Leica Monochrom and Jacob Aue Sobol...

I really don't like that style he has going of using direct flash and then pumping up the clarity post processing - it just looks really over-processed to me. Other than that, the subject was interesting.
 
Honestly, they could have been shot with anything! Lots of flash and the images have all had the daylights post processed out of them. Certainly some strong, emotive and interesting imagery but nothing that should be held up as Leica MM examples regardless of whether it was the tool used or not.
 
Looking at his earlier work in film he's replicated his earlier style with the M9 Monochrom digital images - no mean feat. I don't particularly like the style or the content, but I'm impressed with his talent, and also interested that Leica is engaging with your artists like him to showcase the Monochrom.
 
I would not criticize his shooting style, after all it's a personal approach; however for the results: If I were printing similar to his pictures way back in 1964 while learning printing in the faculty's lab, I would be kicked out by my mentor.
 
BobYIL said:
If I were printing similar to his pictures way back in 1964 while learning printing in the faculty's lab, I would be kicked out by my mentor.
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Not if you were Magnum photog :)

But seriously speaking, I remember lecture where old phographer mentioned some of his students lost spark when they started to work for large agencies, Magnum including. Not bashing agencies, but that's exactly what he told. People either have spark or not, regardless of where they work. That said, judge by results, not by status or employer.
 
BobYIL said:
I would not criticize his shooting style, after all it's a personal approach; however for the results: If I were printing similar to his pictures way back in 1964 while learning printing in the faculty's lab, I would be kicked out by my mentor.
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Which is a comment on a changing acceptance of style. If you had been composing like Penderecki in the nineteenth century nobody would have listened to your music. (Not that I disagree with this:eek::D)

This grungy style of printing came into acceptance in the seventies.
It is not just printing. Sobol uses direct flash to get such soot and chalk images.
 
jaapv said:
Which is a comment on a changing acceptance of style. If you had been composing like Penderecki in the nineteenth century nobody would have listened to your music. (Not that I disagree with this:eek::D)

This grungy style of printing came into acceptance in the seventies.
It is not just printing. Sobol uses direct flash to get such soot and chalk images.
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I think some of the new photographers were trying to establish a personal style - a signature- through a little eccentricity; most probably after trying hard with the conventional way and not achieving an impressive enough one.
 
I saw his images in LFI magazine. I don't mind them, but it does strike me as ironic that Leica is choosing a photographer who shoots with a faux lo-fi style for it's celebrity endorsement of the M9M. A camera which Leica has previously vaunted for its high resolving power.




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When I saw his photos on LFI I thought he could have used any digicam for that end product. So what is the point of the MM? I want to see photo from the MM that showcases its uniqueness whatever it is I am confused now. I am strictly a b/w film shooter and I really want a digital camera that can give me that certain film look but is this it? I don't see it.
 
Rayt said:
When I saw his photos on LFI I thought he could have used any digicam for that end product. So what is the point of the MM? I want to see photo from the MM that showcases its uniqueness whatever it is I am confused now. I am strictly a b/w film shooter and I really want a digital camera that can give me that certain film look but is this it? I don't see it.
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Same here. I've found no film-like unique-ness in the M9M images, just an improvement on what the M9 sensor gave.
Perhaps Leica are using Sobol and his images to try and impress upon potential buyers that it does have such unique qualities.
 
The only foolproof way to achieve film-look, if that's the goal, is to shoot film.

On the video itself, it was interesting, even though I don't like most of his photographs. Anders Peterson does it better.
 
Well there'r some good and some not so good pictures - to me. People are different and like different things, but ... Using flash with pushed contrast wont convince me in the uniqueness of that leica. I think he could have done that witch pretty much every digital camera
 
starless said:
The only foolproof way to achieve film-look, if that's the goal, is to shoot film.
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Not really. To achieve the lo-fi kind of film look present here, a medium-end digicam and good postprocessing will do. It's like he offers zooming in until you see Tri-X grain.
 
I don't care what camera he used...there are some great images there. Why does everyone keep thinking that anyone that uses the M9m is supposed to use the images as is out of the camera? The site is about his work, not an ad for the camera.
 
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