach’s important book “Barnacks Erste Leica” was published, but only in a German-language edition. The next year, I wrote a review of that book for Viewfinder (Vol. 42, No. 3, 2009, pp 8-10), owing to the fact that no one else in the English-speaking Leica community had done so for this notable Leica title. At the time, while I thoroughly enjoyed the profusely illustrated, oversized coffee-table book both for its subject matter and its appearance, my weak comprehension of the German language certainly limited both my own appreciation of it, and likely what I had to say for our readers.
In preparation for LHSA’s 50th Anniversary, Doug Drumheller had wished to offer our members an English translation of one of the several important Leica books from the prior decade which were on the German market. While we chose Ulf Richter’s book on Barnack for this project, Dr. Kisselbach’s book was a close runner up. It therefore pleases me greatly to announce that there is now an English translation of both books to be had: Richter’s book as sold through the LHSA itself, and Kisselbach’s book in electronic form.
Dr. Kisselbach’s book on this early Leica prototype, known as Barnack’s Handmuster, is a very readable, enjoyable history of what is, for all intents and purposes, the progenitor of the Null-Series Leicas. It differs from them only in that it was ostensibly hand constructed by Barnack, and because of its early date (ca. 1920) lacked some of the niceties of even that experimental series. What Dr. Kisselbach has done, and illustrated in this book, is unprecedented for any of the other early Leica prototypes, which are venerated almost as sacred objects by their owners: he has had it CLA’d, fitted with a special clutch mechanism to offset some shutter issues, and taken a prodigious number of photos with it, much as Barnack himself would have done. These photos are on color print film, are used to illustrate much of the book, and indicate how this prototype can make images almost indistinguishable from those of a modern Leica.
Dr. Kisselbach has also had Ottmar Michaely take apart the prototype, and discuss how it works, and illustrate its innards
BARNACK’S FIRST LEICA by HANS-GÜNTER KISSELBACH
REVIEWED
by
ED SCHWARTZREICH
in large close-up images; and in a further chapter, Kisselbach looks at the characteristics of negatives from it versus those from the Ur-Leica and later Leicas, to see if there are any old images extant from Barnack himself with this camera. One should recall that the Leica was among the first 35mm still cameras, and the positioning and size of the negatives in such cameras give the sort of forensic information comparable to what ballistic experts use to identify particular guns from their fired bullets.
There are chapters of discussion of Dr. Kisselbach's father, Theo, and his life as well. Theo, first a Leitz employee, then a noted Leicaman and Leica author, had this camera in his possession for many years. Theo Kisselbach had plans with Ulf Richter to write a book about Barnack, but this never came to fruition. These plans likely provided the impetus for both Richter’s book about Barnack, and Günter Kisselbach’s book here.
There is also material about Barnack the man, and some early general history of the Leitz Company regarding its development of the Leica camera. Included are images familiar to those who are knowledgeable about these subjects, but which will be of interest especially to newcomers to the Leica.
As mentioned earlier, the text is written in an easy, flowing style. Kisselbach’s book’s text has been ably translated by Katherine Quinlan-Flatter from the UK. Disclosure: your reviewer was enlisted to do proofing on that manuscript for various specific photographic issues and historical Leica arcana. It was a true pleasure to work with with Dr. Kisselbach and with the book’s designer, Barbara Horn on this brief assignment.
“Barnack’s First Leica” will be made available for purchase as a Kindle edition in the following manner:
Through the website www.barnacksfirstleica.com which will direct one to Amazon.de, iTunes, or Google. These probably work in Germany and Austria only.
Directly from one’s local country’s Amazon. (e.g., Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk)
Price is EUR 20,99
CAP TYPE VIEWFINDER MASK FOR 13.5CM ELMAR
by JIM LAGER
(left) Underside view. (center) Underside showing cushion. (right) Side view. (below) Cap type mask next to 28mm brightline finder
The 1930 Photo Post Catalog illustrates a tiny masking device fitting over the 5cm viewfinder of the Leica C. The opening at the front of the mask is configured to cover the field of view of the 13.5cm 1:4.5 Elmar. Until recently the only sample I had inspected is shown on page 14 of my Volume III-Accessories. An additional specimen is shown here.
The cap type mask lacks Leitz identification. It appear very few were prepared as the more commonly encountered swingin style mask was under the development concurrently. In over four decades of research I have inspected only two samples. Have more survived?
BFOOX BY ANOTHER NAME
by JIM LAGER
The BFOOX #51882 negative and positive film viewer is shown on pages 235-237 of my Volume III-Accessories.
Leica Photography April 1936 announced this device. 1934 advertising exists in the French language where the nomenclature is VISO. This assembly was especially convenient for the advanced film laboratory.
(left) BFOOX announced in April 1936 Leica Photography (right) 1934 advertising for the VISO from Tiranty (French Leica Agency).
