Leica and Story Telling
The mask worn each day of radiation to insure that her head was perfectly aligned with the machine
I am lucky enough to have owned several Leica cameras over the last 10 years. A lifelong goal of mine, finally realized when I was lucky enough to land a gig that paid me enough to by my first M, the M9M. That monochrom camera was slow and stubborn, with a lousy battery and a crude rear LCD but it produced the most beautiful B&W images that I have ever created, and that includes the thousands of frames of TMAX that I shot in my film day.
From that moment on, I was hooked on the Range Finder experience. It is not the right camera for everyone, nor is it the right camera for every circumstance. After all, a camera is a tool, and if your job is to take pictures then you use the tool that is right for the job. Still, the feel, and experience of shooting with an M, of holding an M, of appreciating the craft and the heritage of the company, well that is unlike any other camera that I have worked with.
While I have had the luxury of telling many visual stories with my Leica gear, none, in my mind, showcased the true spirit of this camera, like the time I documented my partners battle with cancer. Constantly at my side, quiet and discreet, that unique shutter sound that came with the M9 bodies, it was with me all the time, just like I was with her all the time. A dark and sad, lonely time, that camera helped me to cope. It allowed me to do what I think I do best and that is use images, the visions in my head born out through the lens of a camera, to tell the story that I see.
Celebrating the last day of treatment
I will forever be grateful to all of the fine people at Leica that make these beautiful, hand crafted imaging devices so that people like me can share the stories of our lives.
All we need is Love, Love, Love is all we Need
Peace, G-
— The entire visual story can be found on my Stories site. I am grateful to the medical staff that helped E defeat the beast.