By DIERK TOPP In 1955 I took my first photographs with the Agfa Box of my mother during a vacation camp. Ever since then photography exited me. My grandpa had an old wooden camera and as I was very much interested how it works, I took it apart — and tried to put it together […]
By DIERK TOPP It was a long way until I got my Leica M Monochrom. In 1955, at the age of 13, I took my mother’s Agfa Box 6×9 on a vacation with my school class. Those were my first photographs. Since that time photography has been my main hobby and I used all kinds […]
By DIERK TOPP Painting with light, what’s this? It’s illuminating an object with a pocket or any other lamp moved around the object during exposure. “Painting” the light on the object is not a well-known technique. Many years ago I happened to discover the work of photographer Emil Schildt. Schildt, a true master of “light […]
Here’s an exciting crowdsourcing project for not only film aficionados, but for all lovers of fine photography and distinct gear: New55 FILM is a Kickstarter project that needs $400,000 to fund manufacturing. As a backer you will not only receive boxes of first-run manufactured New55 FILM “First Edition,” you’ll also be making history by constructing […]
By DIERK TOPP My topic is sort of special and probably not for many readers, but it may be worth to think about using tilt-shift lenses on your Leica when shooting architecture. We’re not talking the miniaturization tilt-shift, but the serious architectural photography. Now, what are tilt-shift lenses? Wikipedia does a better job explaining it […]
By DIERK TOPP Here’s a comparative portrait shooting with the Nikon D3, Sony NEX-7 and Leica M Monochrom. The photos were made in a studio with two soft boxes and black studio background, as you can see in the 1:1 crop’s reflections in the eye. For a better analysis refer to the 1:1 crop images. […]
Was a bit hesitant at first when receiving an M Monochrom from Leica — nah, just for a week. Who hasn’t yet read all the hands-on reviews praising the magic of this black-and-white only camera, consistently stating phenomenal image quality — while at the same time emphasizing that the camera really truly starts shining when […]
The Leica M Monochrom ships to first buyers in Europe. German Leica photographer Dierk Topp sent THEME three Leica M9 and M Monochrom DNG/RAW comparison files for download and letting you play. BTW, full Leica M Monochrom hands-on impressions by Dierk follow in a few days, stay tuned! Samples are shot with the Summilux 35mm, […]
