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Hi everyone,

Happy Saturday :)

This is a website from Leica which sells Magazines that I've never bought before and never read Leica Magazines https://lfi-online.de/ceemes/en/magazine/

 

My question: Are Leica magazines worth buying for learning photography? Or it is showing photos with stories?

 

Thanks,

Wesam Aljabiry

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Couldn't say. I've never seen (or even heard of) Leica Magazine.

That said, maybe the best way to "learn photography" is to (1) start making photographs, (2) ask yourself (and preferably others) about these photographs, and (3) reflect on what you see and others say, and then start to make photographs about something important or meaningful to you.  Repeat this sequence until others start paying attention to your photographs. 

Note that nowhere in this process do we find any emphasis on any particular technology or product. 

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33 minutes ago, Tom R said:

Couldn't say. I've never seen (or even heard of) Leica Magazine.

That said, maybe the best way to "learn photography" is to (1) start making photographs, (2) ask yourself (and preferably others) about these photographs, and (3) reflect on what you see and others say, and then start to make photographs about something important or meaningful to you.  Repeat this sequence until others start paying attention to your photographs. 

Note that nowhere in this process do we find any emphasis on any particular technology or product. 

Thanks for your advice. But I have not learnt yet about perspective and cannot find it easily. If LFI magazine have great perspective photos then I will buy it. 

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In my experience, LFI was once an inspiring and reasonably helpful magazine for Leica owners. However, ownership and editors have changed over time, leaving the magazine a pale shadow of its former high standard. There are far better ways to learn photography, via the internet and personal endeavour.

Try googling the aspect of photography which interests you and watch a few videos. There is no need to pay for tuition. If you are subsequently stuck for a solution, search this forum and find a wealth of knowledge shared freely by members. Failing that, ask a question here in the appropriate section of the forum.

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Agreed the old issues (Leica Fotografie) from the 1950s-1970s were useful for learning, with info about FOV effects, film processing, lighting, and new (then) equipment. Back then cameras weren't automatic, and using them was a learned craft, just to get good exposure, focus, etc. Leica was also still a major factor in the industry. There was also a "Leica Photography" publication by USA Leitz that was focused on the US, but not as extensive as the Fotografie issues.

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First google  any book or youtube movie about the basics of using a manual camera. Do this for a while and take some photo's in manual mode with your digital camera.

Then, if you want to go in depth for film photography, but also still useful for thorough understanding of digital read the books by Ansel Adams one of the greatest of all time. (the link was for some hard covers, but a digital version can be had for a fraction of the price)

After that look up what the other icons like Henri Cartier Bresson did. He was one of the greatest Leica M users.

The principals stay the same. It is still 'drawing with light'

Edited by dpitt
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LFI is more about photographers and their images. It also features one Leica item with a few page write up. Not a learning publication per se. 

Leica has classes on different aspects of photography, portraiture, street, etc. There’s many workshops given through camera stores and photographers.  Whatever subject you prefer there are workshops. These are a good way to learn and gain experience quickly.  

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21 hours ago, wosamko said:

 

My question: Are Leica magazines worth buying for learning photography? Or it is showing photos with stories?

 

There are often some great articles in LFI and the quality of the magazine is very high, but it would be a very random way to learn photography. You'd be far better off by searching the internet for the type of photography you are interested in and see where that journey takes you.

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As a former long-time subscriber to LFI I agree with the opinion that it’s not an educational publication.  Rather, it’s become more like a mini version of the British Journal of Photography https://www.1854.photography .  That is, it features photographers and photography, plus one article of direct product promotion/exposition each issuerather than instruction.

Honestly, the best way to learn to use your camera is to use your camera…daily.  That’s especially true for Leica rangefinders which may be the last model of cameras that genuinely require practice to master!

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Bodo, ex-ELC technician, photog, camera store owner and just lovely person gave me few.

I liked it. 

But if you want to learn... Study HCB, his books and writings are available via Amazon, Libraries and else , Winogrand's thousands of photos are in Arizona U archive.

 Victor Kolar, George S. Zimbel, Bruce Gilden books are available. 

https://leica-camera.blog/ is also not biased. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 2/18/2023 at 11:59 PM, darylgo said:

LFI is more about photographers and their images. It also features one Leica item with a few page write up. Not a learning publication per se. 

Leica has classes on different aspects of photography, portraiture, street, etc. There’s many workshops given through camera stores and photographers.  Whatever subject you prefer there are workshops. These are a good way to learn and gain experience quickly.  

Isn't studying the images of other photographers a way of learning about photography? 

We are exhorted to study the images of the great image makers.  I think we can also learn from studying the images found in a magazine of LFI's caliber.  Not all of the work featured in LFI resonates with me, but that applies to a minority of the portfolios presented therein.

Quote

Honestly, the best way to learn to use your camera is to use your camera…daily.  That’s especially true for Leica rangefinders which may be the last model of cameras that genuinely require practice to master!

@ken_tanaka states a truth that there is no escaping. 

There is no substitute for thousands of hours with your eye glued to the viewfinder eyepiece and pushing the shutter button.

Edited by Herr Barnack
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https://lfi-online.de/ceemes/en/gallery/m-mastershots.html is LFI on-line. It has lots of photographs under various genre headings and one can select which Leica camera you want to see pictures from as well. The filters are very helpful if you only want to see cars, or street or glamour etc.  It is not a teaching site, but as Herr Barnack said spending time looking at photographs is a good way to learn.  I enjoy the site a great deal. 

 

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