On the road to Santiago de Compostela with a Leica M9

For many years Leica photographer John Brockliss yearned to explore the role of pilgrimage in the modern world. Finally after many months of planning he travelled to northern Spain in October 2019, camera in hand and backpack laden, ready to make his dream a reality.

From the city of Leon, he would undertake a 314km photographic pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, walking and living as a pilgrim himself on the ancient Camino Francés. For over two weeks he would document every step of the way, hoping to write a new photo-documentary book on his return.

Walking on average eight hours a day and carrying every item required for the journey, John limited all he would carry on the Camino to just 20 pounds, including his photographic equipment.

Thou art my Guide: Sarria
Thou art my Guide: Sarria
Joyous arrival: Santiago de Compostela
Joyous arrival: Santiago de Compostela
Dispatches from Santiago: Santiago de Compostela
Dispatches from Santiago: Santiago de Compostela

With such a restriction on weight, John took just one camera, a Leica M9 and a 1990-vintage Leitz 50mm Summicron lens. He added one charger, one spare battery and a U/Va filter to complete the spartan kit. He knew this proven combination would stand up to the rigours of the journey yet provide the creative flexibility he needed. As always, simplicity opens the door to discovery.

Having registered as a bona-fide pilgrim in the UK before arriving in Spain, John was entitled to rest each night in albergues (pilgrim hostels) which are to be found along the entire length of the Camino. Although facilities are basic, lodging at albergues added further dimensions to the experience and allowed John to meet fellow pilgrims from all over the world and thus gain further insights into the world of modern pilgrimage.

Of course, John did not realise at the time of walking that his photographs would also chronicle the last days of pre-pandemic life on the Camino—a world which sadly will take many years to return. While international travel continues to be restricted, this reportage allows all to ‘walk’ the pilgrim path ever westward to Santiago.

John has now published his fourth photo-documentary book, recounting his experiences as a pilgrim: “Camino, a photographic pilgrimage”. The 200 x 250mm soft-back book comprises 124 pages and features 71 full-colour and 70 monochrome photographs, all shot on the Leica M9 using ambient light. Book design is also by the author.

To order direct from the author email: johnbrockliss@gmail.com. The price is £25.00 plus post and packing.

Read more about John Brockliss



11 COMMENTS

  1. This is a journey that as I’ve gotten older I would really like to take. The whole idea of asceticism, of paring away the inessentials and frivolities is very appealing, when the natural tendency is often to do the opposite.

    The idea of meeting strangers along the way and having meaningful discussions would be a refreshing change from Zoom meetings and the cliché “next steps” kind of discussion. Equally the rhythm of the daily journey and the steps each day contains is such a contrast to checking emails and messages every 5 minutes.

    As to a camera? Probably one I don’t own, and that would be the Leica Q2

    Life in 20kgs or less? How appealing!

  2. If your happy with your work then use what you are happy with. I was thinking today I hope MACFILOS has a follower that is doing great photography on Norte Dame reconstruction. What a fantastic series or project this will be for someone with one lens or multiple or one subject like church windows or multiple lens on the many areas timber’s on spire or roof.. I know if I lived there that’s where I would be.

  3. Good images, well seen. Well composed, good light.
    And thematic, each about moving forward.
    Enjoyed them.

  4. In 2019 I walked the Camino, covering 800km in 34 days carrying an M10 with 1 main tiny lens and a tiny super-wide lens used almost only for buildings. The whole kit weighed less than 1 kg. It was so liberating creatively and great for my back! With 1 main focal length, it’s easy to frame the shot with just my eyes and by the time I bring the camera to my eye I have the shot in mind – makes the whole process so fast. Anyone wanting to carry a larger assortment of lenses or more gear for a hike the magnitude of the Camino (or just a multi-day hike) should try weighing it all and then try to figure out how to carry and access the gear on such a hike. Most of the camera gear will invariably end up in the backpack which just means a lot less use. With my kit, it all fit easily into a waist pouch which makes it very easy to access. Easier access + lighter pack = less fatigue + more photos.

  5. The OCOLOY was suggested as another learning for photographers if I remember correctly. Swap the OY for OD/OW/OM if you want.

  6. I have this book and the words and pictures which it contains are great. I not only admire John for doing this trip, but also for doing it with a book in mind and using just one camera and one lens, just like people did in the old days. We all rely too much on changing lenses or using zooms, whereas the discipline of using just one lens can give rise to even greater creativity. John has certainly proved that in this book. Highly recommended.

    William

    • Y’know, I often read this, William, “..the discipline of using just one lens can give rise to even greater creativity..” and Mike Johnston of ‘The Online Photographer’ – and others – regularly praised the idea of using ‘one camera, one lens, for one year’ (OCOLOY). But I just don’t get it.

      Would you drive your car using just one gear for “greater creativity”? Would you write with just one letter, say the letter ‘L’, for greater creativity? Would you watch just one TV program, or make phone calls to just one person for “greater creativity”?

      It’d be – for me – like wearing blinkers, or having my eyes and head fixed in just one position ..never able to look around or take in a wider – or narrower – perspective. It’d be awful!

      I changed from using a fixed-lens Polaroid (and other cameras) to using an interchangeable-lens camera because I wanted variety in my photos. I wanted MORE creativity! ..For me, there’s only so much you can do with just one lens ..it’d be like having the same meal – a pile of lentils, say; or egg, chips and bread and butter; or one of those ‘Masterchef’ meals – every single day.

      To me, this idea of being able to improve one’s creativity by using just one lens would feel like stifling creativity! How many of my own photos have been taken with just a 50mm (or equivalent) lens? ..Very few!

      It’d be like painting with just one colour, or saying just one word (my father was in a ward with stroke patients for a while, and an ex-GPO engineer there – for months – could say only “people like people”, until the speech therapy kicked in ..although he thought that he was using all his usual vocabulary while the output from his mouth was only and always just “people like people” ..whatever it was that he meant to say, or thought that he was saying).

      Imagine using just one gesture, imagine listening to just one note, or reading just one book, singing just one song, having just one fixed point of view ..always.

      You’d certainly get to know that one lens, and what you can – or can’t – do with it. But, for me, how absolutely -b-o-r-i-n-g- ! ..Have you ever seen Alfred Hitchcock’s film “Rope”? ..Just one continuous shot from start to end ..aaarrrgggh! You can’t look away; you can’t see what else is happening; it’s like having your eyes locked open, staring straight ahead; ugh!

      (Sam Mendes’ one-continuous-shot “1917” has more of a variety of camera movements than Hitch’s plodding “Rope”, and the camera ‘runs’ alongside characters, ducks under beams, pulls back and tracks in, so varying the ‘gaze’ that we see onscreen, and so is more accomplished than Hitch’s ..but imagine every film consisting of just one continuous take, or using just one lens ..aaarrrgggh again!

      “..We all rely too much on changing lenses or using zooms..” ..really?

      I’ll be just as didactic and say “we don’t try changing our lenses sufficiently often, and getting a more varied aspect into our photography, to see what we’re otherwise missing!”

      (Here’s a variety of photos shot with a variety of different wide-angle lenses: edituk.com/Wide_Photos.html ..and here are some photos shot with a variety of very different lenses ..I couldn’t have got the 1st shot without using a long telephoto lens, nor the 3rd picture without a wide lens, nor the 4th without a telephoto (if I’d got close with a 50mm I’d have disturbed her too much), nor the last one without a wide-angle: edituk.com/Skyros_2015.html ..why would I want to deprive myself of taking these various pics by sticking with just one lens? That would have reduced my creativity, I feel, not increased it.)

      • Good grief David, that is a lot of words. I’ll try to keep this short. I don’t need more than one lens to take photographs, but I need more than one gear to drive a car safely and effectively. I have John’s book and he has done superbly well with just one lens. I often go out with a Leica M and two or three lenses and more than 90% of the time I keep the same lens on the camera all day. I have never heard of that Mike Johnston person and I generally don’t get my ideas about photography from others. I base my thinking largely on my own experience.

        I’ll leave it at that.

        William

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