Leica M6
The M6 – The Icon
The Leica M6 epitomizes the enduring values that have defined Leica from the outset: a focus on the essentials. The M6 once more embraces the minimalist ethos of the M line, elevating it with exceptional precision. It also incorporates cutting-edge electronics – such as an integrated, selective light meter – that can be operated both discreetly and mechanically.
The success of the later M6 TTL, featuring an expanded flash system, prompts the return of M production to Wetzlar. Here, too, the guiding principle is: back to the roots. From there, it becomes an enduring legend of street, documentary, and, above all, rangefinder photography for generations to come. This status is further emphasized by the subsequent reissue of the M6 in 2022.
I define my street photography through the process itself. I put in the extra effort to reveal not only what’s visible on the surface, but also what lies beneath.– Jeff Mermelstein
1984 – A Dystopia?
George Orwell’s classic 1984 is being discussed in society this year. The advent of PCs and the growing volume of new media are said to result in increased control and manipulation of the individual, as described in the book. Others regard this as welcome progress, and see benefits for the individual as well as entertainment value. At the same time, the tone in politics is growing increasingly severe towards minorities, perceived unproductivity, and liberalism – echoing the atmosphere portrayed in Orwell’s work. In the end, the only winner of this discussion remains: the power of images.
In this spontaneous moment, Diana Walker surely doesn’t anticipate that her photograph of the laughing group surrounding US President Reagan and Vice President Bush during a ceremony in the Oval Office will come to hold such enduring significance. Yet as a viral meme, it continues to circulate daily on the internet, serving both as a symbol of “old white men” in politics and of elite complacency.
Chernobyl
The Long Echo of Silence
On April 26th, 1986, the explosion in reactor block 4 at Chernobyl alters the lives of several hundred thousand people permanently. A radioactive cloud spreads across much of Europe and turns the surrounding region into a bleak and desolate no-man’s land. Marco Cortesi, who courageously roams the 2,600 km² exclusion zone, documents the vast emptiness and human tragedy in silent, monochrome images that feel unsettlingly relevant – despite being taken 30 years after the disaster.
The Beginning of the End of Apartheid
Since 1948, South Africa has been divided by racial segregation enforced through strict laws: People of Color are forcibly relocated to townships and denied access to education, employment opportunities, and the right to vote. In the mid-1980s, the system begins to collapse as protests intensify, international criticism mounts, and Nelson Mandela rises to prominence as a central figure. During this period of upheaval, symbolic photographs – such as those by David Turnley, who later receives the LOBA for his gripping South Africa series – spark global attention.
I am always interested in a person’s humanity and wish to earn my way to photograph that.– David Turnley