Wednesday, December 30, 2015

DO PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS USE LEICAS?





Recently I came across a small pamphlet with the title “Meisterwerke berühmter Leica Fotografen” (Masterworks of famous Leica photographers).  It is in reference to an exhibition in memory of Ernst Leitz II as the pioneer (besides Oskar Barnack) of the Leica.  The photographs appear to be from the collection of Dr. Knut Kühn-Leitz, but no date or location was given.

The back of the brochure makes reference to a relatively new book about Ernst Leitz II, titled “Ernst Leitz – Pionier der Leica” (Ernst Leitz – Pioneer of the Leica).  It is publisjed by Heel Verlag, Königswinter, 208 pages with more than 200 photographs.  ISBN: 3-89880-551-4

 


The brochure has a list of the Leica photographers whose works were shown in the exhibition.  They are:

Gianni Berengo Gardin
Werner Bishof
Henry Cartier-Bresson
Rene Burri
Elliott Erwitt
Ernst Haas
Thomas Hoepker
Franz Hubmann
Hanns Hubmann
Barbara Klemm
Stefan Kruckenhauser
Robert Lebeck
Ulrich (Bernhard Gerhard Antonius) Mack
Will McBride
Inge Morath
Hilmar Pabel
Mark Riboud
Fulvio Roiter
Sebastã0 (Ribeiro) Salgado
Erich Salomon
Emil Schulthess
Paul (Heinrich August) Wolff

That is certainly an impressive list of photographers, but many of them are no longer alive.  That reminded me of the many Leica haters that claim the Leica to be irrelevant these days because nobody uses Leicas anymore, that its very existence is supported only by collectors and individuals that see it as a status symbol.  Many even announce the imminent demise of Leica.

Leica S
Leica S

Leica T
Leica T

Leica Q
Leica Q


Obviously those are silly arguments, especially in view of the fact that Leica these days is doing better than ever before.  The company is on solid footing, the new multimillion headquarters in Wetzlar, Leitz Park is going to expanded, the Leica S system has gained an impressive following during its relatively short presence on the market where already it claims over 25 percent market share, and there are several new cameras like the Leica T, the Leica Q, which is doing very well with over 40% going to customers that never owned a Leica, and especially the Leica SL.  The Leica SL presents a camera which is new to the market, a camera that we have never seen.  It is the first professional caliber mirrorless, interchangeable lens camera.  Nobody else has anything like it to offer.

Leica SL


Besides these, The Leica M system remains the flagship of Leica.  No other manufacturer makes a camera that is comparable.  The Leica M cameras present a market segment all its own.

Leica M
Leica M


This criticism made me think of who among the world’s leading photographers is using Leica equipment.  So I set out to make a list.  I certainly cannot claim for it to be complete, but I think it definitely dispels the notion that nobody is using Leicas any longer.

Here is the list:

A
Abbas - 1944- b.Iranian, based in Paris
Michael Akermann - 1967- American b.Tel Aviv, based in Berlin
Nubar Alexanian - 1950- American
Neil Ambrose - British
Evgenia Arbugaeva - Russian
Bernd Arnold - 1947- German
Eve Arnold - 1912- American
Jane Evelyn Atwood - American
Ragnar Axelsson - 1958- Icelander
Ivan Azzopardi - Maltese

B
Lee Balterman - 1920- American
Micha Bar-Am - 1930- Israeli b.Germany
Bruno Barbey - Moroccan
Johannes Barthelmes - German
Letizia Battaglia - 1935- Sicilian
Nomi Baumgartl - German
Harry Benson - Scottish/American
Louis Berk - British
Julio Bittencourt - 1980- Brazilian
Philippe Blayo - French
Philip Blenkinsop - Australian, based in Thailand
Pep Bonet - 1974- Spanish, based in Bangladesh
Vieri Bottazzini - Turkish
Eleanor Brown - American
Rinze van Brug - Dutch/American
René Burri - 1933- Swiss

C - D
Debbie Fleming Caffery - 1948- American
Tomeu Coll - 1981- Spanish
Anton Corbijn - 1955- Dutch
William Coupon - American
Bruce Davidson - 1933- American
Frank Hallam Day - American
Roger Deakins - 1949- British
Reza Deghati - 1952- Iranian/French
Nick DeMarco - British
Raymond Depardon - 1942- French
Claudine Doury - 1954- French
David Douglas Duncan - 1916- American
Conrad Duroseau - Spanish, based in Haiti
Jeff Dunas - 1954- American

E - F
Nikos Economopoulos - 1953- Greek
Claudio Edinger - 1952- Brazilian
William Eggleston - 1939- American
Elliot Erwitt - 1928- American b.Paris
Hans Georg Esch - 1964- Germany
Jason Eskenazi - 1960- American
Valeriy Evenkov - Russian
Benedict J. Fernandez - 1936- American
Donna Ferrato - American
Martine Franck - 1938- Belgian
Robert Frank - 1924- American b.Zürich
Bill Franson - American
Jill Freedman - American
Howard French - 1957- American
Lee Friedlander - 1934- American
Paul Fusco - 1930- American

G - H
Giammi Berengo Gardin - 1930- Italian
Ralph Gibson - 1939- American
Bruce Gilden - 1946- American
Nan Goldin - 1953- American
Jan Grarup - 1968- Danish
Stanley Greene - 1949- American
Ara Güler - 1928- Turkish
David Alan Harvey - 1944- American
Lois Hechenblaikner - 1958- Austrian
Douglas Herr - American
Thomas Hoepker - 1936- German
Hubertus Hohenlohe - 1959- Mexican
Sander van Hulsenbeek - Dutch

J - K
Frank Jackson - American
Ciril Jazbec - 1987- Slovenian
Sam Jones - American
Jonnek Jonneksson - 1974- German
Richard Kalvar - 1941- American
Michael Kamber - American
Klaus-Peter Kappest - German
Paul Kay - British
Mike Kirkinis - World
William Klein - 1928- French b.New York
Barbara Klemm - 1939- German b.New York
Mark Klett - 1952- American
Gary Knight - American
Michael Koch - 1973- German
Josef Koudelka - 1938- Czech/French
Antonin Kratochvil - 1947- Czech/American
Birgit Krippner - based in New Zeeland
Imants Krumins - Latvian

L - M
John H. Langmore - American
Jens Olof Lasthein - 1964- Swedish
Robert Lebeck - 1929- German
Saul Leiter - 1923- American
Ben Lieberman - American
Jesse Lirola - American
Liz Loh-Taylor - 1979- Australian b. Singapore
Kadir van Lohuizen - Dutch
Alex Majoli - 1971- Italian
Guy Mancuso - American
Tina Manley - American
Constantine Manos - 1934- American
Mary Ellen Mark - 1940- American
Jim Marshall - 1936- American
Peter Martin - Canadian
Charles Mason - American
José Antonio Martínez - 1950- Mexican
Will McBride - 1931- American/German
Don McCullin - 1935- British
Seve McCurry - 1950- American
Susan Meiselas - 1948- American
Jeff Mermelstein - 1957- American
Joel Meyerowitz - 1938- American
John Lou Miles - American
Daniel Milnor - American
Kai Müller - German /Icelandic
Tomas Munita - 1975- Chilean

N - O - P
James Nachtwey - 1948- American
Sven Nieder - 1976- German
Chris Opel - 1966- American, based in Switzerland
Bert Otten - Dutch
Thorsten Overgaard - 1965- Danish
Tim Page - 1944- British/Australian
William Palank - American
Gilles Peress - 1946- French
Sylvia Plachy - 1943- American b.Budapest
Mark Power - 1959- British

R - S
Jim Rakete - 1951- German
Marc Riboud - 1923- French
Eugene Richards - 1944- American
Norbert Rosing - 1953- German
Jean-Jacques Ruchti - Swiss
Sebastião Salgado - 1944- Brazilian
Nanni Schiffl-Deiler - German
Wolfgang Schmitzberger - Austrian
Craig Semetko - American
Fazal Sheikh - 1965 American
Jonathan Slack - 1952- British
Klavdij Sluban - French, b.Eastern Europe
Emmanuel Smague - French
Andy Spyra - 1984- German
René Staud - German
Chris Steele-Perkins - British
Guido Steenkamp - 1973- German
Bruno Stevens - 1959- Belgian
Thomas Stoffaneller - Austrian
Mikhael Subotzky - 1981- South African

T - U - V - W - Z
Kenneth Tanaka - American
Edmond Terakopian - 1969- British
John Thawley - American
Guy Tillim - 1962- South African
Larry Towell - 1953- Canadian
Christopher Tribble - British, based in London
Victor Ben Tzvi - Israeli
Nick Ut - 1951- Vietnamese/American
Riccis Valladares - American, based in Miami FL
Florian Wagner - 1967- German
Alex Webb - 1952- American
Stewart Weir - British
Wim Wenders - 1945- German
Gary Whalen - American
Johan Willner - Swedish
Vanessa Winship - 1960- British, based in Istanbul
Piotr Zbierski - Polish

________________________________________________________________________________________

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Tuesday, December 29, 2015

MASTER PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE FEMALE NUDE - GÜNTER RÖSSLER





Günter Rössler was one of the leading photographers of the female nude in the former East Germany.  He didn’t gain international recognition until after the reunification of Germany in 1990.  Günter Rössler died on December 31 in 2012 at age 86, but his creativity lives on in the excellence of his work.

Günter Rössler im Dezember 2005 in seinem Atelier in Markkleeberg bei Leipzig. 
Günter Rössler in december 2005 in his studio in Markleeberg by Leipzig


In the West he was often referred to as Helmut Newton of the DDR.  He himself didn’t like this title at all.  He preferred to show women more pensive and assertive at the same time in the sensitive aesthetics of black and white.  He explained on his 85th birthday, “With Newton, the poses dominate.  For me it is important to show the highest possible authenticity of the girls”.

Günter Rössler worked with a multitude of cameras, including Leica.

Rössler-Akt "Renate, 1969": In der DDR erschienen seine Aktfotos in der...
"Renate" 1969


He became famous with his photographs in fashion magazines like “Sybille” and “Magazin”, a journal which published a nude photograph on a monthly basis, more often than not photographed by Günter Rössler.  In addition Rössler became the head photographer for the DDR fashion magazine “Modische Maschen” (Fashionable Mesh) which was published four times per year with fashion photographs, including knitting instructions, which made it one of the most popular magazines of then DDR.

In 1984 even Playboy published a ten page pictorial of Rössler’s nude photographs titled "Mädchen der DDR" (Girls of the GDR) in their German edition.  The Playboy concept of the girl next door presented no problem for Rössler, it was simply the result of his daily work routine.  Since modeling was not very well paid under the East German socialism, Rössler’s subjects usually were not professional models.

 "Heidrun, 1977": Der Fotograf Günter Rössler starb am 31. Dezember 2012 mit 86...
"Heidrun" 1977


After the German reunification, Rössler’s popularity initially suffered considerably.  He was told that his work was no longer needed.  The East German magazines that he had worked for were all discontinued by 1995.  Even Playboy had little interest in his work after the reunification.

"Jutta, 1974": Anders als Helmut Newton, mit dem man ihn oft verglichen hat,... 
"Jutta" 1974


However, in recent years Rössler and his work gained renewed interest.  In 2005 he published a new book with the title "Mein Leben in vielen Akten" (My live in many nudes) which turned out to be an autobiography with a multitude of photographs.  In 2010 he followed with the publication of "Starke Frauen im Osten" (Strong women of the East) and "Akte 1953-2010" (Nudes 1953 – 2010).   Finally, in 2012 a documentary film by Fred R. Willitzkat called "Die Genialität des Augenblicks" (The genius of the moment) paid tribute to the photographer.

"Stefanie, 1997": Obwohl das Interesse nach der Wiedervereinigung stark abnahm,... 
"Stefanie" 1997



Anyone interested in this genre of photography will do well to remember the genius of Günter Rössler and his work.


________________________________________________________________________________________

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