Thursday, July 9, 2020

THOSE THAT CAN - DO.....



My first Leica
Leica III with 50mm f/2 Summar.


By Heinz Richter  

In retrospect, I guess I was destined to become a photographer because I grew up in the photography business of my father, a Meisterfotograf (Master Photographer) in Germany.  He hoped for me to eventually take over the business once he retired.  Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans.  I had decided to marry a woman from the US who I had met in Germany, and to move to Minneapolis, Minnesota.  But no worry, my father's business lived on under the leadership of my sister and her husband, herself a Meisterfotograf.  They eventually moved the business from my hometown of Barntrup in northern Germany to Weilburg, just outside of Frankfurt, less than 15 miles from Wetzlar.


Starting early with a Leica
This photo was taken by my father.

Schloß von Kerssenbrock (Castle) from 1577 
in my hometown of Barntrup, Germany.
Two interesting facts: Baronin (Baroness) Anna von Kerssenbrock, who originally commissioned 
the building of the castle, is depicted by a small bust above the entrance door on the left at the bottom of the second floor.
The lower door in the middle is the entrance to the wine cellar, as depicted by a servant poring
wine from a pitcher above the door.
Leica Digilux 3

Rathaus (City Hall) in my hometown of Barntrup, Germany.
Leica Digilux 3

Marktplatz in Weilburg
My sister's studio was in the building in the center.  Her display windows are the three arched widows at the lower right of the building.
Leica Digilux 3
  
Once I arrived in Minneapolis, it was time to look for a job.  I was lucky and found work within a day of looking at Jay's Camera.  I worked there for several years, during which time I elevated the store to become the largest Leica dealer in the area.  Hopes to eventually buy the store didn't materialize because the owner decided to sell the place to a nephew.  Blood being thicker than water came to mind.  It was at that time that I decided to put my photographic skills to work and I started my own photography studio.


During the many years of my career as a professional photographer I also taught two professional photography courses for 13 years.  That made me think of the old saying that “Those who can - do.  Those who cannot - teach” on many occasions and often wondered if that is an accurate statement?  I think ultimately that depends on the individual.  Many well know photographers have also been involved in teaching.  I consider it quite honorable to pass on one’s experience so that others may benefit from it.  Subsequently I have to reject the basic message of that statement as far as myself is concerned.

I have edited this blog for almost eight years now.  During that time I have occasionally posted some of my work here.  A while back I began to wonder what I might consider my favorites, the best images I have taken over the years.  As it turns out, that is not an easy thing to do.  The photographs that I have kept in my files are all ones that survived considerable scrutiny.  With other words, I have only kept what I consider my best work.  To scale that down to a small number of favorites is actually quite difficult.

Reggi Anderson, Artist
I got the idea for this portrait from a photograph Yusuf Karsh had taken of
John F. Kennedy.  Karsh worked almost exclusively with large format cameras
and I wanted to see how close I could come in terms of sharpness and tonality.
Leica M6, 135mm f/2.8 Elmarit, Agfapan APX 25

Looking over my work, I noticed one common fact.  With very few exceptions all my photographs have been taken with Leica equipment.  That is hardly surprising.  My father gave me my first Leica for my 5th birthday.  That does not mean that I have not owned other camera equipment.  Especially during the film days, it was expected that a photographer would use at least medium format, if not large format cameras to satisfy his clients.

For that reason, my Leica equipment used to be accompanied by a Rolleiflex SL66 system, and for mostly nostalgic reasons my dad’s old Plaubel Makina outfit.  I also worked with 4x5 large format equipment which consisted of a Sinar and a Plaubel camera.  Even my Leica cameras were augmented at one time with a Zeiss Contarex.  But my favorite always has been the Leica.

Melanie
Melanie was one of my favorite models and I photographed her on numerous 
occasions.  Unfortunately that came to an end when she moved back to London.
Leica M6, 90mm f/2.8 Elmarit, Ilford XP2 Super

Cindy
Leica M6, 50mm f/2 Summicron, Agfapan APX 25,
cropped to 1/4 of the total negative area.

Now that I have totally switched to digital, all my old analog equipment has been sold.  My work is now done exclusively with Leicas.  That isn’t to say that the Leica is best suited for everything.  But for the work I do, I cannot think of any other camera that would serve me better than my Leica M240.

Kallie and Mike, Rainy Lake, Minnesota
Leica Digilux 2

Rolleiflex SL 66, 80mm f/2.8 Zeiss Planar, Agfa Optima 100
Epson V500 scanner.

I always avoided specializing too much.  For that reason my work covered a wide range of photography from portraits and weddings to model photography.  Another important aspect of my work was architectural photography.  In my free time, I added travel photography, street photography and a variety of art photography projects, including artistic photography of the female nude.

I am not beyond criticism, as a matter of fact, I welcome it.  Look at my work and feel free to criticize it.  Accepting constructive criticism is also part of the learning process, and even after having done this for 50 years, I am still learning.

Lana
Leica Digilux 2

Brentwood Estate, Alexandria, Minnesota
Leica Digilux 2

Minneapolis, Minnesota
Sinar 4x5, Schneider 210mm f/5.6 Symmar, Kodak Ektachrome
Digitized with Leica Digilux 2

Ice Castle, St. Paul, Minnesota Winter Carnival
This ice castle was built of large ice blocks harvested from nearby lakes.  
An interesting fact is that the dark spot in the upper section of the tallest tower is a fish frozen in the ice.
Plaubel Makina III, 10cm f/2.9 Plaubel Anticomar, Agfa Optima 100
Digitized with Leica Digilux 2

Koenigsee, Bavaria, Germany
Leica M8, 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit

Venice
Leica M8, 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit

Venice
The last time I visited Venice, I decided to stay away from the typical Venice 
photographs of the well known landmarks in that city.  Instead I tried to give
an account of the less visited areas which have a charm all their own.
While I do prefer to shoot black and white, there are definitely times when color
becomes an integral part of the photograph.
Leica M8, 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit

Venice
Leica M8, 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit

Market in Venice
Leica M8, 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit

Venice
Well, I had to put in a tourist shot after all.
This image required considerable cleanup work because a railing went all the way 
through the lower half of the picture.
Leica M8, 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit

Newtonfork Ranch, Hill City, South Dakota
Leica M8, 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit

Headwaters of the Mississippi, Lake Itasca, Minnesota
Leica M8, 50mm f/2.8 Elmar

Mississippi River at Bemidji, Minnesota
Leica M8, 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit

Restaurant in Buch am Erlbach, Germany
Leica M240, 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit

Sunset outside Munich, Germany
Leica M240, 90mm f/2.8 Elmarit

Leica M240, 50mm f/2 Summicron

Weilburg, Germany
Leica M240, 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit

View from the Kehlstein Mountain onto the Königsee
Leica M240, 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit

Waterski Days, Lake City, Minnesota
Leica M8, 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit

"Watermusic"
Leica M6, 50mm f/2 Summicron, Agfapan APX 100

Cindy
Leica M6, 90mm f/2.8 Elmarit, Agfapan APX 25

Melissa
Leica M6, 50mm f/2 Summicron, Agfapan APX 25, no Photoshop

Cindy
Modified Polaroid Transfer.  The original photograph, taken with a Leica R4, 50mm f/2 Summicron on Kodak Ektachrome, was projected on a modified Polaroid film holder.  After the transfer image on watercolor paper finished developing, the image dyes were carefully removed with a soft brush.  The remaining image is a stain from the dyes on the transfer paper.



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16 comments:

  1. AnonymousJuly 9, 2020 at 11:53 AM

    You show some very excellent work. Have you ever considered publishing any of it in a book?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LEICA Barnack Berek BlogJuly 9, 2020 at 11:53 AM

      Thank you very much for your comment. I published one book, "Minnesota Notables," which shows a broad cross section of the people in Minnesota. I am currently considering working on another book. But that is still very much in the development stage.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousJuly 9, 2020 at 11:54 AM

    A lot of photographers are passing their skills on to others by offering photography courses and workshops. With your experience in teaching photography, you should consider doing that also.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LEICA Barnack Berek BlogJuly 9, 2020 at 11:55 AM

      I used to teach photography for 13 years at a local college. However, right now I am enjoying my retirement. But as they say, 'never say never'.

      Delete
  3. AnonymousJuly 9, 2020 at 11:55 AM

    How much do you manipulate your photographs in Lightroom?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LEICA Barnack Berek BlogJuly 9, 2020 at 11:56 AM

      That depends on the initial image. In general I try to improve all my work in Photoshop ( I don't use Lightroom), however, I try to keep that work to a minimum by taking my photographs such that little post processing is needed. Since that isn't always possible, I have definitely taken photographs that required considerable post processing work. I definitely don't subscribe to using just what comes out of my cameras. That is never possible, with film as well as digital.

      Delete
    2. AnonymousJuly 9, 2020 at 11:57 AM

      But shooting film requires a lot less work compared to digital.

      Delete
    3. LEICA Barnack Berek BlogJuly 9, 2020 at 11:59 AM

      I totally disagree. Starting with developing film, it is necessary to choose the right developer depending on the film that was used, including the desired characteristics of the image. Once the negative has been obtained, during enlarging it is necessary to choose the right enlarging paper and the correct contrast grade. Then, just as with film, the developing process can alter the resulting image to quite a degree. Another approach is to scan the negatives and then process them digitally. This results in virtually the same choices to be made as when shooting digitally. Of course one could take film or digital files to a professional lab. That is easier than doing the work ourselves, but that doesn't eliminate the need for manipulation as pointed out above.

      Delete
  4. AnonymousJuly 9, 2020 at 11:59 AM

    I find the Polaroid Transfer process quite interesting. Could you tell me more about it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LEICA Barnack Berek BlogJuly 9, 2020 at 12:06 PM

      The Polaroid Transfer process unfortunately is a thing of the past. It required the so called peel apart Polaroid films. Modern instant films like the SX 70 films or the current Fuji instant films won't work. Also, the process only worked with the Polaroid color films. The black and white films used a different process which could not be transferred to different papers.
      The process incorporated using another type of paper to transfer the image onto, like a high quality watercolor paper. Rather than waiting the recommended processing time for the image to be trnasferred to the Polaroid receptor and then peeling the two apart, you would wait approximately one minute to get the image devloped, then peeling it aprt and bring it into close contact with the chosen type of paper. This usually worked best with a rubber roller. Then, after waiting several minutes depending on the type of paper chosen, you peel the polaroid sheet off the new recptor paper to reveal the final image.

      Delete
  5. AnonymousJuly 9, 2020 at 12:06 PM

    How did you make the picture of Melissa without the help of Photoshop?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LEICA Barnack Berek BlogJuly 9, 2020 at 12:07 PM

      That was actually quite simple. I photographed Melissa in my studio and made an 11x14 enlargement, making sure that the bottom left area was very dark. With the image on a flat surface, I carefully covered the bottom area with sugar as shown and added the spoon. After it looked the way I imagined it, I copied the photograph and thus obtained a negative to make the final enlargements of.

      Delete
  6. AnonymousJuly 9, 2020 at 12:07 PM

    What Leica equipment do you currently use?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LEICA Barnack Berek BlogJuly 9, 2020 at 12:10 PM

      My main workhorse is a Leica M240 with 15mm, 28mm, 50mm, 55mm,90mm, 105mm, 135mm, 200mm, and 400mm lenses. In addition, I kept my first digital Leica, a Digilux II and of course the Leica III my dad gave me for my 5th birthday. There are a few other cameras in the remnants of my former camera collection, like a Leica IIIf, but they are not used any longer.

      Delete
  7. AnonymousJuly 9, 2020 at 12:20 PM

    What are the neck strap fasteners shown on your Leica III? I have never seen anything like that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LEICA Barnack Berek BlogJuly 9, 2020 at 12:21 PM

      Those were made by my dad years ago. They are meant to avoid scuffing of the camera by moving the split rings of the neck strap away from the camera body.

      Delete

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