Being part of the Leica family for the long haul.

It’s photography with a human touch that create crystal clear and vivid memories. With a Leica camera, I don’t feel like I’m using a computer. I feel like I’m working with a personalised craftsman’s tool.

A tool that someone has put a lot of deep thought into designing to make it lovely to use. The solidity and density are wonderful. When I photograph with a Leica I feel that I have to raise my game to show I’m worthy of handling it, and my photography improves as a result.

Photographic memories

It’s exquisite optical engineering. I remember the first time I used a Summilux lens. It was a 50mm Summilux-M on a Leica M9. I remember exactly where I was and what I was photographing. I was outside the periphery of Heathrow Airport near London, where a village had been abandoned and fallen into ruin, and I was photographing the dilapidation. It was sunny and warm, and the smell of jet fuel mixed with the aroma of spring wildflowers and nettles. The traffic on the M25 roared unseen nearby, drowned out regularly by departing aircraft.

Finding focus

It’s the cost. Leica equipment is not cheap. It requires serious effort to acquire the money to buy it. I trade the most precious thing I have, my time, to earn the money to buy some metal and glass and circuitry. I work hard, and my Leica is my luxury. 

Clarity

It’s the memories I make with my Leicas. I have been up mountains and down cliffsides. I’ve met and photographed remarkable people. Not only that, but I’ve had so many incredible experiences. Watching a Scottish otter swim into a sea cave before dawn while I crouched silently on slippery rounded boulders in the darkness lest I scare it away, flinching as cold water drips from the cave roof and down my neck.

Squatting next to a blazing furnace while a blacksmith’s clanging hammer smashes a sword into shape, sparks flying and eyebrows crisping, hoping my radio trigger makes my flashes fire before I catch fire myself. And cresting the summit of a remote Scottish mountain after slogging through deep snow, with the air so pure it’s like a liquid, to see a view of views unfurl below me as the sun rises. 

Empathy and evocation of memories

Yes, I could have had a different camera, but many times I’ve gone out because I just wanted to use my Leica. And strangely, I find I remember the experiences and create memories much better with my Leica than without. I think this is because the image making process is more involved and thoughtful, and I spend more time on it. If I look at one of my Leica photographs I’ll remember the feeling, the smells in the air, the sounds.

Retaining intimacy

I worry Leica will get too big. I worry they will chase ever-increasing revenues and be tempted to roll out more models at lower quality levels. Furthermore, I’ve seen excellent Leica cameras come and go too quickly, like the lovely Leica CL digital model or the innovative T series. I appreciate Leica most when they commit to a model and put everything into it, and make it last, like the M and Q series.

I’m reassured by longevity, the certainty, and confidence that Leica has my back. I would rather not be treated like an intransigent number on the balance sheet. And especially, I want to be part of the Leica family, not a cog in the Leica corporation.

A cup of coffee works wonders in supporting Macfilos

Did you know that Macfilos is run by a dedicated team of volunteers? We rely on donations to help pay our running costs. And even the cost of a cup of coffee will do wonders for our energy levels.