Image taken with Ricoh GR-D IV. 1/42 sec F/1.9 @ ISO 400 It’s always been a romantic concept of mine to wander the streets of Tokyo with a Leica. I know I’m not alone as there are a few ‘foreigners’ in Tokyo who have become quite well known in the photography blogosphere as Leica photographers. I’ve been back to Japan many times, and I’ve taken a variety of cameras over the years: Argus, Minolta, Fujifilm, Ricoh, Pentax, Canon, Panasonic; but never with a Leica. But why a Leica? I don’t know why really. Is it perhaps because both the Leica brand and the Japanese culture seem to both be entrenched in tradition, but at the same time adapt to the present without forgetting their past? Is it the red dot? Is it because of that movie with Clint Eastwood? Who knows… Either way, this dream of mine was solidified years ago when I found a rare 1939 book entitiled “Japan Through a Leica” by Ihee Kimura. He bridged his specific tool (the Leica) with a specific project (life in ‘modern’ Japan of
Posts
