The relationship between a musician and their musical instrument runs deep. Somewhere along their musical journey, a mysterious bond was formed. A hitherto inner musical personality found a means of external expression, as a cellist, flautist, or guitarist. I love the challenge of capturing that relationship, photographically. And guess what? You can do it with just about any pairing of Leica cameras and lenses.
The two-weekly cadence of musical performances at my local public library is both remarkable and inspiring. It also offers a regular fix for anyone addicted to photographing musicians close up.
I am one of those addicts. I love both listening to live musical performances and photographing them. It leads to simultaneous activation of multiple pleasure circuits within my cerebral cortex.
An inevitable outcome of my regular attendance at these local concerts has been the accrual of a sizeable collection of musical portraits. A permanent exhibition of many of these adorns the hallway leading to the performance space. They are 11” x 14”, portrait-mode images in black and white.
B&W versus colour
You might be thinking that the choice of black and white is to make them look artsy and exhibition-worthy. In fact, it’s simply to circumvent dreadful, muddy colours resulting from the appalling lighting under which the musicians perform. I also think it helps to emphasise the musical instruments, rather than what the musician is wearing.
Periodically, the Special Collections Librarian and I refresh the exhibition. This involves swapping out some older images for new ones depicting more recent performances.
The lightweight, plastic-framed musical portraits are attached to the wall using Command Strips. These are a miraculous, nail-free means of hanging artwork. Only one frame has ever fallen off, presumably the result of someone leaning against it. Swapping images is a simple matter of lifting the photo off the wall, undoing the back, removing the old 11” by 14” print, slipping in the new one, and reversing the previous steps.
In anticipation of a forthcoming update to the exhibition, I recently surveyed this expanding collection of musical portraits, together with their associated EXIF data. Several observations struck me.
Two types of diversity
First, the astonishing diversity of musicians and musical instruments I had clapped eyes on over the last several years. In fact, there can’t be many instruments I haven’t seen. It was clear in many performances that the instrument had become a physical extension of the musician. If anyone needed convincing of the special bond between musicians and their instruments, surely here was the evidence.
The survey also left me pondering why each individual had chosen that particular instrument as their means of musical expression. I am sure there is a fascinating story behind every choice.
The second realisation was the diverse collection of Leica cameras and lenses with which I had captured these portraits. The line-up included a Q-camera, an SL-camera, and an M-camera, together with a plethora of lenses. I do not own any D-cameras, otherwise I’d probably have used one of those as well. What was I thinking?
The diversity of Leica cameras and lenses employed doesn’t quite match the diversity of musicians and musical instruments I encountered. Nevertheless, it’s probably worth a word or two about the choices I made, and how well they worked out.
Early bird gets the shot
I try to sit in the front row at each concert, enjoying an unobstructed view of the performer(s). This means arriving early, standing in line well before the performance starts, then making a beeline for the front row. I usually find myself sitting ten to twenty feet from the nearest musician, depending on which seat I grab, and the configuration of the band.
I have given up taking photos of entire bands; these days, I am much more drawn to photographing individuals. Lens focal length, and the ability to shoot close-ups, therefore becomes critical.
My most-used camera is a Leica SL2, giving me access to a range of L-Mount and, via an adapter, M-Mount lenses. It is not exactly a discreet setup, though, and the shutter makes a clearly audible sound. So, to be respectful of the people sitting near me, and the performers themselves, I try not to overdo it with the number of shots I take.
Fifty-millimetre marvel
A favourite lens to complement the SL2 is a Leica 50mm APO-Summicron-SL. It can capture incredibly detailed images of both musician and instrument, as long as they are not too far away.
I took this photograph of Erika Davies, a local jazz vocalist, using this combination. Strictly, her ‘instrument’ is her vocal cords. But, her microphone, hand gestures, faux leopard-fur jacket, and ‘black cat’ sunglasses all contribute to her performance.
The microphone appears to be a Shure 55SH vocal mic, adding nicely to the vintage vibe she projects.
Let’s move on from vocals to wind instruments. When I think of a flute, I have in mind a linear, chrome-plated instrument held out to the side of the flautist. Neither of the flutes captured in the next two shots, each taken with the APO-Summicron-SL, quite fit that description.
Little and large
In the first image, the musician is playing either an alto- or bass-flute; these may or may not be the same thing. The instrument covers a lower register than a regular flute. Its extra-long tube has a 180-degree bend, minimizing distance between mouthpiece and keys, allowing the flautist to reach them easily. You can see her intense concentration, as she stares at her music score.
The second image depicts a piccolo, the smallest member of the flute family. No problem reaching the keys in this case. At f/2.8, the image is razor sharp, with even the stray hairs on the musician’s beautifully coiffured hair-do clearly defined.
Here’s a final shot with this lens — the obligatory guitarist, marauding his way up the fretboard. Guitarists feature heavily in the concert program, and this one is in the midst of a dazzling solo. The lens was wide open, so depth-of-field is narrow. The guitarist’s face is really sharp, while the fingers of his left hand are just drifting out of focus.
It’s tough to beat a zoom
In some ways, an even better partner for the SL2 is a Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-70mm f/2.8. It is a tad slower, but better suited for both close-ups of faces and upper-body shots. It is still on the large size as kits go, though.
Here’s an example of what the lens can achieve, wide-open, fully extended to 70mm. I caught this young trombonist during a solo. Eyes closed, improvising, while following the form of a jazz standard, he is completely engrossed.
I have always considered the trombone one of the most difficult wind instruments to master. It has no keys, like a clarinet, or holes, like a flute. The trombonist plays a tune purely by moving the slide, using muscle memory. Why would they set themselves the challenge of mastering such an instrument?
In contrast to the continuously variable pitch employed by the trombone, the saxophone is a wind instrument whose pitch is changed in discrete increments via keys. As a result, sax solos can be faster and more intricate. Here’s a local player, Trip Sprague, blowing for all he’s worth. The image is pretty sharp, even though it was shot wide open at f/2.8
Two other, slightly longer lenses, mounted on the SL2, have also proved invaluable for close-ups.
Longer still
The Panasonic Lumix 85mm f/1.8 prime is superb for capturing head-and-shoulder portraits from a distance. It is fast, sharp and light, although not a Leica. It does bear a strong family resemblance though to its non-APO-Summicron cousins. The photo of the teenage upright bass player was taken using this lens, from a seat at the side of the room, some fifteen feet from the stage.
The metal scroll-work on the headstock, as well as the texture of his skin and hair is crystal clear. Not bad for a relatively inexpensive, lightweight, non-Leica prime.
I also used this lens to photograph a vibraphonist.
Have you ever heard a vibraphone, in a live performance? It’s a fascinating instrument. A relative of the xylophone, instead of employing wood bars, the vibraphone possesses metal bars, below which are resonating tubes. A motor rotates circular plates within the tubes, subtly changing the pitch of the bar above as they turn. The result is a gentle vibrato, which continues until the bar is damped with a foot pedal. Hence, the name of the instrument.
The vibraphone has been incorporated into jazz music as a solo instrument, its most famous exponent being Gary Burton. I was thrilled to see and hear a vibraphonist close up for the first time, and even more thrilled to photograph him.
He never looked in my direction, but I managed to capture a shot in which all four of the mallets he wielded were clearly visible. I was further away than usual, and so the Lumix 85mm f/1.8 proved to be the perfect lens for this occasion.
M-lens meets L-Mount camera
I have also experimented with a Leica Summarit-M 75mm f/2.4, mounted using an M-to-L adapter. We are now in the world of manual focus, of course, but the SL2’s capture assistants make nailing focus straightforward.
The lens worked well for this moody shot of a pianist, caught in profile, surrounded by deep shadow.
It also proved to be the perfect focal length for a close-up of this cellist, Lars Hoef, a Brazilian-based academic and performer who organizes our annual Villa-Lobos Festival.
Named after Brazilian composer, conductor, cellist, and classical guitarist, Heitor Villa-Lobos, the festival celebrates the work of Latin-American composers and musicians.
At his most-recent performance, Lars teased the audience by telling them that they might not have heard of the Argentinian composer who died earlier this year, Lalo Schifrin. But every single person in the room knew of one of his compositions. Can you guess what it is?
I have photographed Lars numerous times. I especially like this one because of his look of studied concentration and his expertly placed fingers. Another, quite different, shot of him is coming up shortly.
So that the percussion fans do not feel left out, here are two other shots taken with the 75mm Summarit-M. Both were members of an Afro-Cuban jazz band. The combination of timbales and congas is something special. Think Tito Puente.
M-lens meets M-camera
My diverse collection of Leica gear must, of course, include an M-camera. Here is another vocalist, shot with an M240 and 35mm Summilux-M. She is also an honorary member of the percussion section, courtesy of the maraca she is playing. It is usually played as a pair (maracas), but, of course, she is using her other hand to hold her microphone.
This is one of the few photographs in my collection taken with the M240. The poor lighting, plus the constant movement of the musicians, present a challenge for rangefinder photography. Shooting as wide open as possible, resulting in a shallow depth-of-field, often made it difficult to nail focus. I should try again, now that I have more lens options and more experience with the rangefinder.
B&W portraits deserve a monochrome camera
A camera which has seen extensive action photographing these concerts is a Q2 Monochrom. In many ways, it is an ideal choice for this setting: small, discreet, quiet, and with a fast lens. The muddy colours I mentioned earlier are a non-issue for its monochrome sensor.
With its 28mm field-of-view, I can capture more inclusive photos of my musical subjects, while its large sensor enables aggressive cropping to zoom digitally into details.
Using the Q2 Monochrom, I was able to capture another shot of the cellist, Lars Hoef, mentioned earlier. Having seen him perform before, I was ready and waiting for this theatrical flourish, with which he concluded his performance. I had a sufficiently wide field-of-view to capture a head-to-toe portrait, plus his extended arm and bow.
The photo highlights one of the photographic challenges posed by this room — the strong back lighting, playing havoc with exposure settings.
I used the Q2 Monochrom to photograph the next musician, playing perhaps the most unusual instrument to have featured in the concert series. Do you know what it is?
He is playing a Kora, a 21-string instrument commonly found in West Africa, resembling both a harp and a lute. The performer had lived and studied for several years in Mali, to master the instrument. The image is approximately a twenty-five percent crop of the original.
Crop till you drop
I have cropped Q2 Monochrom images even more aggressively. My fascination with the hands of musicians occasionally led me to ignore the musician’s face and zoom in on their fingers. Here is such a ‘digital portrait’ of a jazz pianist. It is shot at f/1.7, 1/1000s, capturing a single key being depressed by a single finger.
You can see the graininess of the image, since ISO was at 6400, and it’s an enormous crop. My Lightroom AI-denoising feature is not able to handle images from a monochrome sensor, and so the graininess is here to stay. However, I think it adds a film-like quality to the image.
And here is one final example. It’s a massive crop of an image in which the cellist’s hands are unusually close together, as he stretches for what might be the highest note on his instrument. The shutter speed is slower, and so although the cello is sharp, you can see a little motion blur in his bowing hand.
A medley of Leica cameras and lenses — and musicians
If you have read this far, you will have seen fourteen different instruments in the hands of sixteen different musicians. They have been captured by six different camera-lens combinations.
The Leica SL2 offers the photographer enormous flexibility in selecting focal-length options to deal with almost any musical setting. It also provides superb aids to ensure sharp focus. Its 47-megapixel sensor delivers high-resolution images and the capacity for digital cropping to extend effective focal length.
Its successor, the SL3, offers even more resolution, a slightly smaller form factor, and a tilting screen. So far, these advances have not tempted me to upgrade. You can pick up a used Leica SL2 for around $2,500. I highly recommend it.
Of the lenses I used, the Leica APO Summicron-SL 50mm is the star of the show. It is incredibly sharp, even fully open. It is sometimes too narrow and sometimes too wide, but always delivers stellar images.
If I were confined to a desert island, with just one lens, it would have to be the Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-70mm f/2.8. It is both supremely versatile and ridiculously sharp.
I had fun using the M240, the Q2 Monochrom, and all the other lenses on this project. But, the SL2 system, and Leica SL lenses take the cake for versatility and image quality.
They tend to get a bad rap for size and weight. But, if it’s a 10-minute walk to the photo-shoot, and you are after the ultimate in image quality, they are hard to beat.
Many of the images in this article will soon become framed prints, on display at the library. As they stand in line, waiting for the doors to open, patrons will be able to reflect on performances they enjoyed, or missed. Until the next refresh, that is.
By the way, the Lalo Schifrin composition which everyone knows is the theme music to Mission Impossible…
| Read more from Keith James | See more music portraits |
| More on the Leica APO-Summicron-SL | More on the Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-70mm |
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