H E L P !

This is a plea for help from the readers of this blog.  I am having a great time working on it, finding news, writing articles and all else.  It is immensely gratifying to see how the popularity of this blog has increased since it first appeared on February 20 of this year.

But I would like this to be more than just my blog.  I am certain that it could become a lot more interesting if others would be contribute as well.  I would like to see articles from others about Leica, their experiences with the Leica and photography in general.  I would also like submissions of photographs to the blog gallery.  I see this as especially important because this can only greatly enhance the appeal and value of this blog.

Photographs can be submitted in any way that is convenient.  I will resize them and convert them to the appropriate file format as necessary.  No special input is needed from you at all.  I guarantee that any of the photographs will never be used for anything other than to be shown on this blog.  I guarantee adherence to all copyright laws.

Here is some incentive to make the decision to submit an article or photographs a bit easier:

For any article or photograph submitted you will have the choice to receive either a faithful reproduction of a design sketch by Oskar Barnack or a print of an original piece of artwork about Oskar Barnack and the Leica.

Vorschaltblende - Preset Diaphragm

I made the reproduction of the Oskar Barnack sketch from the original which I obtained several years ago.  I made sure that it is as close to the original as possible in any respect; color, texture detail and the original size of 4 x6 inches.  While several original Barnack sketches have been offered in the past, they are becoming rather scarce.  This reproduction is probably the closest to an original many will ever come to.  It is a collectable piece of Leica lore in its own right.

The Barack lithograph was originally commissioned by Photo Visuals of Minneapolis.  The artist, Susan Kennedy, submitted several layouts from which this one was chosen.  It is based on original photographs of Oscar Barnack, him at his work desk, the Ur-Leica, the Leica M4 and several lenses.  Like the Barnack sketch, it is printed to archival standards.  The size is 13 x 17 inches and it too should be considered a Leica collectable.

Articles and photographs should be emailed to gmpphotography@msn.com.

Thank you,

Heinz Richter.