I'm Looking at a Book Titled.....

[doubs43]

"My Leica and I; Leica Amateures Show Their Pictures". The cover photograph shows a man holding a Leica III - probably an "a" as it has the slow speed dial - with Imarect finder and a long black-bodied lens that looks to be a 135mm Hektor.

The book was published in 1937 and bought by my father in 1941. Each photograph is credited to the taker and includes a title, the lens used, f-stop, exposure time and the film it was taken on.

The large majority of the pictures are well-composed and impressive. Most were taken at 1/60th of a second or less with fewer taken at 1/100th or faster. I doubt that any of them were taken with a coated lens.

For anyone who believes that the old, uncoated pre-war Elmars and other lenses are inferior or incapable, they would be pleasantly surprised to see the work presented in this book. There are Summar shots that should impress almost anyone. The contributors may be amatures but they are very, very good.

That's my impression and anyone who finds a pre-war photography book should give it a close look. You may find that they weren't so badly equiped after all.

Walker

 

[peter_n]

My Leica And I 🙂

 

[doubs43]

Peter, that's the book and even with a damaged spine it's worth 15 quid. The pictures should inspire anyone to want to take better photographs.

Walker

 

[Steve Hoffman]

Try and find "My First Ten Years With The Leica" by the German Leica genius Dr. Paul Wolff. Published in Germany in 1934 but in the USA a year or so later. Well worth a look; amazing pictures. I think there is one on eBay right now. Type in the search "Paul Wolff".

 

[merciful]

Pre-war lnses are great: for my style of work, particularly. The only issue I have with my Summitar is that I have to remember to extend and lock it.

For anyone who believes that the old, uncoated pre-war Elmars and other lenses are inferior or incapable, they would be pleasantly surprised to see the work presented in this book.

 

[back alley]

nice shot mister!
😉
joe

 

[doubs43]

Try and find "My First Ten Years With The Leica" by the German Leica genius Dr. Paul Wolff. Published in Germany in 1934 but in the USA a year or so later. Well worth a look; amazing pictures. I think there is one on eBay right now. Type in the search "Paul Wolff".

That's one I don't have but I do have Dr. Paul Wolff's "My Experiences in COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY", published in 1948 and bought by my father in 1959. This is the book, I believe, that has given me such an appreciation for pastel colors. The plates in this book are gorgeous with beautiful colors that are full and yet muted. They aren't the over-saturated brilliant colors that films today often produce.

Walker

 

[Steve Hoffman]

Yes, a nice book, first published in 1942.

By the way, Dr. Wolff was no Nazi but he was Hitler's favorite photographer. His amazing color negs and plates were destroyed by allied bombings during the war and he had to start over at war's end. His health failed and he died in 1951. Almost totally unremembered today I'm sorry to say.


His black and white work survives in negative form; hundreds of thousands of Leica negatives, some of the best Leica photography ever. Heck, some of the best photography ever!

 

[doubs43]

Steve, I've read that Ernst Leitz' most brilliant decision may have been when he decided to hire Dr. Wolff to use and promote the Leica camera. Leitz needed a gifted photographer to demonstrate just how well the Leica worked. Few - if any - were as qualified as Paul Wolff. Some of his color plates are almost like looking at a wonderful painting by an artist.

Hitler was an artist at one point in his life so it's not surprising that he'd appreciate Dr. Wolff's work.

I think there are a number of older photographers who are largely forgotten but when an aspiring photographer stumbles across the works of these men and women, they gain a new appreciation for what's possible. After all, we have the advantage of better everything, don't we? 🙂

Walker

 

[Steve Hoffman]

I agree. My first thought whenever I look at a Dr. Wolff photo book from the 1930's is "Gee wiz, all this amazing work with just a Leica III and an Elmar 3.5 uncoated". 😱 Makes me want to pull my 1935 Leica III out and take some shots. I'm not Paul Wolff though, that's for sure.. :bang:

 

[doubs43]

I agree. My first thought whenever I look at a Dr. Wolff photo book from the 1930's is "Gee wiz, all this amazing work with just a Leica III and an Elmar 3.5 uncoated". 😱 Makes me want to pull my 1935 Leica III out and take some shots. I'm not Paul Wolff though, that's for sure.. :bang:

Nor am I, Steve, but he's a photographer whose work can only help me improve my own photographs. I wonder if he had formal art training or was he simply gifted with an eye for composition? Reading his descriptions of his shots shows that he had an eye for detail that would be missed by most people.

Walker

 

[Steve Hoffman]

I agree. Since discovering Dr. Wolff I've been shooting more than ever... He's my current favorite photographer!

 

[merciful]

By the way, Dr. Wolff was no Nazi but he was Hitler's favorite photographer.

I've been under the impression that (coincidentally) Heinrich Hoffmann was the Führer's go-to guy for photography; at least that's the name most often mentioned in conjunction with Hitler and photography.

 

[Steve Hoffman]

No, Hoffmann was Hitler's personal photographer. Hitler felt that Paul Wolff captured the "German People", etc. like no other. DIfferent kind of photography.

Look, I just go by what I read, I wasn't there (thank God)...

 

[merciful]

Thanks, Steve. I'd like to see and read more about Wolff's stuff, when I can.

No, Hoffmann was Hitler's personal photographer. Hitler felt that Paul Wolff captured the "German People", etc. like no other. DIfferent kind of photography.

Look, I just go by what I read, I wasn't there (thank God)...

 

[doubs43]

Steve, that's pretty much the answer I expected. IMO, Dr. Wolff would have felt constrained by the very nature of "official" political photography.

Did you note that the finder on Dr. Wolff's Leica on the cover of his book is the Vidoom? I used one until I found an Imarect finder that I could afford. The image is reversed and it takes some getting used to.

Merciful, the photograph of the woman you posted earlier is a powerful shot. Very nicely done, IMO.

Walker

 

[merciful]

Merciful, the photograph of the woman you posted earlier is a powerful shot. Very nicely done, IMO.

Thanks, Walker (and Joe, too.)

 

[wyk_penguin]

Nothing better in promoting German genius and superiority than showing Leica photos.