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Iconic photographs shot with Leica


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Hi guys,

 

I'm trying to gather some information for a little project I will start working on... is there any chance to know one or more iconic photograph shot with a Leica?
For example:

Ur-Leica - ??

Leica I -    ??

Leica II - ??

Leica III  -  "The Kiss" by Alfred Eisenstaedt

Leica M2 -??

Leica M3 - ??

 

 

and so on....Gilden use an M4 (but is he the most iconic shooting with an M4?)

Any help and contribution would be really handy! Thanks!

 

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It all depends on what your threshold for knowing. Most photographers carried more than one camera, often slightly different, and used different camera throughout their career. So what is your limit of evidence?

 

Is there a picture of the photographer taking the picture where the camera is uniquely identifiable?

Did the photographer say they took the picture with a certain camera? And how long after the picture did they say it? Did they take notes at the time?

Did the photographer use a camera during the timeframe and we just guess they must have used it for that photo?

Did the photographer use a camera and then we just attribute everything to that camera?

 

I will use Michael's example from above. Alberto Korda took the photo. Recently his son sold a Leica (not an M2) with a certificate of authenticity, implying it was the camera that took the photo. But previously there was a quote from Korda himself saying he took the photo with an M2 and a 90mm lens (I don't know how long after the fact he said that either). After the recent sale, the later story is gaining traction, who knows what will be "common knowledge" in 10 years time? 

 

Reading Ansel Adams' "Examples", he states the camera, lens, film, exposure time, filtration, development, etc... He obviously took very detailed notes, and so one would be inclined to believe him, others seem to be more flippant and not really place much importance on the camera.

 

Having said all that, it's an interesting project and I wish you the best of luck.

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For the UR, there are some photos taken by E.Leitz II, which can be surely found somewhere on the Net (and/or in books).

 

For the M3... is sufficient to search on HCB works of the era.

 

And I remember distincly (but don't remember the book) to have seen some pictures of a photographer of a mountain expedition in the '30s who operates a Leica I (Standard, better to say...) with a 135mmm and viewfinder...

Edited by luigi bertolotti
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I'll just pick one.. ..E. Leitz did make interesting photographs with the UR Leica, including some in New York.. ..but Mr Barnack used the prototype to make a famous photograph in a square in Wetzlar: there is even a plaque on the spot where he stood. Images quickly found using any search engine. Good luck - be interesting to see what you come up with!

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I'll just pick one.. ..E. Leitz did make interesting photographs with the UR Leica, including some in New York.. ..but Mr Barnack used the prototype to make a famous photograph in a square in Wetzlar: there is even a plaque on the spot where he stood. Images quickly found using any search engine. Good luck - be interesting to see what you come up with!

Ah - beat me to it!

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I'll just pick one.. ..E. Leitz did make interesting photographs with the UR Leica, including some in New York.. ..but Mr Barnack used the prototype to make a famous photograph in a square in Wetzlar: there is even a plaque on the spot where he stood. Images quickly found using any search engine. Good luck - be interesting to see what you come up with!

It is actually a manhole cover. :D I'm sure any symbolism is wholly unintentional.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0d-IX2rrag

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It all depends on what your threshold for knowing. Most photographers carried more than one camera, often slightly different, and used different camera throughout their career. So what is your limit of evidence?

 

Is there a picture of the photographer taking the picture where the camera is uniquely identifiable?

Did the photographer say they took the picture with a certain camera? And how long after the picture did they say it? Did they take notes at the time?

Did the photographer use a camera during the timeframe and we just guess they must have used it for that photo?

Did the photographer use a camera and then we just attribute everything to that camera?

 

I will use Michael's example from above. Alberto Korda took the photo. Recently his son sold a Leica (not an M2) with a certificate of authenticity, implying it was the camera that took the photo. But previously there was a quote from Korda himself saying he took the photo with an M2 and a 90mm lens (I don't know how long after the fact he said that either). After the recent sale, the later story is gaining traction, who knows what will be "common knowledge" in 10 years time? 

 

Reading Ansel Adams' "Examples", he states the camera, lens, film, exposure time, filtration, development, etc... He obviously took very detailed notes, and so one would be inclined to believe him, others seem to be more flippant and not really place much importance on the camera.

 

Having said all that, it's an interesting project and I wish you the best of luck.

However, Ansel Adams used a Contax.

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However, Ansel Adams used a Contax.

Amongst other cameras...

 

It was really just the only example that came to mind. How about Capa's D-day photos? He shot with a Leica didn't he... :D

 

(I'm fully aware that he most likely used a Contax to take those photos, although in the past he has been referred to as a 'Leica photographer', but I don't believe he used one after Spain)

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Hi guys,

 

I'm trying to gather some information for a little project I will start working on... is there any chance to know one or more iconic photograph shot with a Leica?

 

I think Eddie Adams's photo of General Loan summarily executing a prisoner in Vietnam was taken using a Leica M of some sort – probably M2 or something like that.

Edited by wattsy
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Marc Riboud's flower on a bayonet photograph is certainly iconic and was apparently taken with an M4 and 50 Summicron..

 

Salgado has also been a well known Leica user and it is likely that his best known work such as the Brazilian gold mine and Kuwaiti oil well photographs were taken using a Leica. I think the most famous of the latter has been previously used by Leica in promotional material as an example taken with an R6 (and 60 macro, I think).

 

Larry Burrows masterpiece might have been shot with a Leica. He is well known as a user of Leica cameras (though, as Michael says above, many photographers of that era used Leica cameras as part of a mix) and was killed carrying at least one M camera (the M top plate with intact serial number was famously found in the wreckage of the crashed helicopter).

Edited by wattsy
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Marc Riboud's flower on a bayonet photograph is certainly iconic and was apparently taken with an M4 and 50 Summicron..

 

Salgado has also been a well known Leica user and it is likely that his best known work such as the Brazilian gold mine and Kuwaiti oil well photographs were taken using a Leica. I think the most famous of the latter has been previously used by Leica in promotional material as an example taken with an R6 (and 60 macro, I think).

 

Larry Burrows masterpiece might have been shot with a Leica. He is well known as a user of Leica cameras (though, as Michael says above, many photographers of that era used Leica cameras as part of a mix) and was killed carrying at least one M camera (the M top plate with intact serial number was famously found in the wreckage of the crashed helicopter).

 

 

 

Google search finds plenty of pics of Larry Burrows with Ms, and also at least one with 3 Nikon Fs round his neck

 

Gerry

Edited by gyoung
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Guys....thanks very much for all the reply, very helpful!

 

I'm realising is quite hard to find out exactly which Leica model was used for certain photos... I start think it may not be possible to do it for each model :(

 

I was watching a documentary on Capa yesterday (In Love and War...brilliant piece by the way!) and you could see him pictured with the contax and rolleiflex quite often.

 

David Harvey said he went to Chile with only a Leica M6 (https://youtu.be/_gorOerYQpI?t=3m12s) but then would this be 100% accurate to say he shot the social revolution with it?!

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