Photo is copyright Lesley Ann Ercolano (Edinburg, Scotland) - winning 1st place in 2013.
The third annual Miami Street Photography Festival (MSPF), in partnership with Leica Camera, will once again showcase the best of contemporary street photography, as viewed through the eyes of emerging photographers in the genre. “We are very excited to be partnering again this year with Leica in hosting this world class photography event,” said festival founder Juan Jose Reyes. “The goal of the festival is to establish a global platform for learning through exhibitions, workshops, lectures and other activities, and to elevate Miami as a center for photography.”
Dubbed by Harper's Bazaar Hotlist as an "Art Basel Top Ten" in its inaugural season, this year's event will take place December 4-7, 2014 at Kike San Martin Studio in Miami's vibrant Wynwood Art District during the height of Art Basel. Featured guests include world renowned Magnum photographers Alex Webb, Susan Meiselas, and Constantine Manos, along with poet/photographer Rebecca Norris Webb and National Geographic's Maggie Steber. In addition to a full schedule of daily events and workshops, the festival will play host to an international street photography exhibit, with top prize selected by the festival's esteemed panel of featured photographers.
Photographers of all levels and experience are invited to submit their street images for an opportunity to be showcased in the 2014 festival’s main exhibit, as selected by a panel of highly reputed street photographers from the international collective, OBSERVE, and from the acclaimed UrbanPicnic Street Photography group.
Guidelines and rules for submitting images can be found at http://www.miamistreetphotographyfestival.org, as well as a full schedule of complimentary activities and featured events. The deadline for entry is October 20, 2014.
Along with Leica Camera, this year's partners include Leica Store Miami, Impress DC Media, Miami-Dade College, Ona Fine Camera Bags, Viewbook, ISP/International Street Photographer Magazine, APF Magazine, Around Town Magazine and Dina Mitrani Gallery.
Contact:
Juan Jose Reyes,
Executive Director
jjreyes(at)miamistreetphotographyfestival(dot)org
954-559-4481
Veronica Valle,
Associate Director
v.valle(at)miamistreetphotographyfestival(dot)org
305-978-7931
Lynne Kaplan,
Associate Director
lkaplan(at)miamistreetphotographyfestival(dot)org
305-790-0293
Get out the sugar, flour, and baking supplies, we're bringing back our Holiday Cookie Contest and have some new things in store!
The idea behind this competition comes from the German tradition of spending time in the kitchen during the holiday season baking up “plaetzchen,” sweet cookies that come in all shapes and colors. The cookies are a great way to show off your creativity and gift to your family and friends in addition to being a nice treat to enjoy for yourself too. Now is your chance to share your photographic sweets with us. It's time to hit the kitchen and bake up a treat with a Leica and photography theme.
This year's competition will be hosted on Instagram! One winner will receive a Leica T and an interview with their work will be featured on the blog.
It's easy to enter: Simply upload a photo of your treat to Instagram with #DasPlaetzchen and follow Leica Camera.
Here are the official terms:
Your cookies, sweets (or whatever you would like to bake) have to relate in some way to Leica and photography
Dortmund's children at the Kleine Kielstraße and Diesterweg Primary Schools have, through the initiative of Kinderlachen e.V. - unleashed their creativity. They have painted and decorated 140 cardboard Leica M cameras that will be on display in Wetzlar's Leitz Park. In return for the colorful and unique works of art, Leica Camera has given support to the non-profit organization and has made two unique cameras in the Kinderlachen design available. The cameras, a Leica M (Type 240) and a Leica M-E that were designed by the Munich artist Helmut Lutter, true to those created by the third and fourth graders Nesrin and René.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view. Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
The original German press release translated to English:
Colorful Leica cameras for a good cause
Dortmund's primary school children Small Kielstrasse and Diesterweg Primary School have left to the initiative of children's laughter eV unleash their creativity. You have cardboard variations the Leica M rangefinder camera according to their own ideas painted and decorated. The result: 140 small works of art that are currently issuing the Leica Camera AG Leitz Wetzlar Park. In return for the colorful unique Leica Camera supports non-profit organization and has made two unique cameras in the children's laughter design available. The cameras, a Leica M (type 240) and a Leica ME were designed by the Munich artist Helmut Lutter true to the created by the third and fourth graders Nesrin and René motifs from two cardboard cameras.
Markus Limberger, as a member of the Board of Leica Camera AG also responsible for the production and Gerhard Bayer, CEO of CW Special Optik GmbH, the two colorful cameras presented once before on the big kids laugh Gala on November 29, 2014 in Dortmund Westfalen Halle , The individual pieces will be auctioned in the coming weeks for a good cause. The auction proceeds will go to 100 percent benefit of the projects of the charitable children's laughter eV.
Comedian and presenter, singer and actor Matze Knop had made as children laugh Ambassador together with the artist Helmut Lutter previously in Leitz Wetzlar Park personally by the colorful camera exhibition and the quality of the children's laughter cameras an image. Production Director Markus Limberger was impressed by the variety of painted Pappkameras: "The imagination of the children is great! The selection of subjects for our two Leica cameras fell really hard at this bandwidth imaginative designs. The more I am me, when at the auction of these unique pieces as possible large sums of money for a good cause can be achieved. "
The 140 Pappkameras Dortmund elementary school students are still visible in the exciting world of Leica Camera AG Leitz Wetzlar Park until the end of January 2015. The opening times of the Leica experience range and the Leica Gallery (in the Leitz-Park 5, 35578 Wetzlar) are available from Monday to Friday from 10 to 20 clock and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 to 18 clock. Admission is free.
About the laughter of children e.V.
Children's laughter eV supports only with donations since 2002 children's hospitals, children's hospices, day care centers, kindergartens and individual destinies in Germany. Financing is not only much needed materials, furniture and medical equipment. Even dreams and wishes of children who can not be bought, are met. To help celebrities from entertainment, business, sport, or conveying members at events. Children's laughter patrons include Michael Rummenigge and Matze Knop. As ambassadors are Tom Lehel Charlotte Engelhardt (Engelhardt), Nika Krosny, Ingo Anderbrügge, Ayman, Marina Kiel man, Neven Subotic, Madlen Kaniuth, Andrea Kiewel, Marc Marshall, the Germany-eighth and Peter Illman available. Have launched children's laughter eV Christian Vosseler and Marc Peine. More information is available under www.kinderlachen.de or www.facebook.com/Kinderlachen.eV.
About Leica Camera
The Leica Camera AG is an international manufacturer of premium cameras and sport optics products. The foundation for the myth of the Leica brand have laid the optics of the traditional company. In conjunction with innovative technologies, they provide up today for a better picture in all situations around the seeing and perceiving. The headquarters of Leica Camera AG is located in the Hessian town of Wetzlar, the second production site in Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal. The company has its own offices in England, France, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, South Korea, Italy, Australia and the USA. New, innovative products have driven the positive development of the company in the recent past.
Exclusive La Vida Leica news! You may have heard the name Daniel Arsham before. He's a New York based artist who has been creating some very unique and interesting sculptures (including cameras) made of various stone materials. Turns out, he's even made a Leica camera or two (as is seen above). As you may also know, Leica Store Los Angeles sold their popular Fake Leica sculpture over the summer last year, in 2014 - leaving a large void where it once stood. This coming February 7, 2015 the void will be no more and filled with a glass showcase containing 25 life-sized Leica cameras, with five each of a different material by Arsham - including quartz, volcanic ash, and obsidian.
A gentleman by the name of Levison Wood has taken it upon himself to walk up the Nile from its source all the way to the delta. No small feat, it spanned 3,750 miles, 7 countries and took 12 months. It would have been 4,250 miles had it not been for fighting in the Sudan that forced him to stop. Along for this epic journey was his trusty Leica camera. Check out his book on the journey called, Walking the Nile, the Channel 4 site of the TV program which is currently showing episodes on Sundays or the Facebook page.
You may recognize this promotional piece from the Kinderlachen cameras for a good cause story back in December. Turns out, it has won an award under the "Best Practice" category. The WA Media Verlag based in Cologne has since 2002 honored innovative and trendsetting promotional materials with the Promotional Gift Award. At this year's competition, 257 projects were submitted with a total of 52 winning awards. One of the winners was developed by the STI Group for Leica Camera AG - a construction paper Leica M camera. The Promotional Gift Award honors creative achievements in the field of product development and campaign implementation. Advertising agencies and advertising companies, designers, suppliers of promotional products and traders can submit their own haptic advertising for the Promotional Gift Award. The award ceremony will take place on March 25, 2015 at the Haptica show in Cologne.
Lumu, the folks behind the Lumu Light Meter (which we reviewed - see link), are hosting "The Ansel Adams Contest." The prize is the fantastic Ansel Adams at 100 book. The contest requires the submission of one (or more) black and white images of nature in the spirit of Ansel Adams, and runs from January 28 to February 11, 2015. The entries will be judged by Peter Essick, who has been a frequent contributor to National Geographic magazine for 25 years. He is a World Press Photo Award winner and his photographs have featured in Time Magazine’s Great Images of the 20th Century and in the 100 Best Photographs of National Geographic.
If you're in certain circles of the Leica community, you may have heard of London Walk, a.k.a. LNDNWLK (which one of our Exposure photographers, Johnny Patience put together). Spun off of the huge success behind it, comes the first New England Photo Walk - and is coming May 15, 2015 to Portsmouth, NH! Walk, talk, shoot then pop into a pub for a few beers! As luck would have it, this event is also being put together by a past Exposure photographer, valued friend and contributor to La Vida Leica, Ray Larose! Both Richard Photo Lab and Hunt’s Photo & Video will be supporting this event! We're spreading the word - so if you're able, go and check it out!
Leica Camera was awarded two of the coveted iF Design 2015 Awards in Munich on February 27, 2015 . The awards are sorted into five disciplines: Product, Packaging, Communication, Interior Architecture and Professional Concept. Under each discipline are multiple categories, and in all - 75 awards are given out. The first award was for gold in the Product category, under "audio/video" for the Leica T camera. The second was a design award under the same category, for the Leica M "Edition 60" camera.
The press release (translated from German via Google):
Award at the iF Design Award 2015: Leica T wins iF gold award
The Leica Camera AG, Wetzlar, has been awarded two products at this year's iF Design Award. The iF gold award in the discipline "Product" went into the category Audio / video camera Leica T. In the same category, the Leica M Edition 60 received a design award. The product design of the two award-winning Leica cameras was created in collaboration with AUDI style.
The iF Design Award 2015 was awarded in the five disciplines Product, Packaging, Communication, Interior Architecture and Professional Concept. Each discipline includes various subcategories in each of which an iF gold award is awarded. The awarding of the best 75 contestants took on February 27, 2015 in Munich before some 2,000 guests from the international design scene, media, business and politics instead. The world-renowned iF seal of approval stands since 1953 for outstanding design and excellent design work to promote the automobile companies themselves, as well as design agencies.
The Leica T camera impressed with its distinctive design, which is characterized by clean lines, smooth surfaces and reduced forms. One of the outstanding features is its strong and compact body, which is made from a single piece of aluminum block with innovative precision engineering in the Leica factory. The use of high quality materials and complex manufacturing process are unique in-camera production and give the Leica T its distinctive look, feel and durability. Exceptional design and thereby reduced to essential functions, provides the camera system Leica T with a portfolio of precision high-performance lenses everything combined with the best image result is the pure, creative photography.
The "Leica M Edition 60", a special edition for the 60th anniversary of the Leica rangefinder system consisting of a digital Leica MP camera (model 240) and the bright lens Leica Summilux-M. 1: 1,4 / 35 mm ASPH, stung by Product Features and processing out. So the "Leica M Edition 60" the first digital camera without display, the radically focuses on the functions that are required for photographing: speed, aperture, distance, and ISO sensitivity. Working with the Leica M Edition 60 requires therefore aware of the same care of the operation as analog models, the sensor and all the electronics correspond to the latest technology noteworthy feature is the very high processing the Leica M Edition. 60: for the visible metal parts of the camera and lens is stainless steel is used, which is very complex in its cultivation. Similarly, strong as resistant, the material guarantees long value retention and gives the products a noble look with a silky luster.
Today we're very happy to present an in-depth report by James Lehrer, who was on assignment for La Vida Leica at the U.S. edition of the celebrated art fair at Paris Photo Los Angeles from May 1-3, 2015. It was held in the backlot of Paramount Studios in Hollywood.
On Friday, March 1 I attended the opening day of Paris Photo LA, a three-day fair held on the backlot and in several sound stages at Paramount Pictures Studios. The press kit notes that Paris Photo was created in 1996 and is the most prestigious art fair dedicated to historical and contemporary photography. It takes place twice annually: at the Grand Palais in Paris in the fall and at Paramount Pictures Studios in Los Angeles in the spring. Paris Photo is attended by collectors of contemporary and modern art, photography professionals, artists, and a growing audience of art appreciators. Each Paris Photo edition is unique and brings together a diverse group of exhibitors with collections focused on the photographic medium. A public program is an integral component of both fairs and is built around cultural events involving artists, art world professionals, collectors, and both international and local cultural institutions. This year, Paris Photo LA is presenting 79 art galleries and specialized art book dealers. Fair partners are J. P. Morgan and BMW; Leica Store and Gallery LA is Associate Partner.
This was my first time attending the fair, and also my first visit to Paramount Pictures Studios. I brought my M9 with a Summicron-M 35mm lens so that I could share some of my impressions with LVL's members.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Paramount Pictures Studios is over 100 years old, and is the only major motion picture studio still located in Hollywood. Visitors to the Fair enter the Studios through the nondescript Gower Avenue gate, after parking in an adjacent structure. Between Paris Photo staff and Paramount security personnel, visitors are processed into the fair without fuss or delay. Aided by a fold-out map and excellent signage, attendees make their way through a warren of offices with evocative names such as "The Mae West Building" and huge, hanger-like sound stages with less-titillating names like "Stage 32." Overlooking our route to the backlot is a water tower emblazoned with the Paramount Pictures logo. I thought of some the famous people who had walked these alleyways in decades past: Clara Bow, Cecil B. DeMille, W. C. Fields, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, and Gary Cooper, to name just a few.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Paris Photo and Paramount have provided several convenient bars and outdoor cafes were visitors may purchase alcoholic beverages, soft drinks and snacks. The 85-degree temperature and considerable walking required to see all the exhibits made these watering-holes a necessity.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Fellow LVL-ers will not be surprised that my first stop was Stage 32, location of the Leica Store and Gallery LA exhibit.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Stepping from the hot sunlight into the air-conditioned cavern of Stage 32, it took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust. I was welcomed by James Agnew, the Leica Store LA's Manager and Paris Chong from the Leica Gallery LA. James said that if I could circle back to the exhibit a little later, he would be able to show me the newest Leica M camera: the Monochrome version of the M/M-P (Type 246). To tide me over, he and Paris presented me with a copy of Volume 2 of M Magazine, hot off the press, and the Paris Photo LA VIP catalog. My Leica-lust temporarily sated, I strolled Leica's exhibit of François Fontaine’s work entitled "SILENZIO!"
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Fontaine's images are described as "[a]n homage to the cinema of the 40s to today," and they resonate with the cinematically-historic venue.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Taking my leave, temporarily, of James and Paris, I began navigating the other exhibits in Stage 32. A heavily-accented voice brought me up short: "That's quite a nice camera you have there." The speaker was a well-dressed bespectacled gentleman, the silky sheen of a limited M Edition Leica 60 glowing from his chest. "I could say the same of you" I replied. I had made the acquaintance of Hartmut Hennige, founder of the international online I-Shot-It photo competition.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Helmut explained that I-Shot-It is a continuously-running contest in which participants pay a small fee for each entry, which goes towards the prizes which include cash and various Leica cameras. The more people who enter the competition, the greater the prize money. Well-known independent judges choose the winning photo in various catagories such as landscape, wildlife, children, and black & white. There is also a free weekly competition, judged by the users. Helmut is a delightful gentleman, and I was glad for his company at various points in the afternoon.
About half of the exhibitors set up their displays in sound stages, the others are installed in the ground floors of various backlot buildings comprising Paramount Pictures' New York street set. Among these are the specialized art book dealers.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
These sets are not false fronts, they are functional buildings. As I walked these "streets" my imagination took me to some of the older neighborhoods in Manhattan which I explored many years ago with my Dad. The big fresnel spotlights on the rooftops were something of a clue as to the true nature of this "neighborhood."
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Taschen (above) has an exhibit entitled "Its Just a Shot Away: The Rolling Stones in Photographs." Aperture's corner bookshop stocks its current titles including collections by Danny Lyon, Stephen Shore, Mary Ellen Mark, Josef Koudelka, Martin Parr, Paul Strand, Diane Arbus and Bruce Davidson, among others.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
My Ona Prince Street bag got considerably heavier following my stroll to the storefront maintained by Artbook/D.A.P. The shelves in this shop bulge with a terrific selection of photo books, among which is a locked showcase containing a mouth-watering collection of rare, out-of-print and signed books.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
The added weight in my bag was a copy of "Before Color" by William Eggleston, published by Steidl. Me, browsing that store with a credit card in my pocket, was simply a disaster waiting to happen; I got out while the getting was good, and continued perambulating old New York.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Before leaving the fair, I circled back to the Leica Store and Gallery LA exhibit, and caught a glimpse of the new Monochrome model. It had attracted a gaggle of gear-heads, and I was hesitant to get too close for fear of getting trampled, or drooled on.
If you haven't been to one of the Paris Photo exhibitions, you should get it on your calendar. In a very enjoyable day spent in a most interesting venue, you get a cross-sectional view of what's going on in the photographic arts field, feed your book habit, and meet some very interesting people.
The Vladimir Panasenko exhibition "C’est La Vie in B&W" is now open at Leica Store San Francisco and runs from April 27 until July 2, 2015. You can register for the reception on May 7, 2015 - or stop by the store anytime for the exhibition, which is open Monday-Friday, 10am-6pm and Saturday, 10am-4pm. Scroll down for photos of his unique cameras!
C’est la Vie in B&W
Photographs by Vladimir Panasenko
April 27 - July 2, 2015
(San Francisco, California) – The gallery at Leica Store San Francisco is thrilled to present a world premier exhibition – C’est la Vie in B&W, a collection of photographs by Vladimir Panasenko.
Born in Kharkov, Ukraine in 1939, at an early age Vladimir Panasenko fled the Nazis with his family. Later in 1949, they would leave war ravaged Europe and come to San Francisco, CA. Known on the streets simply as Vladimir, he has called the Bay Area his home ever since. Vladimir is an incredibly prolific artist who has photographed the streets of San Francisco for over three decades now. Unlike a lot of Leica specialists, Vladimir’s influences include outlaw Billy the Kid, race car driver Juan Manuel Fangio and WWII ace Erich Hartmann. From these he learned to increase his reaction time and to follow three rules: always take your subject by surprise, always shoot from the closest possible distance, and break away immediately after shooting.
Vladimir’s extensive body of work is as astonishing as any discovered in recent years. Working Women. Pursuit of Pleasure. Rich & Poor. Homeless. Birds. Pairs. These are the themes that comprise C’est la Vie in B&W. Vladimir's favorite area to photograph has been and continues to be Mid Market Street, with its bustle and wide mix of people. His photographs study the lives of the very rich, the very poor and everyone in between. Each image is powerful on its own, and when viewed in pairs the effect is breathtaking.
Vladimir’s cameras are an important part of his work and his craft extends to his custom Leica film cameras with their wood and brass. When asked about them, Vladimir states, “I would like to quote ancient Ukranian folk wisdom: If you want a wife who will always stay by your side, marry someone so ugly that nobody will want to touch her. I am married to my Leica M2’s. I chose them because I could see that Leica would never make anything better, and because they will be with me “Till death do us part,” I can modify them in any way that optimizes their fulfillment of their mission. Resale value is for whores. C’est la Vie.”
In addition to silver gelatin prints, a postcard set consisting of five photographs will be offered at the start of the exhibition and be limited to a small edition. Once the set is sold out, the postcards will no longer be available but other sets will be made available in the future.
There will be an opening reception on Thursday, May 7, 2015 from 6pm-8pm
The exhibition continues through July 2, 2015
San Francisco is a special place for photography. Luminaries including Ansel Adams, Edward Weston and Imogen Cunningham have called it home. Students from around the world attend our prestigious art schools. Leica Gallery San Francisco sits at the heart of this city, and, with the Leica Store San Francisco, it offers an exciting destination for the diverse Bay Area photography community. Its roughly five yearly exhibitions feature emerging and established photographers from the Bay Area and beyond. Its artist lecture series and workshops make it a center of learning as well as of unfolding cultural trends.
Leica Camera is a global icon that over a century has mastered the balance of art and engineering - achieving an immutable balance of form and functionality. Continue to join Leica Camera on its journey to celebrate 100 years of innovation at www.leica-camera.com
Hours: Monday-Friday, 10am-6pm, Saturday, 10am-4pm.
463 Bush St.
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415)-801-5066 www.leicastoresf.com www.leicagallerysf.com
Media Contact:
Alex Ramos, Gallery Director
Tel. (415) 801-5066 / alex@leicastoresf.com
A new Leica Boutique will be opening in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 17, 2015. The grand opening of the Leica Boutique Las Vegas at B&C Camera will be held on September 17, 2015 and is located at 4511 West Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89102. Several Leica Akademie and other events are also scheduled on the 18th, 19th and 20th.
Leica will be holding a "Das Wesentliche" event on October 20, 2015. This is when they'll typically announce one of more new products - as they have in the past. This event is not open to the public; it's invite only. We expect to see a new Leica X-U (Type 113) or M-like camera to be announced. There's also talk of a Leica Q (Type 116) camera with interchangeable lenses. Though we're not betting on that. Leica has already stated that if the Leica Q proves popular (which admittedly, it has) then they will consider releasing it in other focal lengths. There's been no talk of an interchangeable lens version that we're aware of.
For more than 100 years, our thoughts and actions, and our passion, have been dedicated to only one thing - creating the perfect picture. With products that are always focused on "Das Wesentliche", the essentials, we provide photographers around the world with the ideal tools for capturing the decisive moment and for bringing their own vision to life. This tradition is what drives us to achieve and gives us the power to reinvent ourselves time and again. The outcome is a portfolio of cameras and lenses that redefine the status quo as we know it and have one thing in common, despite a century of progress: a focus on “Das Wesentliche” - in other words, the picture.
We cordially invite you to a celebration of photography in the the spirit of "Das Wesentliche". From October 20, 6:30 p.m. on until October 21, approximately 1:00 p.m, everything in the Leitz Park in Wetzlar will revolve around the fascinating nature of pictures and the exclusive presentation of a new milestone in the Leica Camera product range. Be one of the first to experience the next chapter in the history of professional photography, a historic moment that begins right here and now and will shape the future. Enjoy a delightful atmosphere and a special photographic program with friends of Leica, photographers, artists, media, and prominent and international guests - in other words, with all those who, just like you, breathe life into the fascination that is Leica.
