Recommended reading list?

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Hi,

 

What books to recommend to read regarding leica technique?

[atournas]

Hi,

 

What books to recommend to read regarding leica technique?

 

Limiting your reading to Leica deprives your choices from a number of excellent titles. I use Puts' "Leica Lens Compendium" for knowing--if required--the strengths and weaknesses of a particular lens I then use, and Osterloh's "Leica M" for anything else. The latter is apparently a textbook from Leica Academy seminars.

 

If you happen to use Leica for fine-art-like black and whites, I strongly recommend Johnson's "The Practical Zone System" which covers both film and digital photography. Though not a Leica-related book, it is brilliant and more general than its title implies. Also, the author never assumes a pro reader with formal photographic education.

 

Paul

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[Xmas]

Hi

 

Try

 

Zone System - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Noel

[drums1977]

Last week I finished Annie Leibovitz at work. A very interesting book, although not very Leica oriented. She actually mentions Leica only in a couple of ocasions, and only 1 image in the book is made with Leica gear!

[thebarnman]

This forum seems to have lots of Leica "Techniques" listed all over this Film forum. In the way the film is developed, what lenses to use for certain types of situations and even the film...for example, Tri-X seems to be one of the most popular choices.

 

Leica has been used for a lot of Street Photography...that in itself seems to be a Leica trait.

 

The story about Leica's history and it's influence on photography in general is "LEICA Witness To A Century." Lots of images from different photographers and the styles they shot with the Leica.

 

A lot of Magnum photographers used Leica equipment Magnum Photos :: Magnum Ad

 

Cartier-Bresson exclusively used Leica 35 mm rangefinder cameras

 

Helmut Newton used Leica as shown (lots of images) in the "Playboy HELMUT NEWTON" book.

 

Here's Leica's own philosophy about using Leica equipment Leica Camera AG - Photography - Philosophy

[MPJMP]

...I then use, and Osterloh's "Leica M" for anything else.

 

+1. I have several books dealing specifically with the ins and outs of using Leica M rangefinders, but this one is really all you need, IMHO. Unfortunately, I believe it is out of production, but you may be able to find one used online.

[chris_livsey]

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Henri Cartier-Bresson "The Decisive Moment" (It is on-line but if possible, ask at the library, see an original)

 

Robert Frank "The Americans"

 

Opposites in outlook but the foundation stones of almost everything you will see, both Leica "works".

 

Then read Henri Cartier-Bresson/Scrapbook Thames & Hudson 2006

and Looking In: Robert Frank's The Americans Steidl 2009

 

These have an in depth look at these photographers work.

 

If you don't sell your camera in despair you have taken the first step

[nibbler]

The 2nd edition of Leica M is coming in June 2011. It is available for pre-order on Amazon.

[57andrew]

+1. I have several books dealing specifically with the ins and outs of using Leica M rangefinders, but this one is really all you need, IMHO. Unfortunately, I believe it is out of production, but you may be able to find one used online.

 

It is freely available through ABEbooks.

[Guest joewehry]

Gardners - The History of Art for a global exposure to art

 

Harald Mante - The Photograph - for a more specific consideration of content and color

 

Stephen Sondheim - Finishing the Hat - nothing about photography, a lot about the process of clarity and precision

 

Leonard Freed - Worldview - and Erich Lessing - Arresting Time, both for excellent examples and revealing text.

[ndjambrose]

What books to recommend to read regarding leica technique?

 

Not sure there's any such thing as Leica technique. It's about what you see, not what you make images with. But on that note, these will help get your eye in:

 

Ragnar Axelsson: Faces of The North

Saul Leiter: Early Colour

Garry Winogrand: 1967

Gianni Berengo Gardin: Photographs

 

Those four books taught me to see through a viewfinder.

[NZDavid]

Günter Osterloh, Leica M Advanced Photo School.

Brian Bower, Light, Lens and Landscape, plus several others on Leica M and R.

Roger Hicks and Frances Schulz, Perfect Exposure plus several others featuring pictures taken with Leica M cameras.

Erwin Putts, Leica lens books.

Many books featuring Leica photographers. I was impressed by Brian Brake (Brian Brake: Lens on the world - Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, NZ)

Not specifically Leica, but Arizona Highways magazine is packed with superb landscape photographs.

[tdavis]

See also Sources: on the LeicaWiki

[farnz]

... Ragnar Axelsson: Faces of The North

...

Strongly agree, Neil, but harder to find than unobtainium. I've been trying to find a copy for more than 3 years.

 

Byker by Sirkka-Liisa Konttinnen

 

Pete.

[keithdunlop]

Last week I finished Annie Leibovitz at work. A very interesting book, although not very Leica oriented. She actually mentions Leica only in a couple of ocasions, and only 1 image in the book is made with Leica gear!

 

She actually uses a Leica M6 for much of her personal work. In the very well produced documentary "Life Through a Lens" she is seen using the Leica quite a bit, mostly for family shooting, but also during a segment photographing Mikhail Baryshnikov in a dance rehearsal studio.

[StS]

It depends a bit what "Leica technique" means to you.

 

In case you are looking for a coffee-table book about reportage photos, it might be worth to have a look at Barbara Klemm, although it might be a bit difficult to find her books outside Germany. She was the house photographer of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (daily newspaper) over here. She might be the reason, why a Tri-X image still evokes a newspaper feeling for me.

 

In case you are looking for a book on technique for black-and-white photography, I can highly recommend "Way Beyond Monochrome" by Ralph Lambrecht and Chris Woodhouse. Another forum member recommended this very comprehensive book and I pass on this recommendation.

 

Stefan

[wattsy]

Strongly agree, Neil, but harder to find than unobtainium. I've been trying to find a copy for more than 3 years.

 

Pete, if you are not fussy about the text being in English, there are still new French and German edition copies of Faces of the North to be found. I ordered one earlier this week for under forty quid including shipping.

[farnz]

Thanks, Ian,

 

I've even got as far as contacting the publishers but they said they had no stock left and no plans to do another print run.

 

From time to time I get enthused again and search everywhere and I'm sure a copy will find me one day. May I ask where you found the French and German copies please?

 

Pete.

 

 

PS 5 minutes later: Out of habit I've just searched Amazon UK, which returned one used copy for Faces of the North with RRP £35 crossed out and £276.77 as the selling price.

 

PPS, Just found the French and German copies at Nordic Store.

Edited June 22, 2011 by farnz

[wattsy]

Pete, I ordered from this outfit:

http://shopicelandic.com/en/store/faces-of-the-north

 

I haven't yet received the book but I had confirmation that it had shipped so it seems they do have stock. I did also find copies at another Icelandic shop (Nordic Store?) but they were priced about thirty euros more expensive.

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Hallo,

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[jpattison]

Click...

 

buy this...

Leica Manual, Morgan & Morgan 1973 edition on eBay (end time 25-Jun-11 21:11:03 BST)

 

Fantastic book! Even has a chapter by Ansel Adams.

 

John