Mastering the Art: A Pro Photographer's Tale with Leica M Camera
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- Опубліковано 11 жов 2024
- In this episode, I reflect on my 4 years using the Leica M system for my editorial and personal photography by showing you the first story I ever photographed with it documenting the last two northern white rhinos left in the world.
Northern White Rhino Photo Story
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Good for Leica to have corporate citizenship and be philanthropic. Honestly, I will be more apt to buy a Leica camera because they support the work of wildlife photographers like you and help share the spotlight with animals in need.
That makes me happy and Leica would be lucky to have you as a user :).
Gorgeous photography
Thank you Phil , I appreciate that.
Great video…I have a Q2 and love it! Thanks for sharing…Cheers, be safe..
Thanks for watching Alejandro and for taking time to comment. Enjoy that Q2.
I can see your excitement. Im extactic
Good, i'm glad that was evident :).
Fantastic photos Justin and loving your channel plus your website with the wonderful photo stories on there. A Leica M system is still my aspirational nirvana but right now I’m still enjoying shooting in manual with my Fujifilm X100V
thank you so much Andy, I appreciate your kind words.
My man at it again 👌🏾
Thanks JK , thrilled this episode did so well , at least relative to my other videos , as this is my type of topic :).
First class explanation and images
Thank you Graham, was worried it would be a little too long but people have responded well so I’m happy.
Yep, good insight. Having just moved into the M system with the M9, all platitudes and cliches thrown at the brand are true. It’s a camera, and I just love how it feels and works, and the image quality, even on the aging M9 is superb.
Indeed Darren, that M9 is still a gorgeous camera. I just did a fun little episode about the M9-P Hermes Edition, coming out this week. It was purchased for 50K and now I'm told it's worth 100K.
Great video as always, Justin! I’ve circled back to your channel recently and it’s still as great as I remember from when I found it last year. I just made the jump from my Leica M240 to an M6 which has me excited. Looking forward to more content from you in the future - in my opinion as a fellow professional in the industry, it’s some of the best advice for photographers on UA-cam. Cheers!
Thank you Chance , I’m trying to mix it up these days adding some vlog style fun content as well and hoping to keep improving the channel overall. UA-cam has been fun for me as I enter into doing more teaching it’s an incredible outlet .
Congrats on the M6, I’m considering going back to an M6 as well for certain projects , that was my first Leica ever. I appreciate the kind words , thanks brother.
Hey man great video … I would lower the music or just get rid of it. What you say was far more important than the music.
Thanks Eric, a few people have said the same and I rely on you guys for this type of feedback. I still like having it in there a little but I’ll lower it significantly for my next video which I’m editing now as I read this :).
yes the music is really too intrusive and in combination with you talking very quick I was overhelmed. But the content was very interesting 😊
Wow beautiful work with your M10p. Your photos are full of story and emotions. I’m a hobbyist photographer and while I captured a single moment in time. I have yet to capture the emotions that go with the images. Just purchased SL2s with 24-70/2.8 today. Can’t wait for it to arrive and hope I can slowdown and photograph something with emotions. You gave earn my like and a subscriber. Aloha from Hawaii 🌺🌺🌺
Aloha and thanks for the subscribe I appreciate it. You can capture emotions, you just need a project to focus on to give you the opportunities to do so. Find a project that your passionate about.
Love it. Nicely done!
Thanks Joan
Nice one. Good call. I currently use the M10 (also the M240, M9, M3, M4 and M6). Love them to bits.
Thanks Izzy , that’s quite the collection you got there :)
Simply brilliant!! Bravo!
Thanks Richard, much appreciated and thanks for taking the time to comment.
Thank you for your always interesting and informative videos.
I'm lucky to have over the years acquired the SL2-S (for portraits, sports), an M11 for reportage (35mm + 50mm + 90mm) and the last one a Q2M.. I know that the Q3 is coming... I love my Q2M in the evening or for night photography, but I admit that I sometimes miss the color of the Q2... I hesitate to resell my Q2M and to take the futur Q3...
Do you think that's wise?
The problem when you love LEICA and their fabulous camera is that you are like children who want everything! 🙂
Great set up , so hard to know what to keep and what to sell without knowing you and your work better.
@@AskMOTT Thank you for your reply. You are right, it all depends of course on his practice.
I will continue my reflection and focus my photo practice to better answer it ;-)
I learned photography with film in the 1970s, then gave it up for a while only to return to the new, to me, digital world 12 or so years ago. Last year I turned to the Leica M 240 because I could not get comfortable with autofocus, which, with all the other automatic capabilities and endless options on my Canon DSLR left me feeling less than a photographer and more like I was just manipulating another computing device. It made me feel rather helpless too, in that I still had the original configuration of how a film camera worked as my imprinting. The Leica M returned me to the way I fell in love with photography-shutter speed dial on top, aperture ring on the lens, manual focus, and manual “film speed” aka ISO. And the funny thing is how much more I consider composition now because shooting manually requires my attention, my concentration in the moment of taking the picture. Through this focus of attention, I see better, and there is also a therapeutic effect, perhaps nostalgic, but I like to shoot now the way I shot back then, with every aspect conscious and intentional. I’m so very grateful that Leica kept the faith. And one big bonus-my old Leica M-mount lenses all work with any M camera!
Thank you for sharing your story Olaf, I can completely relate on everything you said especially the going from Canon to Leica part.
Love, love, love this vlog brother. ✌🏾&💜
Thank you , wasn’t sure how it would go over sharing so many photos as these type of blogs never do well but I love making them :).
I recently picked up an M10-R and the two biggest benefits for me are 1. the lightness and unobtrusiveness of the small camera and lens at my side, and 2. the mental process of anticipating the shots by being aware of where my focus scale and aperture are set so that I am ready to quickly get the shot. My Canon R5 is a fantastic camera, but after a while it starts to feel like playing a video game. In contrast the Leica brings me back to the basics of photography and allows me to keep my focus on the subject, not on the menu system.
Well said Greg, I feel the same way. I use a Sony for commercial hotel work for a variety of reason but honestly that menu system is just terrible. I can’t understand why they can’t improve it drastically.
Truth. If it works for you and you love it. Why not? Great video!
Thanks Alex , hope you like my new Leica series coming soon inspired by our conversations:)
Love this! That shot that paid for the camera is an incredible shot! I’m about 5 weeks into my M10-D, and even moving from the M240, I feel like the camera has changed my perspective. The thing that I love most, and isn’t available on any other digital camera I’ve seen, is the total lack of buttons to get bumped, or changed accidentally. I turn the power on, and shoot manually, most of the time the metering is reliable, and I feel like I’m totally in control, for the first time since I gave up film a decade ago. I hope to see you make more M10-D videos, perhaps some street photography stuff in the future?
Great to hear from a fellow M10D person :). I’ll be doing some street photography episodes soon :), thanks for the suggestions
I LOVE this episode :) I'm a range finder shooter for sure and I find myself now only being able to shoot in "manual mode." It'd be a dream to own an M10D!! Oh, and those Leica colors -- I LOVE them so. Appreciate this episode and your beautiful work always!!!
Thanks so much Linda , I’m curious to hear your thoughts on my latest Leica Journal series.
As always, a great video. Your images of the Rhinos are superb. I share your passion for the Leica M system. Still have my M3 for nostalgia sake, but my go to is the M10R with M10M as I love B&W. I especially identify with the concepts of slowing down and shooting manual.
Thank you Sanford, I think you’ll like my episode coming out later this week.
What an amazingly inspiring story!! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Rob, I've got 3 more Leica focused episodes coming out this week :).
Hi loved your vlog but need advise on what lenses you use!!! You’re my idol!!!! Great photos out there!!!
Thanks brother :). I do offer one on one consultation. www.askmottbyjustinmott.com/photography-coaching/p/portfolio-review-mh2s3
True Justin, it slows you down but forces the best out you. M10R
Absolutely Armando , and I just overall enjoy the experience using it.
Thanks for sharing this, great rundown. I’m currently shooting with a Fuji XT4 and I have a similar experience of enjoying the love of photography without all of the fancy buttons and features of a more technically capable Canon or Sony
My thoughts exactly Peter, thanks for taking the time to comment. I've heard good things about the Fuji system, lots my subscribers use them.
Awesome video thoughts and images Justin. I'm still working the day job in newspapers on a regional daily in NZ, not exactly the NY Times but hey I love it and the things it teaches me, anyway I shoot Canon at work can't fault it, on my own time I shoot all brands, models formats, love them all. I started to shoot film again just for channel content but became instantly addicted again. I did go insane a year or two back and bought a Q2 just to scratch the Leica itch, well no BS no hype no fan boy crap, the Q2 is quite possibly my all time fave camera and lens, it is amazing, If I loose every camera I own aside from the Q2 I'd be happy, it's small, solid, very minimal and capable of truly stunning images, and apparently it shoots video...never tried that bit tho'. If and I mean probably when I go more insane and pick up an M it would have to the M10d, I still shoot film so not having a screen doesn't bother me, and as I'm not overly careful with my gear it takes plenty of knocks so no screen no risk breaking it. Liked and subbed, good to watch and learn from someone who actually knows their stuff and backs it up with cracking Images.
Man my M11 is on my hip all the time! My R5 only comes out when the occasion calls for it! Fun fact, shooting tethered, the internal memory is awesome!
Love this new internal memory trend , so useful. I’m guessing 256gb on future models .
From the Leica III to the latest M - low key the best part of Leica is that they have always prioritized making a camera that is comfortable to carry on a strap. I think this is a underrated quality.
Completely under rated Walter, I rarely see any of tie big name “reviewers” touch on this topic.
While it would not be my personal choice, still what you say makes sense for your application. You have used that piece of gear to the point that you have basically become one with it, and you have used it to the point that you know what you will get before you take the picture. That portion of it makes perfect sense.
Kind of like the old saying: never mess with a man that only owns one gun. Chances are, by now he certainly knows how to use it well! 😉
John , my wife wishes that were the case w me and camera bags but at least w cameras I’m somewhat of a minimalist. BTW , wish I had that line you said about “never messing w a man w one gun” that would’ve been a perfect closer to my video :)
Totally agree with your philosophy. The M10-D is my fetish camera, but far from my capabilities, that's why I bought the X-Pro3, with the screen hidden by default. Thanks to this I have been able to enjoy the slowness in each shot, think, compose in the OVF of course, I don't like watching life on a television XD, shutter speed, aperture and click, to the next... and they still tell me crazy if I don't look at every photo on the screen... blessed madness.
I just picked up an M11 and a pair of lenses recently for work, after I was told I really shouldn't be schlepping the weight of my Nikon Z kit around anymore. It has changed my life. The camera comes with me every time I leave the house. (35mm 'Lux is my go-to lens.) It has re-defined the phrase "Hurry up and Wait." for me. I'm always available to capture the moment, for reasons that you pointed out. (Because the camera and I are always there,) but it makes me slow down, to actually be in the moment. And to make sure I get the moment in the moment. And as I so in-eloquently explained to my SO after I shot my first gig with it, "It reminds me that the work I do is important."
How's that for sounding like a douche? Honestly it is just an amazing bit of kit.
To answer your other question; Rumor has it the M-11M will have 256Gb of Internal memory. I would love to see Leica offer that as un upgrade.
Shooting with that M10D is like shooting with an M6 which I do, only difference is that you see your results once you get home and throw that SD card on your computer, me I have to send my film out and wait, 😩😩. Always LOVED that 10D idea, still do. Great video by the way.
The M experience is unique. Fantastic pictures, do you re touch them a lot with Lightroom?
Thank you Douglas , I do very little in post production.
I’ve moved to the M system because I like the feeling of knowing I hit that focus. I’ve got film/monochrom/digital but they all inform what I do because I enjoy the process. I shoot because I’m SHOCKED when I get a good picture. Thanks for doing this work!
Well said Clint, thanks for taking the time to comment. More Leica content coming this month.
Hello, congratulations on your work. Its the first time i see it and its amazing, the photography but also the channel and content. I am from Portugal and i use a Leica M8 as my favorite camera (the only Leica also) and i love it. I would like to ask you do you think its possible to shoot Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Photography with a Leica M? I know its not the mainstream or the easyest, no auto focus etc....but maybe the final work can have added value! Im near the fighters, so i can adjust the distance easly...what do you say?
The MD 262 is my only digital camera and it`s staying that way!
By the way, a digital Leica without a screen has slowed me down conciderbly. Slowed me down from spending more on another digital camera. It`s also made me a better photographer, it better...!
Excellent work. You are doing some of the best contemporary Leica photography I’ve seen in the past few years. I do wish you’d eliminate the music from the video though. It is super distracting.
Thank you so much John.
Regarding the music, I’ve turned it down significantly on the new videos coming out this week , thanks for the feedback.
@@AskMOTT I just watched your video about how much money you have made as a photographer. That one didn't have music and it worked just fine. But even lowering the music is a big improvement. Thanks. keep it up!
Concur, you didn't sound like a douche. Love the video. Loved my first visit to Vietnam. Thinking hard about your Dec workshop. Hanoi in Dec -- COLD? Be Blessed. Doc Chaps
Come Comms Noel , not too cold, just cold for Vietnam:)
I greatly appreciate your honesty and your insight. You make a very compelling argument for the M cameras. I'm in the process of moving to the Leica system (leaving Nikon). I thought I had decided on the SL2 or SL2-S but I feel myself being drawn toward the M system. Definitely struggling with the decision. Thanks for producing such unique content (and supporting such worthy causes).
Tough call Richard , not a sales pitch but I also do consultations for my 1 on 1 sessions for help w gear purchases. www.justinmott.com/bookme-online-store
I am lucky to have both the M10-D and the SL2. I love both. If I had to choose though... M10-D. Why? The feeling.
@@gjermundhansen7799 Thanks for the replies. I’m visiting the Leica store tomorrow. Looking forward to actual hands on.
@@AskMOTT I’ve considered scheduling some time with you for general photography advice, etc. I’ll check in after visiting the Leica store.
No douche. Just a photographer who knows their tools. Great video.
Glad here I’m not a douche ha ha , thanks for taking the time to comment Chris.
Yes, indeed, learn to shoot Manual. Even though I routinely shoot M cameras in “A,” it is with an understanding of Manual, checking the camera’s shutter speed in the viewfinder. If I see that the shutter speed is going to be too low, I know that I need to open the aperture, reset the ISO, and/or hold more steady. (Though I have a working knowledge of Auto-ISO, I almost always choose a specific ISO setting.)
Great work!
What was the second camera on you (when someone photographed you capturing images of a rhino)? It looks like an M also.
Even in the great image used for the Leica campaign, you can see the limitations of the system: the rhino horn on the left side of the image is cut off.
A Mix of the Leica CL and the M would be perfect
That could also be interesting Steve, but they'd rather you buy both :).
❤M
Nice video as always, Justin. One thing that I still struggle with after about a year and a half of owning my M10R is some framing issues that result from the viewfinder and lens being offset. I'm slowly learning to be mindful of any framing compensations...but I always check my images when it's critical. How do you do that with your M10D?
But, yeah, LOVE the M. I'm at home with it 😊
I missed a couple shots early on w the M10D but I’ve just learned to slow down and be extra cautious with all my shots . Thanks for taking the time to comment Jay . Glad you like that M10r , awesome camera.
Justin great work! And thanks for sharing, one quick question what was/ had been you lens during that documentary?
You mean what lens did it shoot with ? I shot just about everything with the Leica 35mm Summilux.
@@AskMOTT Thanks mate!!!
I get it. I also own an M10-D and will keep it until Leica can't fix it anymore.
I know , I should’ve bought 2 as I’m afraid of the same thing happening :(.
I always enjoy your videos. Do you ever use zone focus or hyperfocal settings for any of your photography?
Thank you William , I don’t typically using those settings w my Leica. Just plain old manual focus :)
I get the purpose of the M10-D. Film cameras don’t have screens and the only real difference is the M10-D shoots digital files rather than film. All the same disciplines and learning using a film camera still apply here. Limitations that force you to perfect your exposure and composition without relying on a screen. I admit I try to turn off my camera’s screen but there’s always the temptation to look at my images. It can be a distraction.
My thoughts as well Joe, this camera makes me disciplined.
I started with film. When I got my first digital camera Lumix G1 it had a full articulating screen. I turned it over because I was worried about breaking the glass on the back against my belt. I totally forgot it had a screen, 2 years later lying on the wet floor I thought wouldn't it be great to have a framing screen off the ground, it did still not twig with me that I had a screen like that. 10 years later and despite knowing I have a screen on this camera now a Fuji's I've never used it. I change settings via the EVF menu but don't change the settings often. The M10-D is made for me, but they are like hens teeth to find and proportionately more expensive then new against used M10P. "s.I hope Leica issue a M11-D, their App is meant to be really good and they have a new attachable EVF to cater for those who need or times to change settings. I'm not in the new Leica price bracket, but I find a way somehow.
Which is the lenses that you use on the M system? 😊
That was a great one! Thank you very much. I have three of Leica's fastest M lenses. I haven't seen many photographers talk about the quality of Leica lenses. If I have a sturdy table to rest my camera on, I can shoot a person 30 ft. away and see the screws in their glasses or a strand of their hair. Perhaps you can do the same with a lightweight plastic lens from Canon. I don't know, but I think you pay for the Leica glass, access to Leica M lenses. It's NOT the Leica body.
Well said , Leica glass is where it all starts .
Bam.
What features do you want Leica's next M Model to have?
Don't need the next M model. I got the MP and the M10. Good enough for however long they will physically last.
I'm more than happy with my M10-D
I don't need anything added
I have an M11 and if it never improved beyond this, I’d be fine BUT to answer your question and in an ideal world I would love it if Leica somehow found a way to license that incredible EVF/Optical hybrid viewfinder tech from Fuji or just straight do their own version of it! The current EVF for the M11 is a nice edition and welcomed for those of us who occasionally venture into super wides or anything longer than 50 but I just wish it was internal rather than an appendage that’s sticks out and risks being knocked about or left behind. Their claim has been that an in-built EVF is not in the ethos of the M. To that I say well then make two different versions for those of us who want it for the aforementioned lenses or who’s eyes aren’t quite what they used to be 🤷🏾.
Keep up the great work. I really appreciate your common sense/direct approach.
✌🏾&💜
40mm framelines.
you happy with the M10series? Do you plan to upgrade to an M11?
Totally happy Timothy , I don’t think I’ll upgrade any time soon but you never know :)
You don’t sound like a douche Justin. By the way, I really love your houseplants. Monstera is one of my favorites!
Thanks Richard abd thank you from my wife, she’s our resident green thumb :).
You talk about the body, but what len(es) are you using for it or with it most?
Great question, I covered that a while back and should've dropped it in this episode as well. I use the 35mm Summilux for just about everything I shoot.
Thanks for sharing your story and experience with the M system. Your images from that white rhino project are fantastic! I recently picked up an M9 as an affordable way to test out the M system and I am loving the simplicity of the camera, the optical viewfinder, and the image quality. Having come from a long film background, it feels more intuitive to use, almost like my Canon F1 (apart from the rangefinder.) Switching back to my Sony a7RII feels much less intuitive, even tho I have been using that camera for 7 years. Oh, I also leave my screen off on the M9 and use it more like the M10-D, which is the camera I originally wanted but it wasn't in the budget.
Thanks for saying that about my images and thanks for sharing your Leica experience. It’s so awesome to hear everyone unique experiences using a Leica M system.
They should sell the camera with the beanie ...
It’s not a beanie it’s a miki hat , huge difference. It’s like calling a Q and an M :).
You don't sound like a douche. You have passion. I don't hear any pompous-ness in your delivery. My first video of yours I watched was when you explained the hasselblad camera you were using. And I could tell that you were picking your cameras from the perspective of someone who was a problem solver. Not to collect. Not to impress others. To do photography. When I'm out and about and I see someone with a camera. I don't ask what kind of camera is that. I ask. Hey what kind of photography do you do? Because to me that's what it's all about.
I appreciate that Tim , I think I’m just scarred from the comments section of the articles I wrote in this camera years ago published in PetaPixel but that was simply the wrong audience and you guys and gals are the right audience :).
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.
Too old to shoot manually, unfortunately. But I'm with you in spirit, brother!
Thanks John , I’m getting there too :). How are your project coming along ?
@@AskMOTT really well, but I had to get through a couple of health problems first, so I'm back on track.
@@johnkosterimages Glad to hear you're back on track John :).
The LEICA M is a photography handicap.
Rhino shot with the M10-D, Leica buy it to sell the Leica Q.😆😬
In their campaign they said shot on Leica M I believe , unless they changed it somehow. I did take a couple shots of the rhinos w a Q on my second visit :).
@@AskMOTT it’s a great shot… they’d be silly not to get their money’s worth out of it 👍🏻
I love the Q, great camera.
You said to shoot manual, just in passing, without explaining. So explain!
Will do Tony, video coming soon, no need to exclamation point me, but since you did here are a few back at you !!!
demanding
my m just died in thailand hoping its a easy fix
Oh no Dave, that's terrible How did that happen?
@@AskMOTT I think the heat , very hot day elephant trekking hoping the travel insurance can help
I don't baby my cameras lol
I understand all of why you shoot the M-10D and they are all good reasons. My response is you could be shooting the X2D which has really sweet images (great color and detail) and is not really all that much heavier so you can wear it around your neck like the Leica (660g vs 895g). It has IBIS, 16 bit color, 15 stop dynamic range. But you have shot HB and are back to Leica so I suspect you have a special bond with the cameras. Your shot of the White Rhino with the game warden (?) make your point, though. And there are others, but that is your command of light.
Thanks for your comment Zoltan. I actually shot side by side w the originally X1D and the Leica M for a week straight and while I loved the files I didn’t like the overall experience as much. But honestly , the feel and design of the X1D is still pretty amazing .
@@AskMOTT I get being hooked on the M bodies. And you are paying the rent with cameras so you go with what works best for you. And it damned sure "works best" for you. Your command of light, color and composition are inspiring and challenging. I understand your bragging on the White Rhino and gamekeeper. That is among your best. Kudos. RI rules. ;o)
Don't you miss the screen somtimes, just to quickly check in case of critical shots? Of course there's Leica Photos but that's a bit fiddely.
I’d say he doesn’t. Film shooters don’t have a screen to look at and it’s just a discipline that helps people learn to get the shot right without needing to see the image. As a street photographer myself, the temptation to look at the screen is an unhelpful distraction.
Leica’s build quality is awful. I’ve owned three of their models, all bought new: M9 needed replacing due to the internal battery failing and the camera resetting every time it was switched on/off, I had 4 replacement Q2’s due to dust issues and multiple hot pixels and I recently purchased a new M11 it has now been sent to Germany for a ‘Repair VSOK printed circuit’ and requires a 4 month repair time. Shoddy.
Great blog, that awful musing got me, could not watch it till the end.
Hello Jan, a few people commented on that so my apologies, and thanks for the feedback. I was trying something new out while simultaneously using new editing software. The next videos I've lowered it significantly.