kenneth Posted August 23, 2009 Share #1 Posted August 23, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have been interested in photography for over 45 years mainly concentrating on mountain landscape, climbing and mountaineering photography on colour reversal Kodakchrome using mainly Nikon SLR's from Nikon F through to F3HP. Due to illness the opportunity to visit mountain areas was no longer possible and my camera stayed in it's bag gathering dust. I have long considered moving to a rangefinder camera and in 2008 I traded in my Nikon FM2n and bought a mint condition M6 with 35mm Summicron asph. Suddenly I viewed photography in a totally different light concentrating solely on B&W. I automatically saw new potential for photographs and any subject was fair game. Looking through the M6 viewfinder meant that I did not feel separated from the photographic process. I was part of the scene and reacting to it on a much more intimate level. The quietness of the M6 enabled me to be far more part of the scene without feeling like an intruder. Very soon I realised that the taking was only part of the process of making pictures and the darkroom was equally important to how I related to the final print. Through the valuable help I have received through this forum I have been able to set up a darkroom, something I haven't done for 30 years, and realise the full potential of my photography. I don't plan to take colour reversal any more as there is a lifetimes learning to be done on B&W and thanks to a little unobtrusive rangefinder camera I am thoroughly absorbed and blissfully happy in my chosen medium. I guess change was the key Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 23, 2009 Posted August 23, 2009 Hi kenneth, Take a look here M6 restores my interest in photography. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
wda Posted August 23, 2009 Share #2 Posted August 23, 2009 Kenneth, you sound like a very contented photographer! I do hope your health has risen to match your contentment. Enjoy your M6 as it could be a companion for life. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hiles Posted August 23, 2009 Share #3 Posted August 23, 2009 Kenneth, Good for you. A fine photographic story. Glad to hear you have learned here - I certainly have. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenneth Posted August 23, 2009 Author Share #4 Posted August 23, 2009 Kenneth, you sound like a very contented photographer! I do hope your health has risen to match your contentment. Enjoy your M6 as it could be a companion for life. David, you are right, I am extremely contented. Four strokes, a near fatal heart attack and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, no the health could be better but now I have the opportunity of making pictures anywhere the pull of the mountains is not as crucial as it was. I can find subjects on my doorstep. One M6 became two plus a couple of lenses and my darkroom. That is maybe as good as it gets- thank you Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Henry Posted August 24, 2009 Share #5 Posted August 24, 2009 Kenneth, You are right to come back to the film with your M6 I am also in the same case. I feel a huge pleasure to use once again my M7 and my R8 or R4s (with their wonderful R or M lens) to come back to the film. There is a side i do not know whatever in the film is not found in digital something more or this impossible nuance you can find in digital ! Are you agreed with my opinion? It is perhaps more "artistic" and the research of "nuances" in b&w (or in color) encourages me to go towards the film. Perhaps i felt a little of "coldness" in the digital picture! I can say it after 1 year of use of my 2 M8..... As I always said : "High fidelity in photo as high fidelity in sound" Regards Henry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted Lemon Posted August 24, 2009 Share #6 Posted August 24, 2009 Kenneth - I went through the same process but with an M7 after years with Nikons - you are so right - it restores ones basic love of photographic in its purest form. I recently went walking in the Lake District, that was good enough but with a Leica M on my shoulder made it a total joy. I hope you carry on your recovery. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenneth Posted August 24, 2009 Author Share #7 Posted August 24, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Kenneth - I went through the same process but with an M7 after years with Nikons - you are so right - it restores ones basic love of photographic in its purest form. I recently went walking in the Lake District, that was good enough but with a Leica M on my shoulder made it a total joy. I hope you carry on your recovery." Ted, I totally agree. For me the beauty of M cameras and in particular the M6 it has everything you need and nothing superfluous you don't need. Although I have a Billingham 225 bag which holds my entire outfit I rarely carry it as I like the freedom of having, as you say, an M over my shoulder and nothing more. If I have chosen the wrong lens combination for my proposed task in hand well that's OK. Also the viewfinder gives me more of a feeling of being part of the event unlike an SLR which I find separates me and has an isolating effect. This is something I never realised in all the years I used Nikon cameras. Interestingly, my very first camera 45 years ago was a Yashica Minister which was a coupled rangefinder camera but when I was young I felt I looked more like a pro with an SLR. I recently added a Gossen Starlite Spot-meter which gives incredibly accurate assessment of pin point light conditions but I tested it on a lightbox against the M6's built in meter and the readings were identical which says a lot for the cameras meter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest darkstar2004 Posted August 24, 2009 Share #8 Posted August 24, 2009 Kenneth, Thanks for sharing your story - it is very similar to my experience with my MP and Tri-X film. I'm glad to hear that the quiet renaissance continues to grow. The elemental simplicty of a Leica film camera, the stunning results produced by M lenses and the beauty of black and white prints is oftentimes overlooked by the masses who have been caught up in digital hysteria and the stampede pursuit of the latest stealth bomber technology digital super camera. Sometimes it happens that in going back, we go forward... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicajh Posted August 24, 2009 Share #9 Posted August 24, 2009 That my friend is what Leica is all about. I am happy for you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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